DogTime is thrilled to support Camp Cocker Rescue, recipient of a DogTime Media donation as chosen by Petties winner, Carol Bryant.
How did your organization get started?
Founder, Cathy Stanley, was inspired to start a rescue group after returning from volunteering with animal rescue efforts after Hurricane Katrina. We were inspired to focus on Cocker Rescue because of “Katrina Muffin” a senior blind Cocker we brought back from the brink of death after miraculously surviving no food or water for five weeks.
What is your mission?
To save dogs (primarily Cocker Spaniels) from high kill shelters, rehabilitate them and find them thoroughly screened and well matched up adopters in the hopes that this will be their true forever home!
How do most of your animals find their way to you?
We monitor more than thirty high kill shelters within a hundred and fifty miles of Los Angeles and on a daily basis, about ten new Cockers show up in these kill shelters. Approximately four out of those ten Cockers will end their lives in a shelter so we try our best to make a difference, one dog at a time. We can’t save four dogs a day but we can try to save four to six dogs a month.
What happens to the animals once they are in your care?
First stop, the vet for a medical evaluation, then grooming (many Cockers are so severely matted from years of neglect that they need surgical shave downs). What used to be a wonderful healthy breed, has now been so badly bred, from puppy mills, to pet stores, to backyard breeders and “hobby” breeders. Nearly eighty percent of the Cockers we are rescuing end up having some sort of medical rehab, cherry eye surgery, glaucoma, cataracts, skin problems, ear issues from untreated ear infections, ear ablation surgery. We see it through with each and every dog, and just do our best to ask for donations so we can get them the proper medical treatment they need to get them healthy and adoptable.
Tell us about a particularly compelling animal or inspiring rescue.
Honestly, there are so many compelling dogs we’ve rescued, we could share hundreds of stories. To really see the kinds of animals that inspire us every day, you must watch our latest rescue video:
Inspired by the work of Camp Cocker Rescue? Consider volunteering or making a donation to their organization.
