WHAT IS HOMEWARD BOUND?
Homeward Bound is a private, nonprofit organization concerned with the welfare of dogs and other animals. We are dedicated to the sheltering and fostering of homeless and unwanted animals. In addition, we take pride in the fact that we are a no-kill rescue and placement program that does not euthanize our animals if they are not adopted within a certain length of time. Homeward Bound has been in existence since 1991 and has rescued well over 12,000 dogs, cats, and other animals. Homeward Bound promotes responsible adoption and care of companion animals. We seek out good, permanent homes for our loving and deserving animals. All are in good health and temperament. Homeward Bound does not have a central location because we are foster-based. Fostering our animals enables us to observe the personality and needs of each individual animal and thus allows us to aid in the selection of a pet that fits the personality, needs, and lifestyle of a family/person.

WHERE DO THE ANIMALS COME FROM?
The majority of Homeward Bound dogs have been rescued from animal impound facilities where they might have otherwise been euthanized. Why do some many dogs/cats wind up at the pound? The main reason is because their lives are often undervalued and their owners no longer want to take care of them. Most of these dogs were abandoned or stray. We also sometimes rescue dogs/puppies in high-kill rescue-friendly shelters from other states (mainly Indiana, Wisconsin, and Kentucky). A dog in need is a dog that needs us, regardless of which state it is in. Sometimes a change of location, where not everyone there looks just like you, makes the difference literally between life and death. We feel very strongly that animals rescued from pounds were abandoned not by their own choice and deserve a second chance at life. We also rescue dogs from puppy mills. Other dogs have been "owner-released" to us for a number of reasons, including not having enough time, moving, too many pets, wrong size, divorce, not being able to financially afford caring for a pet, allergies, the owner is too sick, and so on. The reasons the animals wind up at the pound or are owner released to us more often than not are the fault of the owner who is either unable or unwilling to care for them.

WHERE IS HOMEWARD BOUND LOCATED? WHERE DO THE ANIMALS STAY?
Homeward Bound is located in Minnesota and is comprised of a network of foster families, so we don't have a facility to view the dogs at. Dogs can be seen at our adoption days. All of our dogs and cats go back to their temporary foster homes if they are not adopted out. We do NOT euthanize them after a certain time period because we feel that the right home will eventually be found. However, because of this policy, we are limited with the number and type of dogs we can rescue. This is why it is so important to find more people willing to become temporary foster dog or cat parents. When a dog or cat is adopted out of a foster home, another one can be rescued and fostered.

WHAT DOES "NO-KILL" MEAN?
We take pride in the fact that we are a no-kill rescue and placement program that does not euthanize our animals if they are not adopted within a certain length of time. We give the animals in our rescue every attempt at adoption possible and understand that for whatever reason, sometimes it takes a dog months to find their forever home. Sadly, 'no-kill' does not mean that we never eutahnize an animal since the reality is that not every animal that comes to us can be adopted. The decision to euthanize an animal and is not made lightly. Each case varies but if a dog is terminally ill and suffering, exhibits repeated aggression towards people, has shown severe and unreasonable aggression toward other dogs, or severe behavior problems which makes him/her unadoptable, we do have to euthanize. The decision to euthanize is gut-wrenching and we try very hard to do so as little as possible. Before making the decision to euthanize an animal that shows aggressive tendencies, we work very hard with the dog and try to correct the behavior. Many times, we are able to do this, oftentimes just using different dog training methods. We believe that many, many dogs show aggressive tendencies when their owners don't bother train them in the first place or never told the dog 'no.' Cheryl Adams, the director of Homeward Bound, has turned literally hundreds of dogs showing potentially aggressive tendencies into terrific, happy, and obedient family pets with tough love and firm boundaries. Sometimes no-kill rescues are criticized for only taking in the "cream of the crop" so to speak, meaning that only the perfect, easy adoptable dogs are allowed into the program. Just take a look at our special needs section and the number of heartworm positive dogs we take in and you'll see that we take in many dogs that aren't perfect or highly adoptable! Oftentimes it takes these dogs months to find homes, but it is always worth it.

WHY DOES HOMEWARD BOUND RESCUE SO MANY SPECIAL NEEDS DOGS?
Many animal care facilities deem animals with health problems to be "unadoptable" and opt to euthanize them rather than treat them. Many of these health problems are easy to fix, such as heartworm, lymes disease, tumors, doing dentals on senior or neglected dogs, repairing broken bones and torn ligaments, working with skin care for mange and mites, removing masses and kidney stones, etc. Here at Homeward Bound, we have a space in our hearts for all dogs, even those with special needs and we will not turn our backs on these dogs who need us most. Our mission is to help these poor victims onto a better life, by providing necessary vet care and placement into a permanent home that is 100% committed to caring for the animal(s) for the rest of their lives. There is a price for rescuing so many special needs dogs — our weekly vet bills range from $2,000-4,000 and since we are non-profit and depend solely on adoption fees to cover these costs, we have the highest adoption fees in the area. We can't rescue all of the special needs dogs, but we are proud of the fact that we can rescue some of them. Besides rescuing dogs with health problems, Homeward Bound also takes in dogs with psychological special needs. Cheryl Adams, the director of Homeward Bound, is referred to as one of the best people in the area for rehabilitating dogs with aggression issues. She frequently accepts dogs from other shelters or rescues who have had to give up, and with tough love and firm boundaries turns 95% of those dogs into adoptable companions in the right home.