July 19 | 9pm EST
Rescue Shelties
for our rescue shelties
shelties in need, providing a temporary
loving home while waiting for adoption.
go to our foster page
for more information
What is Sheltie Rescue?
We are organized to help find homes for shelties in need of new homes. Our dogs come to us from shelters, owner turn-ins, or strays. The reasons people give for giving up their dogs are endless. Two of the most common include family health issues (i.e., allergy to dogs) and the family relocating and they can’t take the dog, and of course there are some that no longer want a dog. We are often asked to help find loving homes for dogs whose owner has died.
Often these dogs do not know the love and attention of a good family. When they are given the affection that they have longed for, they are forever grateful.
All dogs are taken to a veterinarian for a check up, brought up to date on all shots, heartworm checked, and spayed or neutered and dentals (if needed).
Home checks are used as an aid in ensuring that we are placing the right rescue in the right home.
We hope that you will consider adopting one of our shelties. If you have any questions, please feel free to email any questions you may have.
Our support doesn’t end when one of our Shelties is adopted. We value long-term relationships with our adopters, and we stay in touch as long as the dog is alive.
Mission Statement
Shetland Sheepdog Placement Services of New Jersey (SSPSNJ) rescues shelties/sheltie mixes from situations that are abusive, endangering or neglectful, or rescues those in danger of being euthanized at area shelters/pounds; assists owners willing to keep their dogs or finds new homes for their dogs as an alternate to placing the dog in a public shelter or animal control facility. SSPSNJ seeks to provide necessary veterinary care to dogs in our care while they foster with approved families; places rescued animals into permanent adoptive homes; promotes the importance of spaying/neutering companion animals, and educates the public on ways to help prevent animal cruelty. We educate about proper care of shelties/sheltie mixes – grooming demos, our newsletter with health care topics, and good citizen skills training.
The Shetland Sheepdog Placement Services of NJ is a New Jersey based rescue. We place Shelties in New Jersey. If you live outside the area that we place Shelties, please go to either the National Sheltie Rescue Association’s website https://nationalsheltierescueassociation.org/groups.html or Sheltie Nation’s website https://sheltienation.com/rescue-a-sheltie/ and check out their rescue pages. They list rescues by state and you should be able to find a rescue near you.
Message from our President:
If you feel the need to rehome your pet, please DO NOT give your pet to a random person on FB, or Craig’s List. People troll these sites looking for snake food (kittens, bunnies, small animals), bait dogs/cats for training fighting dogs, etc. Yes there are good folks on FB but there are a lot of bad as well. Do you really want to spend the time doing reference checks and background checks to figure this out?
If you need to rehome your pet, this is what you should do IN THIS ORDER:
- Contact the breeder or the RESCUE where that pet came from. A good breeder or rescue will have IN THE CONTRACT that the animal goes back to them if you can no longer care for your pet. If there is no contract, or there is no ‘take back’ clause in the contract, then you are not dealing with an ethical breeder or rescue. Do your homework better next time you get a pet.
- If the breeder or rescue will not take the pet back, CONTACT A BREED-SPECIFIC RESCUE. Most breed-specific rescues will take back a mixed breed dog that looks to have some of the breed characteristics. A breed-specific rescue understands the breed’s quirks and can best evaluate an appropriate new home. You can contact the local breed club to find a breed-specific rescue – they will steer you in the right direction.
- Finally, contact a rescue that takes any breed of pet, or a no-kill shelter, to take the pet.
If you surrender your pet to a rescue, consider making a donation to that rescue to help cover the costs of rehoming your pet. A good rescue will catch your pet up on any vetting they need, and will also work with your pet on any training they are lacking to set them up for success in their adoptive home.
SSPSNJ is a proud affiliate of the National Sheltie Rescue Association. The National Sheltie Rescue Association (NSRA) supports Sheltie rescue efforts across the United States and Canada and establishes best practices that all member rescues agree to follow. As an NSRA member, we are a trusted partner with other regional Sheltie rescues and collaborate with them to screen out-of-state applicants, share knowledge, and support large-scale rescue efforts.
Sign up for our quarterly Newsletter and special event/promo announcements. Send us an email with your name and email address. We’ll add you to our email list. Email: info@njsheltierescue.org
Summer 2026 NJ Sheltie Rescue
Review Newsletter
We would love to share stories and photos from our supporters.
Email us: info@njsheltierescue.org. Include your story and photos.