In my line of work I come across some amazing organizations and people who are truly dedicated to animal welfare. They work (usually on a volunteer basis) to place often overlooked and seemingly undesirable animals in loving homes. Last Day Dog Rescue (LDDR) is one of these organizations. While I can’t feature or write about all these wonderful groups, I came into contact with LDDR through A2AH and felt strongly about supporting their efforts.

Based in Livonia, Last Day is a dog rescue with a particular mission: to rescue dogs and cats who are in imminent danger of euthanasia. LDDR began in 2006. They state, “We adopt around 1000 dogs and cats a year. We do not have a physical location yet; most of our dogs and cats are placed in the care of foster homes until they are adopted, a few are in boarding awaiting space in a foster home.”

The folks at LDDR feel strongly about challenging the idea of “un-adoptibility”. They feel that attaching this label to an animal because of “breed, age, or physical malady” is unfair and that many animals provided with the proper care can find loving homes.

It’s important for the public to keep in mind that dogs and cats can find themselves in shelters for a number of reasons. According to the LDDR website some of these pets “are owner surrenders, some are brought in as strays, and some dogs are found abandoned, left to fend for themselves in vacant homes, fields, or on the side of the road; some simply wandered off from their families and, having no tag or microchip, can’t find their way home”. Some shelters, like LDDR, are no-kill shelters and some aren’t. If an animal is placed in a “kill” shelter it has a limited time to be adopted before it is euthanized. LDDR and other organizations try to reach these dogs before that happens but many animals are put to sleep in shelters every year; according to the American Humane Association’s website, approximately 3.7 million animals were euthanized  in 2008 alone.

Groups like LDDR have websites that display photos of all their animals for adoption. They also need volunteers and monetary donations to keep their work progressing. I’m pleased to introduce Last Day Dog Rescue to the Ann Arbor Animal Hospital community and recommend visiting their website for more information about this group. I would also recommend checking out their Facebook Page for adoptable animals and success stories.