100% Rescued: Larry

by guest blogger and volunteer Jillian Molina

CDR&CK is a foster-based all breed rescue in the Washington, D.C. metro area. Due to the nature of our rescue, CDR&CK is focused on rescuing dogs and cats that are in jeopardy of being euthanized due to overpopulation.

A variety of dogs and cats in shapes, sizes, pedigrees and temperaments find themselves in overcrowded high-kill shelters, where resources are severely limited. City Dogs Rescue partners with specific shelters and commits to saving several dogs each month per shelter. 

Strays, hoarding seizures and owner surrenders typically describe the background of our dogs and cats. When an owner surrenders their dog to a shelter, there is typically no hold time for that dog, as opposed to a stray who's owner is given time to come claim their lost dog. If the shelter is overcrowded, owner surrendered dogs are typically the first dogs to be euthanized to make room.

Rescues like CDR&CK step in at this point, offering to cover the adoption fee, medical expenses, boarding costs and transportation of a dog until arrangements can be made to bring the dog to the Washington, D.C. area and placed into a foster home. Since CDR&CK doesn't have it's own shelter, we rely on foster parents to care for our animals until they are adopted. Foster parents help us learn more about a cat or dog's behavior, training level, and personality so that we can match them with the right forever home.

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Larry, CDR&CK alumna Piper, and his sister Buca.

Larry is a 5-year-old purebred golden retriever whose elderly owners surrendered him to one of our partner shelters in Georgia. They had both Larry and his mom, but when Larry's mom passed, they realized they weren't able to keep up with Larry's energy or get another dog to keep him company. CDR stepped in to rescue him and got him to a veterinarian, bringing him up to date on vaccinations and preventatives, where it was discovering that Larry was heartworm positive.

​​In Washington D.C., Larry's future mom was a volunteer with City Kitties, processing adoption applications and in the process of becoming a dog foster. When she saw Larry pop up on the City Dogs website and noticed he was hoping for a home with another dog, she knew her family (including her dog, Buca) had to apply. Within weeks of rescue, Larry was on a 10 hour drive from Georgia to D.C., where his future family waited. Almost a year later, Larry is heartworm free and enjoys his days as a City Dog with his forever family and plenty of dog friends.