Join our journey to enrich their lives and yours!

Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation has always been an organization dedicated to the well-being and health of the animals we rescue, ensuring they’re not only surviving the threat of homelessness and euthanasia, but given the opportunity to thrive and receive the love and individualized care they so deserve.

Give the gift of a second chance for dogs like Lexter — Donate any amount today!

Lexters Journey: 

Lexter was given the gift of freedom from a high kill, overcrowded shelter in South Carolina, where due to his breed type, health status, and current behavior he was days away from being euthanized. He began his journey in June on an organized transport to Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation along with other rescue animals. Lexter was fortunate LDCRF never closed their doors during the pandemic -- a time when our shelter partners and animals like Lexter needed us most. 

On arrival at our Rescue Care Center, Lexter was given the gift of a second chance where he was welcomed by our staff and volunteers. He underwent a period of observation allowing us to identify and prioritize his specific needs. Lexter had significant health and behavioral challenges including being Heartworm Positive, being fearful of strangers, he was underweight and undersocialized. Lexter then became part of our Care Pathway Program where we matched him with a dedicated ‘Champion’ (a volunteer to advocate for him) and created a tailored plan for his journey to becoming adoption ready.

Lexter received the gift of health through daily medical care at our Rescue Care Center including vaccinations, neuter surgery and preventatives. He was one of 96 dogs in 2020 we put through successful heartworm treatment -- an average medical commitment of $750 per dog. At LDCRF we treat every heartworm positive dog that we take into our care. Unfortunately our standard adoption fee falls short in covering the necessary medical costs. However, that does not put an end to our commitment -- it’s these instances where the giving of our donors is critical to our life saving efforts. 

The gift of enrichment was a crucial part of Lexter’s journey to a forever home. He became part of the Care Pathway Program -- a special program for dogs that need a little more time in our care to work on behavioral areas, socialization, and other basic obedience to best prepare them to succeed in a home environment. Keeping his heartworm treatment in mind, Lexter’s champion developed a daily schedule that included a mix of short walks, dogventures, obedience training and of course some TLC in our snuggle suite. After a couple of months, Lexter tested negative for heartworms and was free from light activity. His champion adjusted his program including him in playgroups, and other activities he previously could not participate in. Through all the enrichment work we did with Lexter, we learned a lot about his personality, temperament, and behavior which enabled us to match him with his appropriate adopter.

2020 has been an unprecedented year; we were faced with making many adjustments to our adoption operations, processes, and procedures. Focused on the animals we are devoted to save, Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation powered by an all-volunteer network came together to develop new ways to leverage virtual and remote capabilities. This heavily relied on the ability to expand our foster program. Keeping the pandemic in mind, we safely and responsibly kept our Rescue Care Center in operation to continue giving the gift of a forever family. Once again our volunteers prevailed, we now have in place various pathways to adoption, thus allowing rescue pets to complete their journey to their forever home. Lexter was adopted by way of our virtual foster program -- a volunteer dedicated to advocating for Lexter. Despite the challenges we have faced with COVID-19, we have set a new record of 2,468 adoptions this year. Lexter’s journey is a testament to the power of not just “care” but enrichment. 

Give the gift of a second chance for dogs like Lexter — Donate any amount today!

We recognize that it’s been an especially tough year for us all and completely understand if donating may be tough on this year’s Giving Tuesday. Our team of volunteers is grateful for contributions of any amount. Every penny plays a vital role in pushing our rescue mission forward—making a positive impact in the lives of pets and people alike!