K9 Stray Rescue League: A Home for Hope
For more than thirty five years, K-9 Stray Rescue League has been a compassionate fixture in Oxford. Located at 2120 Metamora Road, the nonprofit is dedicated to giving homeless dogs a second chance. As Mark Piche explains, “We get our dogs from the over populated county shelters in the area. We spay/neuter and vaccinate as needed, and Microchip them. Small medical needs are handled on site, while three local veterinarians help with more complex cases. We also do temperament testing to assist us with assessing each dog’s personality.”
The shelter typically cares for thirty to forty dogs, with another six to ten in foster homes. Most foster dogs have medical needs and stay longer as they recover. Mark encourages families interested in adopting to complete an application from the website. “If you get an application in ahead of time, it makes the process a lot easier when you get to the kennels.”
Donations and adoptions fluctuate with the economy, but K-9 Stray Rescue League continues its mission. “We are always in need of monetary donations. It is what we need to operate, and also provide for the medical needs of our dogs” Mark says.
Volunteers are essential. Walking dogs is one of the biggest needs, but help is also needed in many other areas such as fundraisers, administrative tasks, cleaning, enrichment activities, and off site adoption events such as Petco on the first and third Saturday of each month.
The shelter accepts many types of donations. They always need towels, laundry detergent, bleach, hand soap, and paper towels. Their Wish List at (https://www.k9stray.com/donate) highlights weekly needs. Donating returnable bottles and cans is an easy way to help us with cash. Any donations the shelter cannot use goes to other rescues, homeless shelters, or outreach groups. As Mark notes, “Nothing gets thrown away here. What we do not use is given to others who need it.”
Mark also supports the Oxford Chamber of Commerce and attends mixers, monthly events, and grand openings when his schedule allows.
K-9 Stray Rescue League reflects the care and resilience of the Oxford community. Whether through adopting, volunteering, donating, or spreading the word, every bit of support helps continue their long standing mission.