Our Story
My name is Renee Bretz. I am new to the rescue world officially, but have had a passion for animals ever since I could remember. I began rescuing stray animals as a child, bringing home all the stray kittens, cats, puppies, dogs, birds, bugs, reptiles, and rodents that seemed to be lost, misplaced, or unloved. Anyone that knows me, knows that I am an avid animal lover.
As an adolescent, I brought home some puppies I found in the woods, and hid them for a few days, feeding and caring for them in my bedroom until my father discovered I had three big-eared, cuddly, little coyote pups all snuggled under my bed! He directed me immediately to return them to where I found them and I got quite a lesson in wild animal rescue.
On a search for our missing family dog, I reached out to a local animal shelter. I began to volunteer there and quickly learned how great the need was for animal rescue in Okanogan County. We have the largest county in Washington State with a diverse population and lifestyles. Many dogs are brought home for comfort, companionship and are not spayed or neutered, causing a multitude of behavior problems for the dogs. They either escape, are lost and the owners don't look for them, or are released due to changes in economic or living status or unmanageable dog behavior.
Luckily, I became acquainted with several other people who had the same love and compassion for animals, and others with extensive experience in the dog rescue world. I began to learn from them, the involvement it would take, the commitment required, the heartache as well as the rewards. I made a call out to my community asking for more people to join the effort by volunteering in our animal rescue.
Together we formed All4Paws Okanogan Rescue, a well-organized team that dedicates our efforts to the welfare and enrichment of each dog we meet. We work hard for each and every adoption. It has became an all consuming and heart-filled endeavor. The hardest decisions come with the best payouts.
Within a short amount of time, our team have formulated a foster care based rescue where each dog has personal care and a home life experience while they wait for their special family to meet them and take them home. We rescue the voiceless victims of neglect, abandonment and despair, and give them safety and hope.
Our first rescue dog was named Griffyn. He was threatened with euthanasia because his owners didn't know what to do. All the shelters they had contacted were full and they called us on a Friday with a desperate need to find him a place to go before his euthanasia appointment, set for Monday. We reached out and decided we could definitely save Griffyn and we sure are glad we did! He is just a misunderstood young dog who only needed a new setting with boundaries and training. This unfortunately, is something many dogs never get.
Every day is a crisis in the rescue world and we are ever so grateful for our fosters, our volunteers, our transfer partners and supporters from near and far. All who unite as one powerful resource of comfort, peace, stability and love for each dog's live we save.
Our vision is to foster and celebrate a growing bond between human and canine and to nurture that connection within our community and beyond through compassion, education, advocacy and affordable services. We hope to gain enough support from our community to build a facility set up for daytime meet and greets and doggie daycare, enrichment, and public education while still providing a family like structure for our dogs with foster care. We are always open for more compassionate dog lovers to join our network.
If this is something that calls to you, please reach out!
Be the voice for the animals in need.
Contact
509-634-0789