Ohio Cattle Dog Rescue Team
Australian Cattle Dogs have always found themselves in shelters, as many people do not do proper research on the breed before acquiring an ACD. The need to have a network for them in Ohio is great. While Ohio Cattle Dog Rescue Team may be a newly formed group (mid 2014), this team has many years involved in rescue dating back to 2003. OCDRT Board Members backgrounds in animal control fields, business ownership fields, & the pet industry; all have been through the adoption process with other Rescues.
OCDRT takes in ACDs primarily from shelters. Owner surrenders are considered on a case by case basis, if we have room. If you want to surrender your ACD, please contact us; maybe we can assist you with keeping your ACD in its own home first. After OCDRT takes in an ACD, OCDRT then completes all the vetting, does evaluations, does necessary training and when the ACD is ready, offers them for adoption to approved homes via the adoption process. ACDs who find themselves in the shelter may be there for any number of reasons and most often it is through no fault of their own. This breed is not for everyone; they are very cute as puppies, but when they start to herd / mouth / bark / ignore their person to do what pleases them (sometimes they are simply deaf), many people become overwhelmed and give the puppy away or surrender them to a shelter. These behaviors are all normal ACD behaviors; however, most people do not want to deal with the intelligence that comes along with this sometimes stubborn breed that will take over a home if allowed.
Our fosters are normally older pups or young adults. We are often asked if the adult will bond with its new family and our answer is always ‘YES!’ This breed is very loyal and will typically pick one person in the family to shadow, but will interact with all in the family. When you adopt an adult, you skip all the ‘unknowns’ that come with a puppy. The adult’s size, color, looks and temperament are known; a puppy is a blank slate. Breeding and how the pup is raised/socialized will determine what kind of adult that puppy will become. If you still think you want a puppy, please know we do not adopt our puppies out until they are 16 weeks of age so we can have them altered / vaccinated and start a very strong foundation in socialization and training. ACDs need tremendous amounts of each and they will test you nearly every day.
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Board of Directors
Corene Kandel - Chairman of the Board, Director, & Treasurer
Ohio Cattle Dog Rescue Team founder, Corene Kandel, has been active in Australian Cattle Dog rescue since 2003. She and her family have rescued and rehabilitated many ACDs, including several who are deaf, at the primary foster home of OCDRT, located in Creston, Ohio. Corene grew up working on horse farms and her professional background includes Quarter horse & Paso Fino, Breeding & training. She is the current City of Rittman Animal Control Officer and is also a small business owner in Rittman, Ohio. Corene’s achievements include successful completion of the Humane Agent Training Course. She received the Jack Russell Memorial for Outstanding Rescuer of the Year award in October of 2012 and the “Put Your Best Foot Forward” customer service grant awarded by maggiesfund.org and the Petfinder.com Foundation.
Corene’s first ACD rescue was Blink, a beautiful red girl. Sadly, at the age of 13, Blink succumbed to lymphoma and passed over the Rainbow Bridge in April of 2014. Blink’s love and devotion to Corene and her family is what drives her to give so much of her time and energy towards rescuing and rehabilitating ACDs in need. Corene’s current ACD Mason, who is deaf, is the official greeter, observer and interaction resource when new rescues arrive at the “Creston Corral” as her home is fondly referred to. The Corral is a dog’s dream, with over an acre of fenced in grassy play area, complete with indoor/outdoor kennels, dog pool and numerous toys & activities. Corene has another ACD, Trance who came from a puppy mill seizure, and a large cat, Eddie, who helps the new fosters learn how to behave around cats. Corene is currently serving as Treasurer and Chairman of the Board.
JT Thompson - President
JT Thompson became interested in Australian Cattle Dogs when he was doing his research for a new addition to the family in 2004. He adopted Taz, and found that Taz was just what he had been looking for! Knowing that the breed is often misunderstood by no fault of their own, he became involved with rescue, including transports, dog evaluations, and fostering. JT is originally from North Carolina, where he raised and showed Bull Terriers as a young teen. He has over 15 years of sales experience in the pet industry, including the position of National Sales Manager, prior to owning and operating his own lawn care maintenance company in Columbus, Ohio. JT is a graduate of UNC Charlotte with a degree in business.
Jason Brouse - Vice President
Jason Brouse lives in Wayne County OH and has 2 ACDs whom he and his wife, Melissa, adopted from Corene when she was the Director of AuCaDo ACD Rescue Ohio. They also have 2 horses and many chickens to expose the foster dogs to. They have helped extensively over the years with adopting, transports, fostering, and volunteering for events. Jason works for a large auto Dealership and is a Certified Master Technician & his wife works for one of the largest Pharmacy’s in North East Ohio, managing one of their retail locations. They specialize in fostering deaf ACDs and the younger fosters and their 2 ACDs help with the foundation and social skills with their fosters. Jason brings extensive experience in the public relations field, dog handling field, along with transports and fundraising. Jason is currently serving as Vice President.
Diane Thompson - Secretary
Diane Thompson is honored to be affiliated with Ohio Cattle Dog Rescue Team! She has been involved with various rescues since the early 1990’s, but her love and understanding of her two cattle dogs led to her involvement with OCDRT, including transports, and fostering! She currently serves as Secretary and Event Coordinator with six area team members and their local volunteers throughout Ohio and Western PA. Diane has attended the Humane State of Ohio Shelter/Rescue Training seminar, and is looking forward to more educational seminars! She was a District Manager in the pet industry with an internationally known dog and cat food company before joining the family lawn care business. Diane is a graduate of the Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.
Heidi Holzapfel - Marketing & Technology Coordinator
Heidi Holzapfel lives in Pittsburgh, PA. She is a graduate of The Ellis School, and a two-time graduate of Syracuse University, obtaining both a Bachelor’s and Masters of Business Administration in Entrepreneurship. She is the owner of the Soggy Doggy Shop in Wexford, PA which specializes in all-natural dog care, treats, foods, and enrichment toys. Heidi’s love for ACD’s began with a sweet foster-failure dog from a local shelter. Rocky showed Heidi the amazing nature of ACD’s and she was hooked! Heidi soon adopted Gunner through Corene and is so happy to be his person. Heidi has also been awarded OCDRT’s Volunteer of the Year award, due to her willingness to complete home support visits, attended seminars, and serve as the local events coordinator in the Pittsburgh area & is honored to be the newest Board Member.