OKEECHOBEE — Animal lovers in the Big Lake area who have the space, time and love to help save a dog’s life are sought to be foster families for K-9 Resque in Okeechobee.

Special to the Lake Okeechobee News/K-9 Pet Resque
Winnie is a 1-year-old Jack Russell/Staffordshire terrier mix. She is spayed, up to date on shots and microchipped. She is crate trained. She loves to run, jump and play with her toys outside. She was not socialized as a pup, and left isolated with her sister. She will need a special dedicated family to adopt her. For more information, go to k9resque.org.

The organization rescues dogs who are doomed to die at shelters that euthanize animals if they are not adopted in a certain time frame. They also accept dogs whose owners can no longer care for them. In some cases, the owner has died and no one in the family can take care of the “orphaned” dog.

K-9 Resque does not have an office. It is an organization of foster homes.

Sharon O’Brien has been rescuing dogs for 35 years. K-9 Resque was founded 13 years ago. It started in Michigan and when Ms. O’Brien moved to Okeechobee five years ago, she brought the rescue work with her.

“We urgently need more foster homes,” said Ms. O’Brien.

Foster families provide love, training and socialization for the dogs.

Some of the dogs have had very little training, Ms. O’Brien explained. Through their program, the dogs are crate trained, housebroken and socialized. Training gives the dogs a better chance of finding a “forever” family, she explained.

There is always a need for more foster families, she said.

For more information, go online to k9resque.org or call 863-824-5375.

Pets available for adoption from K-9 Resque are posted on websites like Petfinder.com, adoptapet.com and rescueme.org.