Our Philosophy and Programs
From our beginning, co-founders Mike and Nancy Crist were driven to establish an organization that balances rescuing and caring for animals with educating the humans on whom these animals rely for a peaceful, safe and healthy life. The decisions we make daily, and the programs we offer, reflect this philosophy.
Joely and her littermates were homeless in 2007 when AWF took the puppies into its care, providing spaying/neutering and vaccinations and placing them in responsible homes.
Rescue
We are in the process of raising funds for building an animal shelter in Jones County. Until we have a facility of our own, we rely on a network of state-licensed foster homes to care for our stray dogs and cats. Our foster parents provide a safe temporary home until a permanent home can be found.
Foster Care v. Shelter Care
Having cared for strays in foster homes for over six years, we have learned there are advantages and disadvantages to this approach versus a shelter. The biggest advantage is that we have the chance to observe a dog or cat’s behavior in a home environment. However, by its nature, foster care is inconsistent because the people providing the care have their own unique personalities, skills, knowledge levels and schedules. This can result in inconsistent training and care for a rescue group’s foster animals. An animal shelter, on the other hand, provides a consistent environment with consistent care. It also has predictable hours, making it easy for people to visit the pets they are interested in adopting.
Veterinary Care
All of our dogs receive rabies and distemper/parvo vaccinations, heartworm test and de-worming. Cats are tested for HIV and feline leukemia and vaccinated against rabies, distemper and feline leukemia. We also provide care for any health issues that are present when the stray animal is picked up or arise in foster care, including heartworm, injuries, ear infections and urinary tract infections. Dogs in foster care are on heartworm preventative and flea and tick preventative from April through November.
Microchipping
All of our dogs and cats are microchipped with 24PetWatch chips. This company was selected because there is no registration fee, as there is with the other two top microchip companies. We did not want to add to the financial burden of pet owners by selecting a company that required fees in addition to cost of the chip implant. Our low-cost pet microchipping clinics – announced on this web site – enable pet owners to be responsible without emptying their wallets.
Suri was a member of a family of cats that was shot and left to die near a farm in Jones County. She survived and was taken into AWF’s care. Today she lives in a caring, responsible forever home.
Education
Our board members and volunteers realize knowledge is essential in order to improve pet care and eliminate the pet overpopulation problem. We attempt to educate the public every chance we get—daily phone calls and e-mails as well as public appearances. Free Pet Parenting Classes are provided and adoption packets for dogs and cats include DVDs on training and behavior as well as tip sheets and resources. Our dog- and cat-savvy board members and coordinators are available to troubleshoot behavior issues or give referrals to our favorite dog trainers and animal behaviorists.
Our Unique Foster-to-Adopt Program
We are committed to doing everything in our power to eliminate pet overpopulation. This means NO dogs, puppies, cats or kittens are released from our care until they have been spayed or neutered. This also means we do NOT make money on puppies and kittens, as many rescues do, by releasing the animals unaltered and after only their first vaccination. Our approach is unique. We sign up foster families who want to adopt a puppy or kitten and place the pet of their choice in their home. This enables them to enjoy their new family member during the adorable puppy or kitten stage, but also keeps us in control of the pet’s vet care. When our vet decides the kitten or puppy is ready to be spayed or neutered—usually around four or five months of age—the surgery is performed, the foster family signs an adoption contract and pays the adoption fee and the puppy or kitten is legally theirs. In our first few years we used the voucher system, which places the responsibility of the pet’s spay or neuter on the adoptive family. Compliance was sporadic and hard to enforce. We found that our Foster-to-Adopt program is the most responsible route to take.
We Focus on Eastern Iowa’s Dogs and Cats
In our six years of existence, only one of the hundreds of animals helped by our organization came from out-of-state. Our main focus is to help the stray dogs and cats of Jones County. There are thousands of animals that suffer and die in our state each year. Because of this, we place a priority on helping the dogs and cats in our own back yard. When resources permit, we respond to a plea for help from outside of Jones County with a monetary donation or an offer to transport.