My Nonprofit Reviews

Not sure who these folks are condemning the great work we at IBR have done the past 14 years, but there will always be people that are not happy or feel like they are not being thanked enough or taken advantage of. I am very careful when it comes to screening potential adopters as there is so much ignorance about tick borne disease if an adopter is not on board with the commitment it takes to keep one of our special dogs healthy for many years to come, I have to turn them down. Volunteering is a thankless job and it is hard work. I started IBR when I wasn't happy volunteering for a national Pointer rescue and so many rescues start when disgruntled volunteers decide they can do better on their own. The amount of dedication it takes to stay in rescue where the burn out is so high I think says a lot about my stubborn Setter streak. I've fought hard to bring IBR's message about tick borne disease to the public and thankfully have a DVM adopter that helps test and treat most of our incoming dogs. In 2017 alone I had to let go 4 senior dogs that I tried to give the best life in spite of their chronic health conditions- 4 dogs in 5 months. I was devastated but had to go on and continue saving more and fundraising to help so many dogs with so many health issues. I am very lucky to have many benefactors that help this little rescue keep going and many of the adopters I can call good friends. Our work speaks for itself and you can visit www.illinoisbirddogrescue.org and www.facebook.com/ILbirddog as I post many of our successes there. It hasn't been an easy road-- it has been exhausting at times especially with my own Lyme disease illness, but I am proud what we do here and thankfully slowly but surely our message is getting out. Lisa, IBR's Founder & President- missing my Lani and even crabby Boone who both left me this year.