Stay Fund is Keeping Families Together

Rescues do more than adopt out cats and dogs. For example, ALIVE Rescue offers several programs that address the needs of pets and owners, and work toward keeping pets with their families and out of shelters. The Stay Fund is a program ALIVE is very proud of.

The Stay Fund, developed by Cisley McPhail, ALIVE’s director of adoptions, is intended to help families with financial limitations who have dogs displaying behavior problems that can’t be easily rectified. Basically, ALIVE pays a trainer or certified veterinary behaviorist, or CVB, to work with the dog and owner to resolve the issue, which can be expensive.

Not long ago, while seeking help for some dogs with serious behavior problems, McPhail realized the average person would have trouble affording the initial visit with a CVB, about $400. And, when some adopters who had dogs with behavior issues called McPhail looking for help, she felt helpless just giving advice, sending them some articles and recommending they contact a trainer or CVB. “I knew they were at the end of their rope with finances,” she said, “and it was unlikely they would end up calling trainers/behaviorists.”

So, she began developing a scholarship program for dogs and owners in this kind of situation. “I feel like that's a major reason pets are relinquished to shelters,” she said, “and there aren't many avenues for help.”

The Stay Fund scholarship is for dog owners who are committed to working with their dog, to make life better for it by resolving his or her behavior problem. The added benefit is that resolution makes life better for the rest of the family, too.

“People qualify for the Stay Fund by demonstrating dedication to helping their pet live a happier life. It's not about getting the pet to do something just to make the owner's life easier, although that's often a perk,” McPhail said. “It's about wanting to help the pet get over his/her anxiety/fear/stress.”

Tiffany and her dog Axle were one of the first recipients.

“Tiffany had already tried things with her vet and another trainer with her dog, Axle,” McPhail said. “She was laid off from her job and needed help. She made it clear she was willing to do whatever it took, so long as it was positive for Axle, to keep from having to relinquish him.”

Success!

A lot of dogs don’t like getting baths, but Roy became downright surly whenever his new owner Erin tried to bathe or groom him. McPhail said determining Roy had fear aggression issues was easy shortly after getting him from Chicago Animal Care and Control and noticing his coat was severely matted. Obviously, he wouldn’t let anyone groom him.

But, Erin was determined to help the little guy deal with his fear aggression. Life for Roy got better after his new family received a Stay Fund scholarship.

“His amazing new mom tried many things to get him groomed, and ultimately had to resort to sedating him and having him shaved,” McPhail said.  “After she was awarded the scholarship, she had two sessions with trainer Lisa Collins, worked very hard with Roy at home, and now he is voluntarily getting in the bath tub!”  

Roy

McPhail added, “Our trainers are amazing and subscribe only to positive reinforcement methods. We've personally met with every one of them and observed their training methods and styles. We select the trainer to work with based on the behavior issue in question, physical geography and availability. For CVBs, there is a very limited number of them in our area, so we would coordinate with whomever had availability and was geographically closest to our applicant.”

ALIVE partners with Applied Animal Behavior, Collins Canine, Anything is Pawzible, Barker Behavior and Sally Bushwaller to provide training and behavior modification.

“We're always looking for more partners, though,” McPhail said, adding any interested positive-reinforcement trainers or behaviorists should email ALIVE at info@aliverescue.org.

Ultimately, the Stay Fund keeps dogs out of shelters because dog owners get the help they and their dog need, but might not be able to afford, and the family stays intact.

“The Stay Fund,” McPhail said, “helps keep owners and dogs together because it gives committed owners a way to get help for issues that just can't be dealt with in a class setting or with books or public resources.”

The Stay Fund, which is just one of the programs offered by ALIVE, relies heavily on donations. If you’d like to help dog and family stay together, please consider donating to the Stay Fund, http://www.aliverescue.org/donate/donate-stay-fund/.