Sonny!
Neighborhood residents Tammy Belden and her daughter Alicia had an interesting concept for a DIY dog rescue organization which they've christened OneDogAtATime: "Basically we bring in one dog (at a time) from a high-kill rural shelter in West Virginia," said Tammy. "We find that dog a 'forever' home, and then get the next dog."
Sonny, pictured above, is the second dog to be taken under OneDogAtATime's wing since the Beldens started the organization (their first dog, Pickles, found a home within 24 hours...an impressive feat). Sonny is an 8-month-old Pug/Beagle/Chihuahua mix and currently weighs in at about 15 pounds. Belden calls him "a happy little soul." Read more about him on OneDogAtATime's Facebook page.
The Beldens use their network of friends, family and community to find good homes for their dogs. Although Tammy has a long history of working with bigger animal rescue organizations, she finds that concentrating on just "one, tangible effort at a time" is fun, and perhaps most feasible for a home-based rescue. The Beldens and their network help get the word out in numerous ways, from posting flyers at work to bringing the dog to a park for some face time with potential adopters.
There are lots of great dogs in rural shelters, where there unfortunately aren't as many adoptive people as in urban areas like ours. And since DC's shelters are often at capacity, an effort such as this to bring more adoptable dogs to the city is a laudable one. Kudos to the Beldens! And don't forget to visit Sonny on Facebook.
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