EFA's DEC Charity of the Month: North Star Rescue

A Rescue for Rodents

written by Lauren Paul from North Star Rescue

Nominated by Veronica of ScrappyRat

North Star Rescue is a unique organization based in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, a rescue group that is solely dedicated to rescue and welfare of companion rodents.

Companion rodents, a term that doesn't often come up at the dinner table, is a broad label used to encompass the various species that North Star Rescue works to protect including rats, hamsters, mice, guinea pigs and chinchillas. While many people are aware of the plight of cats and dogs surrendered to shelters, many don't realize that all species of animals that are kept as pets will find themselves represented in the statistics at the shelter one day.

Constable Mouse, a white mouse who retired

into the rescue's sanctuary program

as a senior after one year up for adoption

North Star Rescue operates like many rescues with no central location, instead relying on an all-volunteer team of unpaid helpers who give space in their homes and their hearts to help care for the Bay Area's abandoned pet rodents until they can be found loving, permanent homes. With a focus on animals at risk in shelters, NSR is often the last hope for animals who run out of time to remain up for adoption at a shelter's program, or would have never gone up for adoption due to a behavioral or medical problem.

Lois, a volunteer who is one of our champion rat snugglers

The rescue takes in everything from the unexpected litter from a pet store hamster, tiny critters with big behavioral problems, to severe medical cases who may spend months in treatment at a medical foster home. As a "no-kill" rescue, once an animal is taken into NSR they will never be euthanized for lack of space, time spent waiting for adoption, behavioral problems or treatable medical conditions.

Rob, a volunteer watering rows of cages at the temporary rat shelter

While the foster and adoption program is what most people see from North Star Rescue, the founding directors will tell you that the heart of the program lies in education. In a typical month, you'll find volunteers from North Star Rescue providing educational materials at adoption events, answering behavioral questions from rodent owners all over the world, at a shelter conducting a staff training class on small animal assessments, or in a classroom educating children about the proper care of companion rodents.

North Star Rescue continues to expand programs, seeking not only to save animals in danger of euthanasia, but improve awareness and standards of care for all companion rodents.

Fergie, a female guinea pig up for adoption at our rescue

who was rehabilitated past some serious aggression problems

Beginning in the winter of 2010, North Star Rescue made headlines around the world for rescuing over a thousand rats from a hoarding situation featured on the A&E Network show "Hoarders". Partnering with local and national animal welfare organizations, such as the Humane Society of the United States and United Animal Nations, North Star Rescue labored hard for over a year to find homes for over 1,600 rats from that case alone.

A group of baby rats, born at our temporary rat shelter

we operated for the hoarding case that was on A&E's Hoarders

The founding team of directors from North Star Rescue have had the opportunity to speak at national animal shelter conferences on strengthening companion rodent adoptions at shelters, and continue to work to expand programs to help encourage adoptions of small animals at shelters to reduce euthanasias of companion rodents on a national level.

Cynthia, one of the directors of North Star Rescue

outside of the rat hoarding house

For more information about North Star Rescue:

ViSiT their website at

http://www.northstarrescue.org

FOLLOW them on Fb

http://www.facebook.com/NorthStarRescue

MAKE a donation

http://northstarrescue.org/about-us/helping-north-star-rescue

***

SUPPORT TEAM EFA's

Charity of the Month !

by Team EFA's COTM Leader

Nicole of Brizel4TheAnimals

TEAM EFA invites our public to support our COTM program by purchasing a product which will financially benefit our Charity of the Month... To see our selection of goodies- click:

www.etsy.com/search_results.php?search_query=team+efa+cotm&search_t..

Etsy for Animals promotes our Charity of the Month program during the course of each month...

* on our COTM website page
* on our main blog
* through our social media channels (Facebook & Twitter)
* through EFA's Teams & Yahoo Groups

* with weekly COTM specific Treasuries

* by encouraging COTM members

to use our COTM logo in their Etsy listings

* ANY EFA member who donates $10

or more to our charity of the month

becomes a "COTM Sponsor" &

will receive a free Etsy mini 1x1

ad on our website Sponsor Page

the following month.

Thanks so much for your consideration

Let's make a difference !