Nothing makes us salivate more than organizations that help find loving homes for senior dogsespecially retired working dogs. Mission K9 Rescue (MK9) It detects military and contract working dogs in need of homes and has saved more than 1,300 people “in every corner of the world” since Kristen Maurer, Louisa Kastner and Bob Bryant founded it in 2013. This includes the reunion of more than 540 people with their former military masters. The 501(c)3 nonprofit organization is based in Houston, Texas, and has satellite offices in San Antonio and Los Angeles.
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Mission K9 focuses on its five R’s: rescue, meeting with former handlers, resettlement, rehabilitation (some suffer from PTSD) and repair (get them back to good health). “Of every dollar donated, 93 cents goes directly to our work with dogs,” says Bob. “Never waste donor funds. We do not take luxury retreats and often spend nights in roadside rest areas on transport, rather than incur hotel costs. We have a dedicated team who are proud to serve working dogs around the world.
Of course, rescuing senior dogs who have served comes with its own set of challenges, such as much-needed healthcare funding. For example, in 2022, Mission K9 rescued 10 contract working dogs from Turkey, during the CDC rabies ban that affected many countries. “We were able to bring the dogs back to the United States safely through an arduous process,” says Bob. “Once we returned, we were able to provide heartworm treatment to all the dogs, as they had tested positive. Each dog coped well with the treatment and they are now all heartworm free and living in loving homes.
Mission K9 is looking for great people and companies to spread the word about what they do so we can continue to grow. You want to know more ? Visit missionk9rescue.org and follow on social media @missionk9.