Pet business rescues abandoned canines
BY MICHELLE _L. START Florida Weekly Correspondent

Neglected, abandoned, malnourished and sickly, most of the dogs that find their way to Jennie Curtis and Sunny Lichtenberg have been given up on and seem to have little chance of finding a permanent home.

"Sunny and I put the business together," said Curtis. "During the past six or seven years we were rescuing mostly dachshunds and shelties, but then we got very popular. So, we expanded to take in border collies, shelties and dachshunds. It has continued to grow and now we have lots of breeds."

Initially, it was a side hobby for the women who own K-9s Come First, a training, daycare and boarding business. Now, they are in the process of applying for nonprofit status for Waiting on our Forever Families (W.O.O.F.F.), which will allow the duo to accept charitable donations.

"We limit what we take because of funds," said Curtis. "If we had donations, a source of funding, we would take in more."

Throughout the years, they have placed between 80 and 100 dogs that likely would have been euthanized otherwise.

PHOTO MICHELLE L. START Sunny Lichtenberg with a three-legged labradoddle named Tripod.

Each has its own story. Take Annie, for example. A greyhound, Annie came from the dog track but hasn't been able to find a home because she shies away from strangers. Then there is Tripod, a labradoodle (a hybrid dog created by crossing the Labrador Retriever and the Standard or Miniature Poodle) who is missing a hind leg and came to the women in February after his previous owner tried to kill his wife and landed in jail.

"It is always through no fault of their own," said Lichtenberg.

When the dogs arrive at the rescue, frequently they need extensive medical care. Curtis said they spent more than $20,000 in medical care for rescued dogs last year. Most recently the partners spent $1,200 for spaying, neutering and treating ear infections on Tyra and Felyx, two dachshunds that need to be placed together.

"The dogs stay with us until we are able to find them a home," said Curtis.

Like family pets, the dogs stay in Lichtenberg and Curtis' home.

The women have had Echo and Kayl, both border collies, for some time. Echo arrived with patches of fur and still sports bald spots while Kayl was on his ninth home when his owner committed suicide.

PHOTO MICHELLE L. START A border collie named Kayl. He was brought to the shelter after his former owner committed suicide.

While being fostered, the dogs undergo obedience training and socialization. Curtis and Lichtenberg learn the temperaments of each animal, which helps them place them appropriately.

"The big dogs are much harder to place," said Curtis. "It is a space issue and an amount of food issue. Everything is just more when you get a big dog."

Right now, she is trying to find a home for Tripod and for Emma, a great Pyrenees who came to the shelter when her owner moved to Southwest Florida but was unable to have a dog in her apartment.

W.O.O.F.F. charges a $250 adoption fee. It includes five days of free boarding, one free class, a certificate, doggy treats, current vaccinations, spaying/ neutering and toys.

"We charge the $250 because we want people who are really interested in having a dog," said Curtis. "It doesn't cover anything as far as our costs. I guess it just makes us feel more secure. Every dog that leaves here is a part of our family that we are placing."

Before placing a dog, W.O.O.F.F. checks to make sure the potential home has all up-to-date vaccines on other pets, does a home study to ensure appropriate placement and asks families to bring in other pets so the animals can become accustomed to one another.

Additionally, they conduct another home visit after placement and require a contract that says should the family decide not to keep the dog, it will be returned to W.O.O.F.F.