Are you looking to add a new family member to your home during quarantine? If you have space in your heart and home for a special new member of the family, animal rescues are a great place to find a new pet and they don’t just help dogs and cats!
The best dog I’ve ever known was the first pet I got after leaving my parents home. I went with my best friend to an animal shelter thinking I wanted a Boston Terrier just like Roxie, my friend’s dog. At the rescue facility, all the dogs were barking for our attention.
Except for one.
I’ve joked that he knew he was coming home with me that day and figured the extra effort was not needed. A little blonde rat terrier named Phillip stole my heart that day and spent the next 14 years by my side. He was with me through five moves through three states, heartbreak, the birth of my two children, and more. Sadly he passed away recently and that little rescue dog will always have a special place in my heart.
Aside from local animal shelters, there are local non-profit groups that rescue animals, rehabilitate them if needed, and adopt them out. Some are even breed-specific if you have a certain breed in mind.
Rescues aren’t subsidized by taxpayers, so adoption fees might be a little higher than at the local animal shelters. These non-profits are also a great opportunity for your family to give back, by fostering a pet while a “fur-ever” home is found for them.
WAG is your resource for all your pet-related needs! Did you see this peek behind the scenes at a local animal shelter?
Rescues That Specialize In Canines
Carolina Boxer Rescue
Carolina Boxer Rescue obtains Boxer breed dogs from shelters, and save them from being euthanized. They service the states of South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia.
Foothills Golden Retriever Rescue
Foothills Golden Retriever Rescue is a full-service rescue dedicated to providing rescue and necessary veterinarian attention for neglected, abused, and homeless golden retrievers breed dogs.
Blue Ridge Boxer Rescue
Blue Ridge Boxer Rescue specializes in and services Boxer breed dogs. They provide adoptions to The Carolinas and Virginia.
Auction For A Kaws Rescue
Auction for A Kaws rescue is a Greenville based rescue. They are a foster-based organization that rescues, rehabilitates, and adopts out dogs in the Upstate.
Carolina Loving Hound Rescue
Carolina Loving Hound rescue provides adoptions for different breed dogs. Their motto is “Rescue, Rehabilitate, Re-home or Retire”.
Lucky Pup Rescue
Lucky Pup Rescue is a foster-based rescue. They are in Greenville and require home visits for dog adoption applicants.
Now that you have your eye on a pup, you need a place to take them for a walk! There are plenty of places in the Upstate and we have a list of places in Greenville to take a walk with your new pal.
Rescues That Specialize In Felines
Foster Paws Rescue
Foster Paws is a Cat rescue serving Spartanburg & Greenville Counties. They are a foster-based rescue, that holds adoption events through local Petsmart locations.
Miss Dixie’s Kitten Rescue
Miss Dixie’s specializes in rehabbing and rehoming orphaned kittens in the Upstate.
Rescues That Specialize in Rabbits, Reptiles and Other Animals
Bunny Brigade
If you are looking for a pet that is probably not going to deliver you candy in the spring, Bunny Brigade rescues, rehabs, and rehomes domestic rabbits. They work closely with Izzie’s Pond to find fur-ever homes for floppy-eared friends.
Greenville SC Exotic Animal Rescue
GSCE specializes in almost any pet appropriate animal that is not a dog or a cat. If you are in the market for a snake, ferret, parrot, lizard, tarantula, or another exotic animal, they are the rescue to contact!
Rescues That Help Multiple Species
Day Before The Rainbow Rescue
Day Before The Rainbow rescues animals from high-kill shelters and fosters them out while they are found a home. The rescue also works with animal control to help when animal hoarding events happen and animals need to be helped.
Concerned Citizens For Animals
For 40 years Concerned Citizens For Animals has been helping stray, neglected, and abandoned dogs and cats in the Upstate.
Saved By The Heart Companion Animal Services
Saved By The Heart Companion Animal Services adopts cats and dogs out to people in the Upstate. They also provide resources to pet parents who need help retaining their pets through a hardship.
Note: This list was compiled from reader suggestions and does not constitute an endorsement from Wagging Around Greenville. We recommend that readers research any adoption organization.
Have you found the love of your life through a rescue? Tell us all about it in the comments!