The Big Dog Project
P.O. Box 864
Silverdale, WA 98383-0864
Phone: 360/434-2364 (434-BDOG)
Email:
TheBigDogProject@yahoo.com
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"Most shelter dogs are mutts like me." President Elect Barack Obama BIG DOG IS NOW AN APPROVED IRS EXEMPT NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION!! This means we can accept donations and issue a receipt for tax purposes. At the moment, the best way to donate to us is to use our post office box listed at the bottom of this page.
SOMETIMES BIG DOGS COME IN SMALL SIZES!! We still have a few dogs left from our Euthanasia NOT! safari to an overcrowded shelter we found on the Dogs in Danger web site. Most are under 20 lbs and very sweet in temperament. One of our volunteers drove 1000 miles to get these sweethearts out of a crowded shelter where euthanasia for lack of space would have been their next step. Adoption fees: $150 for Adopt And Alter (meaning you spay/neuter after adoption, providing us with a certificate of same within 1 month of adoption) or $225 for Adopt After Alter (meaning we spay/neuter and then pup goes to your home postoperatively).
WHY THINK RESCUE??? When you adopt a rescue dog, you become part of a network of the best people this country has to offer, the people who take time off from work, away from their families, using their own money, to work to find homes for dogs they never met before. We have people all over Washington who will check prospective homes for us or drive a dog part of the way to a new home or take a dog in who isn't housebroken and needs training. These are the people your mother wanted you to grow up to be! Look at the faces of our rescue dogs and know that sometimes as many as 10 people each participated in the effort it takes to get a dog out of a bad situation, into a good foster home, medically stabilized and ready to go to your home.
TRAIN YOUR DOG!! If for any reason your dog needs to be rehomed, basic commands, leash walking and socialization with other dogs will make a huge difference in finding another home. We get calls so often from people who need to rehome a dog who has lived in the backyard on a chain and never had contact with other people or dogs. We can't find foster homes for unsocialized dogs and we cannot find permanent homes for them, either. Petco and PetSmart both have very affordable training classes, or for one-on-one home training in Western Washington, we recommend PACK Dog Training (www.packdogobedience.com).
Who We Are
The Big Dog Project started in 2004 when the war in Iraq caused many changes in the lives of the military families in our Kitsap County community, resulting in more companion animals needing placement than our local no-kill shelters could handle. Since then, we have built a network of friends who work to help all kinds of dogs in transition between all kinds of homes. We handle both big and small dogs, old and young, either re-homing them in our community or arranging for them to go to shelters in other areas that have room for them. In addition, we work with other shelters to transport their dogs to locations where their chances for adoption might be better. We are also available to check prospective homes for shelters outside our area, checking for fences and environment, so that shelters outside our area do not have to have a volunteer travel here for that purpose. Our focus is to build as many human relationships as we can among rescue workers in order to help re-home animals in many locations, not just Kitsap County. We want to think BIG – that’s why we are The Big Dog Project!
Our dogs are seen only by appointment in their foster homes. Some of our adoptions may be open adoptions, with contact between former and new owners, which we feel can be better for the dogs, especially dogs with medical or behavior problems. We cannot help every dog we are asked to help, but we try to be some part of the solution for each dog, discussing options with owners in a creative way. Our adoption fees are based on medical bills and the cost of food for our whole group of animals, not just one individual dog.
We can help find rescue groups for most kinds of animals that are in need of a new home if we are unable to take them into our foster homes.
We have 501C3 nonprofit status, and will be happy to issue a tax receipt for donations. Please use our post office box to send in donations.
Adopting a friend
Step 1: Email us and request an application. Copy this application into a new email, fill out and email back to us. Our all-volunteer group gets most dog work done on weekends. Your application must be received before the weekend for any work to be done on it, so please return it as soon as possible.
Step 2: A Big Dog volunteer will interview you, usually by phone, sometimes email.
Step 3: We will contact any references you give us, personal or veterinarian. Please let your references know that we will be contacting them.
Step 4: Meet the dog you have applied for. This usually takes place at the foster home, by appointment, on weekends.
Step 5: We do a home inspection for every adoption. Don't worry about dirty dishes or unfolded laundry -- we just need to be sure the dog will be safe in your home. If you live any distance from Kitsap County, please send photos in lieu of the home inspection. We will need the main living areas, primary pet area if different, the yard and fencing as well as the house number clearly visible in the photo.
Step 6: Finalize the adoption. In the case of multiple applicants, the first approved applicant that is a good match may adopt the dog. Our average time to complete an adoption is 2 weeks, and could be longer if a puppy spay/neuter is involved. A great dog is worth the wait!
Email is the easiest way to reach us, as we are an all volunteer organization, and all of us work full-time at other jobs. Please give us an evening phone number to reach you.
Come Visit Us!
We only show our dogs by appointment in their foster homes once an applicant has been approved. We believe this shows them at their best. Most of our appointments to show are on weekend days.
The Big Dog Project
P.O. Box 864
Silverdale, WA 98383-0864
Phone: 360/434-2364 (434-BDOG)
Email:
TheBigDogProject@yahoo.com
Click here for a list of pets at this shelter

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