PARK RIDGE — Jeter, an 8-year-old chocolate Labrador retriever, slightly overweight with a skin tag the size of a chili pepper dangling from his chest, was not a dog rescue organizations would call easily adoptable. There were other younger, furrier pups out there with more pep in their step and fewer dermatological problems. But easily adoptable or not, Jeter needed a new home.

His owners, who had raised him from a puppy, were relocating from River Edge to Colorado and could not take Jeter along. For weeks they had been desperately trying to find Jeter a home because they knew the chances of him being adopted through a shelter were slim. Down to their last week in their home, the family's realtor, Elissa Enax of Friedberg Properties, called a friend, Ruth Tschudin, and told her of the situation.

Tschudin, an avid animal lover, founded Open Doors several years ago, a River Vale based organization that works to connect area animal rescue groups.

"The situation was a little hopeless," remembered Tschudin. "He was older, and he had some health problems, but thank goodness I had my cell [phone]."

Through her network, Halfway Hounds, a rescue organization based in Park Ridge was contacted and took in the lab. Jeter was placed in a foster home in Park Ridge with the LeCompte family and eventually found a permanent home in Sparkill.

There are many rescue groups in northern New Jersey, but Halfway Hounds, founded in 2009, is unique in its mission of rehabilitating dogs' behaviors before they are placed in a permanent home. "What we wanted to do was design a program to fill a gap, helping dogs that really needed to have their behaviors addressed and be obedience trained before they could be adopted," said the president of the group, Lynn Gregorski. She said that many times people adopt a rescue dog, but return it because they say the dog is out of control. By beginning training during the foster period, Halfway Hounds hopes to address that problem.

"What we do is the minute a dog is in a [rescue] program and they go to a foster home, the dog goes to that home with a trainer, and we put together a training plan for that dog," said Gregorski. The best thing anyone can do to control an overactive dog is to give it plenty of exercise. Dogs should be taken on at least two 30-minute walks a day, she says, to drain their energy and make them easier to train.

As the dog progresses through foster care and finds an adoptive home, the trainer will continue to work with the dog if necessary to make sure there no behavioral problems arise.

Carl Zive, who describes himself as a dog behaviorist, is the group's trainer. He studied in California with an apprentice of Cesar Millan, the "Dog Whisperer," and said that he takes a patient approach with every dog he trains.

In Jeter's case, a lot of patience was needed. Used to his home and family in River Edge, while at his foster home he went on what Zive called a "starvation diet," eating almost nothing for nearly a month. He lost about 12 pounds in two weeks.

Bark Ridge, a holistic dog food store in Park Ridge, donated treats and offered suggestions to get Jeter to eat. Behaviorists from the ASPCA and St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center also offered help. The hunger strike stretched to its 30th day, until Jeter ended it with a freeze-dried tripe patty. He was finally on his way to a new, healthier life.

"In Jeter's case, we had a dog with such separation anxiety that he stopped eating," said Gregorski. He needed surgery to remove the skin tag, and needed him to eat to be stable enough for surgery. "Sometimes it takes time to get these dogs through the program, but it is so worth it."

"This process requires patience," added Zive. "You can't push a dog through rehabilitation. In some cases, it's the first real stability a dog has had."

In recognition of their efforts, Open Doors honored Halfway Hounds with its first annual "Dog's Best Friend" award this summer. In addition to the award, Halfway Hounds was given $500 in support of its work and "Bark up the Right Tree," a book "written" by Jessie, Tschudin's own rescue dog.

Halfway Hounds' work would not be possible without the help of the foster families who volunteer to take an animal into their home and care for it, Gregorski said appreciatively. "Foster families are a critical part of rescue work. They give up anywhere from two to 12 weeks for an animal to be in a safe, loving environment before moving on to their permanent home. It makes a world of difference to these dogs."

To apply to become a foster care provider with Halfway Hounds, complete an application on the website halfwayhounds.org, or e-mail  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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