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What a nightmare it is...trying to adopt a dog from a shelter in the NY area..we live in Rockland County & have been trying to adopt a playmate for our yellow lab at anyone of our local shelters...what a pain in the buttock it is......before you can even see a dog...you have to fill out a 3 to 4 page questioner....listing much too much information about yourself...as well as references.......then after they review your paper work...anywhere from on the spot...to 14 days....yes 14 days...they will contact you...if the dog you were interested in has not been adopted........no wonder there are so many animals available....
Has anyone else ever had these problems...we are even looking for an older dog...4 to 6 years old...female...you would think they would be happy to have someone interested in an older dog and not a puppy...
Although you may run into the same questionnaire, try a local rescue group. They are RARELY able to take in older dogs because they simply do not move as quickly as pups and teen dogs.
I am assuming you are trying to adopt from a no-kill shelter, as most of the kill shelters do not allow dogs to remain over 3-5 days or so. Please be patient and look through the other threads on why the shelter is asking for so much information from you...it is an eye-opener. Bottom line is that many of these dogs have been neglected or abused, or at the very least, abandoned. The shelter is trying to make sure this adoption will "stick" and that you have adequate knowledge and resources to hang in there...sometimes rescued dogs will have some issues that need to be worked through. Although the questions seem invasive to some, it is a safeguard for the dog. Other than the normal cycle of abandoned and unwanted pets, we now have the housing crisis which is causing folks to either surrender their dog or just flat go off and leave it - the shelters are overwhelmed. Be patient - work with them and remember they are the advocate for the dog, who has no one else to speak for it. Also remember that the shelter workers are either volunteers or poorly paid. Animal welfare is just not up there at the top of the list for cities and municipalities and it is hard to keep decent help. I surely couldn't do what they do all day. Know in your heart that when a good placement is made, the only person happier than you and the dog is the shelter worker who made it happen!
There may be a dog who appeals to several families that applications are taken for - it's not first come, first served - they are looking for the right placement for that dog. Again, be patient and you will have your forever friend soon...one day you will wake up and not remember life without your new canine companion!
Here's a great vido on why rescues work so hard for that perfect placement!
Rusty,
Believe me, I know how annoying it can be. I've been turned down by some rescues because I'm disabled. It's not that I can't take care of dogs -- they've told me that they're afraid I'm going to die! Well, me too, but with the disease I've got, I'm one of the most carefully monitored and medicated people on the planet! The average person who rarely sees a doctor has a greater chance of dying than I do, frankly! (It also hurts to have people rather coldly tell me that they consider me a "death risk" when I and my doctors are doing all in our power to keep me stable and well!)
Anyhoo, I try to look at it from the POV of the rescuers -- every day, they bring in dogs who are the victims of human neglect and stupidity. All of those dogs were either wanted by someone for a period of time and then neglected or they were the result of people who didn't take proper care of their animals by having them spayed or neutered and allowed them to become pregnant or impregnate at will. Now that the dogs are with the rescue, the workers want to ensure as much as they can that the dogs will find good families who will properly love and care for them.
It does sound like you are going to "no-kill" shelters that will place all of their animals or keep them safe for as long as it takes. Try finding a shelter that DOES euthanize (unfortunately); they are far more likely to adopt to you without a hassle because the dogs are given a short time to find a home before their time is up. The dog pound in my city didn't bat an eye over my disability -- they just saw a woman who walks with a cane but has a kind heart and love for animals, good references, and a regular vet for her animals.
You might also watch the newspaper for ads by people trying to find homes for their animals. Geez, our newspaper has a regular section in the classifieds called "Free Pets." Many are purebreds that people can no longer keep for some reason. It breaks my heart to see family pets offered for free but there you have it, sigh. Maybe you can offer a good home to one of them!
Rusty, the points you make are good ones. From the perspective of someone like yourself, who wants to give a good home to a needy dog, the paperwork, red-tape, interviews and home visits involved in adopting from most rescues and shelters are irritants at the very least. As you point out, not everyone wants an adult dog so the shelter management should make it easy to adopt them.
From the other side of the shelter wall, things look a bit different. Seeing dogs come into a shelter with the physical and emotional scars of horrible abuse and neglect is both depressing and motivational. Depressing because you can't solve the problem; day after day you have to deal with the end product of often well-meaning pet owners who lacked the will, foresight, money or common sense to properly care for their pet. Motivational because you want to try to make sure that each dog's next home will be the forever home.
It's not uncommon for a rescue or a shelter to place a young dog in what appears to be a good home only to have the dog end up back in a shelter a few months or years later, now older and less adoptable. The fact is, many dogs end up in shelters and rescues because they aren't good family dogs. They may not have been properly trained or socialized. Perhaps they are resource guarders. They may not be good with children. Maybe they are escape artists and keep getting picked up by the ACO. (I have one of these that I adopted from a local shelter. People on the street of a neighboring city recognized him right away (and he them) because for the first 9 years of his life he was always loose wandering the streets and scrounging food!)
Shelters and rescues screen applicants closely to try to weed out those who aren't ideal candidates in hopes of finding the best match possible for each dog. Just seeing the process through to completion requires a lot of motivation on the part of the prospective adopter. Someone who is that invested in the process and the dog may be more accepting of a less-than-perfect dog and more motivated to work through any issues that the dog has.
I've been on both sides of the shelter wall. I know how frustrating it is to just want to help a dog, but have to provide proof of home ownership, and agree to a home visit and a vet and reference check. I've also conducted interviews and application checks for a rescue and turned away applicants whose reference checks turned up some troubling things: a previous dog was allowed to run loose and had been struck and killed by a car; the last dog was surrendered because the dog grew too big to use to breed teacup-size puppies; the other dogs in the home have had no veterinary care in the past four years.
I guess like everything, there has to be a balance. The process for some shelters and rescues may be too strict and intrusive for some, but as Teatime points out, there are other, less restrictive options. The important thing for me to remember is that while I might not agree with every group's process and screening rationale, I do think that everyone involved in re-homing animals is trying to do what they think is right for the animals in their care.
Hi Rusty - I can really hear your frustration in your post. It must be hard to feel like you are doing something good for yourself and the dog only to have a bunch of red tape to go through and then wind up disappointed. I can imagine that it feels pretty discouraging, especially if you are trying to provide a good home to an older, perhaps senior dog.
I would just say be patient and understand that rescues and shelters do have the dogs and the people's best interest at heart. Many people, and I am sure it's not you, come in well intentioned wanting a pet and then find it's more then they bargained for, especially with a rescue. While there are many dogs and cats that ease into their new life without missing a beat, there are many who need a great deal of patience and love as they learn to trust and how to live with their new human family.
I have been on the receiving end of a dog from a shelter that was given to me without much screening and I was very surprised by that. We soon learned our cutie pie suffered from severe separation anxiety, food and toy gaurding, destructive behavior, mouthiness, couldn't walk on a leash, and was fearful of men. The saving grace was she was smart, potty trained, and seemed to be grateful we had sprung her from jail. People told us to return her, but it was too late, she was part of our family and we weren't giving up on her. She is a great dog with no more separation anxiety, not desctructive, walks better on leash (if I say wait she will), no more mouthiness, relinquishes most every food item or toy (we can do a trade for high ticket items), and is much better around men. We worked very hard with her and enlisted the help of a behaviorist and took her through that person's positive group training. We didn't see results over night, but she is doing great.
The point is, it's important to find the right fit and the people who work in shelters and rescues do their best to ensure everyone will be happy. These screening processes help ensure the adoption will be permanent. I would suggest looking at it in that way. Getting the wrong pet for you and your family is no fun for anyone. Your new best friend is out there, just give it time and you will find each other. Good luck!
Last edited by Calidreemer; 07-06-2008 at 06:58 PM..
My sister lives in NY and she called me with the same complaint as you. She said all she wanted to do was rescue a little dog and these people wouldn't let her without making her do all this paperwork and come to her home.
I will tell you what I told her. You are not rescuing the dog...the rescue group or no-kill shelter already did that. You are applying to be that dog's forever family. Once a dog enters our rescue we are committed to that dog for life. It's in our best interest and the dog's to be sure that the best home is chosen, the best personality match is made and that the person applying to adopt the dog is comitted to the dog. You already have a dog so you know it isn't cheap or easy to have one but the cost and time are worth it. But there are a lot of people out there that don't understand that so the process of the questionaire and home visit and reference checks are how we screen out potential adopters. Anyone that can't commit to filling out a questionaire doesn't come across as a very committed person to us and we would turn that person down as we often do. We put lots of money, time and love into these animals...finding them the perfect forever home is our goal. If you could have a better appreciation for the the minimal time you need to spend filling out all the information to adopt vs. all the time we spend screening the aplicants to find homes for hundreds of dogs each year you would probably not complain so much about it. Good luck finding your perfect furry addition to your family.
I have seen some of the applications from rescue groups and think it would be easier to adopt a child. I dont even bother. I have 4 rescue dogs. It is probably different in NYC than here in the south, but there is no shortage of unwanted dogs that require no application or adoption fee. Check the classifieds, Local Sales Network if you have one for your area and the vets office.
You are not rescuing the dog...the rescue group or no-kill shelter already did that. You are applying to be that dog's forever family. ......If you could have a better appreciation for the the minimal time you need to spend filling out all the information to adopt vs. all the time we spend screening the aplicants to find homes for hundreds of dogs each year you would probably not complain so much about it.
Well said Irishmom.
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...before you can even see a dog...you have to fill out a 3 to 4 page questioner....listing much too much information about yourself...as well as references....
...then after they review your paper work...anywhere from on the spot...to 14 days....yes 14 days...they will contact you...if the dog you were interested in has not been adopted....
....no wonder there are so many animals available....
