Good article on slate about animal adoption agencies

[ladyfreckles]

Originally Posted by gsdraven

It's not irrelevant and they aren't interchangeable. Just because you were rejected from both doesn't mean that experience will carry over to every other person that is rejected from one or the other.

In the years that I have been doing rescue, I can count on one hand the number of people that we have flat out rejected.

We may have told an adopter that their home wasn't right for the particular dog they wanted... for example, a big male dog that was sometimes iffy with dogs and needed a lot of attention. Potential adopter already had several dogs at home and although sounded like a great owner, it was not the right environment for that particular dog. They got very angry with me for suggesting that the wouldn't be a good owner which is not AT ALL what I said.

Another scenario is that we may not have the dog they are looking for in our possession at the moment. People are impatient. They want a dog yesterday by the time they apply. Maybe to them, they were rejected but that wasn't truly the case.

And as has already been said, there are groups that are very strictive. There's one in our area that will only adopt in a certain mile radius and you must have a fence (the fence may even have a height requirement) but they are good about sending adopters to the rescues that will adopt to them.

I don't care about your experience with rescues. Your experience does not make my experience less legitimate. I made a post describing my experience with both rescues and shelters and you are telling me my post is invalid because I used the terms interchangeably. You're not even understanding my point. You're just trying to distract from it and focus on one minor detail.

[gsdraven]

Originally Posted by ladyfreckles

I don't care about your experience with rescues. Your experience does not make my experience less legitimate. I made a post describing my experience with both rescues and shelters and you are telling me my post is invalid because I used the terms interchangeably. You're not even understanding my point. You're just trying to distract from it and focus on one minor detail.

Ladyfreckles, nobody, most especially me, said that your post was invalid. What myself and Jean tried to do was educate you on the difference between rescues and shelters and just because they are the same "to you" does not make it true.

As to the rest? I have no idea what you are even talking about. I did not focus on any minor detail. I pointed out that there IS a difference between a rescue a shelter even if you refuse to believe it from people with much more experience than you with both. The rest of my post was simply adding to the converstation, not commenting on your experience at all.

[ladyfreckles]

Originally Posted by gsdraven

Ladyfreckles, nobody, most especially me, said that your post was invalid. What myself and Jean tried to do was educate you on the difference between rescues and shelters and just because they are the same "to you" does not make it true.

As to the rest? I have no idea what you are even talking about. I did not focus on any minor detail. I pointed out that there IS a difference between a rescue a shelter even if you refuse to believe it from people with much more experience than you with both. The rest of my post was simply adding to the converstation, not commenting on your experience at all.

I didn't refuse to believe it, I said it was irrelevant to my post.

[JeanKBBMMMAAN]

Ay yi yi.

For the other people reading this thread, commenting or not, it is helpful to know some of the general differences between a shelter and a rescue. So when someone keeps saying there is no difference, we, as a point of education, say yes there is. So that information is for other people, not for you.

RE: Shelters and rescues working hand in hand, that may happen in some regions of the country, in some places, with 2 groups that you have seen or however specific you want to get and I won't deny that you have seen it, but I can also tell you the dogs locally that I have seen rescues get called on are the dogs that shelters are going to have trouble adopting. Cage aggressive/kennel crazy, dog aggressive (Rebel took a dog like that - 8 yo female - from almost Canada to MD), heartworm positive, shy, whatever. OR sometimes rescues might get a call if it is a shelter that doesn't spay or neuter before the dog leaves, asking to please come get the dog before "the breeder" comes back to get it. Not really a breeder, but someone who produces puppies. So a number of us on this thread have that experience. And happy to help them as much as possible!

I could get a van (well bus or truck) and drive to the south and pick up probably 50 GSDs a week, of good temperament and questionable health due to care, and still leave a bunch there. So there is a saturation level in some areas that 10 GSD rescues can't absorb. I am guessing you aren't in OH, TN, SC, NC, GA, Southern FL, etc.

People on this board have worked together to do home checks for people to help them adopt some of these southern dogs, though there is always the chance that once they get to their new homes they aren't a match, which is always a chance you take when you only know one half of the couple you are trying to match.

People are really focused on the fence, apartment, etc, stuff and I would like someone to go on rescue websites and research policies to get an idea of what IS happening there. And there are usually reasons why they have kid or fence policies - generally because a dog has been hurt, or there has been a lawsuit, or their board of directors has decided it's not worth the risk, etc. Not a "let's see how many rules we can make" thing. Decisions based on experiences.

I know what I am looking for in an adopter - if they have 1 dog, no fence is fine most of the time, more than 1, I like to see a fence for the dogs to have fun, no invisible fence ever, highly neurotic, obsessive about their pets, no life to speak of beyond their dogs or family, kind, and open to getting emails about bloat, HGE, dog treat recalls, etc, on a regular basis. I absolutely love the people who have my former fosters. They are wonderful people who continue to allow me to be a part of the lives of those dogs. And I don't even have to peek in their windows. Much.

If that sounds awful, then adopting from rescue is probably not for you. (ETA - that was tongue in cheek, realize that's hard to hear in print)

Thanks, crackem for saying you understand the part of placing something that was yours with someone else. Yes, they are called foster dogs, but while they are living with us, we love them as much as we love our own.

And if you can imagine who you would give YOUR dog to (and no one you know - just someone who sends you an email or application), for just a minute, maybe you can walk a couple of feet in our shoes. We aren't doing this for us, I would like to spend time taking my dogs places but feel for these dogs who need our help.

Or, rather, if you cannot imagine giving your own dog up, imagine your dog without you or without being able to access whatever back up plan you have for them. They end up in a shelter, then go to a rescue. Do you want their foster to give them to the first person who applies, without checking their home. Or do you want that foster to carefully consider and think about it and do their very best to place your dog?

Big Dogs, Big Heartworm: A Note to Mila's Person

[Remo]

Amen Jean - you said it so well.

We get them to act civilized in a house, teach them how to go up/down stairs, to walk around the coffee table instead of jumping on it, or over it, get them housebroken, teach them manners, teach them how to walk politely on a leash, work them past their fears, and when they are ready, we find a new home for them. Just as the hard part is over, they are gone and the next one takes their place. The cycle never ends.

Mind you - I am not complaining - fostering has given me the opportunity to turn the lives around of hundreds of GSDs, and to meet some of the kindest people in the world. A lot of the folks who have adopted from me have stayed in touch, even after they have moved away. We are friends for life.

So how could you not understand that we have our heart and souls invested in these fabulous creatures? Most of the rescue folks are not crazy or dog hoarders, but you only hear about the ones that are. The rest of us plug away, every single day, and try to help these dogs who need us so much. And most of us will just keep on doing it because in spite of the effort, cost, time and heartbreak involved with what we do, we love what we do and we have a good feeling inside that is really hard to describe to those outside of our circle.

Like Jean said in a previous posting, you do the work, you make the rules!

[lhczth]

I remember when my mother was working for a SHELTER in her area I looked over their application. They required a fenced in yard. No intact animals. Vet vaccination records. There were some other things that I don't recall. I could not qualify, despite being a responsible dog owner for over 30 years, because I have intact animals and, except for rabies, I do very limited vaccinations. So, yes, some shelters do have fenced yard and other requirements and don't just adopt to anyone with the money.

[lhczth]

Lea, I think just like with everything in life, we only hear about the bad ones. The good rescuers aren't talked about, only the really bad ones. The good breeders aren't talked about, only the bad ones. Good does not sell, does not make the news and rarely gets talked about.