Last Hope
Doberman Rescue
Education/FAQ
Am I Eligible to Adopt?
To adopt from Last Hope Doberman Rescue - Texas you must live within a 6-hour radius of Dallas/Ft Worth. If you live outside this radius please contact the Doberman rescue closest to you first. If you are unfamiliar with rescues in your area, you can Google "Doberman rescue" plus your zip code.
All Children in the home must be at least 7 years old.
You must abide by all of our adoption terms including returning the dog to us if you are unable to keep the dog. This includes re-homing the dog with a friend or family member. If you would like to re-home the dog to anyone, you must first return the dog to us and refer that person to LHDR.
You must be able to provide proper care for your Doberman for the remainder of his/her life. Owning a dog requires both time and financial commitments. You must take into consideration vet care, food, training, pet care and emergencies. Renters who are applying to adopt must allow us to speak to your landlord about breed/weight limitations and pet deposits.
It is recommended that adopters attend an obedience class within 6 months of adoption. It not only provides a bonding experience for you and your new pet, but it helps train both of you. A well-trained pet equals a happy household! All pets in the home must be spayed or neutered unless there is a legitimate reason per your veterinarian, or the dog is of show quality. They must be kept current on vaccines and heartworm prevention.
Rescue Dogs: Facts & Myths
Many people think a rescue dog is going to be "broken." And they don't want a dog with problems. Did you know that most dogs are surrendered through no fault of their own? The most common reasons people give up dogs include moving, divorce, no time, too expensive, or they didn’t know how easy it was to train a dog on their own or with the help of an affordable professional trainer. Owning a dog is a lifetime commitment and unfortunately many people have a throw-a-way mentality. Some people don't want to put effort into training so they get a dog as a puppy when it's cute and small, and then when it's not so little and cute anymore it's out the door. You can't expect a child to know how to act without teaching manners, so why expect this of a dog?
Unfortunately many Dobermans end up in shelters all over Texas. Whether the dog was used as a lawn ornament by their former owner, escaped the yard or was dumped, the truth is these dogs are incredibly resilient and bounce back just fine after many ordeals they have been through. The true nature of the breed shines through in their eagerness to please, willingness to do anything for their owners and happy nature. As a rescue, we evaluate each dog we get and always try to place the dogs in homes that suit them and vice versa. We are based out of foster homes so our fosters work with these dogs to better assess their needs and work on basic manners.
Heartworm & Prevention
What is heartworm prevention and why does my dog need it? Heartworm disease is a problem that can happen in any place with mosquitoes. It has been reported in all 50 states so it's important to keep your dog on prevention year round. Many people think that because they leave their dogs inside they do not need to be on heartworm prevention, but all it takes is one bite from a mosquito inside or outside your home for your dog to be infected with heartworms. That is it. Nothing else causes heartworms but the bite of a mosquito. From the time a dog is bitten, it takes around seven months for it to develop into an adult heartworm. It is at this time that the worms infect the heart, lungs, and blood vessels. Adult worms can grow up to 12 inches in length, and one dog can have up to 250 worms in its system. The good news is that heartworm disease is easy and inexpensive to prevent. The treatment for a dog with heartworms is not only expensive, but it is costly for the owner and high risk for the dog.
For more information about heartworms please visit:
http://www.heartwormsociety.org/pet-owner-resources/heartworm.html
Is the Doberman Right for Me?
Many people see the Doberman and want one for how they look, or for the perception of what they think a Doberman will do or is like. Like any dog breed, you should do your research before deciding if the dog is right for you and your life. Here is a general overview of the Doberman: http://www.akc.org/breeds/doberman_pinscher/
Dobermans are intelligent, sensitive, loving dogs. They are considered a velcro dog because they love to be by their owners sides at all times. They also like to nudge or lean on you for pets. If a dog is bored or lonely they will typically get into trouble. They are highly intelligent and love to learn, so a trainer program and activities are encouraged. There are plenty of fun activities to involve your Doberman in whether it's agility, obedience, flyball, dock diving, hiking or more. Not only is it fun for your dog, but fun for the owner and whole family too!
For more info on the Doberman please visit:
http://www.dpca.org/BreedEd/index.php/faqs
Charges & Fees
We do charge an adoption fee. The average amount spent on a dog when it comes into rescue until the time it is adopted is approximately $300 to $450, if it is heartworm negative and has no other illnesses. This includes spay/neuter, vaccinations, microchip, registering the microchip, basic medications, a few months of heartworm and flea/tick prevention and food. In order to continue running this rescue operation, we need money to keep going and, sadly, we receive very little in donations.
Many of the dogs are heartworm positive and we do treat them, which is very costly. Our dogs are typically in foster care no less than 4 weeks and usually not more then 4 to 6 months before adopted, and we cover the cost of the dogs the entire time they are under our care. In some cases we care for dogs for over a year, not because anything is wrong, but they simply haven't caught someone's eye yet so they patiently wait for their forever home...
Rabies
Know the important dangers of an expired rabies vaccination for your pets:
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If your pet bites someone, from a mild nip to full blown bite/attack, and it is reported to a hospital, doctor, vet, animal control or police officer, they are required by law to report it to the Center for Disease Control as a possible exposure to rabies and the pet will be taken into a mandatory quarantine at the city/county animal shelter for up to 90 days with no human contact for the entire period. You may also incur the impound fees in addition to the pet being severely traumatized and exposed to many sick shelter animals during the quarantine.
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If your pet is exposed to, attacked by or fights with a wild animal of any type, including squirrels, raccoons, possums, bats, chipmunks, skunks, birds, etc, and it is reported to animal control, vet, police, doctors or hospitals, they are also required to report it to the Center for Disease Control as a possible exposure to rabies and the same rules apply as listed in #2.
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Your pet can easily contract rabies from even the simplest wildlife such as squirrels and skunks.
Please do not ever let your rabies expire. Some cities now allow rabies every 2-3 years while other cities still require an annual rabies vaccination. Check online for your city's requirements by googling "your city name and rabies requirements."
Other Resources...
Bringing home your new dog: http://www.dobermanrescue.org/ownersmanual.html
