Bluebonnet Animal Rescue Network (BARN) was founded in 2013 to help animals in North Texas, and especially in the Texoma area. We are an IRS-designated 501(c)(3) non-profit tax-exempt organization, so your donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. We do not have an expensive facility to maintain nor do we have any paid staff, so all donations go directly to the care of the animals we rescue. Our volunteers have spent years rescuing an assortment of animals -- from a vulture with a broken wing to feral cats to dogs who were dumped in our rural area. We fostered for another organization for a few years before forming BARN. We focus on farm-friendly dogs, including livestock guardian breeds such as Great Pyrenees, Akbash, and Anatolian Shepherd. While we focus on livestock guardian breeds, we don't strictly limit our intake to any breed or size, so please be sure to take a look at all of our available pets to see if your next best friend may be here waiting for you! We are always looking for more volunteers, including foster homes. And of course, as a non-profit organization, we always appreciate donations of time, services, dollars, and supplies. We usually have a LOT of big dogs in foster, and grooming appointments are expensive, so we are especially glad to have volunteers help us with this task. We would also be glad to have your help spreading the word about Bluebonnet Animal Rescue -- through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or any other social media you use. Give us a call and let us know how you would like to help! BARN is based at Windsong Ranch in Whitewright, TX. This is a private, working ranch, so visits are by appointment only.
In order to be considered as an adopter, you must be 21 years of age or older. If renting or leasing your home or apartment, you must have the prior consent of your landlord. The first step in our adoption process is for a potential adopter to fill out our online application. The information provided in the application will help us to assist you in making the best choice for your family and individual situation. PLEASE NOTE: The service we subscribe to for our applications does not work well with mobile devices, so we recommend that you use a PC or laptop computer to complete the application. We've had several folks tell us that when they complete the application on their phone or iPad, they get to the end and can't submit. We know that's frustrating. If you don't have access to a PC, send us an e-mail message and we can mail a printed application to you. Upon receipt of your application, we will take the following steps: Call your veterinarian for a reference check. We will verify with your vet that your current dog/s are up-to-date on annual vaccines, have been spayed/neutered, have had annual heartworm tests, and are on heartworm prevention. Call or e-mail any references that you list on the application. Perform a home visit. This is so that we can meet you in person if we have not already done so, and to ensure that you have a safe and secure environment for the animal, and to determine whether your fencing is adequate to contain the animal that you are interested in adopting. Have a "meet and greet" with the dog and adopter together. This is to determine if the adoption is a good match. If you have one or more dogs already, we will include them in the meet and greet. If your vet/reference checks and home visit are all approved, then we will schedule a time to complete the adoption. Sometimes, this is done at the same time as the home visit. Other times, you may come to Windsong Ranch to pick up the dog and complete the paperwork.