National Wheaten Rescue

02/23/2026

If you are in the path of the blizzard in the Northeast tonight, we hope you are prepared. We know Bear in NYC definitely is - check out his snowsuit and boots!

You may recall that we took Bear in as an emergency foster in the NYC area back in mid-October 2025. The owner's aunt, who he was staying with at the time, was threatening to give him away and even went so far as to list him for adoption online. Obviously, we were concerned for his safety.

At the time, Bear was living in the Bronx. He wasn't getting a lot of love. He wasn't allowed on the furniture and he was a bit too lean. He was unsure about other dogs after having been attacked by a Bulldog in the past, and, sadly, just wasn't living a very happy Wheaten life.

Bear's fosters jumped in and swept him up to save the day. They were the light at the end of the tunnel this sweet boy needed to be his full loving Wheaten self. Slowly, but surely they got him to eat more and put some weight on.

We hit a few unexpected bumps in the road with Bear. We got him fully vetted only to discover that he wasn't actually neutered as had been communicated to us. Rather he was Cryptorchid meaning the parts typically removed when neutered never descended... Oops! Then poor Bear had a life threatening reaction to a vaccine. That was scary!

Thankfully, his amazing fosters got him through everything with flying colors. By the end of October, his fosters couldn't imagine life without Bear. They adopted him making him a permanent part of their family.

Since then, Bear has continued to put on a healthy amount of weight - up 5lbs from October. He absolutely loves going on walks around the city with his dad. He's become a cuddle bug laying in his dad's lap at night for belly rubs and to be brushed. He sleeps on the bed with his pawrents and has free reign of the house. Since being neutered, his trouble with other dogs has disappeared. Bear is even so lucky as to also have a country house where he gets to run in the yard and enjoy all the snow this Winter.

Clearly, Bear's life has improved greatly in just four months. We can't do what we do without amazing fosters and volunteers. If you are interested in fostering for us, please fill out an application on our website under the "Support NWR" tab. You too can get a Wheaten started in the right direction on their journey to a better life.



*All photos and text are copyrighted by National Wheaten Rescue and may not be reused other than through the "sharing" feature of this platform. Violations will be promptly reported*

02/16/2026

This is too fun not to share... Toby loves his giant carrot plushie that his foster dad sent home with him. Following the theme of jumbo soft toys, we just had to welcome Toby to his new home with a gift just for him.

Naturally, the package was addressed directly to Toby. The delivery confirmation photo was perfect because Toby truly did receive it!

Every Wheaten needs a Lambchop toy and now Toby has a jumbo one to cuddle just like his carrot 🥕

We take the business of rescue very seriously, but we like to have fun too 😉 😜



*All photos and text are copyrighted by National Wheaten Rescue and may not be reused other than through the "sharing" feature of this platform. Violations will be promptly reported*

02/16/2026

02/10/2026

Happy Tails Pupdate...

Remember Ms. Olive of Brooklyn, NY from last Spring? Well, Olive is loving the relaxed life of being a country girl now.

She's been spending time indoors toasty and warm from the harsh Winter weather in the NE. She loves the snow, but not her coat! The coat nor not liking it is new. Olive is not a fan of wearing clothing and never has been. Some things don't change.

Olive has a friend in the neighborhood named Belle, who she loves to play with. They get so excited and go crazy when they see one another. The two girls are often joined by a neighboring Sheepdog.

Olive is a curious critter and likes to go back and forth in the home checking on her people. Most importantly, her new people feel blessed to have her in their lives and that it was meant to be. Indeed it is 💗🐶🐾



*All photos and text are copyrighted by National Wheaten Rescue and may not be reused other than through the "sharing" feature of this platform. Violations will be promptly reported*

02/07/2026

A couple of weeks ago, we pulled Olaf from Charlotte Mecklenburg Animal Care & Control, which is a municipal shelter in North Carolina with a high euthanasia rate due to major overcrowding. At the time, we knew little to nothing about Olaf. The people who surrendered him said he was "snapping" at the kids in the home and the shelter recommended he have proper introductions to other dogs and should possibly be an only dog.

Well, we now know absolutely everything about Olaf and his backstory. Olaf's story is very much a cautionary tale as to how wrong things can go when an owner tries to rehome their beloved pet on their own. He was very much loved by his original owner for 11+ years. Unfortunately, life has presented her with some unforseen challenges that preclude her from caring for Olaf any longer.

Back in November of 2025, she thought she had found a dream home for Olaf. Please let me be clear that she didn't do anything wrong and there is no blame or judgement here at all. She did her absolute best. Unfortunately, the people she entrusted with Olaf talked the talk, but did not walk the walk. We now know that this family had 4 young children. The adults were not dog savvy, nevermind Wheaten savvy. The household was very chaotic and likely just too big of an adjustment for Olaf.

It was not a good match and instead of calling the original owner or a rescue organization, they chose to bring an 11, almost 12yo dog to a municipal shelter. Well, not for the reasons one might think, but it was actually the best thing they ever did for Olaf....

Fast forward to now and I don't know who is having more fun - Olaf or his foster mom! Olaf is the goodest, floofiest boy. He's a gentle cuddle bug, who loves to be brushed and falls asleep when getting his teefs brushed. He plays with his toys, loves walks, and gets zoomies when he comes back inside. He has a special affinity for the human's bed and watching the world go by out the window.

We are so happy for Olaf that he is safe and will never be in danger of being misunderstood in the wrong home again. We got you, Olaf! 💗🐶

P. S. We have had Olaf fully vetted and he's a very healthy boy.



*All photos and text are copyrighted by National Wheaten Rescue and may not be reused other than through the "sharing" feature of this platform. Violations will be promptly reported*

02/02/2026

Over the last several months we have shared many posts about the work NWR has been doing and the stories of our rescue Wheatens. Tonight we thought we would switch gears and start a series to share the who's who behind the scenes at NWR. We have eight amazing board members, each of whom brings his/her unique skill set and Wheaten experience to the table.

Our Vice President, Alison Bradley, recently took her Irish Coated Wheaten, Tilly, to an agility trial in Nashville. Here's what Alison had to say about their experience, "Had so much fun at the Nashville agility trial! Tilly had some really nice runs. It’s only her second time competing. She was a little unsure of the new environment but managed to qualify in 3 of 6 runs! Tilly earned two first places, one second place, and her first agility title in jumpers. Biggest thing was qualifying in standard for the 1st time! Love this little Irish girl 😍. "

More about Alison's background... an experienced, award-winning dog trainer, who has owned Wheatens for 25 years. Alison’s Wheatens have earned titles in obedience, rally, nose work, and agility. Notably, one of her Wheatens reached a MACH3 title in Agility, was ranked in the top 5 Wheatens for 5 years running, and was invited to the Agility Invitational and Agility Nationals. A SCWTCA member, she taught agility, obedience, and puppy classes for 15+ years, co-authored a training manual for her AKC training club, and has devoted 25 years to fostering and/or helping place Wheaten Terrier rescues.



*All photos and text are copyrighted by National Wheaten Rescue and may not be reused other than through the "sharing" feature of this platform. Violations will be promptly reported*

01/31/2026

Toby has been through a lot in his 4 years. We may never know what his life was like during those years before he was surrendered to Animal Friends Humane Society in late November 2025. We do know that Toby has done very well in our care over the past 6ish weeks and is more than ready to go to his new furever and ever home.

Happy Gotcha Day, Toby! 🎉 Toby's new hoomans drove a pretty long distance yesterday to pick him up this morning and drive home. It's clearly love 😍 at first sight all around!

Thank you to Animal Friends Humane Society staff and volunteers for taking good care of Toby while he was there. Cleary, the poor guy was a mess when surrendered. They got him cleaned up and ready for rescue.

NWR fully vetted Toby and had him neutered. He's a healthy young boy with a bright, happy, and stable future ahead of him.

A big thank you to Toby's foster who cared and loved him during his time there. It takes a village to do rescue work and we definitely couldn't do it without our amazing, dedicated fosters and volunteers 💗🐶



*All photos and text are copyrighted by National Wheaten Rescue and may not be reused other than through the "sharing" feature of this platform. Violations will be promptly reported*

01/23/2026

Our hearts are full tonight because after a trying few days of non-stop phone calls, texts, and emails, Olaf in Charlotte, NC has been sprung from the shelter 🎉🎉🎉

Our amazing foster, who happens to be an adopter from many years ago, pulled Olaf this evening and he's had quite the adventure already! In just a few short hours, Olaf and his green little sweater have gone shopping, had a bath, drank lots of water, had a few walks and is basically just loving life. To me, his expression exudes gratitude and appreciation.

Olaf had lots of fans at the pet supply store. He got some sensitive tummy food, dehydrated lamb treats, a new harness for this big boy, a new red Winter jacket, and of course toys! His foster-mum is more than taking good care of him!

Now is the time for Olaf to have the opportunity to decompress from losing his home and a week in a municipal shelter. Over the next few weeks, we will get him fully worked up at the vet including blood work and a urinalysis. We will also have the opportunity to really get to know him, which I think will be a fun adventure for us all!

Stay tuned...



*All photos and text are copyrighted by National Wheaten Rescue and may not be reused other than through the "sharing" feature of this platform. Violations will be promptly reported*

01/22/2026

Finn, formerly a Southern boy from North Carolina and now a Yankee in Connecticut, and his new dad are loving their life together. Finn is glued to his dad like his shadow.

We knew Finn needed a dental cleaning and possibly a few extractions. Rather than hold up his adoption for that reason, we asked the adopter to get a 2nd opinion from his vet and we committed to covering the cost of the necessary dental work. Finn's teeth were cleaned earlier this month, and thankfully no extractions needed. Now he has extra shiny pearly whites for all his smiles and adventures in his new life.

We are fully committed to making sure our rescue Wheatens are in good health when adopted. We cover costs for wellness checks including bloodwork and urinalysis when needed (which is the majority of the time). We also cover vetrinary costs for dentals or other necessary procedures like spay and neuter surgeries. Bottom line, we cover a lot of costs to make sure we know what's going on with each dog and that every adopter knows what s/he is committing to. Transparency is of the utmost importance in rescue work. We don't like surprises!

If you are interested in fostering or adopting a Wheaten please be sure to fill out a foster and/or adoption application on out website. We couldn't do what we do without your support 💗



*All photos and text are copyrighted by National Wheaten Rescue and may not be reused other than through the "sharing" feature of this platform. Violations will be promptly reported*

01/21/2026

***UPDATE*** Olaf is now in a foster home with us.

Olaf ⛄🐶 is looking for a foster home in the Charlotte, NC area. He is an 11 year old neutered male, who was surrendered by his family for getting "snappy" with the young children in the household. He needs to be in, preferably, an adult-only household, but children 13+ are OK.

We'd prefer he be the only pet in the home for now. At the very least, a good foster situation needs to be able to separate him in the home as needed via crate, gates, etc. The shelter reports that with proper, slow introductions he may be OK with another dog, but we prefer to err on the side of caution.

You can apply to be a foster on our website (URL in the first comment). Please email me after completing the application: [email protected].



*All photos and text are copyrighted by National Wheaten Rescue and may not be reused other than through the "sharing" feature of this platform. Violations will be promptly reported*

01/19/2026

Our boy Sasuke aka Sauce has been with us in Michigan for about 2 months now. We are working on getting his allergy symptoms under control and slowly making progress. We had a little scare with him last month and thought he might have Addison's Disease, but we were able to rule out that and Protein Losing Enteropathy (PLE).

Sas (Sauce) is now on a hydrolyzed diet and being treated for both bacterial and yeast based skin infections while keeping his itching under control. The hydrolyzed diet and a probiotic daily seem to really be helping his GI system function better and hopefully heal as well. His hair is growing in after having Alopecia from scratching due to intense itching (that's all wound hair after much of his hair had been completely scratched off).

Meanwhile, Sas is having great fun with his foster sister. They are like two peas in a pod and have been since day one. We are so grateful to his foster pawrents for taking such good care of him including taking the time and making the effort to get him to vet visits, make sure his meds get refilled, and he gets his new prescription food.

Sas will have his next vet check in later this month. Hoping to see the skin infections improved if not completely healed. That would be such a miracle for him! He has to be feeling so much better already. Paws crossed for a good report 🐾🤞🏻🐾💗🐶



*All photos and text are copyrighted by National Wheaten Rescue and may not be reused other than through the "sharing" feature of this platform. Violations will be promptly reported*

01/18/2026

Just over four weeks ago, we pulled Toby from Animal Friends Humane Society in Ohio. He spent the holidays with one of our amazing and caring fosters for us to get to know him and get his medical needs met. Now recovered from his neuter and dental surgery, Toby is ready to find his furever home.

Toby is approximately 4 years old and in good health after having a tooth extracted. He's a sweet boy, who absolutely loves his people and wants to be close to them at all times. He does like other dogs, but has shown some signs of resource guarding, so he would do best as an only pet.

Clearly Toby has been through a lot in his short life. We are looking for a very stable, dedicated, and Wheaten experienced home for him where he can blossom into his full potential. No small children.

If you are interested in Toby, please be sure to have an adoption application on file with us via our website under the Adopt tab. We are happy to answer questions for serious inquiries, but only with an application on file.

Please share Toby.



*All photos and text are copyrighted by National Wheaten Rescue and may not be reused other than through the "sharing" feature of this platform. Violations will be promptly reported*