Fresh Start Sheltie Rescue

11/30/2023

Just checked our donations in the PayPal Giving Fund, and yesterday we had donations there from L.D., M.R., A.Z., and 2 donations from J.D. That brings us to $1,750! You all are rockin' this! We would love to hit $2,000! Come on and help us reach that goal! (Note - if you mailed a check, you can let us know at [email protected] so we can include that in our totals).

11/30/2023

Thanks to G.B. for your 'Giving Wednesday' donation. We are up to $1,425 in donations. Thank you all so very much!

11/29/2023

We are so very grateful for another donation!!! This one is from G.M., and you all have now helped raise $1,400 to help needy Shelties. We have placed 32 Shelties this year, and the year isn't over yet!

11/29/2023

Most awesome! Thanks to S. I. for your donation. The total is now $1,300.00!!!

11/29/2023

Awesome to say we have had another donation. Thanks to R.F. for your donation and bringing us to $1,250!!!

11/29/2023

ADOPTION PENDING! She will be going to a previous adopter of ours. Thanks everyone who expressed interest and submitted applications.

Meet Emma! She’s a beautiful 2 year old girl who is a little shy as you can see by her hiding under the chair. She is crate trained and always does her business outside. We have not heard her bark yet but she’s a sheltie so we know she has bark potential. She sometimes likes to snuggle on the couch if she’s feeling confident that day. She will take treats from our hands now. Emma doesn’t like being outside and we are working with her to get her to go out on her own. She will go out if we put a leash on her and walk her out though. Once outside, she can be off leash in the yard to take care of business and will run back inside after. She’s average size, a little overweight but is on a diet to help her get her girlish figure back.
Emma is fully vetted and just waiting for the perfect home. If you have a very securely fenced yard, a quieter environment and another confident sheltie or dog for her to learn from, Emma might be your girl! Because she is shy and a flight risk, a fence is required and will be considered for a local adoption only. Emma is being fostered in the middle TN area.

To inquire about Emma, please email [email protected]

11/29/2023

Merci beaucoup to M. K. for your very generous donation! We are up to $1,200 for Giving Tuesday.

11/29/2023

Mucho gracious to P.M. & R. D. for your donation!!!!

11/28/2023

A shout out and thanks to J. J. (Sheltie lover and Facebook friend of mine) for another donation! We are up to $500 for helping vet expenses for our Shelties! Let's keep it going!

11/28/2023

A shout out and thanks to adopters S.T. & R. T. for your generous donation! We are up to $400 and (hopefully) counting (some more donations)!

11/28/2023

This beautiful girl is Grace. Your Giving Tuesday donation helps us take care of Shelties like her. You would never guess it by looking at her, but she is 15 years old! We placed her in early 2014 at almost 6 years old. Unfortunately, we got a call a couple of weeks ago and found out we needed to take her back into rescue because her owner was going into an assisted living facility and could not take her with him. We did not have an open foster home, but adopters that recently moved back to this area agreed to foster her until we could figure things out. Grace was well loved and well taken care of, but she needed lab work and a dental cleaning. We got that taken care of and in the meantime, her temporary foster home fell in love with this girl and didn't want her to experience another change of home at her age. Grace is a lucky girl to have landed in their home which is now her forever home!

Here are ways to donate:
PayPal - PayPal.com. Address to send the donation to is [email protected]
PayPal Giving Fund - go to https://www.paypal.com/US/fundraiser/charity/1405813 (there is a donate button on the page)
Venmo - send payment to
Mail - send check made out to Fresh Start Sheltie Rescue to Fresh Start Sheltie Rescue, c/o Kim Fike, 9255 Forest Wind Drive, Collierville, TN 38017
We appreciate any amount donated! Thanks so much in advance!!!

Stay tuned for more pics and stories of dogs we have helped this year.

11/28/2023

Shout out and thanks to Fresh Start adopter B.C. for your $100 donation on Giving Tuesday! Way to get this going!!!

11/28/2023

It is GIVING TUESDAY, the day dedicated to supporting the causes nearest and dearest to your heart!!! Please consider donating to Sheltie rescue and Fresh Start Sheltie (and sometimes Collie) Rescue in particular today. We have had a much busier year than usual, and we could use your help! November is also National Adopt a Senior Pet Month, and Fresh Start has helped quite a few seniors this year. We typically spend more on the seniors than younger dogs, but we almost always spend more on a dog in rescue than we get back in adoption fees. That is where fundraising comes in - to help us continue to help these precious lives!

Here are ways to donate:

PayPal - PayPal.com. Address to send the donation to is [email protected]

PayPal Giving Fund - go to https://www.paypal.com/US/fundraiser/charity/1405813 (there is a donate button on the page)

Venmo - send payment to

Mail - send check made out to Fresh Start Sheltie Rescue to Fresh Start Sheltie Rescue, c/o Kim Fike, 9255 Forest Wind Drive, Collierville, TN 38017

We appreciate any amount donated! Thanks so much in advance!!! Stay tuned for some pics and stories of dogs we have helped this year.

Fresh Start Sheltie Rescue, Inc. is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating Shelties that need a "Fresh Start" in life. We are located in the Memphis, TN area, and take in Shelties that are abandoned, lost, mistreated, or no longer wanted. We do not have a shelter facility; therefore the dogs in our program are housed and cared for in our network of dedicated foster homes. Our special rescue Shelties will be available for adoption after they have been vaccinated, spayed or neutered, checked (and treated if necessary) for heartworms, checked (and treated if necessary) for parasites, and groomed. Prospective homes will be thoroughly screened before being considered to adopt.

11/01/2023

To inquire about adopting this handsome senior boy, email us at [email protected]!

Chance has had a hard life, no doubt about it. He lived outside at a backyard breeding situation 24/7/365. He has had little to no vet care in the past. He only has a few teeth left; most of them just got diseased and fell out over time. He had to have been in pain quite often just from that. We got him when the breeder became ill and bedridden along with quite a few other Shelties which went to several Sheltie rescue groups in several states (scroll to our post about this on September 16th).

Chance's coat was so matted and nasty that we almost decided to shave him, but time, patience, and some good dog products helped us save his beautiful blue merle coat! Chance has been vaccinated, been tested (negative) and put on heartworm prevention, been neutered, had the few teeth he does have cleaned, and had a small mass taken off of his abdomen. He has learned to walk on a leash, is doing well on housetraining, and just discovering all the fun things about living inside and getting loved on! When we got him, he literally did not understand what petting was. He was like 'why are you touching me?' He now likes to be petted and scratched behind the ears. He told us he has more chapters to write in his book. There is a whole new world that has just opened up to him, and he is looking for the person/family that can help him have some quality time even though he is a senior. Speaking of that, we have no idea how old he is; we just know he is old! He could be 12 to 14; we just don't know. The lab work we did looked pretty darn good for a old man! He weighs about 30 pounds. Adopter must have a securely fenced yard. He is currently being fostered in middle Tennessee but will be moving to another foster home in central Arkansas soon. We would love to find him a home in Tennessee, Mississippi, or Arkansas. Other locations will be considered on a case by case basis. If you are that special person to adopt a 'golden oldie,' contact us at [email protected].

10/19/2023

Both adopted!!!

On September the 15th (we posted about it on the 16th), Fresh Start Sheltie Rescue was involved with the surrender of 31 Shelties from a breeder which had become ill. We were 'boots on the ground' on the day they left the property. It took a village of Sheltie rescue groups, but all were picked up safely and transported to groups in several areas of the county.

We have already posted about Chance, the oldest one on the property that came to us at Fresh Start. The other 4 we got were a mom and 3 two week old puppies. We have someone waiting to adopt mom when she is ready, and we have someone lined up to adopt one of the puppies. We are looking for homes for the remaining 2 puppies which will be 8 weeks old this coming weekend. We are looking for adopters in the mid-south area (Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, possibly Missouri). The puppies are being fostered in Hot Springs, AR, and adopter must drive there to adopt. You MUST have a fenced yard, not be gone all day, pass a vet reference check, have a home visit, etc. We will be very picky about where these precious babies go. There is a sable male and a sable merle female. To inquire, email us at [email protected].

10/03/2023

Update Nov. 28th - we found a great temporary foster, and now Chance is in a regular foster home but still looking for his forever home. We got a great application in on him a couple of days ago, and we are hoping this might be the right forever home for him.

Hey everyone, we are looking for a temporary foster for a few weeks for the senior boy that came from the breeder release from Missouri (over 30 Shelties!) in mid September. If you missed it, scroll down on this page until September 16th. The Shelties from that (nasty) situation went to 6 different Sheltie rescue groups. The foster home that was going to foster this boy is not going to be able to take him until late this month. Since we didn't have another open foster home, he has been in boarding. He needs to get into a home situation and continue finding out how good life can be. He is clean now (that was a job!) and has been vetted - vaccinated, hw tested (neg) and now on prevention, microchipped, and neutered. He is learning to walk on a leash. He is an older boy; we are guessing at least 12 to 14! He doesn't hear well and his sight is a little diminished (but he can follow a treat in your hand!). His name is Chance because he deserved a chance to get loved and spoiled for whatever time he has left. He is in Collierville, Tennessee (outside Memphis). If you can offer to foster for a little while, please let us know at [email protected]. THANKS!!!

09/21/2023

Hank is going well in his foster to adopt home!

09/21/2023

Update Nov. 28th - Hank is in a foster to adopt home and doing great! He is continuing to lose weight and is settling in well. After he loses a little more weight, we will do a dental cleaning on him, and the foster family can officially adopt him!

Meet Hank! Hank is a 6-year-old blue merle that came into rescue when his family had life changes and made the difficult decision to surrender Hank to rescue. Hank is about as friendly and sweet as they come. He is crate and house trained and walks well on a leash (albeit very slowly). Hank is fully vetted with the exception of being low thyroid (takes daily medication which he takes well with a pill pocket) and his weight. Hank came into rescue very overweight at 70 pounds which is about 35 pounds more than he should weigh. He is already responding to smaller portions, lower fat food, and more exercise. Hank has a few spots where his hair is sparse, but with the thyroid medication and quality food, his hair is already looking better. Hank will need a dental after he loses some weight. He has beautiful markings and one brown/one blue eye. He is truly a stunning looking dog!
Hank loves attention. He wants to be by you at all times and will cry/howl if you're not close. He loves being petted and did very well being bathed/brushed and nails trimmed. Hank does well with other dogs. He is learning about toys and how to play.

Hank is currently being fostered in the middle TN area. With the amount of weight Hank needs to lose, he will be in foster care for a long time. If you are interested in fostering to adopt Hank, please email us at [email protected] and request a foster home application. As Hank continues his weight loss journey, he really needs a home with few or no stairs/steps to avoid any long-term issues with hips, joints, etc. If you are in the TN/AR/MS and have room in your heart for this big boy, please contact us!

09/16/2023

Fresh Start was lucky to be part of this huge rescue mission. We took in 5 of these dogs. More info on them later . . .

08/20/2023

YAY! Miss Lola will be going to her forever home next weekend!

ATTENTION: Senior dog lovers

Look at this lovely girl we just got today. Lola has found herself homeless at 14, yes 14 years old! Her owners were letting her roam loose and were cited several times. Instead of keeping her safe and secure, they chose to give her up. How sad!

Lola is housetrained, up to date on vaccinations, spayed, microchipped, and has had recent blood work which looked good. She weighs 20 pounds. She does have a heart murmur but doesn't need any medications at this time. She gets along with other dogs and also cats and is a pretty mellow girl. She doesn't act 14, though.

She is being fostered in north Georgia. Adopter must be willing to drive to meet and adopt her, although we might make an exception if it means getting her into the right home! Senior Shelties rock! If you are interested in giving miss Lola a forever home, please email us at [email protected].