Austin Dog Rescue

I loved working with Austin Dog Rescue! You know immediately that the people who serve this organization care a great deal about dogs. Their website is easy to navigate and they respond to inqueries quickly. Foster parents want you to meet the dogs first to see if it's a good match. Then they do a home visit. If everything looks good, they approve the adoption. All of their dogs are in foster care and are healthy before they put the dogs up for adoption. This is such a wonderful organization! I am so lucky to have found my dog through them, but he is even luckier to have been discovered by ADR in the shelter!

My name is Sharon and I "met" Austin Dog Rescue almost 1 year ago when I became a volunteer. I had recently moved to Wimberley and wanted to help a local rescue group. In researching the many wonderful rescue organizations within Austin and the surrounding areas, I chose ADR because I loved their all foster network approach. In addition, they had a great reputation and following in the community.

Shortly after joining ADR as a volunteer, I decided to adopt a small dog as a companion for my elder English Bulldog. Again, I turned to Austin Dog Rescue to adopt. Throughout the adoption process, the dedication of the adoption coordination team was apparent. They were thorough, ensuring my little guy, Chulo, was coming into a safe environment, but also extremely supportive of me as a new shelter dog adopter, providing me with all the resources I needed to get him acclimated into his new home as easily as possible.

From their rock star foster network, to the support they provide to a variety of municipal shelters throughout the central Texas area, to the incredible adoption events they sponsor throughout the year, the love, dedication and support Austin Dog Rescue shows each and every day not only to the volunteers, but most importantly to every dog that comes through their rescue, is inspiring. I am so proud to be a part of this amazing family of people who have saved and continue to save thousands of special souls who deserve a second chance.

Thank you ADR for everything that you do!!!!

Our veterinary clinic provides medical services for the animals that are brought in to the rescue and we have always been impressed by their commitment to quality care for them. Many of the animals that come straight from the shelter are not in the best condition and some need extensive treatment or surgery. Many other rescues would not even consider saving these animals but not ADR, they go above and beyond to make sure all the dogs they adopt are healthy physically and mentally. We have enjoyed working with them so much one staff member has adopted a dog from them and they've even recruited a few fosters!

I am a dog trainer and I greatly discount my services and donate my time to Austin Dog Rescue. Every dog that I have ever had the pleasure of training for Austin Dog Rescue has been well worth my effort. The dogs are cared for by their fosters with the upmost attention and love, and then are adopted out to wonderful homes where they are spoiled for life. I have worked with other organizations, but Austin Dog Rescue is by far the most organized dog rescue that I have worked with.

ADR really goes the extra mile to help dogs. If they get a dog that is a bit too hyper or that needs some manners training, they send them to me. It speaks very highly of an organization when they are willing to invest their time and resources into dog training. The effort that they put through the rescue and foster process has a lifetime effect on the dog's happiness, confidence, and quality of life.

I will continue to support Austin Dog Rescue and will always recommend to friends and colleagues to do the same!

I'm one of the longest-term volunteers with ADR, going on 8 years. I remember going to orientation at a public library. Even among strangers, I immediately felt like the other volunteers were long lost friends, especially Joyce. I'm the volunteer that no one knows! This is because I am the web geek who updates our external sites (Petfinder, Adoptapet and AllPaws) in order to get our babies adopted faster. I've seen thousands of dogs come and go, and I can't count how many doggie lives we have saved! I have volunteered with other animal organizations, but I will have to say this is the most close-knit, well-run group of dog lovers I have ever seen! Everyone is a family, and when someone is in need, someone else always comes to the rescue. The dogs who are saved by ADR are very lucky, but the parents who are rescued by the dogs are EVEN luckier!

I have been a volunteer foster parent with this organization for a few months now. This was my first time fostering dogs and I was apprehensive about finding dogs to foster that would fit my family. Austin Dog Rescue welcomed me wholeheartedly and made me feel comfortable with my decision to foster a dog. They helped me to find dogs that are a really good fit with my home. I am absolutely amazed by the large social media following of this organization that continues to reach more and more people each day. This incredible reach allows for high demand for the dogs and allows the foster parents to be very choosy about where the dogs are placed. It is so wonderful to me that this organization places the needs of the foster dog first and foremost and doesn't ever try to just get rid of a dog to the first person that goes by. I feel confident that these dogs are finding truly loving homes and that families are finding a new companion to join them forever.

My name is Carrie Rendon, and I am a huge animal lover. I try to donate best I can and would foster or adopt more animals ( especially dogs) if my neighborhood association would allow more than the 3 I already have. I admire and appreciate the hard work and dedication Austin Dog Rescue puts in to taking care of these sweet fur babies. Everyone takes a part in each and every dogs well being and works as a team to make sure they get the best care and chance for a healthy life and forever home they possibly can!
ADR loves these fur babies with the same unconditional love they receive from the babies in need! They nurture them back to health or just give them the chance they deserve by using every resource they have to make sure these babies have food, shelter, medical care and love! But most of all are very particular about paring these babies with a new forever home!
I encourage anyone who can help in any way possible to please donate, foster, volunteer, and most of all ADOPT if you can!! I am simply amazed at the hearts and souls of these people, Anne Ford, Edward Flores and Kickie Morris to name a few, that dedicate every single day to caring for and helping these babies when others abuse and neglect. EVERY DONATION SAVES LIVES! NOTHING IS TOO SMALL!. ADR takes in our fur babies when no one else will take on hospital and vet bills that are every costly!
Thank you ADR! You are ALL amazing and HEROES in my eyes!! I plan to continue to help as long as I can, when I can, however I can!!! I hope others do too!!!

My name is Della Lindquist, I live in Austin Texas and I first met Joyce and ADR several years ago when a mutual friend found a dog needing rescue, and ADR stepped in. I work with ADR on a volunteer basis and also have found dogs needing rescue and Joyce and her team try to help and most often can. What I love about this group is their professionalism, and Joyce's leadership and of course the desire to rescue all shapes, sizes, ages and health status of dogs in need. Their foster-based program enables adopters and animals to meet one another in pleasant and non stressful settings, and truly learn about the animals before adopting out. They are a true rescue in every sense of the word, and should be a model for others. I highly recommend adopting, fostering, or otherwise working with this group.

I've been working with ADR for a few months now. I am so impressed at the dedication these people have for these animals. The thing that made me want to be a part and start fostering is they are "all about the dog" and what best for the dog. I have confidence that each dog is being well taken care of and will find the right home, not just put into a home because they need one.

I attended an ADR foster information meeting for purely selfish reasons. I wanted another dog but was afraid my dog would not accept another in my house. I thought if I fostered a dog and they didn’t get along, the dog would eventually be adopted out so no big deal. Then I got my first foster, met the ADR team, went to an ADR event and I fell in love. This is now my family, my support team, my community. These people give every ounce they have to save a life. They make me want to be a better person, to do more, to save more lives and they make me want to educate more people. This is without a doubt the best organization I have ever seen in action. The extent that these volunteers go to is off all charts. The support that they give to each other is outstanding. I am continually amazed at the changes that they make not only for the dogs but for the families who adopt and the community in general. I’ve seen the changes in a dog’s physical, mental and emotional being. But more than that, I’ve seen the changes in me. Each dog teaches me something. Each dog touches my life. I get to be Santa Clause all year long. I give the best home to a deserving dog and the best dog to a deserving family. It’s an amazing gift to give.
ADOPT, FOSTER, VOLUNTEER or DONATE. IT TAKES A VILLAGE and this is a fantastic village

We had a positive experience with Austin Dog Rescue beginning with the easy-to-use website and ending with our sweet dog, Waffles. The process was quick, thorough and kind from beginning to end. Waffles' foster mom and I still exchange photos via text and she has gone above and beyond to offer advice and tips. We're even planning a playdate for next week ;)

I've recommended them to many of my friends and will continue to do so!

We adopted a puppy from ADR about a year ago and were impressed with them from the start. Our puppy's foster family did a wonderful job of establishing her schedule and laying a foundation for training. We found out after adoption that our sweet pup was so sick, she spent almost a month in a pet hospital before going to a foster home. No wonder they took great care with the placement process! We are grateful for their investment and we are enjoying the dividends every day that we wake up to a healthy, exuberant, and loved four-legged family member.

We recently moved to Austin and wanted to adopt a rescue dog. We discovered ADR and were/are amazed by the work they do. ADR goes above and beyond to rescue, foster, heal, love, and care for at-risk-dogs - and they take the matching and placement process seriously. ADR worked with us to find the right dog for our family - and they were very honest about dogs that would not be a good fit! We eventually adopted a wonderful 6 month old pyrenees/lab mix. Mason was house trained, crate trained, and was walking well on a leash thanks to the fosters' dedication. ADR even put us in touch with a certified and professional dog trainer - free of charge - to ensure that the transition went smoothly. The organization is a gift to dogs and dog lovers in Austin - and beyond.

Our first time adopting was with ADR. My husband & I adopted a senior Schnauzer named, Doyle. We wanted to give him the best years at the end of his years. The loving people of ADR made us feel like family. Even on the day that our sweet old man passed, I made one phone call & the whole ADR family was supporting us through social media in our time of grief. It made us feel so good to know that each person who knew him, loved & remembered him. Two weeks later we adopted again! For ADR its not just a side thing, it's a way of life. They dedicate themselves to saving, protecting & loving mans best friend.

Austin Dog Rescue and their staff were with us every step of the way when we were suddenly left without a pet due to losing our pet of 16 years. "Pepper" passed from old age and we decided to put off having a new pet enter our lives. Visiting the ADR website and coming into contact with Joyce changed our outlook and our plans. She introduced us to a terrier mix breed dog of 5 months who we immediately feel in love with and opened our hearts and home to. We renamed him "Buster" and now after having him with us 7 years we could not imagine living without him. Joyce was friendly and very attentive to our needs and the needs of our future "family member". She checked our home out to make sure Buster was coming to a clean, safe place to live. Over the years Joyce has remained in contact and we consider her a friend and trusted expert when it comes to bringing a new canine member in to our family!

I have been an Austin Dog Rescue adopter and donor for over 5 years - we have adopted 4 wonderful dogs from this group and have always had a great experience, both with the fosters and with Joyce the Executive Director. She works long hours to help save innocent lives that are in rural and local shelters. We love what they do and I try to support them in every way possible.

Melinda and Steven Vague

Its difficult to put into words of what a high level organization ADR is. From board members to coordinators to fosters to volunteers, when dealing with ADR, you soon find you are among professionals who promote the well-being of fur babies like no other. When we were ready to adopt, we fortunately found out about ADR and in 2013, Tucker came into our lives and stole our hearts. I saw how much this organization loves these babies and how dedicated they are to rescuing and finding homes for them. They are truly passionate about what they do and that is very evident in their commitment of rescue, education and the health and well being of each foster.

When you are placed with a dog from ADR, you know that they have thoroughly vetted them, the foster mom or dad and the client and it feels like a privilege to be selected by them as parents. After adopting Tucker, ADR continued to be a part of lives, as the one that did our home check, Megan Gotta, became our doggy day care at her business. Not only is she with ADR, but works in search and rescue and is cream of the crop in dog training and boarding. She is a rock star in my opinion. Anne Ford is another tireless advocate, who, on top of all her other duties with ADR and events, always finds time to quickly, personally message you about any questions you may have or give you guidance or support.

ADR is not just a rescue organization, it is a community of caring animal lovers with hearts as big as our fur babies. AND as of yesterday, we just added another ADR fur baby to our family! We would choose no other but ADR. The donations you give literally saves lives every day. They take in animals no one else will and hospitalizations are very costly. The average person, like me, has no idea how expensive it is to provide the ADR level of care to so many in need. I'm sure I would be shocked. If any organization deserves your time and money, it is Austin Dog Rescue

I fostered dogs for ADR for several years. I have many years as a volunteer in the nonprofit animal rescue world and have not found any other group as committed, compassionate, and well run as ADR. They do not discriminate against any breed and take in many dogs that need veterinary care beyond spay/neuter. Just a super group of people!

I don't even know where to start. Austin Dog Rescue is amazing! This rescue is such a blessing for all the animals in our area. I can't count the numerous times they have stepped up to help a dog in need when all others walked away. No matter what breed or health status if they can help they will. Austin dog rescue is extremely well organized and everybody involved is so compassionate. The dogs in their care receive top notch health care and the foster homes prepare them for their new life. I want to thank Joyce, Megan, Anne and the all the other most wonderful volunteers for their work.

I have been an animal lover all my life. Six years ago this month my first dog (as an adult) passed away. Six years ago, what was a horribly sad time for me was also the beginning of an amazing journey. Shortly after my dogs death I found Hudson, a gorgeous Border Collie/German Shepherd mix. It was love at first sight! I immediately filled out an application, so afraid someone would beat me to adopting him. I was terrified and excited, all my previous experience with dogs had been Chihuahuas. I spoke with Joyce and Tara, both fostering Hudson. He had "issues", he was heart worm positive and did not like strangers in his house. ADR treated his medical problems and then worked with his trainer and I so I knew how to handle him. Austin Dog Rescue was up front from the beginning about Hudson and his special needs. They provided support when I had questions and were genuinely excited to hear about Hudson's new life. A year after I adopted him I made the decision to foster for them. Five years later, 2 new additions and 38 dogs saved, Hudson and ADR have made a huge impact on my life. I have met amazing people and learned more than I ever thought possible about dogs. The network of people who support ADR and the people who foster for them is truly unbelievable. It is a testament to how much you can effect and how much you will be effected if you volunteer your time to a worthy cause. Austin Dog Rescue is an amazing organization and your support of them is truly appreciated!

I have been involved with Austin Dog Rescue for about a year now. I got involved with them as a foster, and have fostered several dogs that they have been able to rescue from shelters, to get adopted to a forever home. I cannot say enough about the passion, dedication and unbelievable caring that each and every volunteer with this organization has. They are all volunteer, no staff, no one gets paid anything. Some of these people go so far above and beyond to give these animals a fighting chance at a good life, a good home, and love. I am amazed every day by their commitment and the lengths they will go to in order to save animals. I can't recommend this nonprofit enough. They make every dollar they raise go so far. Lean and very impactful organization.

ADR is absolutely wonderful! These loving folks are genuinely passionate about saving the lives of countless shelter dogs, working tirelessly to find them caring forever homes. Their amazing group of fosters go above and beyond to provide much needed love, comfort and a stable environment to abused, neglected and forgotten dogs in order for them to have a second chance to live through adoption. I found my "soul-mutt" through ADR and I'll be forever grateful that someone in their organization saw something special in her and pulled her from the euthanasia list at a local shelter. Thank you ADR for enriching my life in so many ways!

I cannot say enough good things about the wonderful people of Austin Dog Rescue! This is a first rate and well run rescue organization that helps save many senior, sick or injured dogs in the Austin Metro area. They often help those dogs who would not have a second chance without ADR's tireless dedication to rehabilitating them and helping them find a loving new forever home. I have always had such good experiences myself and great feedback from others who have worked with, fostered for or adopted from Austin Dog Rescue - that my own organizations confidently selected ADR as one of our Top 10 local rescue groups to recognize and help fundraise for each year at our local events. Kudos to Joyce, Edward, Anne, Liz and all the other ADR Board members and volunteers for always being such wonderful advocates for the homeless dogs of Central Texas!

With zero exaggeration I can say that this is one of the most kind, compassionate and smart rescue groups in Austin. I may be a little biased because they trusted me to adopt Sparky, who makes my heart smile everyday.

The adoption process was swift but thorough. I really appreciated that his foster mom brought him to me to meet my other dog. She hung out for well over an hour answering questions and offering advice. I trusted that she was looking our for the dogs best interest but soon realized she was looking out for my best interest as well. They care passionately about finding the right home ...not just any home.

It was a great experience and someday I hope be one of their fosters but for now Sparky and LuLu keep me plenty busy. I absolutely recommend ADR!

I found out about Austin Dog Rescue (ADR) through a local Austin business, Mudpuppies, that I had been using to board my dogs for a number of years. Austin Dog Rescue (ADR) takes dogs that are older/senior, need some pretty serious rehabilitation, and most likely would not be adopted from a local shelter. They foster these dogs until they are adopted, once they commit to that dog they keep the dog indefinitely. I adopted a special case, Charlie, who had been with ADR for quite some time and had lived at a variety of foster homes within the ADR network. I have kept in touch with Charlie's foster mom, Amber, who had Charlie for 8 months. I see the good work Amber does through her pictures, facebook pages, and also by visiting her at the dog park or by bringing my dogs to visit to help rehab her current foster animal. I also see how Mudpuppies helps out by using their network of customers to try to help find homes for available animals. Austin Dog Rescue does such a good job with taking on these animals and making them adoptable. I am not sure if other adopters have kept in touch with ADR or with the foster parent who kept their adopted dog, but I think it has been wonderful to do so. Though Charlie still has some challenges, he is a wonderful dog who is loving and sweet and I wouldn't give him up for the world. ADR does a wonderful job! I wish I could adopt all of the dogs!