Raven Woods Animal Sanctuary

General Dog Care

As a large strictly no-kill shelter, we have learned quite a bit by trial and error and have learned from our mistakes. We do not in any way profess to be perfect but animal rescue is a labor of love for us and we do our best to give each animal in our care the love and quality of life they deserve. We wish every dog in our sanctuary could find that perfect loving home, because even the best shelter is no substitute for a family of their own. But we deal with one of the most forgotten and forsaken populations of dogs---the abused and abandoned dogs of south Louisiana. And until that day when there are no homeless dogs and no dogs dying from lack of human care, we will keep doing what we do--trying to alleviate their suffering.

We believe that if you are going to have a pet, that pet should be just like a member of your family with the care and love given that you would extend to a human family member. Pets are expensive, sometimes they are messy, sometimes they exhibit behaviors like soiling the house, barking and destructive chewing. If raised incorrectly, they may have severe behavioral problems. Be aware of these things BEFORE you get a pet. Be prepared to spend both your time and your money giving your pet the best life it can have. Think long and hard before you obligate to caring for an animal, because that obligation should last for the life of the pet. Those of us in animal rescue cannot possibly take care of every ones’ mistakes, whether those mistakes are litters of unwanted puppies or adult dogs whose novelty has worn off. There are very few REAL reasons to give up a pet and even fewer reasons to fail to provide good care to your pet. Make the decision from the start that you are going to be a loving responsible pet owner or else postpone getting a pet until you CAN care for it for its whole life. At Raven Woods, we are strictly no-kill. If a dog comes to us we are committed to care for it for its life time if it is not adopted. But at this point we must severely limit the number of dogs we take in because we get so little help and donations, and so few adoptions. Our very existence depends on outside help, which we get little of. And in the shelters who do euthanize (KILL) unwanted pets, you need to be aware that the kill rate is very high especially for older dogs and any that are not “perfect”. So please be responsible and educate yourself on how to care for your pet to keep it healthy, happy, and a permanent member of your family. We hope you will enjoy and be informed by the following information and that it will help you be a better pet guardian. I am not a veterinarian. Please don’t rely on this as a substitute for veterinary care. I am a registered nurse with 30 years experience caring for humans and a many years of experience caring for animals. But I am not a veterinarian and I very strongly urge you to have a regular vet who knows and cares for your pet! No amount of reading or hands on experience is a substitute for this.