Welcome to
Western Australian Shepherd Rescue
formerly Wyoming Aussie Rescue
A Story of Faith and Hope
- and the people who love them
In November 2019, Western Australian Shepherd Rescue was contacted about two senior female cattle dog mixes. The family who owned Faith and Hope had come into difficult circumstances and needed to rehome their two beloved dogs. Faith, the pure white dog, was deaf and Hope, her blue heeler sister, acted as Faith's ears, alerting her to things Faith couldn't hear. And to make things even more stressful, Faith's back end went out the week of the pandemic lockdown, March 2020. With most veterinarian offices closed or on limited hours the rescue was scrambling to find care for Faith, one vet even suggesting we put her down. But Faith's foster home wasn't ready to give up on her so we decided to try water therapy. And after just one session, Faith started to bounce back, her muscles strengthening and her mobility increasing.
Faith and Hope's foster home was the best foster home for them. She adores senior dogs and loved to take them for short walks - helping Faith up and down the stairs. She cared for them as if they were her own but the rescue wanted to find them their own forever home together. Six families came to meet Faith and Hope over the months, and while they all adored the two lady dogs, none of them could commit to taking care of Faith's special needs. Finally, after months in foster care, Faith and Hope met their rescue angels, Carolyn and Dan, who took them both and promised to love and care for them until the end.
Recently, the rescue recieved the sad news that Faith had passed away, and Carolyn and Dan shared the following testimonial to Faith's moxy, personality, and perseverance, no matter what.
Faith was a light from the moment we met her. She was incredibly smart and affectionate, and she had an infectious smile that could turn any day around for the better. She was born deaf and she also had a spinal injury shortly before we adopted her, but that didn't prevent her from enjoying life to the fullest. Her willful but determined spirit gave the rehab veterinarians a run for their money, but she worked through water therapy, massage (her favorite), and light therapy to keep her walking unassisted for several months after we brought her home. She quickly learned to use her wheelchair and loved that this gave her the independence to roam her favorite place, the park by our house, and occasionally sneak away to find small kids to play with. There were few things Faith loved more than scratches behind the ears, soaking up the sunshine, and people/dog watching in the park. Faith also loved a good challenge and she enjoyed puzzles and games, always keeping us searching for something more challenging for her.
Faith and Hope were inseparable, often found "holding hands" or cuddling when you weren't watching, and sometimes we felt that we were interrupting their secret meetings. They clearly loved and cared for each other deeply.
More than anything, Faith was the sweetest and gentlest soul we've ever met, and anyone that met her said the same. She was a marshmallow of love and tenderness.
Our house feels empty without Faith's presence, but our now-family-of-three will remember her always and the joy that she brought to each one of us every day.
As they say, forever is not long enough. We feel so blessed and grateful for the two incredible years that we had with Faith. We are honored to have been a part of her life, and we hope that she feels the same.
Thank you for entrusting us to care for Faith in her final years. She has changed us for the better and she will never be forgotten.
We want to thank Faith and Hope's foster homes and Carolyn and Dan for taking in Faith and Hope and loving them so much. It takes extraordinary people to adopt or foster special needs dogs and there is a special place over the Rainbow Bridge for people like them.
Western Australian Shepherd Rescue is a small, volunteer run 501(c)3 dog rescue organization that helps herding breeds find new forever homes. We've been known to help other breeds too: Chihuahuas, terriers, hounds, and so on. We take in senior dogs, puppies, young adults, special need dogs, sick dogs, and behaviorially challenged dogs. All of our dogs are in volunteer foster homes. The rescue is funded through personal donations, yard sales, other fund raisers, and dog adoption fees. If you'd like to help us in our work to rescue herding dog breeds check out the links below to learn how to volunteer or foster, ask us a question, or donate.
Faith and Hope's foster home was the best foster home for them. She adores senior dogs and loved to take them for short walks - helping Faith up and down the stairs. She cared for them as if they were her own but the rescue wanted to find them their own forever home together. Six families came to meet Faith and Hope over the months, and while they all adored the two lady dogs, none of them could commit to taking care of Faith's special needs. Finally, after months in foster care, Faith and Hope met their rescue angels, Carolyn and Dan, who took them both and promised to love and care for them until the end.
Recently, the rescue recieved the sad news that Faith had passed away, and Carolyn and Dan shared the following testimonial to Faith's moxy, personality, and perseverance, no matter what.
Faith was a light from the moment we met her. She was incredibly smart and affectionate, and she had an infectious smile that could turn any day around for the better. She was born deaf and she also had a spinal injury shortly before we adopted her, but that didn't prevent her from enjoying life to the fullest. Her willful but determined spirit gave the rehab veterinarians a run for their money, but she worked through water therapy, massage (her favorite), and light therapy to keep her walking unassisted for several months after we brought her home. She quickly learned to use her wheelchair and loved that this gave her the independence to roam her favorite place, the park by our house, and occasionally sneak away to find small kids to play with. There were few things Faith loved more than scratches behind the ears, soaking up the sunshine, and people/dog watching in the park. Faith also loved a good challenge and she enjoyed puzzles and games, always keeping us searching for something more challenging for her.
Faith and Hope were inseparable, often found "holding hands" or cuddling when you weren't watching, and sometimes we felt that we were interrupting their secret meetings. They clearly loved and cared for each other deeply.
More than anything, Faith was the sweetest and gentlest soul we've ever met, and anyone that met her said the same. She was a marshmallow of love and tenderness.
Our house feels empty without Faith's presence, but our now-family-of-three will remember her always and the joy that she brought to each one of us every day.
As they say, forever is not long enough. We feel so blessed and grateful for the two incredible years that we had with Faith. We are honored to have been a part of her life, and we hope that she feels the same.
Thank you for entrusting us to care for Faith in her final years. She has changed us for the better and she will never be forgotten.
We want to thank Faith and Hope's foster homes and Carolyn and Dan for taking in Faith and Hope and loving them so much. It takes extraordinary people to adopt or foster special needs dogs and there is a special place over the Rainbow Bridge for people like them.
Western Australian Shepherd Rescue is a small, volunteer run 501(c)3 dog rescue organization that helps herding breeds find new forever homes. We've been known to help other breeds too: Chihuahuas, terriers, hounds, and so on. We take in senior dogs, puppies, young adults, special need dogs, sick dogs, and behaviorially challenged dogs. All of our dogs are in volunteer foster homes. The rescue is funded through personal donations, yard sales, other fund raisers, and dog adoption fees. If you'd like to help us in our work to rescue herding dog breeds check out the links below to learn how to volunteer or foster, ask us a question, or donate.
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"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog.
You are his life, his love, his leader.
He will be yours, faithful and true,
to the last beat of his heart.
You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion."
~Author Unknown
You are his life, his love, his leader.
He will be yours, faithful and true,
to the last beat of his heart.
You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion."
~Author Unknown
The goal of Western Australian Shepherd is to help place Australian Shepherds, Border Collies, Australian Cattle Dogs and other herding breeds in loving, permanent homes or service careers. Western Australian Shepherd Rescue does not place dogs for any breeding purposes what so ever. Western Australian Shepherd Rescue will not place dogs for any kind of guard duty. Dogs are placed in carefully screened homes through the use of specific rules and procedures. We are a small group of dedicated volunteers that put our hearts, souls and spare time into finding forever homes for Australian Shepherds, Border Collies, Australian Cattle Dogs and other herding breeds. Some of us compete in dog sports like agility, obedience, rally, conformation and herding with our Aussies. While others of us simply love the breed and enjoy helping them. We all feel a responsibility to help these dogs. We are completely foster based, meaning all of our dogs stay in one of our volunteer's home until a forever home is found. Western Aussie Rescue fosters and places dogs in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Montana, Utah, North and South Dakota, New Mexico as well as Colorado. We have relationships with many shelters, and rescue dogs from the Southeast, Midwest, Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico along with all the states where we have volunteers.