Jennifer Reel’s first encounter with Carolina Poodle Rescue (CPR) was a toy poodle name Greta, which she immediately adopted. But in the process of finding Greta, she also found a calling. In the ensuing 17 years, she has adopted and fostered more dogs than she can count and worked tirelessly for CPR. Today, she serves as the vice director of the limited entry, no-kill shelter.
Each year, the South Carolina-based shelter takes in 650-some poodles, poodle mixes and other small breed dogs. Since CPR’s inception, the organization has helped more than 7,000 dogs find their forever families. It also serves as a sanctuary for 80+ seniors, special needs and behaviorally challenged dogs.
Kingston is one of those long-term residents, a beautiful standard poodle with a bad attitude. “We don’t know what happened in Kingston’s past, but it left him deeply troubled and terribly untrusting,” Jennifer explains. For three years he has called Dreamweaver Farms, CPR’s main kennel building, home. There, Kingston enjoys a private indoor run, sleeps on a mattress covered in stuffed animals he collects, and has easy access to a large fenced in field right outside his door.
But it’s not just dogs like Kingston who benefit from CPR’s program. For families looking to welcome their first dog, heal a heart from a lost dog, or simply expand their pack, CPR offers loving companions. For families facing hard decisions, the group provides a safe place for beloved pets to land until a new home can be found. For shelters seeking to save lives and prevent euthanasia, CPR is a resource, especially for senior and special-needs dogs. And for breeders looking to humanely retire their dogs, Jennifer says CPR is ready to help with open arms.
“I tell people that I did not rescue my dogs – they rescued me,” Jennifer says. “The CPR family is full of families whose lives and homes have been completed with a rescue dog.”
