My name is Austin the Carebear!

Our first step is the application on our website. We are happy to talk at length on the phone with prospective adopters in order to find the best match possible. Prospective adopters, family members and often their pets come to meet our rescue dogs to see if the match seems right. Interested adopters then can take the dog home on a "doggie visit" to see if everything appears to work out. Our final step is the adoption itself, with a contract. We require adopters to have fenced yards and to promise to treat the dog as a loved and valued family member.

CONSIDERATIONS AND GUIDELINES:

Collies and shelties want to be with "their people" and are meant to be inside dogs. They would be miserable left outside. We are seeking adopters who want their dog to be an indoor family member.

Our rescue collies and shelties are NOT guard dogs. They are meant to be members of a family.

We do require a fenced yard in most cases. (It may be possible for an adult or senior sheltie to do fine in a townhouse/apartment environment, where all outside activities take place on a leash.) For any of our dogs, we do not approve invisible fences, dog runs or tie out chains.

If you live out of the area (as many of our adopters do), please know that we gladly do long-distance adoptions but we do not ship dogs. We require interested adopters to come and meet the dog. We communicate very thoroughly with persons whom we believe will adopt from us, and by the time a prospective adopter comes to meet a dog, most concerns have been addressed.

The dog may never be allowed off a leash unless it is in a secure area.

Collies and shelties must be on heartworm preventative, and must be placed on Interceptor. (Heartguard has proven toxic and even fatal to these breeds.)

The dog must wear ID tags at all times.

If you cannot keep the dog, it must be returned to RMCSR.
We do not adopt out dogs that will be given as gifts.

Adults in the household of the prospective adopter are the people who need to apply. Occasionally, we get applications from children and teens on behalf of their families. We realize that having a dog is a decision for the entire family, but we need to hear from parents.

If you have other pets, they need to be spayed/neutered if you adopt from us. Your other pets must also be up to date on vet care.

If you are unsure as to whether you can commit to a dog for the rest of its life, then please rethink your decision to adopt a dog. Adoption is for the rest of the dog's life and rescue dogs have already had enough turmoil in their lives.

Both collies and shelties can be barkers. If this will be an issue for you or your neighbors, please give this consideration.

These breeds do shed. These are double-coated, long-haired breeds. Their coats need a fair amount of care. A good brushing at least once a week and a bath periodically is needed.

Shelties can be shy with strangers.

Collies and shelties can be herding dogs, so this is something to keep in mind if you have young children or cats.

If you are considering a puppy, the adoptive home we seek is one where there are no children under 6 years old; the family members are active and up to the rigors and challenges of having a young dog; and someone can devote the time it takes to training and raising a pup.

Our adoption fee is a minimum of $350.

Please go to our website, http://www.CollieSheltieRescue.org, for the adoption contract and application form.

All our dogs live in foster homes. We do not adopt out dogs at "public events," but we encourage folks meeting us at events to discuss adoption, fostering and volunteering. Go to our website for a calendar of events. To meet our rescue dogs, interested adopters are encouraged to fill out the application on the website, talk to us on the phone to learn more, and then line up meeting the dog(s) if everything seems to be a good match.

Our Promise to Them … and to You

Lassie hasn't come into our rescue yet. For that matter, neither has a single Westminster champion. Perfect dogs without a single flaw don't exist any more than a person without a single flaw does.

We get the dogs that are no longer wanted -- for whatever reason. Maybe these collies and shelties once were well loved and had a real home, but their owner died, moved or simply could not afford to keep them anymore. Or maybe these dogs were not loved at all (but you bet the dog tried to love the owner back anyway.)

We don't get the perfectly trained, immaculately groomed, well socialized dog. What we get is potential on four paws, dogs just waiting for a chance to be all that they can be.

Some come from shelters where they all but shut down, expecting every moment to take the walk that other dogs took and never came back from. Others were abandoned and left to fend for themselves but somehow miraculously made it to us. Many have never eaten good food, slept comfortably on a dog bed, gone to the vet for regular care, been inside a house before or simply been loved.

Our little band of RMCSR volunteers give everything we've got to help the dogs entrusted to our care. We don't give up on them. Ever.

When you come to RMCSR to adopt, please remember that our rescue dogs are not "bargains" just because they do not come with AKC papers. For that matter, they are not objects of pity either. As we see it, our rescue dogs are just themselves -- pure and simple. They are unique individuals and precious in their own way, deserving of the best life that a dog can be granted.

So as you think about adopting one of our rescue collies or shelties, think with your head and your heart. We promise that whatever you give of yourself will be given back a-hundredfold by your adopted dog.

Rocky Mountain Collie and Sheltie Rescue, Inc., is a tax-exempt, non-profit, volunteer-operated organization founded in 1979 with the purpose of finding loving homes for collies and shelties, and mixes of those breeds. We provide for adoptions, foster care and owner relinquishment. We are a member of the Denver All Breed Rescue Network.

For complete information about Rocky Mountain Collie and Sheltie Rescue and to learn about available dogs and policies, please see our website at www.pueblocolliesheltie.org.