Nothing makes us salivate more than organizations that help find loving homes for senior dogs, especially retired working dogs. Mission K9 Rescue (MK9) detects military and contract working dogs in need of homes and has rescued over 1,300 dogs from “every corner of the world” since Kristen Maurer, Louisa Kastner and Bob Bryant founded it in 2013. This includes reuniting over 540 with their former military handlers. The 501(c)3 nonprofit organization is based in Houston, Texas, and has satellite offices in San Antonio and Los Angeles.
The K9 mission focuses on its five Rs: Rescue, Reuniting with former handlers, Re-homing, Rehabilitation (some suffer from PTSD), and Repair (getting them back to good health). “Of every dollar donated, 93 cents goes directly to our work with the dogs,” says Bob. “No waste of donor funds, ever. We don’t take luxury retreats and often spend nights in roadside rest stops in transportation, rather than incurring 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 funding much-needed healthcare. For example, in 2022, the K9 Mission rescued 10 contract working dogs from Turkey, during the CDC’s rabies ban that affected many countries. “We were able to get the dogs safely back to the United States through an arduous process,” says Bob. “Once back, 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 all now heartworm free and living in loving homes.
Mission K9 is looking for more great people and companies to spread the word about what they do so they can continue to grow. You want to know more ? Visit missionk9rescue.org and follow @missionk9 on social media.