KOTA Cares: Border Paws Dog Rescue works to save dogs in need

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says, more than three million dogs across the nation end up in shelters every year.

This week’s KOTA Cares is a Rapid City organization working to rescue dogs in need, not just in South Dakota but across the country.

At just 16 years old, Shaila Dominguez found her passion for rescuing dogs, and in 2017 she founded Border Paws Dog Rescue.

Typically, the dogs from the rescue come from the southern part of the United States and even out of the country.

“So, our primary mission is bringing in rescues from the south. So, we take them in because they’re really overcrowded there, we vet them, and we find them homes. The dog population isn’t as bad here as it is there,” said Dominguez, the founder and executive director for Border Paws.

From January to March of this year, Border Paws Dog Rescue took in a whopping 80 dogs, and the non-profit found homes for more than half.

Along with their adoption program, the rescue offers a fostering program for abused or neglected dogs that helps them get comfortable with humans.

Additionally, Border Paws has a dog for a day program, where volunteers take dogs from the rescue on different outings, like hiking or to the dog park.

“We started that because I feel when the dogs are in their kennels all day it’s hard to get a gauge on their personality,” added Dominguez on why she likes to encourage the dogs to get out and explore. So, when somebody takes them out for the day that person gets to know them and when they come back tired, we get to see more of who they really are, which increases their chance of adoption.”

Nearly 200 dogs have been matched with their fur-ever owners since Border Paws Dog Rescue opened its doors.

Dogs adopted from Border Paws are spayed or neutered, up to date on all their shots, and each dog is microchipped at no expense to the owner.

If you would like to donate to this week’s KOTA Cares, click the link here.

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