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When I was looking for a dog, I put my criteria into Petfinder and started the application process.
Now I volunteer for the rescue where I got my dog. We rely heavily on Petfinder and Facebook to promote the available animals in our care. (We have a website as well but it's not updated every day). If you adopted a rescue dog, where did you first find them?
oregonwoodsmoke is a very knowledgeable dog owner so for her Craigslist was fine.
For most people Craigslist is the absolute worst place to find a dog. There are dog flippers and backyard puppy mill breeders on Craigslist by the hundreds. There are also some breeders/sellers/hoarders/flippers that are posing as legitimate rescues so you need to do your research on rescues.
If you want to go to a breeder, I would start at the AKC website, go to the page for your breed and then go to the breed club page that has breeders listed. Those breeders have agreed to subscribe to the clubs code of ethics, do the appropriate health screenings and are usually active in conformation or performance events. They won't be the cheapest dogs around but IMO they are your best chance for getting a healthy* dog and not supporting a backyard breeder or puppy mill.
*of course any dog can have a health or genetic issue even if the appropriate screenings are done. Some breeders will offer guarantees on certain conditions and refund money or replace the dog.
with our interest in two specific breeds of working/companion dogs, we checked PetFinder frequently for several years.
We were fortunate enough to find dogs that were "rescue" dogs in our region, and applied for many. In time, we adopted 7 dogs. 5 are still with us, 2 having passed on at very advanced age.
One of the biggest outfits that handled the LGD breed we have was headed by a Vet who had stringent guidelines for fencing and enclosure to keep them from wandering away … which they will do if they don't have a "job" (ie, a flock of sheep to watch over). Her requirements were targeted to a dog owner with acreage yet required an escape-proof enclosure complete with a roof or cover to keep the dog from jumping out and a concrete barrier footing below the fence to keep the dog from digging out. Unfortunately, the breed is sometimes purchased by folk for vanity reasons and kept in inappropriate situations (apartments, houses) without a "job" for them to do. As one might expect, these inappropriately located dogs typically become problem dogs and are repeatedly adopted out into similar poor circumstances. I'm happy to report that the lady has since retired from the "pet rescue" biz and turned it over to people with more realistic requirements for a working breed dog that needs space, a job, and freedom to do that job.
In fact, we found one such dog at our local pound two days before it was to be "put down". We got the backstory on the dog, it came from a reputable breeder but was kept in an apartment by it's long-haul truck driver owner. As the pup grew to adult size (about 100 lbs), it was a problem keeping it and the destructive behaviors forced the owner to take it to the pound. While the dog was reasonably "socialized" to humans, it had developed into an "unsafe around livestock" dog counter to it's LGD normal personality. The dog had been adopted out and returned from domestic house/family situations 7 times when we found it. Mrs Sun believed that the dog could be trained to be livestock safe and a good independent LGD. The pound visited our ranch and allowed that they'd give us a chance with the dog. We tried for a year to keep her, but could not trust her with livestock. She managed to escape her containment area several times and each time when she returned to her kennel area we'd go out and find dead livestock … either chomped on dead poultry, bitten dead lambs, or ewes that had been run to death. We, too, reluctantly had to return her to the pound, much as she was a beautiful conformation dog and well socialized with people. The pound workers remembered her when I dropped her off and filled out the paperwork while she was lapping up all the attention from workers and visitors in the lobby. She'd been ruined by inappropriate placements for her and there was no opportunity left for her … she couldn't be a housepet, couldn't be a working dog. The pound put her down the same day I returned her to them along with my $250 donation.
Much to our dismay, we find similar inappropriate placements by many well-intentioned but misguided "rescue" outfits. A nearby rescue to us had two Corgi pups (from different litters, but looked to be AKC quality bred dogs). One had been with an elderly gent as a house pet, but the pup was left at 7 months old when the owner passed away. That pup was reasonably housebroken, a yappy barker, and had had all of it's outdoor play and herding instincts wiped out. He could be a good candidate for a residential/family situation. The 2nd dog came from a working ranch and was showing great herding instincts, although not quite housebroken yet. We applied specifically for the 2nd dog to join our other 3 companion (house pet) but working herd dog Corgi's (all rescue dogs, happily adjusted to our ranch and they earn their kibble herding sheep and cows as needed at our place. Well loved, great vet care, healthy and happy, comfortable to be in the house but when we whisper "let's go to work" … you have to be clear of the door as they charge out to do their herding as asked). The working pup would have been an excellent fit in our dog situation, we could deal with housebreaking him.
So which dog did the lady who manages the rescue decide to place with us? you got it … the house pet dog who wouldn't go more than 15' from the front door of the house to go potty and then set up a fuss if he couldn't come right back inside. If we went outside with the other dogs for companionship around the ranch or to do some herding, he'd sit down at the front door and not move until we came back with the rest of the dogs. Reluctantly, I took the dog back to the rescue after 8 weeks so that he could be placed in a more appropriate family/house situation. The pup simply had been broken of the instinctive herding/outdoor breed characteristics and his niche was now to be a family house pet … which is what he deserved to do at that point.
The other dog, the ranch pup? the rescue placed him with a family situation in town, living in an apartment with a postage stamp size backyard. I assume the dog adapted to the environment, but life would have been better for all parties and the pups if the rescue had placed the dogs in their accustomed environments from day one.
We've since kept our eye out for more rescue dogs to give a lifetime job and happy home life to. If the opportunity presents, we'll bring home another rescue dog. We do check PetFinder every few weeks.
OP is working to place rescues so I assume she is inquiring how to connect with good homes.
Good reputable rescues advertise on Craigslist. They identify themselves as a rescue and they are known in the area to be reputable and genuine rescue organizations. They are careful about where they place their dogs and cats.
Craigslist is a perfectly good place for a rescue to advertise, letting the public know that they have good animals in need of homes.
There are good pet homes that are not connected to the pet grapevines and they sometimes do not know where to look for a rescue pet. Since you can find almost anything on Craigslist, they will look on Craigslist. When they look on Craigslist, it is better for them to see ads from legitimate rescues than from puppy millers (although the puppy millers are vigorously flagged off the site so they tend to advertise elsewhere.)
OP is working to place rescues so I assume she is inquiring how to connect with good homes.
Good reputable rescues advertise on Craigslist. They identify themselves as a rescue and they are known in the area to be reputable and genuine rescue organizations. They are careful about where they place their dogs and cats.
Craigslist is a perfectly good place for a rescue to advertise, letting the public know that they have good animals in need of homes.
There are good pet homes that are not connected to the pet grapevines and they sometimes do not know where to look for a rescue pet. Since you can find almost anything on Craigslist, they will look on Craigslist. When they look on Craigslist, it is better for them to see ads from legitimate rescues than from puppy millers (although the puppy millers are vigorously flagged off the site so they tend to advertise elsewhere.)
Apparently I have to spread some reputation points around before I give to you again.
In the area I live the shelters and rescues have a big presence on Facebook, craigslist here is usually filled with bs. One of our local shelters is really great at FB posts (Rifle Animal Shelter incase you want to look) they are really creative in their bios and marketing.
I knew I wanted to rescue an adult female rat terrier, standard size. I knew I was going to move to Redding, CA, where I could have a dog, and I was in the process of moving. I looked on Petfinder and on shelter websites for where I was currently living at the time in Silicon Valley, and in the Redding area. I knew I wanted to only get a dog from a shelter and not a rescue group. I ended up finding my rescue dog on Petfinder while I was still in Silicon Valley, listed on the shelter page for a nearby county I was ready to move in about a week and I begged the county shelter in the Redding area to hold her for me. They did and only charged me $35 for her rescue fee and that included her vaccinations and heartworm testing and a leash and collar, a coupon for a local vet and food and treats and other random goodies.
I met her and loved her, she jumped into the back of the car and I was blessed with a dog that was already house-trained and who loved everyone - she had obviously not been abused. And she got a retired lady with all the time in the world for her.
But, the short version is - I used Petfinder and other shelter websites and knew what I wanted and where I wanted to rescue from (city or county shelter - I don't like rescue groups).
When I went to the county shelter to meet her and ultimately take her, they just wanted their $35 and thanked me profusely, and I asked them if they needed references or proof of income or whatever and they said, nope, they're happy we found each other. No hoity toity nonsense like the rescue groups were putting me through.
My rattie was around 5 or 6 when I got her and is now around 11 years old and going strong. I just love her to pieces and she assures me the feeling is mutual :-)
We were able to find some wonderful dogs, and cats as well, through realtor friends. One was left behind when a couple moved to be cared for in the large backyard and nice sleeping accommodations by the neighbor boy for as long as he liked. Plan was the boy could take the dog to a shelter when school started back up. There were two other dogs the couple took with them...cute purebred poms. Realtor told us, we talked to the neighbors who were just as happy for the dog to find a good permanent home and we brought him home right then. He was thrilled the whole drive. He just knew he was okay now and into something good.
Two others were purebreds from breeders. Another was a cocker spaniel bought for cousins who were really too young to properly care for an animal. They gave him to us. Three others wandered on our property. We asked around, called vets and shelters and advertised about the lost dogs. No one contacted us, dogs did not leave the porch, then wanted to come in, then decided the sofa was for them, you get the idea.
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