Thousands Of Dogs Found Homes Thanks To One Radio Programmer’s Passion
This month, Beasley Best’s Community of Caring focuses on pet appreciation. Our latest feature celebrates one of our own: WDHA program director/DJ Terrie Carr. A pal to countless rock icons, including Slash, Lzzy Hale and Corey Taylor, she’s also a great friend to dogs. WDHA’s Rock N’ Ruff has been a great community resource, linking people looking to adopt a dog from local shelters filled with pups looking to find their “forever home.” We spoke with Terrie about her work with pet adoption.
When did you start working with pet adoption services – was it when you were with WDHA or before you started your career in radio?
As a child, I loved animals, and I’m still that way today: I loved every animal. I started my actual journey in rescue in the mid to late 1990s when I read a statistic that 22 million animals were euthanized in shelters, and the burden on the community was becoming unbearable. I have always had dogs and other pets. I even had a pet rat when I was a kid. So, that statistic devastated me. I never realized that so many animals needed homes and were dying waiting and that there were ways to stop this from happening.
I understood that I had a voice at the station and decided to roll up my sleeves and figure out what we could do locally. Animals also end up in shelters due to no fault of their own. The most common reasons are divorce, families moving, or the death of the owner – leaving the dog with no one to take care of them. Some families decide they no longer want or can handle a dog when they have a baby. And sometimes, families fall on hard financial times and can no longer afford to support their dog.
The biggest myth I wanted to dispel is that animals in shelters are “broken,” have behavioral issues, or are sick. This is often not the case. I’m always so happy when a listener tells me, “This is the first time we adopted a pet, and it was all because of you!” That is the greatest thing to hear.
How did WDHA officially get involved in pet adoption? Is it only dogs, or do you help with cats too?
I decided that using my voice to get involved with shelter groups was something I needed to do for our community through WDHA in the 1990s. We hosted all kinds of adoption events and fundraisers. But the actual Rock N’ Ruff program was born when I returned to WDHA in 2010- I knew we could do so much more and decided video pieces filmed here with on-air promos to support them could get our rescue groups noticed and get animals out of the shelters and into homes. Rock N’ Ruff has helped dogs, cats, rabbits, chinchillas, rats, and lots of other species! You never know who is going to end up in a shelter group. We brought the animals in and started filming, and it became such a popular feature.
You work with several organizations. How do you connect with these organizations?
Initially, it was so simple. I went on the air and mentioned that we were starting this WDHA Rock N’ Ruff program and were looking for rescue partners to showcase their adoptable animals. I received ten phone calls immediately, did some research as we work with established 501C3 charities, and started booking visits where the animals could visit the station for a video filming and shelter on-air companion piece. The word spread through the airwaves, and I consistently have shelter organizations requesting to be on. We also had massive support from our advertising community, with sponsors jumping on the program, which has been fantastic.
Rock N’ Ruff has sub-brands as well, as we do a WDHA charity calendar yearly with all of the proceeds going to local groups, partner with Eleventh Hour Rescue for “Puptoberfest” in the fall, which usually has between 5,000 – 7,000 attendees, our Dog Days Of Summer shelter event in June and multiple events during the year. Our artist community has been awesome as well, donating items, time and talents to help us raise awareness.
Do you have an estimate of how many pets WDHA has placed in forever homes?
We estimate tens of thousands. It’s amazing how I will be at an event or concert, and someone will come up and say “I adopted Snuggles”, or “Here is a photo of my Rock N’ Ruff Dog Champ.” It happens constantly. I receive photos, visits… it’s awesome. And our shelter groups are always so grateful for the exposure. We find that there is a “domino” effect. Sometimes, people will want to adopt a specific animal that caught their attention; however, they may visit a shelter or rescue group and make a connection with another animal. Or they may have heard about a senior dog we once featured and then decide weeks later that a senior pet may be best for them, or adopt a dog and instead take two cats. We have shelter volunteers who have appeared on air and in videos with me and who are local celebrities now, and that’s exactly what we want to do. It’s about raising awareness and dispelling myths.
What are some trends that you’ve seen? Is finding homes for certain breeds/sizes/color dogs harder than others?
Larger dogs can be harder to place, Bully [pitbull] types traditionally get undeserved bad raps, and senior dogs can also have a tough time finding homes. Seniors are the best! A dog is considered a senior at seven years old and they have a lot of life left. Seniors come with no surprises. They are usually fully housebroken, love to hang with you, and they aren’t bouncing off the walls. Special needs dogs have challenges finding homes as well, but we have had great success with listeners opening their hearts to dogs and cats with disabilities.
Black dogs also can be tough because sometimes, in photos or videos, it appears they don’t stand out. By the way, if you’re going to a shelter, please take time to meet the shy ones. If an animal is in a shelter it takes time for them to decompress. Don’t judge them by their cage behavior. Meet them, take some time. See what their chemistry is.
The general feeling is that it takes them about three days to decompress from the shelter, three weeks to learn your routine, three months to feel completely at home. I have personally experienced this with my rescues.
What is your advice for an organization that wants to partner with adoption organizations to help find forever homes?
I don’t think most people understand that there are so many ways to help. If you are interested in helping local rescue groups besides adopting, you can foster, which is usually a short-term commitment to move dogs out of shelters, where they may be euthanized. So they move into your home temporarily until they find families. This is usually a commitment for a few weeks, and if you bond, you have the first right of refusal! Many rescue groups are foster-based and do not have kennel space, so foster families are important.
Fostering is great for the animal and nice for those who may not want to make a 15-year commitment or who may not be able to make that kind of commitment. Volunteers are the lifeblood of shelter organizations. You can be a dog walker at your local shelter, a cat socializer; perhaps you have a special skill that you can share, like carpentry, or help with free plumbing services, or donate pet supplies, food, gift cards, take a dog or cat to an adoption event, make a monetary donation to pay for vetting or food. There are so many ways to help.
What are some important things for people to know who are interested in adopting?
Ask questions, fill out applications in advance, get pre-approved, and work with local groups near you to find a great match. Meet the shy ones, keep an open mind, and find the animal that touches your heart. Be smart: if you work nine hours a day out of the house, a puppy is not the best choice. An older pet could be. If you are active, find a dog that loves to walk, if you aren’t active look at the fabulous cats in your shelters or a small dog that doesn’t require much exercise. If you have always had German shepherds and love them, find a breed-specific rescue (we work with Sedona Shepherd Sanctuary) and find a good match. Some groups specialize in specific types of dogs: seniors, breeds, and sizes. There are so many great animals who are ready to be your best friend!
