Rescue and Relocation Program

The primary responsibility of the Rescue & Relocation Program is to help all PWD's that are in need of a new home. We have had PWD's that have been found in shelters, turned in by owners, advertised for sale in a local paper, and found wandering the streets with no identification. We make every effort to find out who the breeder is, but many times this is not a possibility. When we can determine the breeder, we will inform him/her and expect them to either take the dog back, or to help with the expenses we incur in placing the dog. When the breeder is not known, then we will take full responsibility for the dog, and do our best to place it in a suitable new home. We will spay/neuter if necessary, as no dog will be placed through rescue unless this is done. We will also have a health checkup on the dog, and bring all shots up to date if necessary.

The secondary responsibility of the Rescue & Relocation Program is to help owners who are having problems with their dogs. There are many times when we get calls from owners that do not want to give up on their dog, but are having a problem and don't know where else to turn. If Rescue can help these owners, then we feel we have helped to prevent a dog from being turned over to our Rescue program.

We will follow up on all dogs to insure that the placement is working out, and will take back any dog that the new owner is not happy with.

All club members can help with Rescue by checking their local papers for any dogs that are advertised, checking their local shelters if possible, and becoming "mentors" to new owners. This is especially important when a PWD has been sold to an owner who resides in a different part of the country than the breeder.

If any club member is aware of a dog that is in need of rescue, they should advise the owner to contact their breeder, if possible. This should be done before Rescue is contacted. If contacting the breeder is not a possibility, or if the breeder declines to help, or cannot help, then Rescue should be contacted.

PWDCA Rescue National Coordinator ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )

If you are interested in adopting a Portuguese Water Dog from the PWDCA Rescue, download and complete this application .

Contact information for Rescue representatives of the various Regional Clubs can be found under the "Rescue" column of the Regional Clubs page.

PWDCA Rescue, Inc. is a nonstock, 501(c)(3) charitable corporation. It is a separate corporation from the Portuguese Water Dog Club of America, Inc., however it has only one member and that is the Portuguese Water Dog Club of America, Inc.

Your generous support will continue to fund the rescue and relocation program for Portuguese Water Dogs.  Donations may be made in memory or honor of someone very special in your life (person or dog), and a tax deductible donation receipt will be issued to you in their honor or memory by PWDCA Rescue, Inc.

The Rescue Board meets on a quarterly basis and minutes of these meetings are reported to the PWDCA Board. The Rescue Board minutes can be found on the minutes page of this website along with the PWDCA Board minutes.