About Great Pyrenees Rescue of Western North Carolina
Twenty-six years of Great Pyrenees experience. More than a decade of rescue. One simple promise: whatever it takes.
This Didn’t Start With a Website
Long before Great Pyrenees Rescue of Western North Carolina had a name, a website or a formal rescue program, Charlie Fisher was already involved with the breed. Twenty-six years ago, he served as President of the Metro Atlanta Great Pyrenees Club.
After retiring, Charlie devoted himself more fully to Great Pyrenees rescue. In 2015, the current rescue began taking in unwanted, abandoned and surrendered Great Pyrenees from North Carolina and beyond.
Since then, hundreds of dogs have moved through the rescue network—some needing only a safe place to land, others needing medical care, rehabilitation, behavioral support or a sanctuary home.
Whatever It Takes
Rescue rarely follows a neat plan. Sometimes the answer is a foster home. Sometimes it is a transport chain, an emergency veterinarian, another rescue, a trainer, a donor or a friend who knows the right person to call.
We do not believe every dog can be helped in exactly the same way. We believe in learning the dog in front of us and finding the safest, most realistic path forward.
A Rescue Is a Network
Our work depends on fosters, adopters, veterinarians, transporters, volunteers, donors, partner rescues and people willing to make one phone call or open one door.
We don’t need a bigger rescue. We need a bigger network.
Every new person in that network gives another Great Pyrenees a chance.
We Take the Complicated Cases Seriously
Great Pyrenees are powerful livestock guardian dogs. Some arrive frightened, under-socialized, medically fragile or with serious behavior concerns. We have experience with resource guarding, bite histories and dogs who are not appropriate for a typical home.
That does not mean every difficult dog can—or should—be treated the same. Sometimes success means adoption. Sometimes it means an experienced foster. Sometimes it means long-term management or sanctuary. The goal is not to force every dog into the same ending. The goal is to give each dog the safest, best life we realistically can.
Our First Official Rescue
In 2015, a Great Pyrenees named Benny became one of the dogs who helped define what this rescue would become. He was renamed Buddy and remained part of the sanctuary family for the rest of his life.
Since then, the rescue has continued to grow through one dog, one foster, one adopter and one relationship at a time.
Beyond Western North Carolina
Although Western North Carolina is home, rescue does not stop at a county or state line. Over the years, dogs have come to us from across North Carolina and from much farther away when the right network could be assembled.
Sometimes we take the dog. Sometimes we help connect the people who can. Either way, the mission is the same: get the dog to the next safe place.
Sometimes a Story Becomes Part of the Story
CharlotteFive reporter Katie Toussaint once came to tell the story of the rescue. Over the years that followed, she and her family adopted five Great Pyrenees. What began as a reporting assignment became a lasting connection to the dogs and the rescue family.
The Next Dog Is Already Out There.
Adopt. Foster. Volunteer. Donate. Share. Make a connection. However you help, you become part of the network that makes the next rescue possible.