In 2015, a group of individuals brought years of experience in the rescue community together to create a Northern breed rescue known as Arctic Spirit Rescue. We didn’t strive to be the largest or the group that rescued the most dogs at the end of every year. Instead, our goal was to provide local Northern breed dogs with the assistance they needed to find appropriate, lifelong homes, no matter how long it took. We often took dogs that other groups refused, dogs with behavioral challenges, or dogs that needed extensive vet care. We never took the easy path, and we’re so proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish with the help of many volunteers and supporters.
Over the past few years, we’ve watched rescue trends change. Economic pressures forced many families to relinquish their pets at a rate never before seen. We were seeing hundreds of dogs being transported into our area from other regions, sometimes even other countries, leaving our local dogs with few resources. Dogs were being adopted by unprepared families, unaware of the commitment and expense that might be required, resulting in even more relinquishments. This escalated the desperation we were seeing from frustrated, heartbroken families who couldn’t find any support for their family pet. Over time, the calls we were navigating were often difficult and toxic.
Desperation doesn’t bring out the best in human beings. Add to this the lack of volunteers, foster homes, and most importantly, the lack of donations, and you have the perfect storm for groups like ours to fail. Our Board of Directors met regularly, brainstorming ways to continue on the rescue path.
We realized it was time to pivot. We are excited to unveil a new chapter for ASR!
Although we will no longer be taking dogs to place for adoption, we will be initiating programs to assist and support local groups, shelters, food banks, vets, and more to keep dogs with their families. We will be focusing on educating the public about various aspects of rescue and dog ownership, because rescue doesn’t just mean rehoming dogs. It means supporting those who love the dogs.
Over the past several months, we have been busy. Despite jobs, families, and life responsibilities, our Board has met regularly, carving out what these new initiatives will look like. This will be ongoing, and we have no doubt our goals will shift from time to time as we learn what the needs are in our local communities. A priority will be our local senior citizens and veterans, and we’re currently learning about programs already in place to see how we will fit in.
We’ve made many new friends over the past ten years, and we hope you’ll join us on this new journey. Over time, you’ll see opportunities you can help with, whether it’s donating a few dollars to a project (we are still a non-profit organization), delivering food and supplies to a food bank, or helping out at a public education event. Our social media will continue to thrive and will be our primary source of communication, so be sure to follow us and share our posts. Our website is also a great resource and has undergone an update to reflect this new chapter, so be sure to check it out from time to time.
We can’t wait to see all of the great things we can continue to accomplish together!
