Second Saturday Shout-Out: FARR

Today’s shout-out goes to all of the individuals who work at animal rescues. Volunteers at shelters, those who offer their services to transport animals, fosters, adopters, and those that donate to animal shelters all have a special place in my heart.

I want to specifically highlight a Tampa Bay area rescue, Florida All Retriever Rescue (FARR) & Friends, Inc. FARR is a non-profit, all volunteer, rescue group devoted to saving the lives of neglected and unwanted dogs throughout Florida, Georgia, and Alabama, with a particular focus on retriever mix breeds such as Labradors, Goldens, Flat Coats, and Curly Coats. They are 100% volunteer, with no paid employees, so all of the funds they raise go straight to rescuing dogs.

I personally have two dogs adopted from FARR (pictures below). Cooper is a 1 year and 9 month old Lab, German Shepherd, maybe Spaniel mix and Lucy is a 5 month old Lab, maybe Pointer, mix. I can’t get enough of them. Dogs have a special way of making people smile and my two, while young crazy puppies still, make me so very happy.

We had the best experience adopting from FARR. You can tell that this rescue has the dogs’ best interests at heart, and they really want to make sure that it is a good match between owner and pup. All of our interactions with the owner and several of the foster parents have been nothing short of enjoyable.

According to the American Pet Products Association, over 71 million American households (62%) have a pet, and most of those owners think of their pets as members of the family. Some research studies have found that pet owners have healthier hearts, stay home sick less often, make fewer visits to the doctor, get more exercise, and are less depressed (Risley-Curtiss et al., 2006). I encourage anyone who wants to make this super beneficial, life changing step in their lives to consider adopting a rescue. Do your research, talk to friends, and find one that speaks to you.

If you are in the Tampa Bay area, I HIGHLY recommend FARR.