RezQ Dogs looks for help with its work rescuing dogs

RezQ Dogs is continuing its work to rescue stray and abandoned dogs and is looking for people who want to adopt the dogs and people to help the non-profit pay for its work.

RezQ Dogs has been saving lives of unwanted, abandoned and injured dogs along the Hi-Line for the last eight years, said Anita Wilke, executive director of the organization. Located near Dodson, RezQ has so far saved lives of nearly 3,000 animals, mostly dogs -although some cats did wiggle their way in - she said.

The small organization has been working closely with Fort Belknap Animal Control and, as a result of this cooperation, RezQ Dogs has been able to change FBAC's euthanasia rate from 98 percent of dogs euthanized to less than 2 percent, a 96 percent decrease.

She said that recently her husband, Jim Wilke, received a call about an injured dog lying on the sidewalk - he didn't know what he would find. The dog, a young black Labrador retriever, was lying where no dog would usually lie, Anita Wilke said. He knew he found the right dog, but as Jim Wilke got closer, he didn't see aggression in the dog, just signs of intense pain and friendliness. Wilke slowly reached out to pet him and quietly promised the injured dog, "Nothing but the good stuff from now on," Anita Wilke said.

From people living nearby, Jim Wilke found out that the dog had been there for two days, unable to move. He rushed him to a veterinary clinic in Chinook to find out that Hank, as the young dog soon became known, had a bad break of the femur and multiple broken ribs, one of which may have punctured the lung. The decision was made to immediately transport him to a 24-hour veterinary hospital in Great Falls to save his life, Anita Wilke said.

That is standard in RezQ Dogs operations. All animals in the care of the rescue receive basic veterinary care, vaccinations, deworming, flea/tick treatments as needed, and are spayed or neutered prior to adoption.

Sadly, many of the dogs, like Hank, require much more than that, Anita Wilke added. Dogs with serious illness or orthopedic injuries often times require care in a specialty veterinary clinic in Great Falls.

RezQ Dogs has received an unprecedented number of injured animals this year, she said. Just in the last four weeks, the organization has spent nearly $9,000 on emergency veterinary care for four dogs that arrived with severe orthopedic injuries and a mystery illness.

Hank was one of them. Now recovering at RezQ Dogs, the young playful pup is nearly ready for adoption.

Athena, an adult female, is also recovering from an orthopedic surgery after being hit by a car. A young puppy, named Yoda, is still in the hospital in Great Falls recovering from amputation. Sadly, the orthopedic specialist was not able to save her broken front leg.

An extremely emaciated 6-month-old puppy named Faith is also staying in a veterinary clinic pending test results and a diagnosis.

Those injured animals are just a few of the dozens currently waiting for adoption at RezQ Dogs. Wilke said people can visit http://www.rezqdogs.org for more information on how to adopt and help.

One way people can help is by having some pizza Thursday. A Pizza Hut fundraiser is set where if people mention RezQ Dogs when paying for dine-in or carry-out food, 20 percent of the purchase price will go to the fundraiser to help the non-profit pay its expenses.