An Article Featuring Two CPCRN Volunteers!

Women Provide Home For Abused Dogs

Ten lucky terriers get temporary shelter while they await permanent adoption
By Megan King Staff Writer

Sheryl, has saved more than 25 dogs from abuse and neglect since she started volunteering for the Col. Potter Cairn Terrier Rescue organization. The California-based national nonprofit recruits volunteers in communities across the country to find homes for terriers that have been rescued from abuse or neglect, or from owners no longer able to care for them.

The group was named after Col. Potter, a Cairn terrier who was struck by a car and killed in 1999. The dog had been well known on an online chat group devoted to Cairns, and the organization was founded a year later and named after the canine.

Sheryl helps transport dogs from rescue sites to their adoptive homes, and visits people who have adopted dogs. Sheryl and her friend, Judith, who share the same home, use their home as a temporary shelter. The women said they are motivated by their common concern for innocent dogs that are abused or neglected. ‘‘A dog is totally helpless,” Sheryl said.

Their home now has 10 dogs, the maximum their license allows. They have a hobby license from the city that allows them to keep the animals in their home. Of the 10 dogs at home, some were purchased and some were rescued. A few are foster dogs, which they’ll keep until permanent homes are found. The women originally bought several dogs from a pet store, and got involved with the rescue organization after they began researching information about dogs on the Internet. They discovered that some dogs on sale in pet stores came from puppy mills — where animals are mass-produced and often neglected.

Three of their rescued dogs are part of the ‘‘Pets on Wheels” program, which allows owners to make visits with their dogs to senior centers and other facilities. One Cairn terrier, Rosie, participates in the county library system’s ‘‘Read to Rover” program, in which children can practice their reading skills by reading to dogs. ‘‘She was rescued and she’s giving back to society,” Sheryl said.

The volunteers have a variety of methods for rescuing dogs, mainly through buying dogs at auctions. Puppy mills also occasionally call in rescue groups to take dogs the mill owners no longer want.

A native of Ontario, Sheryl moved to the U.S. 10 years ago. The home’s living room features a Canadian flag hanging on the wall in the middle of the dogs’ crates and beds. Judith is a native of Takoma Park and works for the federal government. Danielle, president of Col. Potter Cairn Terrier Rescue, praised the women’s efforts. She said Sheryl and Judith are ‘‘always willing” to take any dog that needs a foster home. ‘‘Their work is exceptional; they’re always so willing to help out,” she said.

E-mail Megan King at mking@gazette.net.

How to help:
The Col. Potter Cairn Terrier Rescue network is in need of temporary and permanent homes for rescued terriers. For more information, visit http://www.cairnrescue.com/.