7501 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Pocket

Big Fluffy Dog Rescue has been around for ten years and has rescued thousands of dogs. Facebook has allowed BFDR to connect with people all over the country, helping to not only find loving homes for dogs in need, but also raise money for the care of and medical treatment for dogs in need. Facebook’s new rules have changed all that.

At the end of April, Facebook changed the algorithm that dictates who sees what from various pages. BFDR announced last week on their Facebook page that they can no longer take in any more dogs in need of homes, writing:

“This is a post I had hoped never to write. Big Fluffy Dog Rescue has been around for a decade now and we have prided ourselves on our willingness to step up to the plate for dogs in need. Things have changed greatly since we first came into existence. Over the past five years, the regulatory costs that come with what we do have expanded far beyond what we ever dreamed possible and the states have their pound of flesh. The percentage of heartworm positive dogs in our rescue has more than doubled and vet costs have skyrocketed. What used to be a $300 cost per dog is now well over $700.

We managed for a long time, but the recent changes in Facebook have drastically curtailed our ability to fund raise. In the past month, while we operated as usual, our donation intake dropped by 55%. This has everything to do with how Facebook feeds work now and nothing else. At the moment, this is insurmountable.

Effective as of today, Big Fluffy Dog Rescue is closing its doors to any new intake. We do not know for how long or if this is permanent, but we cannot in good conscience take in dogs we can’t pay for. Until we clear the $50,000 in debt that we have taken on, we are done. We will continue to place the dogs we have (which is more than 400) and we will provide care for the ones we have, but barring a significant reduction in debt, we are not taking in anything else.

I sincerely hope that this is a temporary condition, but if this is my swan song, it was a glorious ten years and a lot of wonderful dogs have been through the doors. We will continue to post for the dogs in our care to find them homes, but we regret more than words can convey that we can no longer help others at this time. You all have been amazing fans, and we thank you for your support.”

Four-hundred dogs remain in their care and are waiting to find their forever homes, but hundreds more will have to go without the help of the rescue-heroes at BFDR until things change. For now, they are hoping that their donations will start flowing in again, while focusing on doing what they can with what they have.

See a video about BFDR and the changes below:

WSMV Channel 4