Who We Are
At Northern Lights, we’re KEEPING IT ABOUT THE DOGS
Northern Lights Sled Dog Rescue is a group of committed and experienced rescuers who came together because we wanted to stay true to our shared passion and priorities and keep our rescue about helping dogs. We maintain excellent working relationships with virtually all the leading northern breed rescue groups in the Midwest and Great Lakes regions, including the “flagship” rescue organizations for our breeds, the Illinois Alaskan Malamute Rescue Association (Malamutes) and Adopt A Husky, Inc. (Siberian Huskies). We are also proud affiliates of the Alaskan Malamute Assistance League, a 501(c)3 non-profit charitable organization recognized by the national breed club, the Alaskan Malamute Club of America.
Our mission is to advocate for and/or rescue stray, abandoned, displaced or abused dogs; in particular, northern breed dogs facing euthanasia in Midwest/Great Lakes region shelters. Our goal is to place Siberian Huskies, Alaskan Malamutes, and northern breed mixes in loving, experienced, and secure homes with people who understand and celebrate the unique characteristics of their breeds.
Northern Lights is the largest rescuer of Northern Breeds in Indiana. Since our inception in January, 2004, we grown in leaps and bounds, having placed literally hundreds of dogs. All of our Siberian Huskies, Alaskan Malamutes, and northern breed mixes are adopted to homes that are thoroughly screened and investigated to ensure the best possible match for each individual dog in terms of the new guardian’s experience, lifestyle and home environment.
At Northern Lights, we continually “work smart” to save lives. Our scope and range is not geographic in nature, and is limited only by our own creativity, persistence, commitment, and bonds built within the solid network of knowledgeable and hard-working volunteers and rescue partners we have in surrounding states. The fact is that — despite the growing rescue movement in the Great Lakes region (Indiana, Ohio, Illinois and Michigan) — the number of abandoned, surrendered and suffering dogs is far too staggering for rescues to handle, particularly if the effort is limited to the confines of individual rescue programs. One of the toughest struggles in rescue is accepting that we can’t save them all, but we refuse to quit trying, and we work diligently and creatively toward saving as many as we can by tackling the problem from every angle. We work in concert with our rescue partners in the Midwest/Great Lakes region every day to ensure the most effective placement of the greatest number of dogs. If a dog is adopted into a great home, we don’t care “whose” dog it is — we’re just happy that dog has been saved and that his or her rescue slot can be given to another in need! If you adopt a dog directly from a shelter, that is a double win, as it frees that spot in a shelter and also preserves a spot in rescue for another dog! Finally, if we can assist in ensuring (through posting and screening) the responsible placement of a found or owned dog who will otherwise face the trauma and uncertainty of being dumped in a shelter, we are here to help. This is not a “fee for service” proposition, and we will not solicit a donation for just doing our job. It’s about helping dogs.
If you don’t see the dog who might best fit yourself and/or your family on our Pet List, we encourage you to visit other area rescues and shelters on the web or in person. We’ll be happy to provide links to those rescues or shelters upon request — a good place to start is with the Illinois Alaskan Malamute Rescue Association and Adopt A Husky, Inc. as cited in the introductory paragraph. Why do we refer you elsewhere? Because the bottom line is helping dogs.
