A dog rescue is the perfect place for dogs…to be safe, but nothing else; a place where the unwanted watch and wait for what would be a forever family and home.
Founded in February 2018 and based in South Florida, ResQMe, A Homeless Dog Mission is a 501(c)(3), 100% no-kill non-profit organization created to rescue homeless and unwanted dogs in the South Florida area. Their mission is to rescue homeless and death-row shelter dogs and provide them with veterinary care, vaccines, microchip, spaying/neutering and most importantly, a loving, forever home to live the life they deserve.
Recently selected and awarded as one of the 2019 top-rated non-profits based on 5-star reviews on greatnonprofits.org, ResQMe has also taken in dogs that were left injured on the Miami streets but were found by good Samaritans; they have also saved dogs from death row and yes, there are those less fortunate dogs who were neglected, then abandoned and now need long-term treatment.
“We have many cases and many stories of dogs found in death row like Angel, a 12-year old Maltese, just because he was old and sick. He was going to be euthanized by a public shelter but instead we took him into our rescue and he spent the rest of his life with us being loved and spoiled until he last day,” said Raizza Perez, ResQMe’s founder. Sadly, Angel crossed the rainbow bridge on January 15th this year. And talking about rainbows, “We have some lgbt adopters, volunteers, as well as a board member and we know and have seen how devoted and loving gay men/women are with their pets, and that’s the kind of love we want for our pups,” she said.
“Some of the dogs we have are unadoptable like Mikey and Candy. Mikey, an owner-surrendered 14-year old Pomeranian, has dementia, a severe ear and skin infection. When Mikey arrived he couldn’t even sleep at night and couldn’t stop pacing. He is currently under medical treatment and his quality of life has improved. Mikey “is going to stay with us at ResQMe until his last days.” And then there is Candy, an 11 year old chihuahua rescued from a local shelter in Miami. She had a mammary tumor that was surgery removed by their vet as soon as she arrived to ResQMe; she is not up for adoption because the “type of cancer (tubulopapillary carcinoma) she has is so aggressive that our vet couldn’t tell us if it has any metastasis in her organs. Candy will spend the rest of her life with us at ResQMe, being loved and spoiled as much as possible.”
But there are also cases who do require long-term medical treatment and have a happy ending, like Ruby’s case, a chihuahua. Ruby “was found in a box behind a restaurant in Homestead. Her tiny body was full of mange and covered with engine oil. Ruby went to a foster-to-adopt home and was under treatment close to a year. She has recently being officially adopted “by a family that adores her and now she has the best life that any dog could have,” said Perez.
A great example of what love can do to a homeless dog is Grace. Grace was a guard dog in the Homestead/Redland area in South Florida. She was rescued with her six puppies. “The people who found her told us she was so aggressive, it was impossible for anyone to get close to her; but we didn’t care, we were going to give her and her and her babies a second chance, and it was all worth it! All her babies were adopted and recently Grace found a loving home in Plantation, but most important, she has what every dog should have…a family,” said Raizza as she can’t contain her emotions when talking about these stories.
Solely supported by donations from animal lovers and foster-based, ResQMe, A Homeless Dog Mission is ran by 3 board members that face new situations on a daily basis. And it is because those less fortunate dogs that its board has decided to make a positive change to this non-profit organization.
“For all these reasons and many more ResQMe, A Homeless Dog Mission is not only going to be a rescue, but in the next few weeks it will become a Sanctuary, so we can give a second chance to those that are too old and too sick to get adopted, that no longer wanted but still should enjoyed being loved.”
As ResQMe gets ready to start a new path in their journey, “one more time, we are asking our resQue community not to forget about these souls that are counting on our love, prayers and support so we can continue to give them the best life possible until the end.” And as she always says, “Remember we can’t change their past but together we can continue changing their future.”
To Adopt a ResQMe pup, visit them online at resqmedogmission.org, consider those pups available for adoption and fill out an application right online. You can also call them at 305.970.5970.
Ways You Can Help
ResQMe has set up different ways you can help them with your one-time or monthly tax-deductible gift/donation. You can use Venmo, Zelle, Cash App or PayPal = resqmedogmission@aol.com or credit/decit card on their website = resqmedogmission.org
You can also become a ResQMe Hero, it is just $5 donation a month…that’s less than .17 cents a day.
Get Social
Look them up as resqmedogmission on Facebook, Instagram and Amazon Wishlist.
