Regardless of their conditions when they arrive at our facility, we take great care to ensure that our rescued SAs are clean and germ-free before they enter the general SARF population.

Our Process

1. Each SA is ‘quarantined’ in a separate sealed plastic bag for one week.

2. Next, we wash the SAs in the washing machine with hot water and fragrance-free detergent. We use special cotton bags to protect their delicate parts from scratches and tears.

We occasionally spot-treat with OxyClean prior to washing if there are any stains or bruises that need to be addressed. For major refurbishing, we may bathe the SA in OxyClean for a few hours prior to washing.

3. After machine washing, we inspect any trouble spots and address as necessary. We give them a good brushing to untangle any matted fur.

4. After they’re deemed clean and stain-free, we dry them in the dryer on high heat. We use dyer static balls – never dryer sheets!

5. For the final cleaning step, we freeze them for 48 hours.

6. Now they’re ready to be photographed and listed on the site!

Once these steps are complete, the SAs are released into the general SARF population where they can begin getting to know other residents and can take advantage of all of the services and activities The SARF has to offer while they’re anxiously awaiting adoption.

Note:

We assure you that the SAs are comfortable during the entire process. Most of them describe the experience as rather spa-like. Some have described it as a spiritual, as well as physical, cleansing. We make sure they are accompanied by veteran SA ‘cleaning Sherpas’ throughout each step. These guides are trained to deal with any situation that arises, be it claustrophobia, the rare inter-SA tussle, or just a very curious SA with a lot of questions about the process.