Meridian Canine Rescue

Meridian Canine Rescue The Animal Retreat, formerly Meridian Canine Rescue, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Subscriber Hub payments are not tax deductible

(317)

We offer the utmost care for the canines in our facility by providing daily exercise, socialization, enrichment, training, behavior rehabilitation, foster care, medical care, and an excellent adoption program. We are very proud of the services we provide the community and of the personalized care of the canines housed at Meridian Canine Rescue.

04/24/2025

Bentley struggles with nervous system dysregulation, aggression, resource guarding, fear, and anxiety.

He thrives when we provide predictability, choices, agency, and clarity.

Not every dog has a structured regimen for leashing on and off, going outside or coming in — but Bentley needs this for his wellbeing and for safety. A lot of the trained behaviors you see here are serving several purposes, including changing his emotional responses to triggers, reducing anxiety, and accessing reinforcers (not just food but also security).

Got an anxious pup? One with a bite history? How about a dog who can’t stay still around walk time? We can help. Sign up for a pay-what-you-can behavior consultation today.

https://calendly.com/meridian-canine-rescue/behavior-consultation-paywhatyoucan

We have a secure outdoor pen that we move around one of the yards periodically and rotate the male bunnies through to gi...
04/24/2025

We have a secure outdoor pen that we move around one of the yards periodically and rotate the male bunnies through to give them more opportunities for foraging. It’s a great system — for the most part.

Chester is usually the easiest to move, as he readily approaches people and has been heavily reinforced for transport behaviors. It’s just that the weather is so lovely lately and the spring grass must be so delicious… and Chester decided it was a much better idea to stay out. He very clearly indicated that he did not want to exit the pen, and we could try again later.

So we respected his choice and offered him another chance to leave a bit later. Just because we can force the bunnies to do what we want doesn’t mean we should. There are times when we’ll have to override their agency, but this isn’t one of them.

Coco suffers from recurring ear infections, and unfortunately, his poor ears are not looking good these days. He’s headi...
04/24/2025

Coco suffers from recurring ear infections, and unfortunately, his poor ears are not looking good these days. He’s heading back to Treasure Valley Veterinary Hospital tomorrow for an exam and treatment with Dr Hondo.

If you’d like to help Coco, donations can be made directly to the vet clinic. We’ve had a number of medical cases lately, and any help is greatly appreciated.

Idaho Gives is next week!!! We are so excited for this event and see the generosity of the Idaho community, not only to...
04/24/2025

Idaho Gives is next week!!! We are so excited for this event and see the generosity of the Idaho community, not only to us but to all the other great nonprofit organizations that are participating.
We are going to share a TON of content next week, but we will be also having events for you to come and meet us and talk about the EPIC program and all the impact of your donation, your feedback, and to learn more ways to help! It takes a village!

📍🍺🐾We are kicking off the week on Monday April 28th from 4-7pm at Dusty Rose Reserve in Meridian, we will be presenting more details about our EPIC program, have info on our services, volunteer opportunities and the first drink is on us!

📍🍺🐾On Tuesday April 29th we will be at the BFF Block Party that Lost Grove Brewing is organizing, food truck, drinks, tons of other nonprofits on site, a free family event, come and see us, we will have our MCR merch at discounted prices so you don't want to miss it!

Please come and support us we would love to see you there!

04/21/2025

Resource guarding is a normal behavior. Dogs and other animals want to protect things they value, and too often, we give them reasons to worry about their things.

Our EPIC Program teaches residents at the Idaho State Correctional Center how to safely and effectively manage resource guarding behaviors in dogs. We start by reducing the dog’s concern and giving them lots of good experiences while we build trust, then we add in several trained protocols for asking the dog to leave something she may want to — but can’t — have in her possession.

Penny is doing fantastic with this training. She has only shown fairly mild resource guarding behaviors, but we’re working on this early and often to make sure that it doesn’t become a problem for future adopters.

Keep EPIC dogs in mind this as you’re supporting Idaho’s nonprofits. The Education Project for Inmates & Canines is helping dogs and people every day, thanks to your support.

https://www.idahogives.org/organizations/the-animal-retreat

This year for , we are raising funds for our Education Project for Inmates & Canines. Our prison dog training program s...
04/21/2025

This year for , we are raising funds for our Education Project for Inmates & Canines. Our prison dog training program started in 2022 at the Idaho State Correctional Center, and it’s is designed to teach life skills to rescue dogs with behavior issues and professional skills to their handlers.

Over the next couple weeks, we’ll share stories about how dogs like Rocky have transformed through this program and how the residents have benefited from our curriculum.

To learn more, visit the Idaho Gives page and be sure to like, share, and follow us as we get ready for a truly EPIC 💫

https://www.idahogives.org/organizations/the-animal-retreat

Coco ate his dinner outside this evening, then sat quietly while he watched some nearby birds build a nest. It’s been so...
04/21/2025

Coco ate his dinner outside this evening, then sat quietly while he watched some nearby birds build a nest. It’s been so lovely to see him observe and think about his surroundings — rather than just react whenever something happens nearby.

Pepper loves the weather these days. He’s content to spend hours outside, lounging in the grass. Whenever possible, we l...
04/20/2025

Pepper loves the weather these days. He’s content to spend hours outside, lounging in the grass. Whenever possible, we let him choose where he wants to be, and in this photo, he is turning his head away from our approach and staying in position to indicate that he would rather not leave the yard.

Totally fine, Pep. Enjoy your evening rest. 🌞

04/18/2025

Our dogs at the prison and the farm have all been assigned cavaletti exercises this week to increase physical fitness and body awareness, build confidence, and more. They are doing great!

“Huh, wonder what happened here?” - Mattie
04/18/2025

“Huh, wonder what happened here?” - Mattie

04/17/2025

Shadow learned a new activity last night, and like any learner, he was not immediately perfect.

Training mistakes are opportunities for learning — both for the teacher and the student. We can figure out how to improve the setup, our mechanics, etc to gain more clarity around the expectations for this skill.

In this case, it was super important to keep reinforcing Shadow for his attempts. He’s a fearful, anxious dog who has very, very little experience with training setups. We don’t want to wreck his confidence. We want him to be happy and eager to try new things. So we reward his effort, clean up our approach to make it simpler, and keep going.

Rewarding his mistake did not ruin his learning. He never went around the cones again and instead quickly figured out how to walk over the cavaletti bars, successfully repeating the activity several times afterward.

Got a training problem? Drop a comment below or use the link to schedule a consultation with us.

https://calendly.com/meridian-canine-rescue/behavior-consultation-paywhatyoucan

Thank you for all your donations this week! You are always there providing the best care of the animals. We would love y...
04/17/2025

Thank you for all your donations this week! You are always there providing the best care of the animals. We would love you to join us on April 28th from 4-7 pm for kickoff party for Idaho Gives. On this FREE event, you will learn more about our programs and mainly to see the impact of your support by seeing the details of our prison program EPIC and how this program has helped so many individuals and dogs. We will be providing updates and answering any questions you may have and of course kicking off our Idaho Gives campaign that will help us cover the expenses for this program for the incoming months. In addition, we will have raffle baskets and merch!

Thank you, Dusty Rose Reserve Dusty Rose Reserve, for letting us have this event at your venue. They have also great food and is family friendly!
We ask you to RSVP your free ticket here: https://givebutter.com/Idahogives25

Nicolle came out to the Idaho State Correctional Center today to get new photos of our EPIC Program dogs. Henry here tho...
04/17/2025

Nicolle came out to the Idaho State Correctional Center today to get new photos of our EPIC Program dogs. Henry here thought that was the best idea ever — he followed her everywhere and turned on the charm. Such a good doggie model!

Noodle is feeling better — phew! GI stasis is so stressful, but as of a few hours ago, he is eating, drinking, peeing, p...
04/16/2025

Noodle is feeling better — phew! GI stasis is so stressful, but as of a few hours ago, he is eating, drinking, peeing, pooping, and behaving normally. We will continue to keep a close eye on him to make sure he has fully improved.

Thank you to Christine, Jenn, Dr Konsella, and the entire team at Intermountain Pet Hospital in Middleton for helping our sweet boy.

We are fundraising this week to cover some essential costs for our rescue, including property payment and insurance, as ...
04/15/2025

We are fundraising this week to cover some essential costs for our rescue, including property payment and insurance, as well as direct animal care expenses.

Shadow is one of our current adoptable dogs and a beneficiary of our programs. He lives at our rescue in Emmett now, where he works on life skill training with our behavior team. Shadow has shown amazing progress with strangers lately, making 3 new friends among our volunteers here. He is now eager to approach people, relaxed when they’re in his space, and very happy to enjoy some cuddles.

In addition to his behavior work, we are doing all we can to improve his health. Shadow is still overweight, but since we’ve conquered some fears related to harnessing and exploring new places, he is now exercising daily. He’s on a modified diet which should help with ear and skin issues.

And on top of all that, he just had a major dental surgery that went incredibly well. We discovered a heart issue during the surgery, but the team at iph_overland kept him safe and comfortable throughout his visit. He has now healed so well that chewing on toys is a highlight of his day!

Special thank you to Dr Bradbeer at Intermountain Pet Hospital for taking over Shadow’s care. Thank you to stellasshelterfund for covering the majority of his surgery expenses — we couldn’t have done this without you!

And thank you to volunteers Chandice, Vicki, Ava, and Kelly for teaching Shadow how to feel safe around humans. 💕

If you’d like to support our work, please share and donate today. Your gift directly helps an animal in need.

Donate online: https://givebutter.com/animal-retreat
(several payment forms accepted)

Donate via mailed check: The Animal Retreat, PO Box 891, Emmett, ID 83617

04/15/2025

Update: Noodle has finished his exam at the clinic and is under instructions to continue the protocol we started last night. If he doesn’t improve or worsens, we’ll bring him back to the vet for further diagnostics.

—

Noodle stopped eating, drinking, peeing, and pooping yesterday. For a bunny, that’s an emergency. We administered a vet care protocol to get him through the night, but there was no improvement. An exotic vet at Intermountain Pet Hospital is available to see him this morning, so we’re heading there now. Wish him luck ♥️

We need your help to keep caring for animals like Noodle. Please share and donate if you can. Your support saves lives.

Donate online: https://givebutter.com/animal-retreat
(several payment forms accepted)

Donate via mailed check: The Animal Retreat, PO Box 891, Emmett, ID 83617

We urgently need financial help from our community. This week, we need to raise $2000 to cover our current expenses, inc...
04/14/2025

We urgently need financial help from our community. This week, we need to raise $2000 to cover our current expenses, including our next property payment, insurance renewal, and direct animal care costs. Our team has been overloaded with several critical cases lately, and we need to close this gap as quickly as possible to make sure our bills are paid.

Today and tomorrow, we are asking our supporters to donate, if they can, to help us get through the next couple of weeks. We'll share some recent animal updates so that you can see the impact your donation makes on the lives of vulnerable animals. First up, Willard.

Willard has experienced a significant amount of trauma in his 5 years of life. He has already been through at least 3 shelters, he’s been adopted and returned a couple of times, and every move from home to shelter to foster adds up. Willard has had difficulty making friends or managing changes in his environment. He’s prone to ear infections and struggles with his weight. He's been with us on and off for a few years now.

Thanks to supporters like you, we’ve been able to make great progress with him and keep his life stable lately. He receives excellent medical care from our team and our friends at Treasure Valley Veterinary Hospital who go out of their way to ensure an stress-free, sedated experience. He has made several new friends since he’s been back with us — and once he trusts you, you’re friends for life. He has learned to be calm and check in when he sees other animals or fast-moving vehicles. He tolerates more handling and very rarely guards resources these days. And his ears are now in great shape! Willard's progress is a heartwarming testament to force free, ethical behavior modification and the importance of meeting the needs of the individual animal.

Willard can enjoy an improved quality of life because we’ve offered him safety and care until an adopter comes along who can take over for us. Willard currently lives at our rescue farm in Emmett, and we need your help to keep this place running. Please donate and share to support dogs like Willard.

Donate online: https://givebutter.com/animal-retreat
(several payment forms accepted)

Donate via mailed check: The Animal Retreat, PO Box 891, Emmett, ID 83617

Address

PO Box 891
Emmett, ID
83617

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Meridian Canine Rescue posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Meridian Canine Rescue:

Shortcuts

Share

Our Story

Meridian Canine Rescue is a non-profit, no kill canine rescue dedicated to giving homeless and owner surrendered dogs a second chance. Too often shelter animals are not given the time to find new families and guardians because of overcrowding. It is our goal to reduce the number of homeless and owner surrendered dogs in shelters, both locally and regionally, without the need for euthanasia.

Our first step to meeting this goal is to act as a rescue. We provide an alternative to kill shelters; where guardians can surrender their pets without fear of euthanasia. We also continue to develop relationships with overcrowded shelters so that dogs under threat of euthanasia can be transferred to our facility and have more time to find their forever homes.

Secondly, we serve as a resource and educator to the public. Through our relationships with dog trainers, the pet industry, and the veterinary community, we can educate and provide resources to help guardians find ways to keep their family members at home and out of the shelter system. We also work to educate potential adopters to ensure that they are well prepared for dog guardianship prior to adoption.

Finally, through our various volunteer programs and community outreach activities we are able spread awareness to the plight of pet overpopulation and encourage more individuals to choose adoption.