Shelter of Dreams

Capital Fundraising Campaign

About Us

Castle of Dreams Animal Rescue (CODAR) was incorporated in June of 2003 and our main mission is to rescue canines from high kill shelters throughout the United States.  Our goal is to one day build our own "Shelter of Dreams" where our rescued canines can live in comfort until their dream comes true and they find a permanent home to call their own. CODAR relies on the support of the general public in order to operate.  We have 100% volunteers who dedicate countless hours of time to aid us in our mission.  Since our incorporation, CODAR has helped find permanent homes for over 1500 dogs that would have otherwise been euthanized.  All of our rescued dogs are fostered in volunteer’s homes.  We can only save as many as we have available foster homes for and sadly we have had to turn several away.  By opening our own state of the art facility, we plan on offering a lot more services to expand our mission.  Some of our goals include, acting as an emergency evacuation shelter where families can bring their pets when they need to relocate.  In addition, act as a temporary home for individuals that may be in a financial or housing bind.  We also would assist pets affected by victims of domestic violence. Often pets are the silent victims when their care takers need to relocate to get out of their violent situation.  The abuser may go after the pets as well as the victims.  In addition, we will offer training services to adopters to ensure their rescue dog can remain in their home.  We also have several other ideas in the works that will add to our current mission.

Shorty's Story

Shorty has one of the most heart wrenching stories we have ever heard and we knew we had to rescue this handsome 6 year old Corgi mix.  He was brought to a shelter in Tennessee by his very tearful owner who was a victim of domestic violence and just left her husband.  She had to move to a shelter for abused woman and Shorty was not able to go with her.  His owner, who apparently loved him very much, was afraid to leave Shorty behind fearing for what her husband may do to him.  The only option she had to ensure his safety was to surrender him to her local animal shelter.  The poor woman was so incredibly upset to have to surrender her beloved pet whom she had since he was a young pup.  Needless to say there wasn't a dry eye at the shelter that day.  Shorty is safe in a foster home now thanks to the volunteers of Castle of Dreams who heard his story and couldn't leave him all alone at the shelter when he was obviously so loved by someone who gave him up to protect him. He is a very sweet dog and often cries wondering where his former owner is and when she will come back for him.

Help us rescue more dogs like Shorty, an innocent victim of domestic violence by donating to our, "Shelter of Dreams" Campaign today!

Favorite rescue - Lucky, Now Lola

Lucky grew up in a puppy mill in Missouri. and had only one purpose to her previous owner, to breed puppies to make him money.  After he had no more use for her, he sent her to a dog auction to be sold to the highest bidder.  She never experienced love or human companionship of any kind.  Lucky spent the first five years of her life living in a cage.  She never felt grass under her feet or played with toys or was able to run and jump like a normal dog.  She was rescued at the age of 5 from a dog auction in Missouri.  When her foster family first met her she was petrified of everyone and would run to hide in her cage whenever anyone entered the room.  Her foster family worked with her for several months until she learned that it was ok to be loved and it was ok to be pet and fed treats and play with toys and everything else a beloved pet should experience.  Thanks to the goodness and teamwork of several animal lovers, she has been adopted to a wonderful family and has 3 brothers to play with.  Her new name is Lola and she is now a therapy dog putting smiles on faces every day. She is one of our favorite rescue stories as she had such a miserable life before she was rescued and now she is thriving as a therapy dog, which was made possible by the caring and dedication of so many individuals who made a difference in her life and now she is paying it forward by making a difference in the lives of others.

Your donation can help us rescue more dogs like Lola.

Lucky when she first arrived in her foster home. She would hide in her crate, petrified of everyone.

Lola (formerly Lucky) with her new owner Barbara Johns (L) working her magic at a nursing home.

How To Donate

You can make a donation to our Shelter of  Dreams Campaign by mailing a check to us at:

CODAR
PO Box 739
Keyport, NJ 07735

or

Contributions in excess of $5,000 for the Shelter of Dreams Campaign will receive special recognition in our new facility.

No Donation is too big or small.
All donations are tax deductible.