Not the End - Just the Beginning

You'' never walk alone, our 'rightcare' is changing aftercare.

How the right care is reshaping what rescue aftercare can be!

At Saving Balkan Boxer Dogs, we’re always learning. Listening. Evolving.

And one of the biggest shifts we’ve made in recent years is this:

The moment a dog goes home isn’t the finish line. It’s the start of everything.

That’s why Step 10 of our adoption process—Check-In & Aftercare—isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s become a cornerstone. A place where we’re reshaping what rescue should be.

We Don’t Just Rehome Dogs. We Support Real Lives.

We know adoption isn’t always picture-perfect. Even when things start well, the journey can be messy, emotional, unpredictable—and deeply human.

That’s why Step 10 exists. It’s not about ticking boxes. It’s about staying connected. Holding space. And making sure our adopters never feel stranded.

Because if there’s one thing that breaks our hearts, it’s seeing dogs bounced around simply because the right support wasn’t there.

So, what does that support actually look like?

What You Can Expect from Us

Whether your dog came via van, foster, Kennels—or let’s be honest, from Jurassic Park (some definitely act like Dinosaurs in those first few months!)—you’ll get the same care:

• Check-ins to see how you’re settling in.

• Advice tailored to your dog, your pace, your reality.

• Guidance on settling, health, feeding, sleep, children, other pets.

• Realistic help with training and behaviour, with free resources and dog-listening support.

• Links to trusted specialists, if you want something more hands-on.

• A strong online community, where adopters share questions, setbacks, and joyful chaos with people who get it.

We know trust doesn’t end when the van doors close. It builds over time—and we stay around long enough to see it take root.

How Thornwood Is Helping Us Get It Right

Our team at Thornwood knows the front lines of post-rescue better than most.

This isn’t a fluffy boarding facility. It’s a space for real work—and real preparation. Some dogs arrive needing to decompress, re-learn trust, and start again. Others pass through briefly, staying just long enough to align with their new homes without being restricted by transport schedules.

But whether it’s a short stopover or a longer stay, the focus is always the same: calm, kind leadership. Hands-on, heart-first care. And a daily commitment to meeting dogs exactly where they are—while helping them take the next step forward.

But here’s the beautiful thing: everything we learn from Thornwood—every moment of progress, every wobble, every breakthrough—helps us shape what aftercare should look like for all our dogs.

It’s how we’re taking deep, specialist experience and making it accessible, compassionate, and useful to every adopter.

Even if your dog came straight to your door, you still benefit from the blueprint we’re building. It’s one of the reasons we have our Blog.

This Is What Raising the Bar Looks Like

Rescue isn’t just about saying yes to the next dog.

It’s about making sure we keep saying yes in the right way—with structure, with aftercare, and with the kind of leadership that makes a difference long after the hashtags fade.

It means not just reacting to problems, but preventing them—by educating adopters, offering guidance early, and making support feel like a safety net, not a spotlight.

We’re not doing it perfectly. But we are doing it differently. And it’s working.

What Comes Next?

As this part of the process grows, so does our vision.

We’re exploring new ways to check in without overwhelming you.

We’re developing clearer resources, informed guides, and bite-size support content in our blogs.

We’re investing in long-term solutions—not quick fixes.

And we’re continuing to listen. To dogs. To adopters. To the people who live this, every day.

Because changing rescue doesn’t mean reinventing everything. It means getting the foundations right—so dogs don’t just survive adoption. They thrive in it.

Thank you for being part of that vision.

Thank you for walking the long road—not just the first few steps.

We see you. We stand with you. And we’re always just a message away.

Debbie & Richard

"We'll always find space for one more."