Adopt
Meet your new best friend.
Vetting is done and you go home with starter supplies when you adopt. Adoption fees vary, but we do not make a profit on them.
No-kill · All volunteer · New Jersey
A real home first. Then the right one.
We pull dogs out of overcrowded shelters and place them with fosters until a family is actually a match. Every dog is vetted. Fostering is free.
501(c)(3) · No shelter building · No government funding · NJ, PA, DE & NY
Foster-based on purpose.
Waggy Butts & Happy Mutts is a dog rescue run entirely by volunteers. Dogs live in homes, not a kennel building, so we learn who they actually are before anyone adopts them.
We work mainly in New Jersey and place dogs with fosters and adopters across NJ, PA, DE, and NY. Care is covered by the rescue: vaccines, spay or neuter, microchip, and whatever medical work that dog needs.
- Spay or neuter
- Age-appropriate vaccines
- Microchip
- Leash and collar
Foster
We have no building. We have you.
Fostering is free. We send food, supplies, and vet care. Apartment or house, yard or none, kids or cats - we match the dog to the home you already have.
More of the dogs.
A few we’ve taken in.
Fees that fund the hard cases.
We don’t profit on adoptions. A higher fee on an easy-to-place dog pays for the senior, the medical case, and the one who needs more time.
Donate
We operate solely on donations.
No grants. No national group behind us. Gifts pay for food, vet bills, and the next dog we can pull. Any amount helps, and we’ll send a receipt if you ask.
501(c)(3) determination letterFor a receipt, email alexis@waggybuttshappymutts.org.
A lot of the work is remote.
Transports, applications, posts, follow-ups. If you love dogs and have a few hours, there is a job that is not “please take a puppy home tonight” ... though that one is open too.
Need to rehome a dog?
Surrender is a hard call. If we can take the dog, we will. If we can’t, we’ll try to point you somewhere that can. Start with the intake form so we know who they are.
Alexis
Meet the Founder
Hi, I’m Alexis. I started Waggy Butts & Happy Mutts when I was 24. I fostered and volunteered for other rescues and shelters, and I decided I wanted to start my own. I have three dogs of my own and have fostered over 200. I love my volunteers and the people who make this rescue possible.
Write us.
Adoption questions, foster matching, receipts, or a dog who needs out of a shelter this week.