A non-profit business called No Dogs Left Behind was created to save dogs and to find them homes. This organization was created by Sam Jerome and Stacey Krahe Jerome, and it is located in Berkley, Michigan. They work from their home and have no warehouse for the dogs. They rely on community members to adopt dogs or provide temporary homes by fostering. This can save a dog’s life just by fostering them for a couple weeks. Sam and Stacey love dogs and wanted to save them by giving them homes and the best quality of life.
In the 12 years this organization has been running, it has made a significant impact including saving over a thousand dogs. Krahe Jerome, co-founder of No Dogs Left Behind, explained their motivation, “We have a passion for saving animals in need. There is a huge stray dog problem in the South and that often leads to young mama dogs and puppies being at risk of harm or euthanization. There is also a shortage of space locally where shelters are full, and so many dogs are dumped to fend for themselves. We just couldn’t stand by and watch so many lives lost, so we founded the rescue to help make a difference.” They rescue dogs from several states including Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, and South Carolina and obtain many of their dogs from kill shelters. According to Total Vet, Kentucky is in the top 10 for the number of animals killed in a shelter in a given year in the United States because they didn’t have a home. No Dogs Left Behind continues to fight to decrease dogs without a home.
For people not ready for permanent adoption, fostering is an option. This is a short term commitment and often lasts two-four weeks. Regarding the qualities that make someone a good fit for fostering or adopting Krahe Jerome emphasized, “They have a desire to love a puppy! Fostering is short-term and it gives them a chance to enjoy the love of a puppy without the commitment long-term. A good fit for an adoption is the desire to give a pup a forever home.” Even if you have never had a dog before, fostering gives you experience with dog ownership without a long-term commitment. You can also still foster with busy schedules, she said. Most of their fosters work full-time and it’s okay to crate train your puppy throughout the day. You will want to have someone check on the puppy if you are gone over eight hours but otherwise you do not have to always be home.
Krahe Jerome highlighted several benefits of fostering, saying “This is a fabulous way to socialize a puppy. When a puppy is in a shelter, they are stuck in a cage with minimal human interaction. Fostering allows the puppy to live in a home while getting to know the rules of a house. What to do, what not to do, basic commands, potty training. And there is the extra bonus if there are other animals or children in the house because then the puppy learns how to behave within those situations too!” If you don’t want to commit to a 2-4 week foster you can do a field trip option and just take the dog for a day or weekend. The organization emphasizes that fostering plays a significant role in saving dogs’ lives.
The organization raises money in various ways, including fundraisers, donations, and bottle drives. They also have an online store to raise money. So if you are unable to foster you can support in other ways. The manager said, “Donate! Because we are foster-based, we often need food, potty pads, crates, toys, etc. We try to keep our fosters as comfortable as possible, so having these items becomes essential. We also cover transportation, vet bills, vaccinations, sprays for the mama dogs, and any health treatments that are necessary. This can be very pricey, so donations are always helpful.” You can contact them or get more information on their website https://0dogsleftbehind.com/!
