STEWARD — On top of boarding and grooming for dogs and cats, Dachsies to Danes in Steward has also operated as a rescue facility for dogs for the past 23 years. Last year, it became an all-breed rescue.
Dachsies to Danes at 1751 Melugins Grove Road is owned by Lyle and Sally Ranken. The rescue is a 501c3 nonprofit and accepts donations and welcomes volunteers. The rescue has seen an increase in dogs in need of homes in recent years.
“The rescue work can be heartbreaking,” Sally Ranken said. “It's a lot of physical work. The dogs can't just be left to sit. They're in and out all day long and at night. It's 24/7 work. Everybody that works here is just family, except for our groomer. We start early in the morning and everything is power washed inside and out and the dogs are fed and they spend time outside when the weather permits. We spend time socializing them and getting them ready for a forever home.”
Dachsies to Danes as a whole has been in operation for 25 years. It has worked with Chesapeake Bay Retriever Rescue (CBRR) for 23 years. The rescue takes in dogs in need and works with them and adopts them out. Lyle Ranken said the rescue expanded to all breeds last year for a simple reason: The Rankens love all dogs.
“It's just hard to see any of them hurting or in need,” Lyle Ranken said. “Nowadays the situation with dogs is just worse than ever. The need is just nonstop. There's thousands of dogs that need homes. It's sort of like that story about the guy walking along the beach and throwing starfish back into the water and someone asks him why he's doing it and says he can't save them all. The guy replies and says, 'No, but it makes a difference to the ones I do save.'”
The Ranken’s rescue is typically contacted by CBRR when there’s a shortage of foster homes. If Dachsies to Danes has the available space, the Rankens take the dog. The rescue has worked with people all across the country. The largest number of dogs in need come from Minnesota and down south. The rescue has also done some local work and recently helped a pregnant mother dog and five dogs that came from a puppy mill in the area after a request from the Department of Agriculture. Each of those dogs was spayed or neutered and adopted out.
“We've continued to do the rescue part of it for so many years because there's more need and we're always here,” Sally Ranken said. “We don't go on fancy vacations or anything. We just love the dogs. And they don't deserve the life some of them have been given.”
The Rankens believe the biggest problems in the dog industry are too many breeders and spaying and neutering not being done enough. They’d like to see mandatory spaying and neutering.
Every 11 seconds, a shelter dog is euthanized in America. The Rankens want people to adopt dogs from shelters and rescues rather than buying them from breeders or puppy mills.
“You can get just as many purebred dogs through a shelter and you're saving their life,” Sally Ranken said. “Sometimes they're work. I would say most dogs that come in are between the ages of seven months to three years because that's when they're in their teenage years and they're going to test you. People don't know how to deal with it. Once you get through that, you have a darn good dog. But there's just as many that give up and get rid of the dog.”
The rescue operation at Dachsies to Danes can be contacted at 815-453-2843. Appointments are available to people to meet dogs for potential adoption. The rescue currently has 30 dogs that need homes, including a litter of Chesapeake Bay Retrievers and their mother.
Sally Ranken said it can sometimes be difficult to let go of dogs when she finds them a new home. Lyle Ranken said he’s usually glad to see those happy endings.
“If you know they're going to a good home, it's not bad at all,” Lyle Ranken said. “You know the dog is going to be loved and taken care of. We try to take every step to make sure they are going to a good home.”
