reprinted from The Wheeply, the newsletter of The Home for Unwanted and Abandoned Guinea Pigs, Summer 1997 issue

 How do you start a Guinea Pig Rescue? It is surprising yet refreshing how many letters ask The Home this question. 

Some considerations before getting underway:
Best way to help: Are you sure this is the best use of the time you have available to help animals? The countless hours you will expend to help just one animal is time you might have spent writing letters to the editor, that might affect many. On the other hand, your time and effort will make all the difference in the world to that individual guinea pig whose life you save and protect.
Time available: How much time do you have to put into phone calls, cage-cleaning, grooming, medical treatments, vet runs, and rescuing? 
Adoption preparations: It is a great disservice to take in animals only to adopt them to inferior or impermanent homes. Your adoption program must be top-notch and include screening application, contract, and follow-up. Each adoption is a long-term responsibility; be prepared to take back any adopted guinea pig.
Shelter planning: Only plan to take in as many as you can take good care of. Plan how you will keep residents from breeding. 

Getting started then is a matter of getting referral sources.
Contacts: Make contacts at veterinary offices, humane societies, animal control centers, and wildlife facilities. All of these will gladly refer calls to you, especially if they don’t handle guinea pigs themselves. You will need to have, in advance, at least one guinea pig expert vet for your rescues’ medical needs. 
Publicize: Print and spread around business cards. A newspaper or magazine article will let many more people know that your charity is in operation. Put your address or phone number on the Internet only if you can deal with a deluge of letters and long distance calls. 

Last, to get started as a guinea pig rescue operation, don’t neglect legal considerations such as registering your name, tax consequences of taking donations, animal control ordinances, and zoning laws. 

Once you get started, these materials may help you
(click on to see):
Release ("give up") form (for taking in rescues)
How to Adopt Out a Guinea Pig
Guinea Pig Adoption Application (actual usable form)
Guinea Pig Adoption Contract (real usable form)
Foster Home Contract (usable form)
Landlord letter (to confirm approval for tenant to have pet) 
 

Postscript, 2003: 
WHAT IS A GOOD GUINEA PIG RESCUE?

Not everyone calling herself a "guinea pig rescue" has a legitimate and responsible program.  Some are just good-hearted people who get guinea pigs from shelters so they aren't euthanized, and then give them away, without a screening application and adoption contract.  Some are well-meaning beginners who quickly get in over their heads by taking in too many animals to take proper care of.   I have always been very careful about referring anyone to another rescuer or shelter and did not do it unless I had a lot of evidence that the place or person performed up to The Home's standard.  The Home warns against trusting a rescue person, program, or organization, without checking out its procedures and policies. 

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