Cute Odyssey Rescue Friends

-To rescue abandoned, abused and injured domestic animals, rehabilitate them, have them vaccinated, spayed or neutered and and Place in Loving, Caring, Lifelong Homes.

-To enhance our local community by offering programs involving animals that benefit disabled persons, children, and the elderly.

-To increase public awareness of the companion animal overpopulation issue and provide solutions to end the killing of adoptable animals.
Cuteodyssey is an organization which was established to help people re-home their pets and offer support to pet owners.

Cuteodyssey's mission is to offer a loving sanctuary to animals who are unwanted or who's owners are unable to care for them until permanent caring homes are found for those animals. If a new home is not found for an animal it will remain at Cuteodyssey until the end of it's natural life.

Cuteodyssey will not judge a person for re-homing their animal, while the main focus of the organization is given to people who can not care for their pets for reasons of health, disability, homelessness or custodial sentence. Animals will be taken and re-homed for any other reason if this is what their owner requests.

Cuteodyssey will ensure all people who adopt their pet from Cuteodyssey are knowledgeable in the care and welfare of that animal and will be on hand for help and advice throughout the rest of that pet's life.

We provide a safe haven for Shih Tzus (see definition below). We "rescue" dogs that are:
* culled from puppy mill and back yard breeder stock
* that can not be placed by traditional shelters for health or behavior issues or are at the end of their time in high-kill shelters
* found as strays
* confiscated from abusive owners
* deemed no longer desirable or supportable by their owners.

To that end:
1. We provide food and shelter by placing the dog in foster homes, where their needs can be meet by a foster family within a home environment for as long as necessary, 2. We provide medical attention, regardless of the amount required, to restore their health. For those dogs that are terminal we will make them as comfortable as possible and provide the best quality of life attainable for the remainder of their lives.
3. We provide LOVE, something many of these dogs have never experienced in their lives.
4. We rehabilitate dogs that have either physical or behavior issues.
5. We find forever homes for the dogs taken into rescue, once they are healthy and rehabilitated.
6. We provide educational information to prospective dog owners
7. We actively work toward the elimination of puppy mills and backyard breeders that inflict so much pain on our friends
8. We work with shelters and other rescues to get our friends out of harms way and into safe environments.

We are driven to this mission because we believe that over the centuries, man and dogs have forged a special relationship built on respect, trust and mutual benefit. We believe that each generation is responsible to steward and maintain that relationship. We believe it is a violation of that stewardship, for dogs to be treated as livestock and bred strictly for profit. We believe it is a violation of that stewardship, to force dogs to live out their lives deprived of human companionship, in deplorable conditions, only to be disposed of at the end of their economic usefulness. We believe it is a violation of that stewardship, to mistreat or abuse a dog for any reason. We believe that it is a violation of that stewardship, to bred dogs as fashion accessories that can be discarded like last season's shoes. We believe it is a violation of that stewardship, not to provide the type of food, shelter and medical care that dogs have come to depend on humans for while being their caregivers. We believe that every dog deserves the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of the relationship forged with humans by their ancestors.

Shih Tzu: Most dog breeds were created over time to support their human companions by performing certain tasks (e.g. hunting, herding, etc). The Shih Tzu were bred strictly for companionship and are one of the most popular breeds in the US (consistently on the AKC top 10 list) because of their small size, cuteness and friendly, trusting, gentle personalities. This makes them extremely susceptible to the abuses of the puppy mills, backyard breeders and inattentive caregiver. We consider any Shih Tzu mix-breed part of our family. Occasionally small "friends", (dogs of other breeds) find themselves in the similar predicaments and there is no room for them in the rescues dedicated to the breed or the no-kill shelters. When called upon, we will not turn them away (resources permitting). "Small" in this context is defined as the breed's standard adult male weight is less than 30 pounds. In the case of mixed breeds the dog's adult weight or expected weight (if a puppy) is or will be less than 30 pounds.