Mission K9 Rescue Past and Present

As we enter our 7th year of “Serving Our Nation’s Working Dogs” we wanted to give those of you that may be unfamiliar with our work some history and information about our organization and mission.

Mission K9 Rescue was founded in the early fall of 2013 by Kristen Maurer, Louisa Kastner, and Bob Bryant. Both Maurer (Masters in Non Profit Management) and Kastner (Army Veterinary Technician) had prior experience with Military and Contract Working Dogs while Bryant was an advertising and fundraising specialist that gained a passion for the work after meeting both women a year prior to the start of the organization.

The founders were an excellent fit together, each having unique specialties and business skills that quickly ramped up the growth of the organization. Their initial focus was on reuniting Military Working Dogs with prior handlers, yet that quickly changed once they learned the plight of Contract Working Dogs that were often kept far too long in bad situations overseas. Soon, they began to receive many requests to help these Working Dogs as well, securing local kennel space to house them.

MissionK9’s presence on social media has been key to getting the word out about our mission. In just 6 years we’ve grown our Facebook page to over 98,000 active and engaged fans. That has helped us continue funding our mission through individual donations and gives us the ability to have needs seen and helped to be filled without waiting for website visitors to learn of our needs.

Many would be surprised to learn that most of the donations that allow us to complete our work is from individuals. Many great donors have helped us through when needs were great. We have some awesome sponsors, with the Petco Foundation providing us with grants for over 3 years now. Another great sponsor is the United States War Dogs Association. They have helped us from the beginning with transportation funding and we are recognized as Chapter 6 of their organization. We can’t thank our sponsors enough. They have helped our organization grow and provided much needed funding through the years.

Now, more than ever we need to grow beyond our current financial reach and we are actively seeking more sponsors. We will honor your gifts and make you proud!

In 2016 we began work on our Veteran K9 Ranch in the Houston area. This 4 acre property was converted into a kennel and rehabilitation facility that houses around 30 dogs at most times, with others in medical boarding. We will soon have a hospice facility for dogs that could not otherwise be adopted to provide a loving environment for the most difficult dogs.

This fall (2019) we hope to improve the ranch with a second kennel, doubling our capacity. We are also retrofitting an RV that will allow us to complete more stateside transports efficiently and saving thousands on travel expenses.

Since 2013, Mission K9 Rescue has brought over 500 working dogs home from worldwide locations including Military Working Dogs, Contract Working Dogs, Police K9’s and Mine Detection Dogs. Over 280 of these dogs were reunited with their former handlers.

From our inception we have covered the cost of veterinary care for 1000’s of dogs and that keeps increasing with growth.
In 2018 we paid out over $250,000 for veterinary care alone!

Something we are really proud of is that 91 cents out of every dollar donated to us goes directly to our work. Nothing is wasted and no one is sitting on expensive leather chairs drawing high salaries. Each of the founders puts in over 70 hours per week on average. It’s a passion. We have grown to a staff of 15 full and part time employees that help us to Rescue, Rehabilitate, Reunite, or Re-home any working dog that has served in some capacity. Mission K9 Rescue has a Platinum Rating from Guidestar We have a PLATINUM RATING on GuideStar.org – https://www.guidestar.org/profile/46-4302698 One current funding need we have is to bring 10 working dogs home from Kuwait – https://bitly.com/kuwaitdogs People ask us… “What’s your dream?” Our answer is two fold:
  1. To find a Company, Individual, or Foundation that will help sustain our work financially so that we are able to reach our full potential. We are only limited by funding. Every year we have increased our work and reach, yet there are so many times when we struggle and know that with enough outreach we will find a perfect fit that we can both honor and serve through our work. We know that perfect fit is there and we are willing to travel to meet with those that may choose to sustain us.
  2. For there to be no need for us. We dream of the day when every working dog gets a trip home from overseas, when a perfect adopter is waiting for each one, when vet care is free or affordable for them, and every handler gets to be reunited with their K9 partner. Until then, we will serve them.
We want to thank everyone that supports us, shares our posts, and has good things to say about our work.
We hope to meet more of you that share our vision to help accelerate our growth in the coming years.
Thank YOU for supporting Mission K9 Rescue!

MWD Marco – Transport a Hero Dog Home!

MWD Marco served his country and was marked as “Ready for Retirement”.

He was attached to the USAF and was picked up by our team at Andrew’s Air Force Base.

MissionK9 was notified by Marco’s handler that he would be away for a while and we stepped up to host MWD Marco at the Veteran K9 Ranch while his Handler is away.

We are happy to report that the pair will be reunited the last week of June 2019.

This is a cross country transport. We originally picked Marco up on the East Cost and brought him to the Mission K9 Ranch. Now he has to go back north for his reunion.

Costs will be around $1200 to get Marco where his handler is and we hope that you will chose to support the transport.

Donate here

Please share our need – it helps!

Please see yourself giving as you can and seeing the good your funds are doing for Working Dogs.

We truly appreciate anything you can give now!

To Donate Via PayPal: https://paypal.me/missionk9rescue

Thank you – Thank you – THANK YOU SO MUCH!

If you prefer to mail a check, please use this address for donations by mail:

Mission K9 Rescue
P.O. Box 395
Needville, TX 77461-0395

713-589-9362

EIN 46-4302698 501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization

Westminister Kennel Club Coverage by Fox Sports FS1

Mission K9 was featured during the annual Westminister Kennel Club Show on February 12th, 2019. We can’t thank Ron Aiello and the United States War Dogs Association enough for connecting us with FS1.

FS1 came to our Veteran K9 Ranch just north of Houston to film the segment you can view here:

MissionK9 Video Segment – Fox FS1

The Fox Team did a spectacular job, highlighting our work, the dogs, and even a happy adoption to a forever home for one!

We hope you will enjoy a fresh look at the work we do for Working Dogs!

Mission K9 Rescue
P.O. Box 395
Needville, TX  77461-0395

713-589-9362

EIN 46-4302698 501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization

MissionK9Rescue operates under the laws of the State of Texas.

Bring Two Brave K9 Veterans Home!

BRING TWO BRAVE K9 VETERANS HOME

By Zita Ballinger Fletcher

We turn to you again to ask for help on behalf of two courageous veterans, who have served their country with no less dedication and sacrifice than soldiers in uniforms.

They are two loyal and hardworking K9 veterans–both far from their home in America. One of them is in Korea; the other in Afghanistan.

Your donations will give these dogs a chance to recover in the caring arms of people who love them. Your generosity can give the dog in Korea a much-needed rest at the family home of its handler, while that handler goes again to Afghanistan for another tour of active military duty.

Not all dogs can survive without for dogs, so be sure you do right medicines for the dogs.

And any dollars you can spare will provide much-needed, emergency medical treatments for the dog in Afghanistan, who sadly has suffered in the service of our country. Your donations will pay for immediate veterinary care and allow the dog to heal at our ranch until well enough to be adopted by a loving and responsible owner.

Any amount, no matter how small, will help.

Donate here

If you prefer to mail a check, please use this address for donations by mail:

Mission K9 Rescue
P.O. Box 395
Needville, TX  77461-0395

713-589-9362

MissionK9Rescue was formed and is based in Houston, Texas.

DOWNLOAD/VIEW OUR 2016 IRS FORM 990

EIN 46-4302698 501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization

Mission K9 Rescue has no relationship or connection to the United States Government.

We appreciate your consideration of our organization in planning your yearly giving and thank you for your support!

Learn more about MissionK9 – Watch the video below!

Mission K9 Rescue is the proud recipient of the Petco Foundation’s 2017 “Helping Heroes” Award

 

Help Us Continue Our Mission – Sponsor!

Help Us Continue Our Mission

By Zita Ballinger Fletcher

We are very thankful for the generous help you give through your donations, which allow us to provide aid to hardworking dogs so in need of human love and care. However, we need greater help to allow us to continue our mission with greater efficiency and depend on donations less.

The aid of corporate and individual sponsors would make a huge difference in our ability to continue to grow and carry out our mission going forward.

Do you know any person or company who would be interested in supporting our mission?

Please share our story.

We will be very thankfull for every help you show on dogs conference about HIV evidence.

And, if you wish to become our sponsor or know someone who would sponsor MK9, send an email to bark@missionk9rescue.org and request our Marketing Packet.

Thank you so much!

Bring Dogs Home to America for the Holidays

By Zita Ballinger Fletcher Contract working dogs sacrifice their lives to protect humans, working tirelessly to detect explosives and narcotics. Owned and contracted by private companies, they are sent to foreign countries, where they spend long hard hours searching for dangerous materials. They often work in extreme temperatures and are given meager amounts of food. Jenny, shown in the photo, was one of these dogs. Like many of her K9 comrades, she suffered from abuse and overwork. She had no rest or play. She was kept in a large outdoor cage with nothing but sand and rocks. Many dogs die in such conditions. We were able to save Jenny’s life thanks to the help of caring supporters. We were able to pay for Jenny and two other contract working dogs to come home to the United States, where they were given medical care and love. Jenny had surgery on her knee, was placed in a caring foster home and has been adopted. We were able to save Jenny’s life However, our work is not done. There are many more dogs just like Jenny waiting to come home to America. They depend on us to bring them back safely. They must wait to be rescued, until we are able to pay for their homecoming journey and care. Sometimes we are not able to raise enough funds to bring these dogs back in time. Sometimes these dogs die waiting.

We know very well about the love and care these hard working dogs will receive from people here in the United States, and that is something we do not want them to miss. We try to save as many of them as we can. But it costs an average of $2000 per dog to pay for its travel out of certain regions of the world, board the dog for a short time during its recovery, and provide much-needed veterinary care.

These extraordinary dogs risk their lives to help humans—the least thing we can do is give them our help in return. Our goal is to bring more of these heroic and sadly neglected contract working dogs back home to America before the year-end. We can do it with your help. Any amount, no matter how small, helps. Donate here If you prefer to donate via Paypal: Click – https://paypal.me/missionk9rescue If you prefer to mail a check, please use this address for donations by mail: Mission K9 Rescue
P.O. Box 395
Needville, TX 77461-0395
713-589-9362 MissionK9Rescue was formed and is based in Houston, Texas. EIN 46-4302698 501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization Mission K9 Rescue has no relationship or connection to the United States Government. We appreciate your consideration of our organization in planning your yearly giving and thank you for your support!

Retired Hero Working Dogs – Help With Transport Home

Working Dogs are Waiting to Come Home!

From a Life of WORK to Homes with LOVE

We’ve worked SO HARD to get more dogs from Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan back to the USA that we need to raise transport funds in advance as we always have dogs waiting.

These brave Hero Dogs search Cargo and Equipment for Bombs and Drugs to keep us Safe at Home and Abroad.

They are highly trained Contract Working Dogs, specialized in Drug, Explosive and even Money detection.

They come from contractors that have failed or have financial issues due to lost contracts, etc and this puts the dogs in great danger.

The older dogs are the first to suffer.

All of these dogs need vet care (some serious) and they are not getting the exercise or food that they need.

The average cost to transport a dog from these foreign countries, provide boarding, health certificates, vet care and enrichment is approximately $2000 per dog.

YOU make all this possible – individuals are making the difference with these transports.

Since 2014, Mission K9 Rescue has transported HUNDREDS of dogs HOME and paid over $500,000 in Veterinary Bills to make them whole.

You ask us to do more and we always do!

We need your financial help to bring more home now – Thank you SO MUCH for donating!

Donate here

If you prefer to donate via Paypal: Click – https://paypal.me/missionk9rescue

To mail a check, please use this address for donations by mail:

Mission K9 Rescue
P.O. Box 395
Needville, TX 77461-0395

713-589-9362

MissionK9Rescue was formed and is based in Houston, Texas.

EIN 46-4302698 501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization

Mission K9 Rescue has no relationship or connection to the United States Government.

We appreciate your consideration of our organization in planning your yearly giving and thank you for your support!

Reunite 4 Hero MWD’s With Their Handlers

We LOVE Reunions!

Nothing makes us smile more than to see a Retired Military Working Dog RUN into the arms of their Handler!

It’s a blessing and we treasure each and every one.

FOUR Hero MWD’s need Transport HOME this month (November 2017).

We have dogs that need to come from Japan, Korea, and Guam to be reunited here in the USA with their Handlers.

The Military has not implemented paid travel home at this time for Retired MWD’s.

Handlers reach out to MissionK9 for transport help and we reach out to you when Hero Dogs need a trip HOME.

HELP MISSION K9 keep these reunions coming by donating toward this transport.

To write about dogs a good essay you can always ask our friends https://writemyfirstessay.com

The cost to bring these Hero MWD’s HOME is approximately $9600 to fly SAFELY and COMFORTABLY, HOME!

Donate here

Our PayPal Address is MissionK9Rescue@gmail.com

Mission K9 Rescue is a non-profit organization, operating world wide, formed and based in Houston, Texas.

Mission K9 Rescue is a dedicated team that shares your passion for the retired, retiring and contract working dogs that we serve. Our organization is funded solely through the monetary support of individuals that share our passion and respect for Working Dogs. Your support is deeply appreciated and is paramount to our ability to “Lend a Hand to the Paws that Serve”.

There are a variety of ways to make donations to Mission K9 Rescue. No matter how big or small, every donation counts with Mission K9 Rescue.

If you prefer to mail a check, please use this address for donations by mail:

Mission K9 Rescue
P.O. Box 395
Needville, TX 77461-0395

713-589-9362

MissionK9Rescue was formed and is based in Houston, Texas.

EIN 46-4302698 501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization

Mission K9 Rescue has no relationship or connection to the United States Government.

We appreciate your consideration of our organization in planning your yearly giving and thank you for your support!

Learn more about MissionK9 – Watch the video below!

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=embed_video&v=10155393350473833

Mission K9 Rescue is the proud recipient of the Petco Foundation’s 2017 “Helping Heroes” Award

 

 

17 CWD’S Remained In Kuwait – You Brought Them Home!

Remember These 17 CWD’s That Remained In Kuwaiti Kennels?

YOU Brought Them HOME!

AND.. we brought 24 dogs home, not 17!

They arrived mid October and you can see videos and many photos NOW on our Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/missionk9

Not all Working Dog Contractors remain financially stable. When they suffer financially, dogs suffer too and are often left waiting for someone else to bring them home.

17 Retired Bomb and Drug Dogs are WAITING NOW in Kuwait – the LAST of the dogs from this company!

They are getting NO EXERCISE. Working Dogs NEED Stimulation – They get NONE!

The average cost to transport a dog from Kuwait, provide boarding, health certificates, vet care and enrichment is approximately $2000 per dog.

We are MissionK9Rescue – Google “MissionK9” or “MissionK9Rescue” to see our work.

THANKS TO YOUR GENEROUS DONATIONS – THEY ARE HOME!

MissionK9Rescue was formed and is based in Houston, Texas.

https://missionk9.wpenginepowered.com – EIN 46-4302698 501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization

 

YOU make all this possible – individuals are making the difference with these transports.

In 2016, MissionK9 brought 63 dogs home and paid thousands of dollars in Veterinary Bills for many more.

You ask us to do more and we always do!

If you prefer to donate via Paypal, please send to MissionK9Rescue@gmail.com

If you prefer to mail a check, please use this address for donations by mail:

Mission K9 Rescue
P.O. Box 395
Needville, TX 77461-0395

713-589-9362

EIN 46-4302698 501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization

Godspeed K9 Guus!

Our hearts break every time a Hero Dog crosses over.

Police K9 Guus served San Diego PD for 7 years, coming to MissionK9’s Veteran K9 Ranch once retired where we worked with health issues that were rapidly weakening him.

During his career he was credited with apprehending many bad guys and making busts. He was an asset to his team and a great boy!

While at the ranch, everyone told him how much they loved him and made a real effort to show him a short, yet relaxing retirement in the country.

Watch the video of the special ride prepared for him by the wonderful people at Harris County Sheriff’s Office,  Harris County Precinct 1,  and Harris County Constable Precinct 4. Special thanks to Blond Photography.

Huge thanks to k9s4cops.org !

Look how happy he is to get in the car… he LOVED to work yet let us know it was time for him to say goodbye!

If you prefer to mail a check, please use this address for donations by mail:

Mission K9 Rescue
P.O. Box 395
Needville, TX 77461-0395

713-589-9362

MissionK9Rescue was formed and is based in Houston, Texas.

EIN 46-4302698 501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization

Donate here