^^^ this. I would never leave my dogs unattended in my yard.
[QUOTE=fordtraktor;5788283]
Really? that seems like such a waste of $$. Perhaps if you are so selective for your dogs that you need to fly them to another locale to find them a home, you are being too selective.[/QUOTE]
Yes they will fly dogs to appropriate homes. I foster for a rare and exotic breed that not everyone wants. So there aren’t always homes in this or the next county. So no, they aren’t being too picky.
Our rescue does not fly dogs, except in very special circumstances. Most of the airlines that will do it will only do it during certain times of the year due to the heat, which is one reason. The other reason is we feel it is better for our animals to be driven with a person who has hands on them the entire time.
There is a legion of volunteers nationwide who do transports. We get with them and set up run sheets, and on any given day there are tons of people criss crossing the country pulling animals from shelters and transporting them to rescues or to their forever homes.
generally I think we have enough animals locally that we can pull from here, but occasionally one of our other volunteers will see an animal on fb or hear of one somewhere or we will hear of someone who wants an animal in another area, and we will set up the transport. And sometimes people see our animals on petfinder or wherever and we send the animal out to them.
I was not rejected by any rescue when looking for a dog but did annoy my vet a bit. He asked me why I wanted so many dogs because apparently he got lots of calls checking my reference. One rescue called me to arrange a home visit to approve my application. Two months after I had adopted another dog. Oh well, it was frustrating but we got the job done.
not everybody is as fortunate as the greyhound people…a group of pilots formed a charity to fly greyhounds from the southwest to whee ever, combining their hobby with something useful…
Golly, I remember one time on a Dalmatian board, one girl had fallen on tough luck and had to disperse her pack, we tried so hard to come up with ways to ship one of her dogs from Ky to Cali, I think…
I think looking for a dog is frustrating, just like horse-shopping is often frustrating - no matter how you go about it!
A few months ago I decided I wanted to start with a puppy of a breed that isn’t common, especially in my area. I had it in my head that puppy shopping would be fun - and it was not. Breeders can be as much of a control freak as any rescue, and as hard to deal with. It is a different situation than rescue, obviously, but I filled out a lot of applications and was interviewed over the phone by several people. I found some breeders that didn’t turn out to do all of the things that I wanted, so I had to be very, very careful. Puppies are fun. Shopping for one isn’t very fun.
Rescues are the same. I’m familiar with several, and they are all very different. Breed rescues can be very picky, especially if you are a newcomer. Don’t take things personally.
I truly think that a lot of people are just not very good at placing animals. I volunteer for a rescue sometimes, but never in placement because I wouldn’t be good at it. I tolerate all kinds of animal idiosyncracies. I’ve found that I don’t tolerate people ideosyncracies as well. Placement isn’t my thing. People in rescue want to make absolutely sure that the dog goes to a good home, and I think they believe that if their screening is thorough enough they can be sure. Of course it is really hard to ever be sure, especially with people you don’t personally know. Placement requires a basic trust in people, and a lot of people are not that trusting.
There are a lot of dogs out there, and if you want one, you’ll find one. Be persistent. Do you want a common breed? If so, you may have better luck checking craigslist and shelters around your state rather than one that is already in breed rescue. If you want a breed that is not so common, it is more difficult. You may have to pursue the breed rescue avenue and jump through the hoops if that is ultimately what you want. If you are okay with it, call breeders and people involved in that breed. They may know of an adult that needs a new home that would be perfect for you. Some neighbors just got a dog from a breeder - this dog is an adult female happiest when not around other dogs. They only wanted 1 dog, and they are in love with her now.
And a warning - pet theft is up across the nation. Recent reports show that the numbers of pet thefts have increased. If you do leave your dogs alone outside, please make sure that you have a padlock for the gate. I am a total OCD pet owner, and in the past I figured that pet theft wasn’t that common. Recently, I’ve read some alarming stats, so be careful.
What I don’t understand is that if rescues make it so hard to adopt, it really encourages people to just go buy a puppy from a puppy mill hassle free. What is worse, a good but not perfect home and being able to save more dogs, or losing the home altogether and propping up the pup industry? But they never think of it like that, sadly as I know several families who have done just that when their good homes were not good enough for the rescue.
Sad.
[QUOTE=fordtraktor;5788845]
What I don’t understand is that if rescues make it so hard to adopt, it really encourages people to just go buy a puppy from a puppy mill hassle free. What is worse, a good but not perfect home and being able to save more dogs, or losing the home altogether and propping up the pup industry? But they never think of it like that, sadly as I know several families who have done just that when their good homes were not good enough for the rescue.
Sad.[/QUOTE]
This is true! I know after looking for a companion for my younger dog (one just died and the other is very old) for the last couple of weeks I am turned off by A) no responses even a Don’t darken my mailbox again B) excessive adoption fees. I am OK for $100-200 for a dog depending on size/age/breed but over that is where I’m thinking the puppies in the papers look better! I looked at an adorable pug for $350 and it was OLD. Not just middleaged but OLD. And had multiple problems to deal with. I think rescues need to fund raise not expect to make their money back off dog adoptions.
because some people will leave a dog out there for hours without being there or checking on it.
I watch many happy, well adjusted dogs that live outdoors and get checked on once a day. The owners are careful to have a good fence, many sources of water, shelter etc. Believe it or not, it works fine. Do ya check on your pasture board horses every few hours? It is not my ideal- it would make my dog miserable, but guess what? I crate mydog while I am at work- maybe that would be miserable for their dogs.
I think anyone going through a rescue with a bit of sense is probably going to be a good and reasonable home for an animal.
not dealing with rescues again
I’ve tried on a couple of occasions to adopt through breed rescue - never had a good experience - although told I had great situation - was turned down to take a dog with special needs (medication) because they thought I couldn’t handle it -never mind that 2 different vets recommended me …so I went though COTH giveaways and found a super wonderful dog in TX (I"m in VA) we arranged transport and he arrived on New Year’s Eve 2011 - he settled right in and is a very important member of the family - I’d go through COTH in a minute again
The breed 501© breed rescue in my breed has been known to turn down people if they don’t get a “warm fuzzy” from them. Thing is, they don’t tell the people they are being turned down, simply that they don’t have a dog for them right then. They just keep up that line for in some cases years. We have an under supply of rescue dogs in my breed so for a while they were importing additional rescues from overseas.
There are some good people in our rescue who are reasonable. Including one lady who suggested two of their people on the “wait list” (ie. they were never getting a dog from the rescue despite one being vouched for by the then president of the AKC parent club for our breed) that they just get a puppy from a breeder. They own children of my dog and are wonderful homes.
Meanwhile in our breed, breeders are having issues finding puppy homes as everyone wants a rescue.
“What I don’t understand is that if rescues make it so hard to adopt, it really encourages people to just go buy a puppy from a puppy mill hassle free”
I’ve said this to breeders as well. When you make it difficult for people to buy a dog, they will still get a dog … just from someone who WILL sell them a dog and it might not be a person who is as careful as you. Do you really want more haphazard bred dogs in your breed? If these people were going to get a mixed breed, they would not have contacted a purebred breeder to begin with.
Our local SPCA is no kill. They don’t seem to have any crazy adoption policies, but I don’t like the whole application process. They keep a lot of their dogs for a long time while the rest of the needy dogs go to animal control. Our AC has a 90% kill rate.
When I was looking for another dog for our farm, I went to AC. They happened to be having a summer special of 1/2 off each critter. If it was already neutered, it was 75% off…what a deal!
I didn’t see a dog that would suit our needs the first day. I went back the second time and found the perfect farm dogge that is snoring on my couch now. He is perfect! A big lovable lug that was turned in because the owners were moving and couldn’t take him…he hasn’t done anything wrong. He is perfectly trained.
So, no I won’t be going to “rescues” again. I don’t see eye to eye with most of the policies though I do understand them. For me and my needs, I will go to the shelter in the future. Good dogs that would otherwise die, I will help them instead!
Casey09, I am stealing this:
I tolerate all kinds of animal idiosyncracies. I’ve found that I don’t tolerate people ideosyncracies as well.
You just described a lot of the people on this board, I’m afraid.
giggle.
When we were looking for barn cats, I dealt with two different rescue groups that supposedly wanted barn homes for feral cats that were otherwise unadoptable. Both of them were insane. Asked me a million questions, then one of them came out to see the place and told me that they couldn’t give us a cat because husband’s hunting dogs are in a kennel close to my barn and “the cat could climb into the kennel and get eaten.” For real. I told them that was fine, I didn’t want a cat that was stupid enough to scale a 6’ tall chain link fence to get in a dog kennel. :lol: Ended up getting some cats from Erin, who actually understands that a barn cat lives on a farm along with other animals. 
It killed me that the rescue peeps had cats that supposedly needed homes or would be PTS, but they didn’t want them living in my nice barn on my little farm! 
The whole cat experience made me scared when we decided to try to adopt another dog earlier this year. We don’t have a fence, we have large acreage and the dogs stay in an invisible fence area near the house. Our doberman was getting old and we wanted another and decided we’d rather rescue than buy, if possible. Thankfully we found a dog (actually via another COTH’er!) and his breeder was smart enough to realize a farm would be a great place for him. He’s a wonderful dog and is so happy here that it’s like he’s been here forever.
Black Dog rescue
Well, I accidentally stumbled upon these guys a month ago. Although I had recently lost an aged dog and cat, I wasn’t quite ready for a new one. My lonely dog was however. My niece was with me, [she is a teacher so her imperative behavior is a given!] She INSISTED I take home a particuliar dog. He is an Aussie/Border mix. Great dog but he is three legged lame. Now I knew this from the start and they were upfront about it. Long story short, They had me fill out paperwork for ‘fostering’ him for a month. NO drama.
The only problem is they have been VERY unclear about the lameness. I went back to sign the papers on him today, and we discussed the issue. They suggested I not adopt yet on the chance surgery will cure lameness. [long story] They can get a grant for surgery. The woman I have spoken to on the phone has had three different stories on what is wrong, :mad:and when I asked for their vet to call mine, well, it didn’t happen. The volunteer I spoke today is going to send me his entire history and a link to the vet that actually saw Snickers.
The good news here is that as you know, black dogs are harder to adopt, and with his disability, he would be even tougher. They take them right out of the kill pens so he is saved for sure. Snick is a joy to have and a very good dog. It makes me sad so many good dogs never make it to their forever homes, but at least one more has.
When I was looking for a companion for my dog (he got real depressed when I moved out of a roommate situation where there were three other cats) I got super, super frustrated with a lot of the local cat rescues. Many of them would not adopt to me because I had a dog, or because I lived in an apartment (which makes no sense to me…its a cat for darn sake), etc, etc, etc. And don’t even get me started on some of the fees rescues were asking. I understand that a lot of the animals come in needing some type of medical care, but really? $300 for a dog? I could pick up a pure bred with papers for that!
Finally took a two hour trip to go get my cat Lucifer from a county shelter. They were very nice, and his adoption fee was only $10 (he was on death row), he was fixed, had his shots, wormed, flea treated, came with a started bag of food, and a new bed (that has since been taken over by the dog). When I adopt again in the future I will be going back to a county shelter for sure.
Well, I have looked at some dog rescues, but wound up with one from COTH (Puff) and one from the county shelter (Tucker, the Corgi). Most of the rescues I looked at wanted 1. way too much money (I could buy a pup for that and know it was healthy and registered to boot) and 2. wacko standards about fencing, leashing, will someone be home all day, etc.
OTOH, I got Marcus from Merrimack River Feline Rescue in Salisbury, MA, and they were first very patient with my coming by their Danvers Petsmart center multiple times (which I think also reassured them I actually lived in the area), visiting their Salisbury location, and being very selective about finding a buddy for Mr. Jet. They checked references fast, and for the $175 adoption fee Marcus came with all his kitten shots and neutered, which especially at MA vet prices was a deal.
So I really am willing to consider rescues, but only when I feel like they’re being realistic about what they want in an owner. And if there’s a high fee, I want to feel like I’m getting something for that–neuter/spay, up to date shots for its age, a dog who’s been observed or fostered for a while. Not just a disguised puppy mill sale.
[QUOTE=threedogpack;5789242]
“What I don’t understand is that if rescues make it so hard to adopt, it really encourages people to just go buy a puppy from a puppy mill hassle free”
I’ve said this to breeders as well. When you make it difficult for people to buy a dog, they will still get a dog … just from someone who WILL sell them a dog and it might not be a person who is as careful as you.[/QUOTE]
Yes, but they won’t have one of MY dogs, that I nurtured from birth, that I’ve promised in a signed contract to take back if the pup/dog needs to be rehomed.
These people usually send up red flags when they start asking why my pups cost what they do when “There’s ads in the paper for jack russells that don’t cost half that.” My answer: Feel free to buy one from them. If cost is the determining factor in choosing your puppy, then you’re not the right owner for one of my puppies.
It’s a problem, really. My brother and his family wanted to get a shelter dog - AC and the shelter are the same place. Their yard wasn’t fenced. They finally gave up, and bought two Aussies. They have provided a great home for them.
Years ago, I went to the “pound” in the city in which I lived. It was a high kill place. First, they wouldn’t let me adopt the puppy because if was after 4:30 and though they closed at 5:00 it was just too late. rolls eyes. So, then we went back and adopted her. The fee include a spay fee. I was pretty well connected in the companion animal rescue world and didn’t want my puppy spayed by that vet, so I payed someone else. A month or two later, at about 6:30 am, there was a very rude policeman at my door threatening me because I had not had my puppy spayed. Ultimately, after a very unpleasant incident as I stood there in my night clothing, I showed him some paperwork.
One just has to remember that it’s about the animals, and not about the people that. We moved out of that city. That lab mix lived with us for her entire 14 year life, 7 of which she was on twice a day insulin shots, but she was a very good dog.
Not long after I adopted my dog, a local radio personality went to the same pound to adopt a dog. She and her kids chose one and they had visitation with the dog, absolutely wanted it. The pound killed it, and she did some radio shows about it. There was a very bad director at that place.
