Compassionate Animal Rescue Efforts of Dutchess County

November 16, 2025

Animals, Business, Community, Non-Profit Organizations

Compassionate Animal Rescue Efforts of Dutchess County (CARE of DC) is a “No Kill” non-profit pet adoption agency formed in 2016. Founder Karen LeCain established CARE of DC after many years of successful animal rescue and placement. She has developed relationships with the area’s finest Veterinarians, sponsors, non-profit organizations, and more.

Karen has dedicated her life to ensure that all animals are given a chance at life, whether they’re found sick, afraid, injured or abandoned.

She is advanced in properly selecting the right applicants for the animals being adopted, in the best interests of the pet’s health, wellbeing, welfare, and happiness.

Our goal is to protect the welfare of animals and to promote the humane treatment and well being of our dogs, cats and other critters by:

Providing temporary shelter and medical care for stray and abandoned animals.
Engaging in humane treatment of animals, professionalism, compassion, overall safety and wellness.
Accepting only the most suitable and responsible adoption parents for the animals.
Promoting the spaying / neutering of cats and dogs to keep stray populations at minimum.
In full support of the prevention of cruelty to animals.

Our animals are available on a case by case basis. If you see a pet that you’re interested in adopting, please feel free to contact us for more information. All candidates are required to fill out an application and be interviewed prior to adoption placements.

Our adoption fee for puppies/adult dogs is $400 and the adoption fee for senior dogs (over 5 years old) is $350. That includes the dog being spayed or neutered, up to date on age-appropriate vaccines, HW tested and microchipped.

Our adoption fee for kittens under 1 year is $200 and the adoption fee for cats 2 years or older is $150. That includes being spayed or neutered, up to date on age-appropriate vaccines, FIV/FELV tested and microchipped.

Compassionate Animal Rescue Efforts of Dutchess County is located in Wappingers Falls, and we are proud to work closely with animal caregivers and pet adoption candidates in the Poughkeepsie, NY area and beyond.

If you’d like to make a donation to assist in animal care, please visit our Donations page. We are a 501 (c)(3) organization registered in the state of New York.