$800 Donation Helps Animals in Need

Airgas of Germantown recently donated the cash as well as plenty of items from Tailwaggers 911 wish list.

In debating which charity should next benefit from the company's regular donation, Airgas employees decided to change it up this time — focusing their attention on four-legged, furry friends. "People seem to be kind of getting warn out on the same type of charities," Amanda Warczak of Airgas said, adding they thought it was an appropriate time to help an animal rescue because many pets "gifted" during Christmas might now be filling up shelters. The company learned of Tailwaggers 911 of Sakville through an employee who adopted a dog from the rescue. Tailwaggers operates without a shelter; it's dogs are transported from a high-kill shelter to foster homes in the area, and it's run completely by volunteers. The company collected the cash as …

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Editor's Eye

Come, Sit, Stay: Fostering Dogs to Enrich Many Lives

When thinking about adopting a dog or puppy to join your family, options other than traditional animal shelters do exist.

I consider my decision to become a foster "parent" to dogs as part of the Tailwaggers 911 program one meant to enrich the lives of many. For starters, the fact that I am able to open my home on a temporary basis to this animal on Saturday will save the life of a 3-month-old labrador retriever mix otherwise fated to be put down because of a lack of space at the high-kill shelter it's currently housed in in Georgia. Secondly, Mara, my 1-1/2 year-old Vizsla dog — who has now finally given way to a nap out of sheer boredom after staring at me and whining to play for much of the afternoon — will greatly enjoy the ability to expend some energy with another four-legged critter while I Patch away. Third, the family who ultimately adopts little …

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October is National Adopt a Shelter Dog Month

Visit Saukville's local shelter to find out more about National Adopt a Shelter Dog Month.

By Karyn Collier, DVM, chief medical officer of St. Francis Veterinary Center The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) has designated October as National Adopt a Shelter Dog Month. More than three million dogs are currently in shelters across the United States and are in need of a good home. The month-long observance encourages animal lovers across the nation to raise awareness about the positive aspects of adopting a pet from a local shelter. The Wisconsin Humane Society Ozaukee Campus is located on the edge of Saukville, and offers plenty of adult dogs and puppies for adoption. Scroll through the available four-legged critters on Patch. Saukville is also home to Tailwaggers 911, a dog adoption program that …

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'It's Like Nothing I've Ever Experienced Before,' Foster Dog Volunteer Says

Saukville-based Tailwaggers 911 is celebrating its 5-year anniversary with a "Doggie Bash" event in Mequon on Saturday. Learn more about the organization that has saved 1,200 dogs and counting.

"It's a very, very rewarding, fulfilling thing. It's extremely difficult — it's like nothing I've ever experienced before," said Port resident Connie Borchardt. Borchardt is referring to her time as a volunteer foster "parent" for adoptable dogs through the Saukville-based program Tailwaggers 911. The program operates without a shelter to provide homes for misplaced and abused animals. Borchardt has been fostering dogs for five years. Borchardt has three dogs of her own — Sadie, Shadow and Mocha — who all started as foster dogs that the couple eventually adopted. Though many foster families in the program do not end up adopting, Borchardt said it can be very difficult to let them go. "You grow so attached to (the dogs) because they're in …

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Foster Families Help Furry Friends Find New Homes

Saukville nonrofit group Tailwaggers 911 has matched nearly 1,000 dogs with new families since 2007.

A true passion and love for dogs is what drives Dawn Boeselager's enthusiasm for making sure she can help as many rescue dogs as possible. Boeselager, founder of Tailwaggers 911, has fostered dogs with other rescue organizations and often found that the hardest part of the process was that — no matter how long she housed a dog — they were suddenly taken away once they were adopted. "That was hard on me, so I put my head together and I started this rescue," she said. Boeselager founded Tailwaggers 911 out of her Saukville home in 2007. Since then, nearly 1,000 adoptions have been completed. Tailwaggers 911 has a partnership with the Habersham Animal Shelter out of Clarksville, GA. Organizers from both groups meet in Louisville, KY, to …

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