Southern Illinois Pointer and Animal Rescue

or
10427 Ellis rd
St Jacob, IL 62281


Dedicated to saving English Pointers, German Shorthairs and mixes. The directors, Jeffery and Maria Wendler, lost a beloved English Pointer in the year 2011. They wanted to find another that would keep them and their other elderly Weimaraner company. They began searching in local shelters and on the internet for their new pet. They quickly realized how many d

ogs are in need of responsible owners, and decided they would only adopt a healthy dog that was in danger of being euthanized. The images of so many beautiful dogs needing homes spurred the directors into action. They started networking with regional rescue groups to find homes for those pets that had run out of time at the shelter. According to the Humane Society as of September 27, 2013 an estimated 2.7 million shelter pets are not adopted each year, and only about 30 percent of pets in homes come from shelters and rescues. These figures were compiled from the 2013–2014 APPA National Pet Owners Survey and estimated by The Humane Society of the United States using statistics provided by The National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy. The directors also viewed this information and realized that that 70% of pets in homes are coming from other sources that are often profit-driven and conducted without concern for the animals’ health and well-being. They decided to begin their own rescue group to help change these statistics to improve surrendered dogs’ chances at a happy, healthy life. Part of SIPAR’s mission is to make the adoption of surrendered animals an attractive alternative to purchasing a pure-breed animal from an irresponsible breeder. In conjunction with this goal is the director’s mission to promote the benefits of animal companionship to those who adopt these pets. The directors know first-hand the positive impact a pet can have on the lives of humans and believe that a well-placed pet can improve the quality of life for that person. Ultimately, that improvement benefits society. SIPAR’s staff began to monitor animal rescue needs on a daily basis via the internet and traditional means. When a southern Illinois “kill shelter” posted a notice on the internet that an animal would be euthanized, the directors began calling the shelter to inquire about the animal’s situation. They will often find that the shelter would delay killing the animal if there is monetary pledge to care for it. The directors would use social networking to find someone to pledge funds to give them time to find a foster or permanent home. The directors were successful in saving the lives of numerous animals. They found, however, that although there were many needing homes, few had been socialized or had proper health assessments and many pet potential owners simply were not aware of the animal’s health needs or breed characteristics. This presented problems for successful placement of the rescued animals. So they decided they would commit to full health disclosure and proper placement of the animals to insure that the animal will be well treated in its forever home. SIPAR strives to prevent the need for those adopting a pet to ever surrender it again. Most of SIPAR’s rescued animals are German Shorthair Pointers and English Pointers. SIPAR works with other rescues, Pointer Rescue Organization, Illinois Shorthair Rescue, GSP Rescue, Highland Animal Shelter, Hartz 2nd Chance, Metro East Humane Society. Many of those pets that the SIPAR directors have placed went to families looking for Pointer breeds. It is important to the SIPAR directors to be sure that those families have an understanding of those breeds’ characteristics and needs, and they must have homes that accommodate them. Each animal is unique (four-legged and humans alike), so the placement process takes several weeks and sometimes months. The directors are committed to taking the time to get to know each animal’s behavior and to get to know the potential adopter’s needs and wishes. So when a potential owner expresses an interest in an animal, the directors can assess if the potential owner is a “good fit” for that animal. The directors bring each dog into their home and let them socialize with their dogs in the fenced play areas. This enables them to see if the animals are house-trained and if they are other-animal aggressive. This assessment period also allows the directors to have the animals examined by veterinarians to see if there are any medical issues the potential owners will need to know before deciding to adopt. During the assessment period SIPAR works with local veterinarians to spay or neuter each animal. Each animal is vaccinated per the recommendations by the American Veterinarian Association and in accordance with local animal control laws. Each animal receives all recommended preventive medications. Since it is SIPAR’s mission to help place as many of the healthy, surrendered animals with safe and caring owners as it can, the directors have constructed kennels and secured a 2 acre play area for the animals. SIPAR has the capacity to house and care for 7 dogs at a time during their assessment period. During that time the directors post the animals’ information and pictures on social media and email to update those interested in adopting the animals. Once a potential owner states they want to adopt, the directors help arrange transport of the animal to its new home. The directors then maintain contact with the new owners to make sure the animal is safe and healthy and that the owner is happy with his or her new friend. Although SIPAR concentrates its efforts on the rescue of pointer breeds, other mixed breed dogs, cats, horses, sheep and alpacas have found shelter at the directors’ home.