Here at Tier Haven our hearts belong to the working dog breeds of Kentucky - German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois being our most common companions. The Tier Haven family is comprised of volunteers, adopters, and donors who have a passion for these working breeds and all of their quirks. We are brought together by the dogs that steal our hearts while chewing the shoe collection.
Tier Haven Rescue, Inc was originally incorporated in 1996 under the name ARK Project, Inc and is a long standing member of the animal rescue community in Kentucky. Originally an all-breed rescue Tier Haven shifted to focus on working dogs with the rise of breed specific legislation which was leading to larger numbers of German Shepherds, and other working dogs, being euthanized. We are rooted in Kentucky with a strong passion for enacting change within the state which has ranked last in animal welfare for many years - even if change is one dog at a time. Even as breed specific legislation has dwindled there are still large numbers of working dogs finding themselves at risk of euthanasia due to a lack of breed knowledge and/or training. The Tier Haven Family is committed to giving these dogs a second chance and we are all honored to be part of their paths to a better life.
While the Tier Haven Family is large we are still a small organization with a core group of volunteers who keep things flowing. These volunteers are dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, and rehoming of the working dogs who find themselves in Kentucky shelters. Tier Haven believes in individuality and giving our individual dogs the space to be dogs and move foward in a productive manner regardless of past trauma. This can take time though and Tier Haven is a dedicated no-kill organization which means we often have "long-term" residents either due to medical or behavioral needs that are on-going.
As a non-profit Tier Haven relies on our adopters and donors to continue moving forward with our mission - our adopters give us the gift of space to help the next dog while our donors give us the support to ensure each dog is given the best possible care while waiting for an adopter. Tier Haven is a foster based organization which means we do not have a central facility where our dogs are housed. This means we cannot allow drop in visits and have a specific adoption process which must be followed in order to meet our dogs. It also means that as a no-kill, foster based, rescue we are limited in the number of dogs we can care for at any given time and have a separate policy for owners seeking to surrender their dogs, which you can find below.
****Surrender Policy****
Tier Haven is unable to accept any owner surrenders due to the overwhelming number of Shepherds in shelters across the state. If you would like to discuss alternatives to rehoming you can email us at Tierhavenrescue@gmail.com to discuss your situation and possible options to keep your pet in your home.
