When Heather Wettschurack’s daughter asked for a pug puppy fifteen years ago, it sparked a journey that combined her lifelong love of rescue animals—especially dogs—with a growing passion for helping the breed.
In November of 2021, Wettschurack founded Coastal Pug Rescue, an organization serving Florida that specializes in rehabilitating and caring for abandoned, neglected, and surrendered pugs to find them forever homes through adoption. The nonprofit rescues animals through a mixture of owner surrenders and shelter/stray finds.
Coastal Pug Rescue is an entirely volunteer-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Volunteers are what allows the organization to take in as many pugs as it does since the dogs live with volunteers until they’re adopted out.
While many people seek private breeders for the right fit, some turn to groups like Coastal Pug Rescue, one of Florida’s few breed-specific rescues focused on pugs.
“We’re trying to educate people that it’s okay if you want a specific breed, but I guarantee there’s a rescue out there,” Wettschurack said.
The first step after rescuing a pug is to take the animal for medical care. Coastal Pug Rescue wastes no expense ensuring that its animals are fully medically cleared, handling everything from minor vaccine updates and dental work to major surgeries and rehabilitation.
The organization is always seeking volunteers to sign up for fostering. Interested parties need only fill out the form on the organization’s website, have an in-person conversation with the Coast Pug Rescue team, and wait for a foster placement. Coastal Pug Rescue covers the cost of all medical care, food, and other supplies.
Foster placements last about eight weeks, at which point Wettschurack will approach the foster to see if they would like to extend another four weeks or complete their volunteer period. Fosters must live in the Northeast Florida area to have easy access to the organization’s preferred veterinarian.
“The only thing we want is to give the pugs a safe and loving home,” Wettschurack said. “We wouldn’t survive without our amazing group of volunteers.”
Due to the small nature of the rescue, Wettschurack keeps in touch with many of the veteran pugs that have been adopted out by loving pug parents. She enjoys seeing them thrive and regularly invites her extended pug family to her home for gatherings.
“That’s the part that makes everything worth it,” she said.
To get involved with Coastal Pug Rescue, or look through their adoptable pugs, visit www.coastalpugandpuppy.org.
