50 Pawsitive Inspiration: 50 Rescue Dog Quotes to Brighten Your Day

Are you looking for rescue dog quotes?

We have a fantastic collection of some of the most courageous and loyal rescue dog quotes honoring the aspects of life worth saving.

What makes rescue dogs so cool? 

Rescue dogs are incredible for a variety of reasons. 

For starters, when you rescue a dog, you give that animal a new lease on life. 

For anyone who has rescued an animal, this is an enriching experience. 

Here are some reasons rescue dogs are the best:

• Usually already housebroken
• Cost much less
• Provide purpose

Your lifestyle will help you decide the best fit for you and your family. 

Adopting a dog costs less, as many shelters have covered the cost of spaying, neutering, vaccinating, and even microchipping.

You cannot adopt every dog, but adopting just one dog makes room for another dog in the rescue shelter.

You are saving two lives!

There is a common misconception that shelter dogs contain only mixed-breed mutts.

Over 30% of dogs in the shelters are purebred. 

Shelters ensure your new pet is an excellent fit for your family. 

Shelters can match dogs with homes that make sense. 

Adopted dogs prove their loyalty by staying grateful. 

Some purebred dogs suffer from health problems because of improper breeding practices.

Rescue dogs are fantastic! 

Some studies have shown that, sometimes, mixed-breed dogs have more advantages.

Not all rescue dogs are traumatized; some dogs struggle in rescue care for various reasons, but many do not.

They are just very unlucky. 

You will also enjoy our article on adopting a dog quotes.

Rescue dogs are the best

It might be fun to become a rescue dog hero today; take as many selfies as possible with your new friend and post them to spread awareness.

Before you do that, check out our rescue dog quotes below. 

Shelter rescue dog quotes

These quotes show you do not need too many words to express the power of rescuing a dog.

1. “Many shelter dogs are mutts like me.” — Barack Obama

2. “You can’t change a dog’s past, but you can rewrite the future.” — Agnes Carass

3. “You can’t help everyone, but you can help at least one dog.” — Candice Bergen

4. “The world would be a nicer place if everyone had the ability to love as unconditionally as a dog.” — M.K. Clinton

5. “A dog doesn’t care if you’re rich or poor, smart or dumb. Give him your heart… and he’ll give you his.” — Milo Gathema

6. “Saving one dog will not change the world, but surely for that one dog, the world will change forever.” — Karen Davison

7. “Our dogs will love and admire the meanest of us and feed our colossal vanity with their uncritical homage.” — Agnes Repplier

8. “I would get a rescue dog; I don’t care. I would probably get a three-legged dog no one else wanted.” — Simon Cowell

9. “Adopting a shelter dog is an excellent way to turn love into action. The love you receive is an extraordinary extra benefit.” — Abby Underdog

10. “Every human should not buy a dog but rescue in need and free him from the sufferings and give him love, care, and shelter.” — Ridhima Badola

Adopting a dog quotes and sayings

We all have the potential to impact the life of a dog in need.

11. “He who feeds a hungry animal feeds his own soul.” — Charlie Chaplin

12. “A dog’s heart is bigger than any ‘thing’ you can ever own.” — Elizabeth Parker

13. “The unconditional love and loyalty of a rescue dog is a testament to the resilience of the canine spirit.” — Eileen Anglin

14. “If a man aspires towards a righteous life, his first act of abstinence is from injury to animals.” — Albert Einstein

15. “After we bring food home from the grocery store…Dogs must think we are the greatest hunters ever!” — Ann Taylor

16. “A dog is not a thing. A thing is replaceable. A dog is not. A thing is disposable. A dog is not. A thing doesn’t have a heart. — Elizabeth Parker

17. “In this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous, is his dog.” — George Graham Vest

18. “I’m even able to have kind of a little bit of a second career in dog rescue. Doesn’t pay anything, but it’s become a real passion for me.” — Emmylou Harris

19. “Being a hero to someone, even if it is just a dog, is a feeling like no other. Though it can be frustrating, it can be the most rewarding thing to give someone a second chance at life.” — Elizabeth Parker

20. “We threw chew toys to Misty, Mom’s Golden Retriever that she bought two years ago secondhand. Misty was supposed to be a seeing-eye dog, but she failed her exam because she’s too affectionate. It’s a flaw we don’t mind.” — Douglas Coupland

Insightful rescue dog quotes about love and loyalty

21. “The perfect rescue dog is out there for everybody. You just have to find it.” — Josh Hopkins

22. “When you look into the eyes of an animal you’ve rescued, you can’t help but fall in love.” — Paul Shaffer

23. “A dog is like a person; he needs a job and a family to be what he’s meant to be.” — Andrew Vachss

24. “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” — Gandhi

25. “How can anyone abandon a beautifully loyal dog? It’s not an accessory; it’s your best friend.” — Ricky Gervais

26. “When I look into the eyes of an animal, I do not see an animal; I see a living being; I see a friend; I feel a soul.” — A. D. Williams

27. “Do those little bits of good where you are; it is those little bits of good put all together that overwhelm the world.” — Desmond Tutu

28. “Animals are sentient, intelligent, perceptive, funny, and entertaining. We owe them a duty of care as we do to children.” — Michael Morpurgo

29. “A man is truly ethical only when he obeys the compulsion to help all life he is able to assist and shrinks from injuring anything that lives.” — Albert Schweitzer

30. “He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.” — Agnes Repplier

Cute adopting a dog quotes to inspire you to adopt one

These cute rescue dog quotes will melt your heart! 

31. “Humanity must be their voice.” — A. D. Williams

32. “When most of us talk to our dogs, we tend to forget they’re not people.” — Julia Glass

33. “The bond with a true dog is as lasting as the ties of this earth will ever be.” — Konrad Lorenz

34. “When you adopt a dog, you have a lot of very good days and one very bad day.” — W. Bruce Cameron

35. “Dogs have a way of finding the people who need them and filling an emptiness we didn’t ever know we had.” — Thom Jones

36. “It’s rewarding beyond words to rescue a dog from the shelter and have that dog become part of your family.” — Jenna Morasca

37. “Adopting a dog means choosing a family member who will always be there for you, no matter what.” — Dean Koontz

38. “I love dogs. I absolutely adore them. When I’m teaching in Mexico, I rescue dogs from the streets and make my students adopt them.” — Mary Ellen Mark

39. “The greatest pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him, and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too.” — Samuel Butler

40. “It’s easy to see why dog rescue is a mushrooming culture. Turning a troubled person’s life around is difficult, but rescuers with commitment and time, and a few dollars can radically alter the fate of a dog.” — Jon Katz

Search and rescue dog quotes

These quotes celebrate both rescue dogs and search and rescue dogs.  

41. “I very much believe in rescuing an animal, not buying them.” — Candice Bergen

42. “My Shelter Days are over, done, Because you, my master, took me home.” — Courtney Bailey

43. “No one appreciates the very special genius of your conversation as a dog does.” — Christopher Morley

44. “When an eighty-five-pound mammal licks your tears away, then tries to sit on your lap, it’s hard to feel sad.” — Kristan Higgins

45. “When the dog looks at you in the eyes, the dog is not thinking what kind of a person you are. The dog is not judging you.” — Eckhart Tolle

46. “Dogs don’t rationalize. They don’t hold anything against a person. They don’t see the outside of a human but the inside of a human.” — Cesar Millan

47. “You can say any foolish thing to a dog, and the dog will give you a look that says, ‘Wow, you’re right! I never would’ve thought of that!’” — Dave Barry

“I love to rescue animals. The pounds were so crowded they were putting animals down almost immediately. Seven thousand dogs were put to sleep.” — Laura Dern

49. “If you help and rescue a starving dog and adopt him and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man.” — Mark Twain

50. “When your daily mission involves scouring destruction trying to find anybody alive, a friendly snout and a soul who will do nothing but sit by your side is more powerful than any medicine. The dogs provided hope and a return to normalcy.” — Wilma Melville

Did these adopting a dog quotes inspire you to find a furry friend?

Best friends come in large and small packages.

A rescue dog of the perfect size is at a shelter near you.

If you get a rescue dog, you will never be alone again.

Rescue dogs are loyal and friendly.

Putting one in your home can add a needed element to your life.

Some dogs in need have incredible survival stories.

American author Kristan Higgins reminds us how rescue dogs can cheer us up when we are down, noting, “When an eighty-five-pound mammal licks your tears away, then tries to sit on your lap, it’s hard to feel sad.” 

Rescue dogs offer many advantages.

They cost less, are better house-trained, and can be picked to best suit your needs.  

Do you also think rescue dogs are the best? 

Do you have experience with rescue dogs? 

Please make sure you tell us about it in the comments.

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