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Several people here have voiced their lack of regard for rescues because they have had a "bad" experience with one or two rescues. You have variously asserted that you are experienced, good, caring dog people who just want a dog to provide a good home to. What do you think every applicant for a dog says? That they are going to lock the dog in a crate 12 hours a day, feed it crap food, not train it, never exercise it, or surrender it as soon as said dog doesn't live up to the adopter's expectations? People who work in rescue have heard it all- horror stories from friends, relatives, people at work who through the normal course of conversation think it is appropriate to throw a puppy against a wall and break its jaw because it looked at owner's sandwich, dogs who live in garages, people who think that frightened confused dogs need to be taught who is boss, people who work 15 hours a day so their dog lives in the backyard, someone who withholds vet care because she is saving for her wedding- all of these conversations and more heard at work from otherwise decent people who would say they absolutely LOVE their dogs and are good owners.
How do you suggest rescues ensure a good home for a dog if not to ask a potential adopter to complete paperwork? And if you don't have time to fill out that paperwork or to drive to see a dog then how do you imagine you will make a good dog owner?
Unfortunately, many-not all, but many- rescues are made up of average dog lovers who don't really have formal experience either with training or behavioral issues. This is hopefully changing. I absolutely take issue with rescues who are just "warehousing" dogs until they can find them homes or irresponsible rescues who engage in disreputable practices, BUT- at least most of them are trying to do something to help, no matter their lack of experience or judgment. I have gone toe to toe and had drag out fights with the founders of rescues who have done utterly thoughtless and irresponsible things, and I have volunteered with what I came to learn was an irresponsible rescue. But I don't regret a minute of it because it isn't supposed to be about ME it is about helping the dogs.
Ask anybody who owns a dog or who wants a dog if they will be a good dog owner and they will say yes of course, but the fact is that about 75% of the population who owns a dog or who want a dog have absolutely no idea what it takes to actually provide a dog with what it needs to be happy and thrive. So forgive me if I don't buy that all the people who are denied adoption have been denied on ridiculous, arbitrary, or frivolous grounds. I know better. Someone out there is surrendering their dogs when it becomes inconvenient or when they become unmanageable because a "good and experienced" dog owner doesn't want to train their dog or doesn't recognize that their dog didn't bite because it was "dominant" but because it was terrified and after trying hard to tell its owner that the dog's final recourse to protect itself was to bite.
Several people who work/volunteer with rescues or shelters have posted here about the difficulties they face, but not a single person here, having been made aware of this has said "how can I help"?
So- you should all be grateful that we are looking out for these dogs; we may not be doing it in the way that you joe public would like because you didn't get the dog you wanted, but at least we have the dog's best interests at heart which is more than I can say for some of you who posted.
Let me say this loud and clear because apparently nobody has taken the time to actually read the posts from people like me who volunteer in rescue::::
IT ISN'T ABOUT YOU GETTING THE FLUFFY DOG YOU HAVE YOUR HEART SET ON; IT IS ABOUT GETTING THE DOG A GOOD SAFE FOREVER HOME.
So if you really have the dog's best interests at heart, then you have a number of choices including 1) understanding that we just want what is best for the dog and hard as it is for you to swallow, that best thing might not be YOU in this particular case with this particular dog, 2) volunteering for a local rescue to try to gain an understanding of what rescues are trying to accomplish and gain insight into what the challenges are, 3) try to understand that we are all imperfect people who are doing a difficult job in trying to take care of dogs that have been abandoned, were objects of torture/cruelty, whose owners died, or who weren't properly cared for, and have compassion and empathy because if you don't have that then no you don't deserve to adopt a dog.
You have a point however rescues doing things so stupidly turns many people off to using rescues and just go buy a puppy mill dog so they are also shooting themselves in the foot and going against their mission
I have owned dogs my whole life. I am 40 and there has never been a time whereI have not had a dog in my life.
My current dog is 14 and I have had him since he was 5 months old. I drove from MN to IN just to go get him from a shelter there.
I live in a large home with a fenced in backyard.
I am not set on any particular dog - I just want A puppy that is a female.
Gee.....I must be a horrible adopter!
I don't also don't agree that the dog does not matter. I want to meet the dog because I am a firm believer that the dog picks it family, not the other way around. So I want to meet the dog to see how it feels about US.
I never said you're a horrible adopter. Quit putting words in my mouth. I said there might have been something that was a red flag. Not the same at ALL.
Some rescues have certain "things" that are red flags. Some might not adopt to you if you have a doggie door, some might not adopt to you if you don't have a doggie door. Some don't like dogs to be crated. Some insist that dogs have crates available to them. Some may not adopt to you if you rent. A big red flag is if you put a monetary limit on how much you'll spend in an emergency.
You DO understand that EVERYBODY wants female puppies, right? Maybe you were just another application in a long line of applicants that want a female puppy.
You want to meet the dog based on LOOKS on the internet. You know nothing about the personality, but like the look. The rescue group does know that dog, and quite possibly you weren't a good fit.
I've never let my dog pick me (whatever that even means). I trust the rescue group knows the dogs, sees my criteria, and we go from there. I compete at the highest level of a dog sport, and all of my dogs are great at it, and are the best dogs ever. So I respectfully disagree with you - the particular dog does not matter, in my opinion.
You did read my post where I said I did volunteer at one time, right?
I'm not complaining about any organization nor am I badmouthing them, except to say that sometimes they have regulated and red-taped themselves out of potential adopters. If this were not the case, would so many people be so frustrated with rescue groups? How many times do we see folks complaining about rescues and then we wonder why they choose to buy a puppy from the ad in the paper. IMO this is why the back-yard breeders and puppy mills are still in business, because it's easy to get a dog from them.
It's not right, but that is the way it is.
I know the work that volunteers do, I understand and commisserate and even applaud those who can be fosters - however not everyone can do it. I choose to contribute in other ways (donations, etc) - I guess that's not good enough, though, is it?
Some of the volunteers posting here perhaps need to rethink things a bit. If the volunteers are too busy to help these dogs find FOREVER homes by responding to emails and requests for information, perhaps something is wrong. Shouldn't that be the first priority for these dogs? To find permanent homes?
Ah well...this is why I no longer volunteer with the organizations - the need for so many of the volunteers to be martyrs of sorts. The dogs are the ones who suffer. I'll continue to adopt my dogs from shelters.
This sums it up!
My experience has been that many rescues are trying to find a perfect Ozzie and Harriet (the best parts of them) home for dogs without realizing that perfection isn't a reality. In the end to quote above "The dogs are the ones who suffer."! It is very interesting to note the bold comment above. This closely parallels the human adoption program problem and is why so many are going "Offshore" to adopt children when so many good children are right here that need good families!
I'm sure that there are some good rescues out there but as others have pointed out many are turning into nothing but problems in finding homes for dogs. Again I'll use the example of the one of 5 that did even answer my email but over two months later and is supposed to be a reputable rescue. They had 20 dogs when I contacted them and when they finally answered had 90+ dogs. They will eventually either run out of funds to maintain those dogs, have some euthanized anyhow, or they most likely will in secret bend their own rules and start making decisions that everyone (or most everyone) is an acceptable applicant until they get that 90+ back down to a realistic level!
As I said before don't give up totally on rescue groups but don't rely on them to be the only place to find your next family member.
While many people are willing to adopt, some don't have the time (or the ability) to volunteer. For me, I could never foster because the reality is, the foster would be adopted - by ME! I simply am not made to be a temporary mom.
The point is, volunteering takes an emotional toll too. And some people simply are not able to do that.
So you can't foster. OK, fine. There are so many other things that need doing. From many of the psots I've seen on this and other thread one of the biggest complaints is that rescues do a poor job of replying to inquiries. So volunteer to handle the email and help get prompt replies to those who are interested in adopting, or want to surrender a pet, or need help with an expensive medical procedure, or want to report a lost or found dog, or one in terrible living conditions, or who want to know about the low cost spay/neuter program, etc. etc. etc.
If that's too much of a time commitment then see about helping out for a couple of hours on a Saturday when they do adoption events at Petsmart, Petco or other local venues. Do they hold yard sales to raise money? Offer to help collect stuff from friends, co-workers, family, neighbors to donate to the sale.
Ever donate money or goods to a group and receive a little thank you card and receipt? Someone has to take the time to do those.
I'd hate to tell you how many times I've heard someone tell us "Oh, I'd love to foster". Rather than get excited I've learned to wait for the "BUT" where they then apologetically say that they would not be able to give them up, it would be too emotional. The last person who said that to me got a rather nasty reply. I told her that she shouldn't apologize to me, she should go down to the pound and tell it to the dogs who were a day or two away from being killed. I do accept the fact that not everyone has the time and energy to foster but to claim that it would simply take too much of an emotional toll is no excuse in my book. Don't waste my precious time telling me what you can't do. Tell me that you crochet beautiful scarves and you want to donate half a dozen for us to sell at out both at the upcoming craft fair, or that you can come once a month for two hours to help at an adoption event, or that you'll come for an hour every other Tuesday an spend 20 minutes with each of my foster dogs, teaching them to walk nicely on a loose leash, or to do a cool trick, or to help me get pictures for their bios on Petfinder, or, or, or,.....
The one job we all hate is going to the pound on a Monday morning after two foster dogs have gone to new forever homes and so we can take in two more. Walking down the row of cages and seeing a dozen nice dogs and knowing that you have to chose just two is just awful. I've had a couple of times when I just could not let a couple of dogs stay and pulled 4 instead of the two I was supposed to. That brought me up to 5 foster dogs, in addition to the six of my own that I had to care for.
If you think that saying farewell to a living foster dog who is going to a good home is tough try saying sorry to the dogs who are going to be euthanized in a day or two, put in big black plastic trash bags and taken across the yard to the "transfer station", the dump, and thrown in with the rest of the garbage.
I never said you're a horrible adopter. Quit putting words in my mouth. I said there might have been something that was a red flag. Not the same at ALL.
Some rescues have certain "things" that are red flags. Some might not adopt to you if you have a doggie door, some might not adopt to you if you don't have a doggie door. Some don't like dogs to be crated. Some insist that dogs have crates available to them. Some may not adopt to you if you rent.
This is a large problem with the way rescue operations function! Many place too many restrictions on who they will adopt to instead of finding a "Forever Home" for the pet. Every dog is different and regardless of the breed many would most likely be very happy and adapt well to whatever their environment is as long as the new parent provides love, attention, and fills the pets basic needs. Even a large and active breed dog can become a house dog with daily walks and other time outside as possible for the new parent. Instead rescues concentrate more on what they believe is the best environment for the pet even when they themselves don't know the pet itself regardless if they are fostering it.
A big red flag is if you put a monetary limit on how much you'll spend in an emergency.
Those that place an honest answer the rescues don't like and are the ones that are denied. Even the prospective parent's attitude may very well change when the need for more expensive care is required. Pets have a very excellent way of working themselves into peoples hearts and many who might not have thought they could afford the additional care actually go out of their ways to help their four legged family members, even when they must do without. They may well be the best parents but are denied by some arbitrary and ignorant question. Also taking this attitude during the adoption process is ridiculous as further medical or other needs might never happen. As a result the prospective parent gets denied anyway!
Now on that same topic anyone that wants a pet can easily game the system by answering the question(s) the way you want. How do you as a rescue weed out the liars from the rest and do it accurately? One supposedly reputable rescue here had a question on their application asking if I had $10,000.00 in the bank to help pay for future medical costs. Obviously it's none of their damn business but if a liar answers yes how do you check that out? As a rescue do you start asking for in depth financial information or for other questions certification from a licensed Psychiatrist the person has no traits or propensity of turning into an animal abuser?
You DO understand that EVERYBODY wants female puppies, right? Maybe you were just another application in a long line of applicants that want a female puppy.
Certainly not everybody!
You want to meet the dog based on LOOKS on the internet. You know nothing about the personality, but like the look. The rescue group does know that dog, and quite possibly you weren't a good fit.
What does it matter to a rescue that a person likes the looks of a particular dog? If a person likes the looks of their dog they can be more proud of that dog. Being more proud of that dog may, and I expect would, have a much more positive effect on how the dog is treated and raised and whether that person keeps that dog until they pass on years and years later. If the person likes the looks of a Labrador are you going to say "No it's not a good fit because you're more of a Jack Russell type person"? This is a clear display of the "God Like" attitude that some rescues seem to take and results in long foster and adoption times!
I've never let my dog pick me (whatever that even means). I trust the rescue group knows the dogs, sees my criteria, and we go from there. I compete at the highest level of a dog sport, and all of my dogs are great at it, and are the best dogs ever. So I respectfully disagree with you - the particular dog does not matter, in my opinion.
"(whatever that even means)"??? Everybody has their own way of picking out a dog that they want "Forever". For some that means a dog that might approach them, might immediately want to sit on their lap or smother them with kisses, etc., etc., etc. Dogs are extremely smart and hammy5 most likely realizes that and the FACT that if the dog was willing to approach them, or do whatever it was that made this person select the dog, then a bond, even a simple and fragile one, has been immediately created and can be worked with to make that dog a valuable PART of the family and not just a thing to put out in the yard and enjoy when they want to.
BTW I use the same philosophy as hammy5 for finding a dog to be part of my family!
The particular type of dog DOES matter to those of us who want a family member and not something to enter into competitions! Us that want a family member typically don't care if the dog has a command vocabulary that rivals the human language. All we are looking for is a great dog to love and be loved back.
Responses in blue above. This is a clear example of why so many people do not go to rescues and why so many puppy mills are in business!
Responses in blue above. This is a clear example of why so many people do not go to rescues and why so many puppy mills are in business!
Yea, 'cause my competition dogs aren't members of my family. Whatever.
So, when will you be starting your own rescue? You seem to have all the answers on how it should be done best. I'm thinking you should start your own rescue, and then you can do things however you want. Just like every rescue out there does.
So you can't foster. OK, fine. There are so many other things that need doing. From many of the psots I've seen on this and other thread one of the biggest complaints is that rescues do a poor job of replying to inquiries. So volunteer to handle the email and help get prompt replies to those who are interested in adopting, or want to surrender a pet, or need help with an expensive medical procedure, or want to report a lost or found dog, or one in terrible living conditions, or who want to know about the low cost spay/neuter program, etc. etc. etc.
If that's too much of a time commitment then see about helping out for a couple of hours on a Saturday when they do adoption events at Petsmart, Petco or other local venues. Do they hold yard sales to raise money? Offer to help collect stuff from friends, co-workers, family, neighbors to donate to the sale.
Ever donate money or goods to a group and receive a little thank you card and receipt? Someone has to take the time to do those.
I'd hate to tell you how many times I've heard someone tell us "Oh, I'd love to foster". Rather than get excited I've learned to wait for the "BUT" where they then apologetically say that they would not be able to give them up, it would be too emotional. The last person who said that to me got a rather nasty reply. I told her that she shouldn't apologize to me, she should go down to the pound and tell it to the dogs who were a day or two away from being killed. I do accept the fact that not everyone has the time and energy to foster but to claim that it would simply take too much of an emotional toll is no excuse in my book. Don't waste my precious time telling me what you can't do. Tell me that you crochet beautiful scarves and you want to donate half a dozen for us to sell at out both at the upcoming craft fair, or that you can come once a month for two hours to help at an adoption event, or that you'll come for an hour every other Tuesday an spend 20 minutes with each of my foster dogs, teaching them to walk nicely on a loose leash, or to do a cool trick, or to help me get pictures for their bios on Petfinder, or, or, or,.....
The one job we all hate is going to the pound on a Monday morning after two foster dogs have gone to new forever homes and so we can take in two more. Walking down the row of cages and seeing a dozen nice dogs and knowing that you have to chose just two is just awful. I've had a couple of times when I just could not let a couple of dogs stay and pulled 4 instead of the two I was supposed to. That brought me up to 5 foster dogs, in addition to the six of my own that I had to care for.
If you think that saying farewell to a living foster dog who is going to a good home is tough try saying sorry to the dogs who are going to be euthanized in a day or two, put in big black plastic trash bags and taken across the yard to the "transfer station", the dump, and thrown in with the rest of the garbage.
I DO donate - money, food, blankets, whatever I can.
I have also volunteered with a breed-specific rescue group answering emails (among other things) that STILL went unanswered because the organizational "managers" couldn't decide who's responsibility it was to respond to me (someone within their own organization)! Potential adopters were emailing me about dogs they wanted to adopt, and the dogs' foster families or the person who was put "in charge" of those dogs would not respond. I couldn't answer questions because of bureaucratic BS. If the rescue groups you work with don't have that problem, that's wonderful! And I hope they are having much success. But I suspect that many do have that exact problem or we wouldn't see so many folks being frustrated by the processes.
I'm glad that you are able to care for many dogs and then let them go. I can't. But I still help in whatever ways I can. Again, I guess that's just not good enough, though, is it?
Yea, 'cause my competition dogs aren't members of my family. Whatever.
So, when will you be starting your own rescue? You seem to have all the answers on how it should be done best. I'm thinking you should start your own rescue, and then you can do things however you want. Just like every rescue out there does.
Get back to me when the real world hits.
We need more rescue operations just like we need more animals that are not spayed or neutered!
The real world is here but rescues have not yet all joined it! Many people here on this forum from different States are also seeing the same many problems with rescue operations. Possibly you should create some type of association of rescues so you can spend your time coordinating efforts, change suggestions, etc., to make it a much better concept? Unfortunately as long as their are wannabe caped crusaders running around out there the problems with rescues will continue!
What I do not understand is why so many people think they can start a rescue and run their operation so much better than the SPCA, other major groups already out there, as well as the local shelters? All they are doing is duplicating efforts and spending funds and resources that can be much better utilized by working with the SPCA, other large groups out there, and local shelters. A great deal of money and volunteer time that can be used at the typical first line where the pets wind up.
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I simply am not made to be a temporary mom. 
