Mission:
Homeward Trails seeks to find
permanent adoptive homes in the Mid-Atlantic Region for dogs
and cats from high-kill shelters or whose owners can no longer
care for them. In so doing, we seek to reduce the rate of
euthanasia of adoptable animals through the rescue and placement
of homeless animals; to support proactive spay/neuter practices;
to promote positive and ongoing behavioral training; and to
educate the public about how to care for their animals in
a humane way. Homeward Trails not only facilitates adoptions
from local shelters, but also supports a large network of
foster care providers who take homeless dogs and cats into
their homes, care for them, rehabilitate them when needed,
and prepare them for their permanent adoptive homes.
Sadly, without our help, all of these adoptable
animals would face almost certain euthanasia - usually within
days or hours of our rescuing them. Each year we take in hundreds
of wonderful animals who were left at shelters by no fault
of their own.
Many are puppies and kittens – innocent
victims of irresponsible pet owners who don’t practice
spay/neuter. Many are abandoned hunting dogs who served their
owners well and were dumped in woods or left at shelters when
they were no longer wanted. Many are house pets whose owners
simply grew tired of caring for them or moved and did not
take them along. And even more are animals that have been
injured, abused and neglected. Whatever the reasons, these
animals all deserve better. And once with Homeward Trails,
they get better!
Our Principles:
1. To always operate in the best interest of the animals we
take into our program and to advocate for the proper care
of those in shelters and in private homes;
2. To provide quality care for the animals we take in for
as long as they are in our program and to provide ongoing
support to our adopters;
3. To always maintain a manageable number of animals in our
system whereby we can ensure proper medical care, behavioral
training and housing for the animals;
4. To rescue the widest array of dogs and cats by avoiding
general discrimination based on breed, age, and health;
5. To provide our shelter partners and their communities with
resources that will result in the highest level of care for
their animals, an increase in spay/neuter surgeries and a
decrease in the abuse, neglect and abandonment of dogs and
cats;
6. To treat our volunteers, adopters and partners with understanding,
patience and support
Click here
to read about our dedicated shelter partners and the animals
in their counties. In five years of operations, we have rescued
more than 5,000 animals. Read on to learn about our humble
beginnings and how a small twist of fate led to the creation
of this remarkable rescue operation!
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