Westie Rescue

What Westie Rescue does

Westie Rescue USA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN: 86-1935078) serving as the national clearinghouse for the rescue, rehabilitation, and rehoming of West Highland White Terriers. Founded approximately three decades ago and operated entirely by volunteers, the organization coordinates a network of regional affiliate rescue groups across the United States, with the MidAtlantic Region (based in Virginia) functioning as its primary operational hub. The organization has helped more than 1,500 Westies through the MidAtlantic region alone, with an additional 200-600 Westies assisted annually through affiliated national groups.

The organization's core service involves taking in surrendered, abandoned, or at-risk Westies, providing veterinary care, behavioral rehabilitation, and foster placement, then matching them with vetted adopters. In 2023, veterinary expenses totaled $101,107, representing 94.7% of total operating expenses (~$107K). Long-tenured veterinary partnerships, notably a 26-year relationship with Greater Annapolis Veterinary Hospital (which has treated 1,000+ rescued Westies), are foundational to operations. The organization also operates one of the only dedicated hospice programs for Westies in the country through its North Atlantic affiliate. Beyond direct rescue, it produces educational content such as the Westie Wisdom article series and Two Sides of the Bowl dietary guides.

Westie Rescue USA generates revenue through adoption fees ranging from $350-$650 per dog, individual donations, and fundraising events. The all-volunteer model keeps administrative overhead minimal, with the vast majority of spending directed toward veterinary care. The business is supported by a distributed network of individual donors, adopters, fosters, and volunteers, with no enterprise or institutional revenue concentration. Geographic reach is achieved through coordination with established regional affiliates such as Westie Rescue California (operating 35+ years, 2,700+ rescues), rather than through direct branch expansion.

Name

Westie Rescue

Legal name

Westie Rescue USA Inc.

Website

https://westierescue.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Westie Rescue USA is a 501(c)(3) all-volunteer nonprofit serving as the national clearinghouse for rescuing, rehabilitating, and rehoming West Highland White Terriers across regional affiliate networks in the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animal Rescue and Pet Adoption Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Animal Shelters & Adoption Services (BPAGAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Foster & Volunteer Network Programs (BPAGAIAF), Rescue, Transport & Emergency Animal Response (BPAGAIAB)

Keywords

• Animal rescue services
• Pet adoption services
• Breed-specific rescue
• Veterinary care coordination
• Volunteer foster network

Headquarters

HQ city

Dunn Loring

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Adoption Contributions: Organization relies entirely on public donations and adoption fees. Adoption contributions are requested as donations (typically $350-$650 range) to help offset veterinary expenses. Veterinary expenses were $101,107 in 2023, with 94.7% of operating expenses going to vet care.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Westie Rescue USA operates as a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit clearinghouse for rescuing, rehabilitating, and rehoming West Highland White Terriers across the United States. The organization coordinates foster care, veterinary treatment, behavior training, and adoption matching through a network of affiliated local rescue groups and volunteers, primarily supported by donations and adoption contributions.

Product overview

Westie Rescue USA operates as a national clearinghouse for West Highland White Terrier rescue efforts. The core offering is the Westie Rescue Program, which serves as a national home base connecting reputable organizations and volunteers who rescue, rehabilitate, and rehome Westies across the United States. Supporting this core program are educational resources including Westie Wisdom (training and behavior modification tips), Two Sides of the Bowl (behavioral guidance), and Health and Fitness Resources. The organization also maintains directories of Local U.S. Westie Rescues and International Westie Rescues. The MidAtlantic Region, based in Virginia, serves as the sponsoring organization. All rescue operations are supported through Donation Services which fund veterinary care, with the 501(c)(3) nonprofit reporting $86-1935078 as its tax identification number.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Westie Rescue and Adoption Program National program rescuing, rehabilitating, and rehoming West Highland White Terriers through foster care, veterinary treatment, behavior training, and structured adoption matching.
• Dog Surrender and Intake Service Service enabling current Westie owners to surrender dogs they can no longer care for, ensuring the dog is placed into foster care, medically evaluated, and matched to an appropriate new home.
• Donation and Fundraising Services
• Local U.S. Westie Rescues Directory
• International Westie Rescues Directory
• Westie Rescue - MidAtlantic Region Regional rescue arm of Westie Rescue USA, based in Dunn Loring, Virginia. Serves as the home base for national clearinghouse operations and has placed 1,500+ Westies.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,500+ Westies helped find homes and receive care through MidAtlantic Region alone
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, regional, specialty and minor.

• Westie Rescue MidAtlantic (sponsor)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary sponsoring organization and regional arm of Westie Rescue USA. Home base for the national clearinghouse operations. Based in Virginia.
• North Atlantic Westie Rescue, Inc. (NAWR)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAll-volunteer nonprofit covering all of New England. Operates one of the only hospice programs for Westies in the United States. Inc. in Massachusetts.
• Westie Rescue TennesseeregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHelping homeless Westies for over 20 years in Tennessee region. Rescue, rehabilitate, and find homes for Westies.
• Great Lakes Westie Rescue, Inc.regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorServes northern Indiana, Michigan, northern Ohio, and northeastern Illinois. 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity incorporated in Indiana.
• Western PA Westie RescueregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional partner helping Westies in Western Pennsylvania. Website: westierescueofwesternpa.com
• Greater Annapolis Vet Hospital (GAVH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary veterinary partner seeing more Westies each week than most vets see in their lifetime. Has handled over 1,000 Westies through their care over 26 years. Performed complex surgeries including Charlie's bamboo skewer removal and Cody's joint replacement.
• CVCA Cardiac Care CenterspecialtyStrategic or Co-development PartnerCardiac specialists who performed Balloon Valvuloplasty on Miss Mills. Hunt Valley location.
• Anne Arundel Veterinary Emergency ClinicspecialtyStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmergency veterinary services partner for critical cases.
• Westie Rescue California (Susan Reeves)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLong-standing partner run by Susan Reeves for 35+ years. Rescued, rehabilitated, and rehomed over 2,700 Westies. Susan was a mentor on Westie health, behavior training, and general knowledge.
• Anderson Dog Works, Inc. (Jane Fink)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTerrier training specialist providing Westie Wisdom training content. 30 years of terrier training experience. Co-owner of leading obedience school in Anderson, SC.
• PetConnect RescueminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoster care partner providing low-tension environment foster farm for recovering rescue dogs like Charlie.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• ASPCA: National animal welfare organization providing rescue, adoption, and veterinary services. Broad incumbent competing for the same donor dollars across the broader animal welfare category.
• Humane Society of the United States: Largest U.S. animal welfare advocacy and rescue-support organization. Broad incumbent with overlapping donor and volunteer ecosystems across animal welfare causes.
• Best Friends Animal Society: Large national animal welfare nonprofit operating sanctuaries and advocacy programs. Broad incumbent with overlapping mission (animal rescue/adoption) and donor-base competition.

Direct peers

• WestieMed: National nonprofit that funds Westie-specific veterinary care for owners and rescuers. Highly comparable mission, breed focus, and donor-funded veterinary care model.
• Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue League: Volunteer foster-network rescue dedicated to a single giant breed. Comparable breed-specialist rescue model with regional affiliate structure and donation-funded veterinary care.
• Lucky Lab Rescue: Volunteer-driven, foster-based single-breed (Labrador) rescue with national reach. Direct peer in operating model (volunteer, foster network, breed-specific nonprofit) though serving a different breed.
• Westie Rescue California: Long-standing breed-specific Westie rescue founded ~1989 by Susan Reeves, having rehomed 2,700+ Westies. Direct peer as an independent breed-specific rescue that is part of the same national clearinghouse network.
• North Atlantic Westie Rescue (NAWR): All-volunteer 501(c)(3) covering New England and operating one of the only Westie hospice programs in the U.S. Direct peer operating under the Westie Rescue USA umbrella as a regional affiliate.

Others

• Petfinder: Largest online adoptable pet directory connecting adopters with rescues and shelters. Ecosystem participant serving as a key adoption channel for breed-specific rescues including Westie Rescue USA.
• Adopt-a-Pet: Nonprofit pet adoption platform connecting adopters with rescue organizations. Adjacent ecosystem participant providing listing and adoption funnel infrastructure used by breed-specific rescues.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/WestieRescueMidAtlantic
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/westie-rescue

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Westie Rescue