When a prospective pup owner has their heart set on a particular breed, it can seem as though the options of where to find that dream dog are limited to breeders or bust.
One of Vancouver's newest dog rescue societies is working to challenge that perception—specifically when it comes to one of the most adorable small breeds out there.
Co-founders Amina Ayub and Hillary Connelly launched Hello Doxie Rescue on Valentine’s Day this year, after bonding over their similar career paths and mutual love for dachshunds (affectionately nicknamed "doxies," wiener dogs or sausage dogs). The society is now working with an independent rescuer based in Taiwan to save dachshunds from troublesome living situations in that region and match them with doxie-approved homes in B.C. that understand the unique set of needs associated with the breed.
"One of my [three] dogs and [Connelly's] dog are both rescue dogs from Taiwan, from the rescuer that Hello Doxie is currently partnered with," Ayub explained.
While adopting their own pets, the pair learned more about the need for help in Taiwan and decided to put their passion for doxies into practice. "There are a lot of abandoned stray dogs on the streets; there are a ton of puppy mills in Asia that are just full to the brim with dogs in cages upon cages, and there's also a lot of owner-surrendered dogs in Asia—people who buy dogs and then later decide that they don't want them anymore," said Ayub.
So far, the non-profit Hello Doxie has helped match three rescued dogs with forever homes in B.C., and is already looking at expanding their operation with other partnerships in Korea and Japan.
"We're only bringing that specific breed of dog over through our rescue, because that's the breed of dog that we're experienced with and that's the breed of dog that we feel comfortable homing," Ayub said.
Dachshunds are also "one of the most frequently re-homed dogs," she added. "A lot of people purchase the dogs because they're really cute—they have long backs, they have stubby legs and people like the aesthetic look of them, but don't really, a lot of time, do the proper background research to figure out what [dachshunds] actually require in a home. They're not supposed to be jumping, they're not supposed to be taking stairs, they're not supposed to be overfed because all of those three things put pressure on their spine."
As such, all applicants go through rigorous vetting, background checks and interviews before they're matched up with a wiener dog. "A big thing for our rescue is the educational piece, and trying to teach people what the requirements are of owning this breed," Ayub said.
The challenges of rescuing dogs internationally during a pandemic
While Hello Doxie has identified several more dogs currently being cared for in Taiwan that are in need of a forever home, the COVID-19 pandemic is posing more than a few challenges.
Namely, a lack of travellers available to accompany the dogs on the overseas journey.
"One of our dogs has found their forever home and has been adopted and is waiting for a flight volunteer to come to Vancouver. He's in foster right now in Taiwan" said Ayub. "There's right now a huge shortage of flight volunteers coming from Asia— whether that be Korea, Japan or Taiwan— to Vancouver due to the coronavirus hotel restriction that's currently in place."
Once Hello Doxie finds a pup on the other side of the world and matches it with a home in Vancouver, relying on a flight volunteer is the "cheapest and easiest" way to bring the dog to Canada, Ayub explained. One flight volunteer—someone who was already making the trip for their own purposes—can accompany up to three dogs, which are transported in crates in the airplane's cargo hold. Rescuers drop the animals off at the departure airport, while volunteers are solely tasked with arriving for their flight 20 to 30 minutes earlier than usual, declaring the pups at customs, picking them up from the cargo area upon arrival at YVR and handing them over to Hello Doxie immediately. There's no extra cost to the flight volunteer.
Finding people who are travelling back to Vancouver from Asia is currently Hello Doxie's "biggest issue," Ayub said. "As soon as we find volunteers we can get dogs over very easily."
The rescue society could transport dogs to Canada without a flight volunteer, instead classifying the animals as cargo, but it's far more costly—"triple the price," to be exact, said Ayub.
"Usually with a flight volunteer, the dog's ticket costs roughly $400 CAD to bring them over. With cargo, it costs about $1,500," she said. "It's an option, and if people did want to adopt a dog from us and pay the cargo fee, we would gladly do it, it's just obviously very expensive."
The female-founded, volunteer run not-for-profit operates solely on donations, adoption fees and the proceeds from its online merchandise and pet supply shop, she added.
Why rescue a Dachshshund?
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, many prospective dog owners have been discouraged by the longer-than-ever breeder waitlists brought on by the work-from-home revolution and a rise in demand for pets.
That demand has spilled over to rescue societies like Hello Doxie, said Ayub. The non-profit has been "swamped with messages" since launching two months ago, and has already received over 100 applications from eager wiener-dog lovers, she explained.
That said, "if you're dead set on getting this breed of dog, why not rescue," she added. "You don't need to wait on that huge breeder waitlist, you can apply to our adoption application and we'll reach out to you. The only issue with rescuing right now—from any rescue organization that's working overseas—is the flight wait. That's our biggest burden."
While Ayub admits the international adoption process can be tedious, it can also be rewarding.
"Don't give up trying to find the breed of your dreams if you're looking for a rescue dog," Ayub said.
"Rescuing a dog is a great option to consider because you're helping a dog that wouldn't otherwise be able to be helped where they currently are. The dogs that we're helping fly over to Vancouver are unable to find homes in Taiwan, and that's why we're bringing them over.
"I think just knowing that you're helping save a life of a dog that is unwanted [where they are] is enough of a reason to want to adopt."
