Meridian Canine Rescue is located in southwest Idaho. We became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2008 and started serving the Treasure Valley and surrounding areas.

As the needs of our community and the shelter dog population changed, we made it our mission to save lives through storytelling and education. Now, we focus on helping at-risk dogs with behavioral issues by providing rehabilitation and training at our facility and by offering free and low cost resources to their caregivers.

Our programs are designed to meet the needs of animals in order to optimize their overall health and well-being. We are a group of highly skilled handlers who love to talk about our work and show off the incredible progress our animals make through positive reinforcement (R+) training. As animal pros, we understand that you don’t know what you don’t know. That’s why we’re so passionate about sharing our knowledge, skills, and supplies with our local community. We want to see animals and their humans thriving together.

At a glance

Focus:

behavior support for animals and their humans

Areas served:

Pacific Northwest

Species:

canines, more coming soon!

Funding:

donations

We are committed to helping at-risk dogs.

Volunteer Tanner pictured here with adoptable dog Butterbean

Support our work

“For organizations that have noticed increases in euthanasia numbers, dog behavior was the most cited across all organization types and all areas served.”

— Shelter Animals Count, 2023

Our Programs

Image: dog Cinnamon (adopted) with her new family

Adoption

We love to help adopters select a dog who’s going to be a good fit for their family. We work closely with adopters to prepare for the dog’s arrival, transfer training skills, and support everyone long after adoption.

Behavior & Training

Behavior issues is a top reason why dogs are relinquished and/or euthanized. We provide holistic care and life skill training that is customized to each case and targets each dog’s unique needs.

Community Outreach

We can make a bigger impact by sharing our work with others. We offer free and low cost classes, presentations, workshops, and more in order to provide much-needed information and support to dog guardians.

Dog Care

Tiny home living, nutrition plans, custom enrichment activities, exercise and fitness — backed by the latest research and in collaboration with local professionals, we provide total care for dogs in our custody.

EPIC

In partnership with the Idaho Department of Correction, the Education Project for Inmates & Canines takes our standardized training program and combines it with professional skill development for humans.

Volunteer & Foster

Our team of volunteers and fosters support every area of our work and are dedicated to our cause. We offer a variety of positions, with training and opportunities for continued education along the way.