irkenequine, DW isn’t complaining about attitude, if you reread her post, she can’t even get e-mails and calls returned.
There’s a lot of just plain silly and misguided folks in rescue work. And while they have good intentions, they have lost track of reality in so many cases.
When I want a dog, it will be from a kill shelter. Because I just don’t want to deal w/ the silliness.
Where I used to live the public shelter never had small dogs, especially puppies. We’re not too far from Florida, and the big retirement communities, and the shelter partnered with a rescue that would take weekly loads of small dogs to a shelter near the retirement areas, and the seniors loved to adopt them. It was a win-win situation for the dogs and the people.
The problem with that was that if someone in our area wanted a smaller dog then the public shelter usually didn’t have any, and they either went to a breeder, or went to the small dog rescue (private one) that would take dogs that the couple of big puppy mill operations they dealt with were getting rid of because they were barren or too old to produce litters regularly. Of course, in my opinion was encourageing the puppy mill operators to stay in business, because they still got the money for puppies, had some kind of incentive (I suspect financial) to send the dog to the rescue, and the only dogs the rescue had were older, and many had a lot of health problems. The entire situation made me see red, but there wasn’t anyone that was going to do something about it (and the puppy mills were in other jurisdictions apparently so the local authorities had no power to do anything), so I guess it’s still going on.
I’ve found my best dogs from other people not wanting them, or from humane societies, but some pounds are now operated on a contract basis by other groups and the prices start going up too, and the adoption restrictions have really increased too. From what I’ve heard about the place I lived when I adopted my last boy I probably wouldn’t qualify to adopt, and I’d be writing a hefty check if I qualified, and that’s a public shelter that puts down a lot of animals.
Here in the mid-Atlantic states, as well as New England, if you don’t want a pit bull or PB mix there is no point in going to a public shelter. That’s about all they have. Spay/neuter has been very successful here, other than for PBs. My local SPCA is bringing up adoptable dogs and puppies from Southern kill shelters. I received an e-mail earlier this week from a VT shelter looking for non-PBs to offer to the public who want to adopt dogs.
[QUOTE=lolalola;6162064]
Here in the mid-Atlantic states, as well as New England, if you don’t want a pit bull or PB mix there is no point in going to a public shelter. That’s about all they have. Spay/neuter has been very successful here, other than for PBs. My local SPCA is bringing up adoptable dogs and puppies from Southern kill shelters. I received an e-mail earlier this week from a VT shelter looking for non-PBs to offer to the public who want to adopt dogs.[/QUOTE]
I wish we could move away from the “kill”/“no kill” thing. Its not like all shelters are exactly the same but some choose to euthanize and others don’t. The difference is some shelters are open admission and take all pets that come their way and others are limited admission and pick and choose which pets they will take or not. The devisive language hurts animals. Not on topic I know. Its just frustrating. There is no open admission shelter that does not need to humanely euthanize.
Back to OP…is Michigan humane too far away? Please don’t paint all rescues and shelters with the same brush. Just like breeders and trainers: some are amazing, some are horrific. It takes time to find the right one.
I found my dog unintentionally by conversation with friends and acquaintances. The topic of dogs would come up, and I would say, “When I get a dog, I want a very specific type of dog. Here are my criteria: A, B, C, etc.” I’ve got a more extensive specific list on that than a lot of people, too. I wasn’t technically shopping during these conversations, just chit-chatting. I also did research and collected data, fully intending to look around breeders for a puppy or consider retired breeding stock when I was ready to get the dog. No rescue for this or future dog, though I have done and will continue to do shelter or rescue for some of my cats. Personal reasons on the dog: With something in the size I like, I want 100% knowledge of genetics and history, provable knowledge from original source, not just because somebody wrote it on a form or fostered for a few weeks. I have heard a lot of nutty rescue requirements stories myself, most recently from stepmother last fall, who files medical insurance for a living and said that dealing with the first several rescues she approached was HARDER than the extended runaround on a hassle insurance claim.
But as I was about to step up my dog shopping to a more active level, trusted acquaintance called me. Did I still want criteria A, B, C, etc.? (which she remembered correctly from about two years earlier. Impressive!). Yes, I did. Well, here was a dog who hit 95% of them, and if I could live with long hair to save a few thousand, I ought to check her out. I asked questions, went to see her, provable and complete history verified by folks I had known for years, took a 1-month trial, and all has worked out great.
Anyway, judging from that admittedly single episode, I think “networking” is one of the best methods. Not a single form filled out, other than transfer of ownership on her papers when I got them after the month trial. While you are getting annoyed at non contact from the rescues, don’t forget to place a “wanted ad” with all your friends and acquaintances. You never know when something will come up, and someone will remember you. 
Try a breed rescue. They are often made up of breeders (show and/or working) that know what they’re doing. I swear, many rescues, for all types of animals, are made up of nut jobs.
I got several dogs from our local breed rescue
I love Shelties. I have gotten a few dogs from the local sheltie rescue and they were very easy to deal with. I understand that they want to weed out people who are truely not used to dealing with a high-energy herding dog. But the whole process was relatively painless.
They do say on their website that they won’t adopt to people who do not have fenced yards. I do not since I live in a townhouse, but after exchanging a few emails and explaining that I have no problem walking the pups on leashes several times a day (good exercise for me too!), they were fine with bending that rule for me.
I did have to fill out an application, and I did talk to them on the phone a few times, then the foster parents of the dog ‘interviewed’ me in person when I went to see the dog. But again it was pretty painless. This rescue really just wants to do what is best for the dogs.
They were very honest about this dog’s many, many behavoir issues, so I knew what I was getting myself into. Most of them are/were fear-based. With time and love he’s come soooo very far.
I just got a puppy from a small breeder because I wanted a pup, and the rescue did not have any young dogs when I was ready. My other dog is a rescue with tons of baggage who is not well socialized with other dogs, and I thought he would befriend a puppy more easily. I was right, they are best buds now. But I would def get another dog from this rescue.
So there really ARE good rescues out there . It all depends on who is running them. 
I’m sure I’ll get singed for this:
Go to a shelter. Dogs at private rescues have already been rescued.
And 90% of the time in my area…they’ve been rescued by crazy pseudo-hoarders who just know that nobody can EVER wuvs those puppies like THEY do. You don’t have a prayer of passing the criteria, background checks, phone taps, blood tests, etc. :winkgrin:
Breed rescues can be just as bad. You’ve probably got a 50/50 chance of them being sane.
Misty-You are so right about shelter rescues. And about 10 years ago when a friend’s daughter volunteered at a really nasty town/county shelter, I found out that people would dump expensive purebreds also. It’s not just the miscellaneous, unknown breeding pups (and they are wonderful dogs too), but expensive (and sometimes rare) animals.
It was a retirement area, and I think that many people who moved there had relatives who thought that the grandparents needed an animal, and would give them one. Unfortunately, the people either didn’t want the animal, or wasn’t properly able to care for it, so it went to the pound. The girl didn’t work there for more than a couple of months, but the shelter people were so glad to adopt out animals that they either didn’t notice, or ignored the fact that she and her parents adopted hoards of animals. They sent them all to other great homes with either breed rescue connections, or just to good homes that wanted a good dog. As I recall one was even a Chinese Crested when there were very few in this country, and no one could believe the owner didn’t just resell the pup.
honestly? if you’re dead-set on a) a puppy, and b) a particular breed, you’d be far better off buying from a breeder.
Most of the rescues and shelters (at least around here) simply don’t have puppies- they have older dogs. The most common age is “adolescence”.
If you want a particular breed but aren’t picky about age, try one of the big breed rescues.
As to the “listings” left up forever of a dog? sometimes that’s a “bait and switch” tactic. I bumped into that over and over again. The group would post a cute picture of a puppy or a particular dog, and despite having adopted that dog out years ago they’d leave it up, and if anyone inquired they’d push other dogs they had at the person. Which I found really annoying- if you’re looking for something particular, and you spend time inquiring and applying for what appears to meet your requirements and then you find out oh no we don’t have that but we have these. Yeah right.
I used to supervise municipal shelters. You could have a pretty good idea of the time of year and the trendy big dog by what came into the “pound”. Houndy-mixes were always around - seems somebody always wants that type and, too often, they dont know how to manage a hunting dog. For a while GSDs and crosses were really common. Then came Dobies & mixes (which didnt seem to mix as well, some odd-looking dogs) There was a flurry of Rotties and then the current PB and mix. Some had baggage, but some were “too soft” or their owner was too high or had outstanding warrants and didnt want to come to a Town Facility. And of course a lot of the mixes were “accidents” given away like party favors to owners who never really took care of them.
Medium and small dogs became increasingly rare at the pound. People did get better about keeping them home and bailing them out if they did get loose. This time of year you might find a few “Christmas puppies” but they are likely to have baggage. Might just be that they didnt self-train (who knew?) or they might have turned into nasty, snappy creatures that will take some knowlegeable handling if they can be rehabbed. And some have underlying health issues that the previous owner didnt want to deal with. The other small dogs are sometimes when a relative dies or goes into a nursing home and the “loving” relative just turns and older small dog loose on the street because they dont want to take the time or possibly make a donation to bring it to a shelter. One pound ended up with a cute older Boston Terrier as a mascot that way.
When I wanted a new dog I knew I wanted one purebred puppy. I tried to find a local pound dog or puppy for a second dog but couldnt in the time available. Had no luck with local resuces (though admittedly I didnt try for too long) and couldnt bring myself to commit to an out-of-state dog I had never met.
The next dog will likely be one shipped up here for one of the Adoption Fairs unless a local doggy happens along at the shelter.
[QUOTE=MistyBlue;6162224]
I’m sure I’ll get singed for this:
Go to a shelter. Dogs at private rescues have already been rescued.
And 90% of the time in my area…they’ve been rescued by crazy pseudo-hoarders who just know that nobody can EVER wuvs those puppies like THEY do. You don’t have a prayer of passing the criteria, background checks, phone taps, blood tests, etc. :winkgrin:
Breed rescues can be just as bad. You’ve probably got a 50/50 chance of them being sane.[/QUOTE]
That goes for some breeders also.
I had lost my border collie to a rattler a few years ago.
Guess that this poodle breeder had seen me show our toy poodle in obedience many years ago and assumed I wanted a poodle when I was complimenting her on her wonderful dogs, which they were very nice.
She huffed right up and said “she would never sell me one of her puppies because she would feel terrible if a rattler killed it.”:eek:
Well, no, I didn’t want another dog and not a poodle if I did, but that was totally unnecessary.:no:
Some breeders are a bit out there also.
The thing with rescues is that NO ONE has to deal with them if they don’t want to,
& yet, every forum has a “let’s slag rescues” today topic going
It likely will come as a huge shock to all you folks but,
AND every prospective adopters KNOWS cause they saw that cute picture, that that is the only dog at the rescue for them! :yes::yes::yes:
Out of ~ 20 rescues in my area, ONE is a hoarder - funny how some posters keep zeroing in on that one rescue that isn’t - what does that say about your selection process???
I don’t know a single rescue that has a paid employee.
You can probably tell why I stopped volunteering :sigh:
hint: it wasn’t the disillusionment over the abusive people in the dog’s past
Rescues, breeders they are all just people, & there is no special selection process, so they cover the entire human spectrum.
As a prospective client the power of choice is yours!
I do.
Deltawave, how old a puppy do you want? A purebred husky or a mix? I’ll put the word out to my rescue friends in your area, if you’d like. PM me your info and I’ll pass it on.
How about a collie? Tri-State Collie has a young collie puppy looking for a home. They’re wonderful to work with and located in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, W. Virgina and Kentucky (so much for tri-state). I was turned down by another rescue because, horrors, I have some wood floors in my house.
Tri-State just wanted references (which they checked) and pictures of my house and property.
[QUOTE=Lori B;6161959]
When I want a dog, it will be from a kill shelter. Because I just don’t want to deal w/ the silliness.[/QUOTE]
I can’t agree with you more. In fact, our last Dobie puppy came from the local pound/kill shelter. While rescues have their hearts in the right place - & I don’t give a rat’s patootie if they’re paid or not - they need to get a bit more realistic.
We gave up LONG ago re: rescues both when we were looking to adopt a young Dobie & possibly a Siamese cat (which we obviously took care of ourselves) -
http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/showthread.php?t=331276&highlight=Siamese
I don’t remember which local rescue it was we contacted, because it was several years ago when we lost our last Dobie to an inoperable tumor in her mid-teens, but it was like a Nazi Gestapo interrogation. Sorry folks, but want to contact my friends, family, & veterinarians for the past gazillion years? Fine - although the vet who treated my Dobies back in the 1980’s has retired. Want to visit my home/farm & see what’s what? Fine. Insist that, for the life of the dog, you have the right to show up on my doorstep any day, any time for unannounced surprise visits? NO!!! Good friggin’ grief. If after your thorough investigations you’re still queasy about me, then simply don’t adopt to me. Period. I’m not going to give you carte blanche to show up on my doorstep whenever you happen to be in the area to check up on what is now MY DOG. And a dog who’s being treated like a KING/QUEEN.
I feel very VERY sorry for all the dogs who could have excellent permanent homes if it weren’t for their current “caretakers”. TOO SAD.
Laura, no huskies! :lol: We bred and raced them but I don’t want one for a house pet. Not unless it came with a really good divorce lawyer. :lol:
Small, short-haired, kid- and cat-friendly, portable and ideally without major orthopedic or psychological baggage. Big ears and an underbite–something Frenchie/Boston-ish but smaller. A little brindle Bo-Chi would be perfect if I were allowed to be idealistic. 
I want a little goofy dog I can take to horse shows and it needs to walk courses with me on its own four legs. :lol: Might end up finding one at Rolex this year and bringing it home. 
I do understand the breadth and depth of human nature, believe me. And of course I have moved on from the crazy rescues. This is the first time I am doing this and was sort of surprised by the variety of rescues and their “rules”. (which I realize ARE there for a reason but came off in several cases as frivolous and weird–like the one where they wanted to have me sign a release from my vet and have that faxed so they could call but they also told me that if I couldn’t pick up the dog within 48 hours I wouldn’t be considered–how does that give them time to check with my vet or even get the signed release?) :sigh:
For those who have done time in this world you have my genuine admiration. I am venting more than hating.
Deltawave, I put the word out. What age dog are you looking for? A little older OK? I’ll get back to you when someone comes up with something.
Prefer a puppy or under a year old but if the dog were a bit older and the early months were spent in a decent environment (ie, the dog is well socialized and didn’t spend its formative first year in a cage) that might be OK, too. Thanks.
[QUOTE=deltawave;6162524]
Laura, no huskies! :lol: We bred and raced them but I don’t want one for a house pet. Not unless it came with a really good divorce lawyer. :lol:
Small, short-haired, kid- and cat-friendly, portable and ideally without major orthopedic or psychological baggage. Big ears and an underbite–something Frenchie/Boston-ish but smaller. A little brindle Bo-Chi would be perfect if I were allowed to be idealistic. I want a little goofy dog I can take to horse shows and it needs to walk courses with me on its own four legs. :lol: Might end up finding one at Rolex this year and bringing it home.
I do understand the breadth and depth of human nature, believe me. And of course I have moved on from the crazy rescues. This is the first time I am doing this and was sort of surprised by the variety of rescues and their “rules”. (which I realize ARE there for a reason but came off in several cases as frivolous and weird–like the one where they wanted to have me sign a release from my vet and have that faxed so they could call but they also told me that if I couldn’t pick up the dog within 48 hours I wouldn’t be considered–how does that give them time to check with my vet or even get the signed release?) :sigh:
For those who have done time in this world you have my genuine admiration. I am venting more than hating. :)[/QUOTE]
My guess is that if you are going to shows/trials, if you get the word out you are looking for a little, shorthaired puppy, you will have more than one to pick from.
Word of mouth in those circles around here will have puppies coming out of the woodwork in a hurry.
Just don’t fall for the cute puppies with the characteristics you don’t want.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
