One day after being adopted, our lovely pup Thad passed away. His death was unexpected and the result of an unforeseen medical defect on his lung. The outcome of Thad’s journey with us was heartbreaking and shocked us all. We had never been through a situation like this before. The adopters, our fosters, and volunteers were all mourning. Even when we were reassured by our vets that there was nothing different we could have done to save him, we felt that there must be a way to honor him through this tragedy. In 2020, we started our T.H.A.D grant program. T.H.A.D. stands for “to help adopted dogs.” The program is aimed at providing a small stipend to families whose adoption journey takes an unexpected turn. In the event something horribly unexpected happens to a dog after being adopted, families will be able to apply for a small T.H.A.D. grant. This grant will be paid directly to their vet to help with unforeseen medical expenses. In order to qualify, adopters will need to have proof of the following: monthly preventatives given for flea, tick and heartworm, veterinary proof that they brought the dog in for their 30 day wellness exam, kept the dogs up to date on bordetella, distemper, and rabies vaccinations, licensed their dog with their municipality, and tested them yearly for heartworm disease.

Sometimes, bad things happen. At Lucky 7 Dog Rescue, we are a family. Part of being a family is offering support in the most difficult of times. We care about what happens to our dogs from the moment they arrive in our care and long after they have gone home. This is how we hope to give back to those who continue to take proper care of their adopted dogs.