Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
When I got my last dog, Sam, the owner, brought Sam over to the house, met the kids, saw the dog house, fenced in yard. Stayed for a coke, called it good. He knew Sam was set for life. I did not have to fill out any papers. Or have a reference check.
I have only had three dogs my whole life. Never gave one up. Same with cats.
No...Sam was my last dog. The owner brought Sam over...and Sam lived happily ever after.
No background checks. No fingerprinting. Just brought over a pup, and we kept him. But, that is Montana. And Sam was not a fancy breed...just a plain ole mixed up pup.
Since 2008, I've adopted 3 wonderful dogs - one older dog from a private rescue, one older dog from an owner in a bad situation, and the last a youngster from a private shelter.
After our dealings with the first rescue, I was cautious about certain rescues, which strictly IMHO had bizarre and intrusive requirements - most of which wouldn't even produce the results they were seeking anyway in terms of finding the best homes for their charges. The last private shelter did have some stringent requirements, but also the willingness to figure out if a situation was good even if it didn't exactly meet their stated absolute requirements. I liked their approach & I loved my boy the minute I saw him in his kennel as I walked up to it.
Some are just being a bit overly cautious, and that is a good thing in my book. However, a few groups I found to be over zealous and unreasonable, so I ended up making a list of those to put on ignore, based upon reading their requirements and contracts (and vibes from talking with them, etc). Like the group that said that once I was completely checked out, they would select the dog that I would be allowed to adopt - any input from me wasn't necessary. Some wanted so much control after the adoption that I'd basically be just a co-owner. Sometimes I could figure out what they were trying to achieve with some odd requirements, but other times, it was nonsense. So, with some groups there just was no point in wasting either of our time discussing their adoptable dogs given their approach/philosophy.
There are so very many dogs out there in need of a home. There is no need ever to do an adoption with anyone who makes you feel uncomfortable (same is true in reverse for the rescue group), or esp. with someone whose experiences have burnt them out & made them believe the worst of all people. Each of my adopted dogs has been beyond wonderful, despite the fact that I did narrow my field just a bit to exclude dealing with certain groups. Some of the dogs I'd looked at with these excluded groups are still there, in a few cases years later. While I felt badly about it, it is not like I can save every dog in need, and those dogs do have a safe place to be where they won't be euthanized until someone can be found that meets those groups' particular requirements.
For my last boy, it took months of looking at potential matches in all sorts of situations (over a 1000 miles driven here and in neighboring states), and it broke my heart every time I had to say nope, this won't be best for either of us once I'd met/interacted with a potential adoptee. That might be too time consuming for some people, but it has worked perfectly for me and the dogs I adopted, all of whom became as cherished as any dog we'd ever raised from a puppy. It isn't about finding a perfect dog. It is about finding the most perfect match you can of dog to person.
Just remember to make the experience about you and the dog; if you find yourself paying more attention to the rescue because of demands that feel unreasonable, then that's your sign to move on and find a better organizational match.
Last edited by sugarsugar; 12-11-2012 at 07:52 AM..
It's sad that so many people have had bad experiences with rescues. My dog is from a rescue and I'm actually very close friends now with the lady who did our home visit and all the paper work for his adoption. I looked at volunteering for a rescue after I moved to Colorado though and I was really put off by all the rules of the one I found. Things like you must have a fenced in backyard, you must have owned this breed before, you can't leave the dog alone for more than a few hours...so I would be denied living in an apartment and working a day job.
I have heard people turned down for these same reasons too or in my sisters case she did not have a pet door and because she lives in the pacific northwest where it rains a lot she did not want a pet door and muddy dog running in and out all day. Her old collie stayed out in the yard while she was at work but had a door into part of the garage with a dog bed in it and a nice dog house in the yard.When she was home he was in the house with her and yes he slept in her bedroom. He lived to be 16 and had a great life. The dog she wanted to adopted but the dog door issues came up was a shepherd mix that had never even lived indoors so I am sure he would have been happy with her but the rescue had its ideas about what a perfect home is Had I been part of that rescue I would have been impressed that her collie lived so long and that her vet said what great shape he was always in but hey I was not part of that rescue. I think the biggest problem is you can ask 100 people what makes a perfect home for a dog and get 100 different answers.
With Jazz and Dash I had problem because I live in a condo but with Jazz I convinced the rescue I could give her a great life and with Dash well when they met Jazz they figured if I lived in a condo and she lived with me that I knew what I was doing. Phoenix was easy as she had been passed by too long and needed out of the humane society and being I got Dash from them they knew me already. Dazzle came from a breeder and I did not find her questions annoying at all as I liked the fact she wanted to know about potential owners of her pups. we have stayed in touch and sshe would take him back if I ever need her too. Chaos like my very first dog Maddie came from a high kill shelter where it was give us the money and pull her before we put her down and she is yours! So if you do not like the hoops rescues make you jump try a high kill shelter. Maddie was a great dog, a very pretty english cocker and Chaos is a great mutt so you can find nice dogs at a shelter
Brief sketch of the reasons given by the Upland, CA rescue as to why I was turned down BEFORE the home visit phase:
• No grass in back yard
• The person I designated as who would get the dog if I died or was incapacitated (my sister) already had too many dogs (3).
So, for the above two reasons, they turned down someone who is home 24/7, has two fenced acres, allows the dog to live inside, feeds premium kibble, has verifiable and expensive vet records locally, and is such a helicopter dog dad that nothing leaves my dog's body without being inspected by me for abnormalities.
I have given up on Pet Rescue organizations over the years. Back in 1995 I adopted two dogs and the ordeal was unbelievable to a person with any life outside the rescue agency.
The first agency refused to adopt to us because we were going to permit the dog to go outdoors. Period. They believed dogs were designed to live their entire life indoors.
The second agency though brief periods outdoors were fine as long as the dog had an airconditioned dog house to go into. Not gonna happen on my dime. Shade is fine for me, it can be fine for my dog too.
The final agency was okay. They held a interview to get our opinions on animal care and housing needs, they requested a followup visit a few weeks after we got the dog and we were fine with that. (they did not conduct a home search or anything invasive as some folks describe in the thread) Blue passed away in 2010 at the age of 15.
The second dog we adopted was a private affair. A woman had picked up a puppy that had been thrown from a moving car on the highway, but could not keep multiple dogs. Patches is still with us, but age is taking it's toll on his legs and sleeping habits.
A third dog adopted us the same year. She and 11 of her littermates were dumped on the side of the road. Josie traveled north to our back yard and the rest went south to a neighbor. Josie was stubborn enough to refuse to give up a poisoned rat she had caught and passed in 2005.
I presently have four dogs, Patches, Suzy (adopted from the middle of the roadway again!), Rory (pup from neighbor's accidental litter) and Daisy (Craigslist adoption before the post nazis flagged it - accidental litter rescued by neighbor from a pound dropoff)
The private adoption has been far more successful for me than the rescues organizations. I am also put off by the now obligatory "re-homing fee" that seems to placate the CL posting nazis somewhat. I understand the logic of it weeding the less committed lookers, but really...forcing someone to pay $50-$300 dollars to be allowed to care for an unwanted animal. Wouldn't it be better to adopt at no charge and have someone who is a good judge of people to weed out the flakes?
No system is perfect or catches all the whack jobs, but I think the re-homing fee and bizzare adoption policies make it harder to place a lot of animals that would be perfectly loved, cared for and happy with folks that do not have the patience to put up with the processes or have a repulsion to people making a profit off animal misery.
I am also put off by the now obligatory "re-homing fee" that seems to placate the CL posting nazis somewhat. I understand the logic of it weeding the less committed lookers, but really...forcing someone to pay $50-$300 dollars to be allowed to care for an unwanted animal. Wouldn't it be better to adopt at no charge and have someone who is a good judge of people to weed out the flakes?
No system is perfect or catches all the whack jobs, but I think the re-homing fee and bizzare adoption policies make it harder to place a lot of animals that would be perfectly loved, cared for and happy with folks that do not have the patience to put up with the processes or have a repulsion to people making a profit off animal misery.
The re-homing fees have nothing to do with committment. It has to do with people getting animals to sell to labratories or to use as bait to train their fighting dogs. Those types aren't likely to pay a fee since they can't afford to due to the large number of dogs they acquire. $300 is ridiculous for an individual on CL who is re-homing their dog, but $50 is very appropriate.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Had I been part of that rescue I would have been impressed that her collie lived so long and that her vet said what great shape he was always in but hey I was not part of that rescue. I think the biggest problem is you can ask 100 people what makes a perfect home for a dog and get 100 different answers.
