Indigo Rescue-Animal Rescue Consultation

We have one amazing dog we adopted from Indigo Rescue several years ago and another that we adopted in 2013 from another rescue. When we met Heather and some of the amazing volunteers at Indigo while searching for our first dog, it became clear very quickly that this was a process and that the welfare of the dog and compatibility with the family were prioritized. Because of that it took some time but we ended up with the absolute best dog and are so grateful for the role Heather played in making sure we were a good match. Our second dog we ended up rescuing from a very disreputable «rescue» and were told all sorts of lies about her origin and her disposition. We have worked very hard with her and she has come a long way. This dog ran away when we went on vacation. She was boarding with a trainer who we thought would be able to keep her safe but she only lasted a day there and then ran away to try and find her way back to us. The only reason she is back with us is because Heather Hines from Indigo Rescue and Kelly from Northwest Animal Companions made it their mission that she be found and brought back to us. They unselfishly used their time and effort and incredible know how from doing this sort of thing for countless dogs and brought our girl home. Without Heather and Kelly I wouldn’t have known where to start but they have done this so many times they had a great plan and after 7 long days our girl was home with us. Heather did not do this for money, I didn’t call her and ask for her help. She found out there was a lost dog and sprang into action. The people at Indigo Rescue care first and foremost about the dogs. They work tirelessly around the clock to help these sweet animals. The amount of love and devotion and hard work Indigo Rescue puts in for these animals is remarkable.

I have known about Indigo Rescue for a number of years, and adopted «rescue» pugs, twice. Each time, Heather Hines was extremely helpful and accommodating. She took the time on Christmas Eve day to bring us our most recent little guy, all the way from Indigo Rescue to SE Portland. Her heart and soul are all about the animals, she doesn’t think twice about going above and beyond for them. We are so grateful there is someone out there like Heather!

This is a rescue group of the highest level of integrity I have ever found.
Indigo makes matches between pet and adopter based on the right fit for both. Many, many, MANY rescues claim to take this approach. Some follow through, and sadly, for the animal, too many do not.
Case in point: I witnessed my co-​worker — who is a dog savvy family with a lot of troubled-​dog experience — adopt from a rescue that «matched» the dog to his family’s needs and this group purported to follow through if problems arose with the adoption. Within 6 months of ultra-​effort on the family’s part, it was not working to such a degree that they could not keep the dog. The rescue group? They turned their head and denied this family any help or recourse. I referred them to Heather of Indigo as a last resort. Despite running a very busy rescue group she tried to help by offering sound training instruction and advice. All the while, the original rescue group would not answer their emails or calls.
Do you want to know one (of many) reason (s) Indigo Rescue is PHENOMENAL AND RESPONSIBLE?
— If this animal (above) was adopted from Indigo, Indigo would have offered the same amazing coaching, advice, support.
— AND if this animal was adopted from Indigo and she offered all of the above in #1 and the situation still did not work, Indigo would gladly take the animal back, because they never, ever want to see an Indigo pet end up being forfeited into a bad situation just because the adoption did not work out.
***This should be of utmost importance to any potential adopter and surely is a concern of any animal advocate.***
Indigo takes in the animals who need it the most. Indigo places them in competent foster homes and ensures the animal is ready to be adopted before they will ever post an animal for adoption. Then Indigo ensures a good adoption match. What more could a human seeking a loving animal companion ask for!!! :)

I admit that Indigo Rescue is not for everyone looking to adopt a family member. This organization is only for those looking to make a long term commitment to individuals with special needs. It’s not about picking and choosing. It is about finding the right fit, both for your family, but, much more importantly the individual you are bringing home. Heather goes WAY out of her way to insure that the match made is one for life. Much too often decisions are made based on emotion «in the moment» the result being pets returned to shelters when hastily made commitments are reconsidered. Heather, through her diligent means tries to ensure that once placed, a bond is made for life. Just speaking for myself, I can’t thank her enough for my Millie. Yes, she checked out my home (fencing, interaction with my existing kids and my ability to care for her). Eight years later, Millie is going strong. On another note, I have heard reference to Family Dogs New Life Shelter as the end all and be all. Granted, our new boy was adopted from them and he is our love… but…all shelters have their issues. Be aware of where you point your arrows. From FDNLS we adopted a dog who had not had his neuter sutures removed after 4 weeks and had been bitten by another dog several days before adoption, which was not disclosed to us, and became infected. So, chose wisely. I honestly feel there are so many out there trying to do the right thing. We have had really positive experiences with both shelters and honestly feel they are trying to do the right thing on limited budgets, just don’t believe everything you read.

We adopted 2 dogs from Indigo as we believe in their work with hard to adopt animals. First in 2005 and second in 2007. We had a great experience got to meet many dogs at the Pet Smart events and figure out which dogs were a fit us and vis viscera. It look a while to figure out which dog was a true fit. The two dogs were a great addition to our family and really got along. However it became obvious in 2013 when we had a baby that our second dog was not able to handle children. We contacted the rescue they «re-​homed» our dog to another family without children in an unbelievable quick fashion. We were so happy that the «re-​homed» dog found another family that was better for it.

I LOVE Indigo Rescue, and am so thankful to have found them. My partner and I adopted an Indigo dog in March 2015, and we’ve had the best experience. I originally chose to adopt from them because the director, Heather, was very honest with me about the benefits AND drawbacks about each dog we discussed. She was willing to work with me until we found a dog whose personality best fit in with my family, and she never tried to convince me to take on a pet that I wouldn’t have been able to manage. Since the adoption, I’ve talked to Heather a few times about the dog I adopted, and she’s been great at offering feedback and advice. I’m so grateful to have found my new little guy through Indigo Rescue.

Indigo Rescue and Heather Hines have the animals’ best interests in mind. I met with Heather and others at a PetSmart Meet and Greet and fell in love with two chihuahuas. I wanted to take them home then, but knew that that’s not how foster adoption works. I did end up waiting a few days longer than originally promised, but was always kept informed as Heather was working that weekend to rescue a small dog from near the 26 freeway.
When Heather brought my puppies she made sure that everything was done to be ready for them, as they are the ones we are both concerned about. I’ve kept in touch with Indigo Rescue and feel very supported by everyone there.
Heather and Indigo Rescue were also very helpful to a group of my 5^th grade students as they researched animal foster rescue. This is a rescue organization designed to find the best home for these animals, and that’s more important than whether or not you get the cute puppy on your schedule rather than the animal’s.

Ditto what everyone has said below. I applied for Cappy and also Nadine, the little dog a reviewer below says he applied for in February. So they still have her on the web site in May?! It’s hard to know if this is a scam operation or just astonishingly unprofessional and unethical. They are nonprofit. You can’t take donations from people and then not conduct the business — rescuing and adopting out animals — that you were given your 501c3 status for. I’m going to report them to Petfinder, the site on which they post their «adoptable» animals.

Filled out the lengthy online questionnaire for the dog Nadine on Petfinder, emailed it via Petfinder. No response.
Called 4 days later, no response. Emailed directly the questionnaire from previously, still no response a week later.
I feel bad for Nadine, but really?
Has Indigo Rescue has become less a rescue, more a dog hoarder place, and maybe a fake charity?
When was the last time it was inspected and audited?

We were interested in adopting a dog from here. We filled out the questions they require and set them via petfinder. A week later and muliple messages sent both on the petfinder site and sending them an email. Finally Heather responded saying she got one message but never got the questions we initially sent. We sent it again to her address. Two weeks later and still no reponse. We talked to the dogs foster mom and she said be patient. How long am I supposed to wait? I thought these places want to find homes for their dogs. I guess not. I feel bad for the dog because I believe he would have been in a great home. It would be nice to get some feedback. It makes you feel like your not good enough. I understand people get busy but honestly how hard it is to send an email. Think again before you look here there are a lot better places to find dogs. We are already meeting with a possible new family member.

I found a dog in Indigo’s foster care that I was interested in adopting. I took the time to write a pretty lengthy email that thoroughly answered the questionnaire that they request you to fill out if you’re interested in adopting. The email was sent to Heather who I believe runs the rescue and happened to be the dog’s adoption counselor. I did not hear back from anyone for 2 days so I called the rescue and left a message. The next day I finally received an email response stating that they would contact the foster mom to work out a time to meet the dog. A week went by and I heard nothing so I sent another email inquiring if the dog was still available. It has been 3 weeks and I still have not received a response.
I understand that they are busy but I find their lack of communication and disregard for my time to be down right rude. If they are too busy to get back to people in a reasonable amount of time they should let you know that it will take a few weeks. If they thought I wasn’t a good fit for the dog a quick email communicating that would have been nice and they even could’ve suggested another dog that better fits my lifestyle. It would have been nice to hear something instead of being blown off.
Its not really fair to the animals because by leaving people hanging they are missing opportunities to put animals in homes that could potentially be a great place for them. If Indigo Rescue’s goals are to adopt out spayed/​neutered pets instead of having people buy from breeders they should really consider how their actions could drive people away from wanting to adopt. I ended up adopting 2 dogs from Family Dogs New Life and I HIGHLY recommend them. They were upfront and honest. They did not waste my time like Indigo Rescue and they also provided me with lots of information and resources for being a responsible pet owner.