About Us
Our Mission
Our mission is to decrease the number of adoptable pets euthanized daily in shelters. We focus on partnering with local city and town animal control - by prioritizing local dogs in need. We are committed to helping one local homeless pet in need at a time and responsibly placing them into the community.
Our History
Big Hair Animal Rescue (BHAR) is a volunteer run 501c3 rescue located in Sturbridge Massachusetts. Founded in April of 2015 we are a foster based rescue. To date we have saved nearly 1000 lives. Big Hair Animal Rescue is non breed specific; however, we primarily focus on helping breeds that over populate shelters. We are a registered public charity with the Attorney General's Office and an approved shelter with the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture.
Animals Are Our Mission
We recognize that all of the animals in our care have been failed previously. Some even have a long history and pattern of failed placements. Due to this we prioritize getting to know our dogs prior to placing them responsibly in the community. All of our cats and dogs are medically and behaviorally evaluated and temperament tested to ensure responsible placements moving forward. Our goal and definition of a successful adoption is the permanent placement/ home for the rest of our dogs or cat's life. The evaluation process and time spent in the rescue prior to adoption allows us to determine whether or not our dogs are suitable to live with other dogs, cats, and/or children. Through this process we identify a dog's strengths, weaknesses as well as their strongest needs- which is often structured daily exercise. In addition to this we test for food aggression, resource guarding, reactivity, and separation anxiety. We work with adopters weeks, months even years after adoptions to ensure successful placements and to offer as much support as necessary.
Help Our Cause
Big Hair Animal Rescue relies on the public's generosity and help. Since 2015 we have continued to grow annually thanks to the public's generosity and support. We are at the milestone of saving 1000 lives!
