Twenty years ago, people giving up their pets and people looking to adopt pets went to their local dog pounds and animal shelters. The early shelters did little to learn about the reason(s) the pets were being given up, to learn about their medical history, to take care of their basic medical needs, or to screen their new homes. Adopting was simple -- anyone who could pay the appropriate fee could walk out the door with a new pet. Today, people have many more options, including all breed and breed specific rescue groups.

Breed specific rescue groups like NJSRN are an important option for those forced to give up their pets and for those who are interested in adopting. The strength of any breed rescue group lies in its specialization, its experience, and its knowledge about the breed. NJSRN and its members have many years of experience with, and understand Miniature Schnauzers. We know what behavior is and is not typical, which dogs make good adoption candidates, and what sort of home will fit them best. We rely on this knowledge when we match dogs to new homes.

Like most rescue groups, NJSRN is a group-run re-homing service. We are committed to finding permanent, loving homes for rescued Miniature Schnauzers and Schnauzer mixes throughout the northeastern United States. We are NOT a shelter! We do not maintain a kennel. Our members and volunteers are located throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, and Delaware, and the dogs in our care live with our members and foster volunteers until they are placed in their permanent homes.

Most of our rescues are middle-aged (5-9 years old). Most are housetrained. Some are turned over to rescue due to divorce, some because the owner is moving to a "no pets" residence (often a nursing home), and some because their owner has died. Some rescues come from homes where their former owners simply didn't have enough time for them. Some of the dogs are in our care are picked up as strays. Still others are turned over to shelters because of temperament issues, housetraining problems, or other unacceptable behaviors. In every case, we serve as advocates for the dogs in our care. Our only goal is to find a permanent, loving home where the dog will be treated like a full member of the family.

Each of our members share his or her home with at least one Miniature Schnauzer right now -- a few of our members have as many as six of their own, as well as three or four foster dogs! We evaluate our rescues in our homes and, although we thoroughly evaluate our rescue dogs, we cannot guarantee health or temperament.

Our members work hard to develop and maintain relationships with shelters, veterinarians, and groomers in their areas. They set up information tables at pet stores (only ones that don't sell pets, of course!) and kennel club events. They place ads in newspapers, on television, on radio, on public bulletin boards, and in stores. They accept interview requests from print and television journalists. They talk about rescue with their friends and anyone else who will listen! Educating people about the breed is as important as placing a dog in its permanent home.

We usually do not get large numbers of Schnauzers into our rescue program, especially young dogs, and we usually have a waiting list for adoption. While we will place our dogs throughout the region covered by our members, we do not ship our rescues. We usually have many good local homes available, and we prefer to save our dogs the trauma of a long journey, especially after the difficult experiences many of them have suffered. If you are outside our service area, we encourage you to check the list of Schnauzer rescue contacts at http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Meadows/8549/rescuecontacts.html to find a rescue group closer to your home. You may also check the American Miniature Schnauzer Club's list of local area schnauzer clubs at http://amsc.us/clubs.html or e-mail Nadine at seals@exit109.com for referrals.

Revised 03/16/2007