Generally speaking, somewhere around 90% of the dogs that find themselves abandoned can be rehabbed – some with very little training at all, others with more intensive training – but none the less, they can be given a chance at life through training. Far too many are deemed helpless and euthanized without even getting that chance.
Public shelters in North Carolina took in almost 110,000 dogs in 2018. More than 20% of those didn’t make it out. That’s over 23,000 dogs euthanized. Expanded nationally, that’s a pretty horrific number: more than 1.2 million put down.
With those statistics heavy on our hearts, and after many conversations among professional dog trainers who desired to make a bigger difference, Casey’s Legacy, Inc. was formed to help put a dent in those numbers.
Most who try to make a living in canine training have great intentions when it comes to helping these unfortunate dogs. Very few trainers go into this line of work without a deep passion for working with dogs, so it follows that we all want to do what we can. However, the professional dog training business is demanding and finding time to volunteer our services can be difficult.
The work of rescuing and rehabilitating dogs is left to the very capable and compassionate volunteers of countless shelters and rescue organizations. The folks that volunteer for this work are amazing people who open their lives and homes to these unfortunate animals. What many may lack in training and behavioral modification knowledge, they more than make up for with compassion.
Wouldn’t it be great if we could find a way for those volunteers and their dogs to get some help from the professional trainers who deal with these behaviors on a daily basis? Perhaps it would be possible to get some of the dogs with more challenging behaviors real time with a professional who can help them through their issues and follow that up with additional training with their new owners once they’ve been adopted?
Casey’s Legacy, Inc. was formed with those ideas in mind.
Raising funds to get like-minded professionals more involved will be a priority. Working with rescue groups to help their fosters better prepare the dogs they take in will be another. For those dogs that need a little more, one week board and trains and follow ups will be offered.
This is the start of a journey that has limitless potential. Let’s see where it takes us…
— The Casey’s Legacy, Inc. team