URGENT!

After many years of dedicating my time, life, money and heart to the cause of animal welfare and rescue, I've made a decision to stop.

I have relocated to the Western part of the country, and am no longer involved with animal rescue in any capacity. This means our dogs need homes immediately. They are located at a foster home near Hagerstown, Maryland. So if you are ready for a new family member, please contact us. We have lowered our minimum adoption donation for all dogs to just $200. We will also adopt out of state to the right families.

We are no longer in need of foster homes. What we are in need of is good, permanent adoptive homes for our dogs.

If you have ever adopted a dog from us, please know that the adoption agreement is binding for the life of the dog. This means that if you can no longer keep the dog - he or she must be returned to us. We will still honor this agreement, and expect you to do the same. However, this does not mean you are responsible to get the dog to us out West. We can still have a local rescue volunteer pick up the dog in Maryland.

DOG FIGHTING HOTLINE: 1-877-847-4787(sponsored by the HSUS)

You can receive an award of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a dogfighter. All information is kept confidential; no one will know you've called. The line is answered 24/7. You can leave a message, talk to an investigator, or get their e-mail address and leave your own. If a dogfight is in progress, immediately call the police, 9-1-1 Then call the hot line.

Click to find out what the meat industry does not want you to see.

We are an all volunteer, not-for-profit organization.
No reputable rescue ever makes a profit from their dogs.
If there's a profit, it isn't rescue!

Secluded Hearts Wishes All a

Happy Holiday Season

We feed, and recommend home cooking, and Innova Evo dog food.

Please understand that there is a difference between a *rescue* and a *shelter.* Secluded Hearts is a privately owned rescue. We are not a public shelter or "drop off" center. Hence, we do not have a kennel facility for you to visit. Our dogs reside in private foster homes until they are adopted.

PLEASE NOTE:

***We are in need of more foster homes!***

At this time, we are unable to help anymore dogs due to a lack of foster home space. However, if you must surrender your dog we may be able to help you locate another reputable rescue to help. Please do not surrender your pet to just *any* rescue. There are rescues, and there are *reputable* rescues. Your pet is counting on you to know and understand the difference.

If you are considering surrendering your pet to a shelter or rescue, or need to rehome your pet due to training/behavioral issues, please first check out these FREE training videos. They may be all you need so that you and your pet can continue to co-exist peacefully. It is very traumatic to your pet when he or she is surrendered to a shelter, rescue or to be re-homed. It is even that much more traumatic if the dog is a senior, or has been a part of your family for an extended period of time.

"We are a private organization and we do not receive any outside funding. Period. Our entire rescue efforts are made possible through one person only - our founder. Our adoption fees never cover what we spend on each dog just for medical alone. Then there is dog food, toys, etc. Our future to continue to help these dogs depends on you. Won't you please help?

See Our Adoptable Pet List Here

Visit Our WebPage Here

Click for Adoption Application

Click to sign our guestbook

Click For Our Mission Statement

Click to Visit Our Shopping Page

Click to see our Happy Tails! (Pets already adopted)

Secluded Hearts Rescue
P.O. Box 15
Chewsville, MD 21721-0015
FAX 240-668-9440
Email:
Lynn@secludedhearts.org

Secluded Hearts is a Lhasa Apso and Shih Tzu rescue (and mixes thereof). These are the breeds we know best. We occasionally take in a Cocker Spaniel.
However, we are no longer able to help other breeds.
Most of our dogs come from our local shelters. They contact us when our breed is in danger of being euthanized, usually due to a lack of space and a high influx of pets. More often than not, we have to decline helping because we simply do not have enough foster homes. Yes, this means dogs die - through no fault of their own. We usually do not accept owner surrendered pets who have other means of adoption. Secluded Hearts does not ever *look* for pets to take into our program. The sad fact is, we don't have to.

***PLEASE READ BEFORE CONTACTING US!***

1) Our pets are not for sale, they are for adoption. There is a minimum adoption donation which is used to help offset some of the costs needed to operate our rescue. It does not begin to cover what we spend for each animal.
2) We do not adopt to persons under the age of 25.
3) We reserve the right to deny any applicant, for any reason. We are not obligated to explain our decision.
4) Please read the entire description of the pet you are interested in before contacting us. Some of our pets have special requirements to adopt. We also encourage you to research the breed of the dog you are interested in adopting before contacting us. Just because a dog looks cute and cuddly does not mean it is the right dog for your family. Though every dog is an individual, each breed has certain characteristics specific to it's breed.
5) We ask that you please do not phone us about a dog. Phone calls will not be returned. If you are interested in one of our dogs, we appreciate email and it helps to expedite the adoption process.
6) We do not *usually* adopt to families with children under the age of ten.

"Never, never be afraid to do what's right, especially if the well being of a person or an animal is at stake. Societies punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way."

OUR FEATURED PET

VERY URGENT!Click here to read about Doodlebug.

Who We Are
Secluded Hearts volunteers are dedicated to helping save the lives of shelter dogs. We provide them with a temporary foster home until their furever home is found. We strive to place our dogs in permanent homes where we believe it is the best possible match for our dogs and for the adopter. We do NOT operate on a first come, first served basis. We reserve the right to deny any applicant, for any reason.

Some of our dogs are purebred, some are mixes. They are all special to us, and they are all EQUAL. Our minimun adoption donation is the same whether the dog is a purebred or a mix.

We are always in need of volunteer foster homes! Please contact us if you would like to learn more.

Please let us know if you are interested in opening up your heart and home to one of our wonderful dogs, either through fostering or adopting. We will require an application, references, and a home visit. We require a minimum adoption donation to help offset our expenses, it is the only way we can continue to help more dogs. (There is no charge to foster one of our dogs, and we pay for all basic and extended medical needs.)

All of our dogs are spayed or neutered, up to date on vaccines and have been heartworm tested. If a dog is heartworm positive, the dog remains in our rescue until treatment has been completed (usually six weeks) and until our vet declares the dog heartworm free. All of our dogs also receive any other medical treatment and behavior modification that is necessary prior to being adopted out.

We are advocates for the spaying and neutering of ALL pets.
We do not believe in extreme temperament testing.

We do not ship dogs. Therefore, we require that our adopters reside in Maryland, or in one of our neighboring states.

We are here to support you and offer advice even after the adoption is complete. However, it is very important to research the breed of the dog you want - BEFORE you adopt.

If you would like more information about our rescue or have any questions about any of our dogs, please let us know. We will be happy to talk with you.

We do not receive any outside funding, so we are always in need of, and greatly appreciate, donations. Though we have multiple foster homes and volunteers, our entire rescue efforts are funded solely by Secluded Hearts founder.

Come Visit Us!
We are actually a small network of volunteer foster homes. We do not have a public shelter, however we would be happy to set up an appointment for you to meet one of our dogs, after you have submitted your adoption application and your home visit has been completed.

FREE TO A GOOD HOME?????

A Death Sentence!

Unfortunately, "free" is too often seen as "worthless" in the eye of the beholder.

This is how some people see your giveaway pet:

FREE bait to train fighting dogs and greyhounds

FREE snake food

FREE sacrifice for satanic rituals

FREE animal for malicious pranks

FREE to a good home to breed indiscriminately

FREE fish bait

FREE money from the research lab

FREE animal to set on fire

FREE animal to insert a firecracker into

PLEASE don't offer your companions FREE to a good home unless you just don't care what happens to them.

Volunteers who work endless hours to save pets from the horror of abuse and homelessness bring this message to you. Permission to reproduce this information and distribute is granted, encouraged and greatly appreciated.

We ask that you please do not call us to inquire about a dog. Email is much more efficient for us, and helps to expedite the adoption process for you.
We will speak by telephone after you have submitted your adoption application, and we will call you.

You can help support our rescue efforts. Please visit our four stores on Cafe Press.
Just click the links below. You'll find lots of interesting novelties and gift items.

Help Us To Promote Our Rescue! Store With Our Logo:

Our "Shih Tzu/Real Men" Products:

Our "I Love My Shih Tzu" Products

Our Cocker Spaniel Store:

Click here for a list of pets at this shelter

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