The Rise Rescue Alliance

03/05/2025

Stay strong little buddy. 💔

Yesterday was a pretty exhausting and emotional day. We received a call that a sick puppy needed help and by the sound of things, we had a sinking suspicion he had Parvo.

We gathered supplies and called our great friend Mel, at WAG Welfare for Animals Guild for help. After our amazing vet squeezed us in on short notice for a test, our fears were realized.

The puppy was Parvo positive and needed immediate hospitalization.

Mel and the folks at WAG did what they do best - they took him under their care, rushing him to the emergency vet hospital where he has the best shot at a full recovery. Mel has gotten many pups through Parvo, and we knew if this guy was going to make it, she, along with all of the wonderful folks at WAG, were the angels he needed.

Send good vibes to this perfect little kiddo as he fights for his life. And show our friends at WAG some serious love for mobilizing an army at a moments notice to get him the care he so desperately needs.

It takes a village. We are so grateful for ours ❤️

02/25/2025

It’s World Spay Day and Rise pups Doug and Missy are celebrating by getting neutered and spayed!

Not only does altering your pet prevent accidental litters which is SO important given the current pet overpopulation crisis...

But spaying and neutering also has many health and behavior benefits.

Missy was SO excited to see everyone at her appointment...

And Doug, well...he needed a little extra help relaxing. But with a little extra attention from the vet staff, he's comfy, did great for his surgery, and is waking up as I type. ❤

If you need assistance spaying or neutering your pup, we can help. Check out our programs here --> https://riserescue.org/spay-neuter/

And if you’d like to help us help more pups get this crucial surgery, here’s the link to support our efforts. https://givebutter.com/vetcare

Happy World Spay Day!

02/19/2025

UPDATE: This community is the greatest. Picking up a freezer today! Thanks so much Patti! And thank you to everyone for sharing and spreading the word!
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Have a freezer you aren’t using?

After nearly 4 faithful years of service, ours bit the dust.

We use this thing every day to freeze all of our doggy enrichment toys. And we need to get a new one ASAP.

We would prefer an upright freezer to chest style freezers as it’s easier to sort and access our toys. That said, a chest freezer or two would work too.

If you’ve got one, or know of someone who does, and you aren’t using it, the doggies would be so grateful to have it.

We appreciate you!

02/17/2025

This girl's got legs…

And she knows how to use ‘em. 😉

This is Mara and she came to hang with us yesterday.

She is about a year old, and we think she may be a Belgian Malinois mix.

Mara was struggling at the shelter…

And a volunteer (who happens to be a friend of ours) reached out to us for help.

Mara was well loved her entire life.

She was rescued as a baby puppy off the side of the road, and taken in by her finder. As she grew, her human realized she was in over her head. Mara had so much energy, she was struggling to keep up.

She took her swimming, did training with her, and walked her for as long as she was able, but nothing seemed to satisfy her.

So she surrendered her to the shelter in hopes a better home could be found with a note to future adopters that said “She is the center of my world, please make her the center of yours”. 🥺

When Mara arrived, she walked right up to us to say "Hello!". She was all tail wags as she greeted us, and then went back to checking out this new place she’d landed.

After settling in, we found her a doggy friend to play with and the two ran around for about an hour, until said doggy friend was exhausted and quit. Her favorite game of choice is chase - and boy is she fast!

We then traded doggy friends, and Mara ran around for another hour, after which she finally conceded and laid down.

We then introduced her to her sleeping quarters where she rested peacefully with a yummy bone.

We’re just getting to know this perfect girl but what we’ve learned so far is that…

- She’s great with dogs
- She’s great with people
- She is a GOOD sniffer and when in new places, doesn’t really pull much as she’s so engrossed in taking in all of the new scents (plus she isn’t that big so she’s easy to manage if she does pull a little)
- She has had training - we never expect dogs to respond to cues when they arrive, but Mara did. She knows how to sit, and how to lie down, and probably some other things we’ll sort out as we hang with her more
- She is good in a crate
- She probably shouldn’t be in a home with cats (although her last family said she was fine, she gave ours plenty of good woofs and was pretty obsessed. We prefer to play it safe when it comes to the kitties)
- She needs an active home - daily exercise is a must. A neighborhood walk won’t cut it.
- She is so, so sweet

We’ll keep getting to know this perfect girl.

But if you live an active lifestyle, and want an adventure buddy to join you, we think Mara would be perfect! She'd be so fun to hike with, or take mountain biking, or teach things to like agility and performance sports.

You can apply to adopt at https://j163jarsr1t.typeform.com/to/YvgcEVPA?typeform-source=riserescue.org

In the meantime, appreciate her cuteness. She's like an adorable little gazelle. 🥰

02/16/2025

[Foster or Adopter Needed]
Pops is still here. And he's desperate for a home of his own. While he's currently in foster, things are changing for him and he's going to be moving back to the rescue in a few weeks - and since he doesn't do well there, we're trying to find him a new and comfy retirement home...but the clock is ticking.
Pops is 10 years old and he doesn't belong in rescue. He needs a home where he can live out his golden years being the center of someone's world.
While originally, the shelter he came from said he wasn't good with other dogs, he's proven them wrong. He's currently living with a herd of pups of various sizes and he does great - he can be picky about males, but consistently does pretty well with the ladies.
He's great on walks. He's the first dog we give new volunteers as they learn how to walk the dogs in our program...
We've taken him all over town and he's been a total gem.
He is a husky however, so if he's out in the forest, and a rogue bunny crosses his path, he will give chase, and he finds treeing squirrels or pouncing on field mice pretty darn fun (he hasn't caught one yet!)
This means he shouldn't share a home with kitties or other small critters. He's a hunter at heart. It also means he needs to stay on leash when out and about - he'll be naughty if he's left to his own devices (and he's a husky so he thinks coming when called is for losers).
To live his best life, Pops really needs an owner who is home more than not, and wants a dog that goes with them places. He can get out of a crate in a hot second if he wants to - so while he IS crated in his foster home as needed, he's never confined when home alone - he can be destructive, and can experience some anxiety. In fact, he accompanies his foster mom on all of her errands (he's getting pretty well known around town!)
You'd NEVER know he's an older chap. He's still got the energy of a youngster.
He's wonderful in the house, and while we heard that he can hop a fence, he's never tried with us - that's said, we're careful to make sure he gets proper daily exercise and enrichment, so he doesn't really have a reason. And we never leave him outside for extended periods unattended.
Pops needs a home of his own. He's been in the shelter, and then in our rescue for way too long.
If you're interested in giving him the retirement he deserves, apply to adopt at https://j163jarsr1t.typeform.com/to/YvgcEVPA
If you're interested in fostering this handsome guy, email [email protected]

02/11/2025

Well, it’s four more weeks of Winter…

Because our guy Earl saw his shadow at the vet.

He didn’t ace his follow up visit like we’d hoped.

So his treatment will continue for a while longer.

Previously, I told you he was being treated for Lungworm…

And we learned yesterday that sometimes it can take up to 2 months for all the ick to go away.

And since he’s still having symptoms, we’re keeping him on all of his meds for a little while longer.

The good news?

He had no negative reaction to his first deworming treatment. Which had us all breathing a sigh of relief.

He’ll stay on a pretty intense course of antibiotics and anti inflammatories for the next month at minimum, and will get one more treatment for those pesky lungworms.

The other good news?

He is feeling so much better and is running and playing with his friends every day!

30 days to go…

And hopefully that’s the last treatment he’ll need 🤞

02/08/2025

Yesterday we shared a little dog that was brought into our facility after being found running as a stray a couple weeks back.

This little nugget was all tail wags as she dove into everyone’s arms. We were all instantly smitten.

But on closer examination we noticed something was off.

She had a significant injury on the left side of her body.

Believe me when I say, you’d never know by her personality. She has no problem playing with toys, and getting around. But on closer look, it’s impossible to miss.

The first thing you’ll notice is some scarring on her back leg and outer thigh, and when she runs, she only uses three legs - she tucks her rear leg underneath her as she moves.

And then, you’ll see the more striking issue…

Her front leg is thicker than it should be, and curves where it should be straight. When she uses it, she stands on her tippy toes. (Photos don’t do it justice.)

The moment we saw it, we made a quick call to our amazing vet over at Blue Mountain Animal Clinic (Dr. Wagnon happens to be an orthopedic genius) to have a look and see what we needed to do to help her.

They were able to squeeze her in quickly, so she’d not have to be in pain much longer.

And they snapped some X-rays to help us better understand what was going on.

While we have no idea what happened, it feels likely she may have been hit by a car and her injuries were never treated. We suspect she may have been running at large for quite some time (the vet suspects she's only about 9 months old).

The front leg was broken. But since it’s healed up, and she uses it, there’s nothing we can do.

And the back leg pain is likely a nerve issue.

We don’t know how hard she was hit, but the trauma of it all is causing her to feel discomfort she should never have to feel.

So we’ll start some medication, some supplements, and likely some acupuncture too.

And we’ll continue searching for her humans while we do. (And if we don’t find them, we’ll help her find new ones.)

This little bean is so, so special and so remarkably resilient.

If you know who her people are, send them our way.

And send her good thoughts and healing vibes as we work hard to get her feeling better.

02/06/2025

Is this your dog?

This little nugget was found about a week ago in Port Angeles by a wonderful human who has since been looking after her. She is not chipped. She is currently hanging with us while we look for her family.

Call/text 360-565-4862 or DM if you know where this cutie belongs and let’s get her home.

02/06/2025

Snow days are the best days in Walter’s opinion. He’s in his element for sure.

Local friends, how much snow did you get?

02/05/2025

How amazing is this? We love the folks at Robot Donut Co. - and we are so excited they are finally open!

Get free donuts for supporting your local rescues. Read the caption for details. And give these guys a visit. Because really, who doesn't love donuts? 😋

Me and the wife (Mrs. Donut 😉) love our two kitties and have always adopted rescues. Before opening RoboDoCo I reached out to the amazing animal rescue resources here in the area and started offering real estate on our sign to help with lost animals or homing those in search for a forever home. We have been focused on the actual store opening for a bit obviously but I promise to make the sign available to those groups once I have programmed an easy way for them to maintain their own postings and not rely on me to post their pictures.

All that said I do want to support these folks and their efforts so we are offering a dozen mixed donuts to anyone that adopts or donates to these fine organizations.

Simply make a post here on social media stating something like:

“I adopted my (insert animal name) from (organization) and all I got was a free dozen donuts from Robot Donut Co - Port Angeles!!”

Be sure to @ the group name here on Facebook and us of course. When you come in just show the cashier your post on your phone.

A new furry friend and dozen donuts… what could be better?

02/03/2025

Say "Hello" to our sweetest new kid on the block, Leia.

This perfect girl is a "Silver" Labrador who has been well loved her entire life. Sadly, her human struggled to balance a busy work schedule with meeting Leia's needs, so she made the gut wrenching decision to reach out to us for help. She wanted more for Leia than was possible for her to give.

Leia is now hanging in foster, having a blast with her new doggy friends as she settles in, and while she is still a little nervous - we don't think she got out and about much in her past life - she is quickly learning things like walks and adventures are pretty darn fun.

Leia has some winter weight that needs shedding (me too girl, I feel ya), and her feet aren't quite used to walking on different types of terrain, so we are going slowly with an introduction to exercise to make it enjoyable and get her healthy without overdoing it. Despite walking cautiously, she's really enjoying getting out, sniffing and exploring new places.

We'll share all about Ms. Leia's journey as we go. For now, help us welcome her to the family. And stay tuned for her transformation!

01/27/2025

Big time smiles and tail wags today as our guy Bob left for his next big adventure.

If you remember, Bob came to us after he was brought to his local vet clinic to be euthanized for behavior. He was only 8 months old.

His owners struggled to manage him, even sending him off to a trainer who returned him after only a few days, calling him "untrainable".

But we knew there was nothing wrong with Bob. He was just a frustrated, under exercised, adolescent dog that was in an environment he wasn't really suited for.

We spent months hanging out with, learning about and working with him. He quickly became a fan favorite at our rescue, and went from barking at everyone to racing up to new people, asking for pets, hoping they'd toss the ball for him or maybe give him a treat.

Bob is the best boy, so it's fitting he found the absolute best family to do life with.

His new humans were totally prepared for his arrival, outfitting the house with new dog beds, gear and so many new toys - Bob hit the doggy lottery. He has a big beautiful yard perfect for fetch games, and hanging out with his new family while they BBQ, and there are talks of long walks, and maybe even some RV adventures in his future.

And the best news is, he's right around the corner from us, so we can still see his happy face from time to time.

Be the best boy Bobsicle. We are sooooo happy you landed your perfect happily ever after.

01/25/2025

This one hit hard in the best possible way.

Our perfect party girl Livvy…

The dog who helped us exercise all of the dogs at the facility…

Who was everyone’s best friend…

Who helped with all of our temeprament testing…

And who was a favorite amongst volunteers and staff alike…

Left today for her next big adventure…

And we couldn’t be happier for her.

There are talks of neighborhood walks, fetch sessions, tagging along on errands and going just about everywhere her new humans go, and maybe even nosework classes in her future.

Be the best girl Liv Dog. We miss you already but we can’t wait to hear about all of your adventures.

01/24/2025

How great are these photos? (I couldn't pick my favorite so I decided to share both!)
The universe aligned perfectly this week as our sweet little Monroe left for her perfect happily ever after.
Monroe's new human came for her first volunteer shift with us right when Monroe was getting dropped off...
She was working on healing her heart as her best friend left a while back for the rainbow bridge.
Monroe dove into her arms, instantly volunteering to bring a bit of dog hair back into her life...
And while Monroe's new mama didn't intend to adopt a new family member...
It was clear this connection was truly meant to be.
Monroe is off to live a life full of bike rides, stand up paddle boarding, and lots of time outdoors.
The two are already inseparable, and we couldn't be happier that they found each other.
Be the best girl little nugget - we are so excited to hear about all of your adventures.

01/23/2025

A while back we made a request...

We asked for collars for the pups.

2 Hounds Design, our favorite company to get collars from, was having a sale to benefit rescue organizations. And when we shared the details, you guys jumped into action.

This week, the shipments began pouring in. To say we were blown away is an understatement.

We received HUNDREDS of collars for the dogs, current and future, in our program.

Your support and generosity means the world to us. It's because of you we are able to do the important work we are doing. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. It takes a village and we are so grateful you are a part of ours.

01/22/2025

[Update and Important Information for Dog Owners]

For those following along…

Here’s an update on our guy Earl (scroll back if you missed the story).

Earl spent the last two days hospitalized at our vet, receiving IV fluids, antibiotics and other medication.

His pneumonia wasn’t very typical…

And after much discussion with the vet…

We began treating Earl for Lungworm…

If you’ve never heard of Lungworm (most haven’t), let me tell ya about it…

Because it can affect your pup too.

Lungworm is something dogs can get from licking or ingesting slugs, snails or frogs that are infected…

Or eating food or drinking water that has been contaminated by an infected critter…

And since we live in a pretty wet climate…

And since lungworm is most commonly seen in young dogs like Earl (who are more likely to pick up strange things in their mouths), who are kept primarily outdoors (like he was his first 6 months of life)…

And since his pneumonia wasn’t your typical presentation…

This makes a ton of sense.

These nasty little critters lay eggs that are carried to the lungs in dogs (and livestock!) and wreak absolute havoc when they start to hatch…

Resulting in things like sneezing, nasal discharge, persistent coughs, and even pneumonia. (Earl’s symptoms to the letter)

This morning, he’ll receive medication to kill the parasites…

And there’s a chance he could have a very negative reaction (anaphylaxis) as they begin to die.

So we’ll be with him all day, monitoring him closely (and having loads of anxiety), ensuring there are no complications, and if there are, making sure he gets immediate medical attention.

He’s also on a whole host of medications including a couple different antibiotics, some medicine to help with pain and inflammation, and some medicine to keep him calm since it’s important he stay relaxed and not get himself worked up (which is hard since he’s feeling so much better!).

Keep him in your thoughts as he recovers…

And make sure you regularly clean your pet's outdoor water dishes - especially if you see slugs or snails nearby.

Don’t leave water dishes out overnight…

And if you’re concerned about slugs or snails in your area, talk to your vet about prevention. Not all preventives or wormers are effective when it comes to Lungworm - your vet can point you in the right direction.

Keep sending our guy Earl good vibes…

And if you’d like to support him through his recovery, here’s the link to donate https://givebutter.com/GmL6pl

*Throwback photo to the day we picked him up and brought him to our rescue ❤ He was so tiny then 🥹

01/21/2025

If you remember, our guy Earl joined our program a few months back with his brother Lenny after the two lived their lives in an outdoor run without shelter.

What you may not know about Earl was that he had a strange cough when he arrived…

And an occasional runny nose.

We isolated him and his brother off site in a foster that is set up for that sort of stuff…

And we got him into the vet ASAP.

He had a full exam, bloodwork, and X-rays and everything looked A-OK…

It was thought he had an injury to his throat incurred before coming to us…

And perhaps maybe some mild allergies.

To be safe, we treated with antibiotics...

But no one was terribly concerned.

Fast forward about a month…

Earl still had the cough and runny nose. It hadn’t changed - not worse, and not better - it was pretty much the same.

His activity level had always been low for a dog his age…

But we just thought that was his personality…

He still ran and played - he just wasn't a wild child.

Not to mention, he grew up without proper exercise, so he and his brother lacked muscle tone - we never questioned when either dog fatigued - it made sense they had to take things slow.

We took him in for his neuter and told the vet again that he was still coughing.

They checked him out and once again, no one was concerned…

The original suspicions still felt valid and he was neutered without incident.

But nothing got better...

Folks who saw him said he looked like his face was mildly swollen - that his sinuses seemed inflamed.

And his brother Lenny, seemed to be improving at lightning speed, building muscles and becoming a normal GSD pup, while we struggled to get Earl to exercise enough to make a difference.

So we called to make another appointment - none of this felt right.

There was clearly something wrong and we needed to get to the bottom of what it was.

This time the plan was to anesthetize him to see if perhaps there was a foreign body stuck in his nose that was causing the problem.

We certainly didn’t expect the news we received.

The vet called and told us that his lungs were in really bad shape and putting him under anesthesia to check things out was not safe.

In fact, Earl had a pretty severe case of pneumonia.

This was made even more baffling because his behavior hadn’t changed.

He was still eating, drinking and running around - which is pretty uncommon with pneumonia - especially cases as severe as his.

Not only that, he didn’t have a fever and his lungs didn’t sound too bad when the vet listened to them - it was only after seeing the X-rays, that the diagnosis was made.

We still don’t know WHY any of this is happening…

Some theories are floating around but we haven’t settled on anything yet.

For now, Earl is being hospitalized. The vet’s exact words were “I’m pretty worried”…words which of course, never feel good to hear.

Earl was hospitalized yesterday for the day, and will head back in this morning to spend the day on IV fluids and antibiotics - we’ll see how he responds.

If you’d like to help with his mounting vet bills, we’d so appreciate it.

You can donate by Venmo …

By PayPal at [email protected]

Or on our website at https://givebutter.com/GmL6pl

In the meantime, keep our guy Earl in your thoughts. He needs all of the good vibes he can get.

Photo by Brianna Johnson at Olympic Dog Photography

01/19/2025

When this kiddo came to us for an evaluation, we realized instantly that he wasn’t your standard lab. He needed a job and he needed one stat.

You see, sometimes really great dogs land in rescue because they are meant for big things - they are working dogs. But without a job, they are tricky to live with.

Unsuspecting families get a puppy, fully prepared for the normal puppy stuff - housebreaking, a little mouthiness and puppy biting, and a requirement for lots of chew toys and some exposure to make a grown up pup that’s well adjusted in the world.

But their expectations are shattered as they are met with a puppy that doesn’t want to nap…

A puppy that is overly busy…

That consistently fails to settle.

A puppy that gets frustrated easily…

That shows worrisome behaviors like being overly possessive of his stuff.

And a puppy that takes puppy biting to an entirely new level.

This kiddo burned through multiple trainers before he was even 4 months old, trying to solve excessive, and downright mean puppy biting that was outside of the scope of “normal” for a lab pup.

And when we met him we realized he was made for a different life than the one he landed himself in.

His humans loved him very much, but he was pretty spicy - a lot even for a professional to manage.

So we encouraged them to let us change the story for him.

He was meant to have a job…

To work…

And to be handled by professionals that knew exactly what to do with his behavior (and that actually appreciated it!)

Because here’s the thing…

The busyness, low frustration tolerance, and obsession with food and toys…

The possession he showed around his stuff…

And the boldness he showed in the world…

Those qualities that are tough to live with…

Are actually really beneficial as we raise dogs for jobs. As trainers, we love them…because they make relentless workers that problem solve and don’t give up when things are hard.

But to develop this dog properly, professional hands are required. Without them, he could become a menace as he grew.

So we reached out to our network and this week, he left to do big things.

Our cutest little kiddo is headed off with the good folks at Precision K9 Detection (who PS drove 8 hours just to meet and evaluate him!) to learn how to use his nose to create a safer community.

He will live in a home with his trainer, where he will learn all sorts of really amazing things.

Be the best boy little…

We can’t wait to follow all of your adventures.