Rescue One in the Community
Adoption Events
Come and meet some of our rescued dogs at one of our many adoption events, and find a friend!
Community Involvement
Rescue One assists with free vaccination clinics, spay/neuter assistance, and emergency pet food.
Local Fundraisers
Join us at one of our community fundraising events and help support Rescue One!
Help us save lives.
Every dog deserves
a safe home.
Rescue Stories
Fiona
Fiona came to us very emaciated after being dumped by Fellows Lake. Despite her starvation, Fiona was a very sweet dog, with a pleasant temperament toward people. Fiona was in no shape to be adopted out, but thanks to the many generous donors who contributed supplies and medical care, she regained her proper weight and we could begin the process of finding her a forever home. Months later she found the perfect home. Finally, she is a happy dog and has a human who loves her.
Harlow
Sweet Harlow was found after being shot point blank in the head. She was rushed to the vet where she had to have surgery to remove her eye and bone fragments from her jaw. She bounced back in no time and found her forever home!
Hervil
Hervil was found in the woods by hikers. He had been shot in the head, so they immediately contacted Rescue One for help. The bullet was lodged in his nasal cavity and had to be surgically removed. After a couple of months of healing, he found a wonderful forever home!
Ingrid
When Ingrid was rescued, she was in terrible shape. She had an injury to her mouth that was very infected, as well as infected ears and skin. She was also over 20 lbs underweight. She appeared to have given up hope. Over the next several months and with aggressive treatment, she began to blossom! While her muzzle is permanently disfigured, she found her forever home and is very loved!
Jetta
Jetta came to Rescue One with 7 other dogs. She was only a couple of months old, and had a terrible injury to her nose and severe mange. She had to have surgery to be able to breathe out of her nose, and it healed wonderfully! Her skin healed as well, and shortly after that she found her forever home!
Lindy
Lindy was spotted by someone driving down the road; they could see her ribs from their car. She had a massive tumor on her back left leg that totally encased her foot. Dr. Katie Loula of Christian County vet clinic removed the 2½ lb. tumor, plus a couple of toes. In no time at all, Lindy was walking around without any issues. The hair has all grown back and you can’t even tell that she’s missing a few toes. She put on 15 pounds on in one month, making those ribs disappear. She was adopted by a family with children and now is living the dream in a suburb of Denver with a family that loves her very much!
Morgan
One of our volunteers shared Morgan’s story. She had been in a shelter in rural Arkansas for over 4 years. After seeing her face, we could not turn away from helping her. Our volunteers drove the 3 hours to get her, and after being in our care for 3 months, she found her forever home!
Topher
Topher was found after being dumped in the trash. His stomach was very enlarged, and several liters of fluid had to be drained from his stomach. He was sent to the MU Vet Hospital where he was diagnosed with Cor Triatriatum Dexter, which is a very rare birth defect. He had corrective surgery and is looking forward to living long and happy life!
Zander
Zander was rescued in Stone County. It would have been impossible to count all of the punctures on his poor body. Some of his teeth had been pulled, which is not uncommon in bait dogs. He also had a fractured scapula and broken ribs. He was hospitalized for over a week and was unable to get up for 5 days. After several months of rest and love, he recovered! He is a wonderful, loving dog.
Rescue One on Facebook
It is time to get very real. This week has been heavy.
More than 150 people have reached out asking us to help an animal. There are 430 animals depending on us right now that are already in our care. And this week, we’ve lost some we fought really hard for.
Rescue is full of beautiful moments, but there are weeks when it feels like all you see is the need. Another message. Another emergency. Another animal you don’t have room for. Another goodbye you weren’t ready for.
Weeks like this can make animal rescue feel incredibly lonely.
And we know we’re not.
Many of you have already shown up for us. You’ve donated. You’ve shared. You’ve believed in this new building and what it will mean for animals in need.
We reached 72% of our campaign and we are just 3% away from beginning the process needed to break ground.
After a week filled with loss, we need to look forward.
Today, we are asking our community to come together and help us close that gap. Please make a tax-deductible donation at secure.qgiv.com/for/ddeexg/ or by mail at Rescue One: 2000 S. Stewart Springfield, MO 65804.
Because change doesn’t happen without people who care enough to make it happen.
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Azra Update: One Leg at a Time!
We received some encouraging news from the clinic yesterday. Azra does not appear to have any notable damage to her spine, hips, or the bones in her back legs. The best assessment at this point is that an injury of some type when she was younger led to her no longer using her back legs.
And considering she has apparently gone around two years without using them, what this girl is doing now is pretty remarkable.
Rehabilitation has become a big part of Azra’s daily routine. Swimming, physical therapy, massage, gentle stretching, and working those back legs are all focused on rebuilding muscle movement, strength, and hopefully teaching her body to do something it hasn't done in a very long time.
Basically, Azra now has a personal trainer, physical therapist, massage therapist, swim coach, chauffeur, and full-time cheerleader.
Her only contribution to the payroll is kisses. 😂
One thing we have been heavily focused on is getting Azra to fully extend her back legs while resting instead of keeping them curled tightly underneath her. After two years of not using those legs, stretching them out naturally isn't so natural anymore. This has been a difficult habit to change, but she is learning and doing incredibly well.
And then there is what you can see in this video…
Azra is now walking using her back right leg.
Not just movement during therapy. Not just kicking it while swimming.
She is actually beginning to use that leg to walk.
That may look like one small step, but around here it feels like a mile.
If we can continue progressing at the pace we are seeing now, I am very hopeful that within the next few months we could see Azra attempting to walk on all fours again. There are certainly no guarantees, and we aren't going to rush her, but every little improvement gives us another reason to keep pushing forward.
And Azra has plenty of motivation.
This girl desperately wants to get to the upper yard and join the rest of the pack. She watches them playing in the grass like the kid staring out the classroom window waiting for recess. 😂
Tomorrow is another BIG DAY.
Azra is getting her new wheelchair ramp installed so she can navigate her way to the upper yard! That means more independence, more exploring, more time with the pack, and most importantly to....
ACCESS TO THE GOOD GRASS!
I have a feeling once she discovers she can get herself up there, we may have created an entirely new problem: convincing her to come back down.
When Azra first arrived, she had learned how to live without using her back legs.
Now we're trying to teach her that maybe—just maybe—she doesn't have to anymore.
Swimming. Stretching. Therapy. Wheelchair training. One back leg beginning to work. Tomorrow, a ramp to a whole new part of her world.
It's slow progress.
But slow progress is still progress, and this girl keeps giving us reasons to believe in her.
One leg at a time, Azra. We'll get there together.
-Stephen
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