Adopting A Rescue Dog

[Ninso]

While people may flame me for not doing it all through a rescue center, there are just as many dogs in need out there. All of our dogs were facing death when I or the family rescued them, with the exception of Sky.

 

There is nothing wrong with not going through a rescue to adopt a dog. I adopted my dog from the humane society, partly because I didn't think a rescue would accept my credentials. As it turned out, I got a great dog who is 100% perfect for me, however, I went into it completely blind, knowing nothing about the dog I was bringing home. In fact, nearly a year later, he has become a completely different dog than the one he was when I first brought him home. So if you just want "a dog" and you are willing to do what you need to do to make it work with that dog, go get a shelter dog. But if you are looking for something specific, or a dog that is highly likely to fit into your lifestyle, rescue is a great way to go.

 

I now work with a rescue and have fostered a little. Those adopting from rescue need to realize that these dogs are not like merchandise on a shelf that you can just pick up and bring to the cash register. These are OUR dogs--we love them, we know them, and we want nothing but the best for them. Shezrie, how do you know this dog wouldn't have been better with a family than a single person? Some dogs are just uniquely suited to be family companions, to be a kid's buddy, etc. If this dog was such a dog and had a chance to go to a home where his talents would be put to use, why would you begrudge the rescue for giving him that chance?

 

People adopting through rescue need to know that the dogs they are visiting are not their dogs. Not until the rescue says they are. Additionally, your knowledge of the dog from one short meeting does not begin to compare to the knowledge of the foster home, who has cared for the dog for several months. I'm not saying that rescues don't sometimes go overboard--I'm sure they do. But rescue is a great way to get a dog that will be almost guaranteed to be suitable for your lifestyle. That's what rescues are for. If you just want to take home the first dog that you decide you like, by all means, adopt a shelter dog. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

[Tranquilis]

Sorry folks but I must agree with the OP. Rescuing can have administration that borders on the rediculous and takes an eternity. Unfortunately this can and has turned off many potentially excellent owners.

If a responsible, qualified potential owner doesn't make the cut, well, its not personal - we've simply got to draw a line somewhere, and they wound up on the other side of that line. Certainly, we're not the only source of good dogs. It would be a different story, perhaps, if we were not placing dogs because we'd set the bar too high - but we *are* placing dogs. Continually.

 

While some potentially excellent owners may have been turned away, we can be sure that the homes where our rescuees are placed are excellent. We don't run the rescue for the adopters - we run it for the dogs. And it's our responsibility to the dogs to be certain when we place them.

 

That's the bottom line.

[Lenajo]

The basic difference here is that Rescue is about the *dogs*. That is get the *dog* the right home, based on detailed information about that *dog* from fostering and evaluating it over a period of time (mimimum usually 2 weeks for most rescues). When the dog is happy, then the owners are happy, and Rescue is happy because a dog is out of the system permanently.

 

The OP and other posters here things Rescue is about *them*. It's a common self centered view rewarded by the modern lifestyle. You get a car that *you* want, clothes that *you* want, a job that *you* want, etc. So on that note why shouldn't you get the dog *you* want?

 

well...first...It ain't about you.

 

nope, it's not. Close your mouth before you catch flies now. It's true. Really. Rescue is not about *you*.

 

It's about the dog. Remember the living, breathing...*dog*?

 

If you want to shelter adopt on your own that's great. You will get the benefits of complete control on the selection in many, if not most, shelters. You pick the dog *you* want, and then within the law, you do what *you* want with it. You take the dog home and the match fails (which sadly happens a lot), *you* live with it, return it, or euthanize it. If it works out, then *you* can take full credit and kudos.

 

Rescue dogs are owned dogs. By Rescue. Its there job to make sure the dog only goes forward, and that means putting the *dog first*.

 

It ain't about you.

 

Can that be any clearer? Suck it up and move on. If you want a shelter dog sans Rescue's "interference" there are thousands out there to choose from. Get one, build a great family pet out of it and keep it for a lifetime- we'll all celebrate.

 

~~~~

 

Remember when human adoption used to be about the parents? In the 1800s, even I believe int he early 1900's they'd load all the orphens up in the train, ship them out West, then *you* could pick the kid *you* wanted. Yippee. Unfortunately for every match that resulted in happy, health kid that grew to adulthood as they should, there were kids who were badly mismatched, abused, and neglected.

 

Now human adoption is regulated. It's still not perfect, but we accept that its about the *kid* first, not the monumental "you" that some parents feels they represent. There is kid "Rescue" applications, forms to fill out, backgrounds to check, and then follow up.

 

Sound familiar?

 

Wonder how that adoption agency for the non-fur kids would have felt about your public trashing of their requirements? Hmmmmmm. Perhaps they would have waived all the forms, apologized profusely for offending you with forms, and handing you exactly the kid you asked for immediately right?

 

Not.

 

How about everybody on your kid email board who sympathized with your terrible mistreatment sending you a kid from their area you can have instead? Sounds great! All that's needed is an internet screening right? You know just who's telling the truth, and who's not by that. Just ship the "nice people" a kiddie and all will be well!

 

Not.

 

~~~~

 

Flames will only be taken with written applications and references.

[BustopherJones]

Lenajo, I don't know what else I can do to appease you. I set aside my pride and humbly apologized to everyone on this board (including you) and admitted I was wrong. Yet you seem to want to continue this fight with your condescending attacks on "the OP". Stalking and sniping are so unbecoming. If you don't want to declare a truce, then why don't we just ignore each other from here on out?

 

I really don't think anyone here "delight in belittling others"

stockdogranch, see preceding post to this one; I rest my case.

[MrSnappy]

Not to beat a dead horse, but I fail to see how anyone can say "I agree with the OP" because as has already been established, the original post is full of conjecture, supposition and imaged scenarios that were based in nothing factual, and subsequent posts proved this to be the case. So what the heck can you agree with, exactly?

 

As for not going through a rescue organization for your second chance dogs, why on earth would you conclude you'd be "flamed" for that? A rescued dog with a good a home is a rescued dog with a good home, period, end of story. However, it's very maddening when people say "Rescue X didn't give me what I wanted, so now I would never go to a rescue operation because they are all dog Nazis and it takes 9 years, a contract in blood and the promise of my firstborn to get a dog from them etc. etc. etc."

 

At a minimum, most of this stuff is highly exaggerated (as evidenced by the existence of this thread!) - interestingly, I have only met one 'rescue', run by a certifiable loonie tune, that has a process that takes a FULL YEAR in order to get a dog from them. And I think anyone would agree that this is just weird, and not par for the course. I know literally hundreds of rescues and none of them require "months" of anything to get a dog from them.

 

But more importantly, there is not a Central Processing Office for WorldWide Rescue Corp. Every rescue is a unique entity. A perceived bad experience with one (or an imagined bad experience with one you've not actually even dealt with) is not a reason to turn one's back on rescue as an option. Certainly, there will always be another rescue to obtain a dog from, perhaps with a different value system for placing their charges that is more inline with yours. Years and years ago, before even my first border collie and way before I contemplated rescue, I approached a breeder about a dog (of a different breed) that I was interested in and she told me she did not think the breed and I were a good fit and did not want to sell me a puppy.

 

Imagine how ridiculous it would have been of me to go around broadcasting on the internetz (had their been internetz back then) that All Breeders Were Jerks and how I'd never ever buy a puppy because I had a breeder refuse me a dog. Wouldn't that just be silly? So why do people feel it's okay to lump all rescues into one category and summarily dismiss them as a good option to get a dog just because they had ONE bad experience with ONE rescue out of the hundreds and thousands of them on this planet?

 

Mystery!!

 

RDM

[urge to herd]

Weighing in on the side of reality. None of us gets what we want every time. Learning to accept that as a part of life is a big part of growing up, of being human.

 

The other reality, unfortunately, is that there is plenty of real suffering (not enough food, disease, violence, war) in the world. Pick a spot or an issue and dig in. If you are turned down by a rescue for a particular dog, well, there are literally hundreds of other dogs, probably within a hundred mile radius of where ever it is that you live, that will die due to overcrowding at the shelters where they are housed. And by die, I mean within the next few weeks. A few of them are bound to be border collies. Go get one of them.

 

Taking it so personally is understandable, at first. It stings, especially for us dog lovers, to be told we're not the perfect home for the dog we 'fell in love with'. But as some one else pointed out, that's a potential relationship, not an actual one. Tons of potential relationships never get farther than a first glance or a few minutes of conversation. Many, many more end than ever come to any kind of fruition. That's reality.

 

Ruth

[Rachel1786]

Was I too quick to jump to conclusions?

Probably. My perspective was tainted by a recent disastrous experience where my son was trying to adopt a dog from rescue. One could not have asked for a better environment. My son and his family share my love of animals. They have a fenced-in yard, my daughter-in-law is a stay-at-home mom, they have two younger children in the home, they have an older dog, etc. After going through the application process, they were asked to bring the kids and the other dog to meet the prospective adoptee. They all got along very well, and the kids fell in love with the dog. The family thought that everything was set. But when they called to follow up, they were told that, despite the fact that theirs was the first application, the group had decided to give the dog to another family; they did not provide an explanation as to why. My grandchildren were shattered. After seeing my grandchildren crying over the incident, I was perhaps jaundiced about intractable and unreasonable rescue groups. (They ultimately went to the Humane Society and got a dog with virtually no hassle; that dog is the “Roxie” that I posted about earlier.)

 

I can understand that, i adopted my BC from a rescue, i filled out the application, met Gretchen at an adoption day, fell even more in love with her, as did the rest of the family, then a few days later her foster mom brought her over, and she was ours, but i could only imagine how i would have felt if they suddenly decided that they had a better home for her after 2 weeks of talking to her foster mom about her and then meeting her, i would have been devastated, luckily my son is not old enough to comprehend any of that(he's only a year) but it would have been very upsetting to me...but i would give the rescue a chance, if it doesn't work out there are many more homeless pets that could use your love and affection, just keep looking, good luck :-)

[Lenajo]

I think the first part about selecting a dog is being brutally honest about yourself. Unfortunately that is very difficult for a lot of people, so Rescues have to be equally determined to find out what's needed to make a match.

 

There are breeds I adore in looks and basic personality, that would be a train wreck in the making in my home at this time. At the very least the dog would be miserable. If I approached a breeder or rescuers of these dogs I would expect to be turned down. And in the case of the one breed <sigh> I did apply when I saw one online photo of a darling one, and was turned down - with good reason. I am not the right home for that breed. At least not now. Maybe never. I see no need to rail at the rescuer for being honest and concerned.

 

It's life. Limits are there for good reasons usually.

[Jack & Co.]

If you want to shelter adopt on your own that's great. You will get the benefits of complete control on the selection in many, if not most, shelters. You pick the dog *you* want, and then within the law, you do what *you* want with it. You take the dog home and the match fails (which sadly happens a lot), *you* live with it, return it, or euthanize it. If it works out, then *you* can take full credit and kudos.

 

That was my experience, Lenajo. The local animal shelter where we got Jack as a puppy only cared that our money was green. They were so packed with dogs they didn't have time or personnel to interview us. If you want Instant Dog, hit the shelters.

[MaryP]

Just a couple things to think about . . .

 

There have been times when I have received several applications for one dog. These applications have often come in within minutes of each other, sometimes it is over a span of a few days. (Sadly, I'm not really having this "problem" any more). All the applicants are eager and all are "in love" with the dog and all want to be selected. Sometimes I will eliminate an applicant at the application stage. Sometimes I will remove their application for a particular dog at the application stage simply because, on paper, they aren't the right home for the dog. If after that, I still have several applications that appear (on paper) to be potential good fits for the dog, I will move to the next stage (check references, call them for an interview). If after that, I still have more than one good candidate, I schedule home visits. I will always tell applicants at this point that I have more than one candidate for the dog. Now, if an applicant gets their hopes up too much at this point, it is really their own doing. They've been warned. For the most part, applicants have always been really understanding and really cooperative. Though, I have also had a few unpleasant experiences, too.

 

For people with small children, I have a suggestion for you based on an experience that I had with an applicant with a very young child. They had applied to adopt a particular dog and we were going through the process. They knew that if their son found out that they were thinking about adopting a dog and then it was decided either by me or them that it was not a good fit, their son would then be devastated. So, they didn't tell him that they were trying to adopt the dog. When they got to the stage in the adoption process where they could come meet the dog, they told their son that they were going to go visit a friend and her dog. They came and met the dog and everything went really well. Though I don't typically adopt to families with toddlers, I felt this dog would do just fine with them (and he has). After they had the dog home with them for a few hours, they broke the news to their son that they were going to keep him forever. Their son was very happy but also concerned that Steve and I would miss him.

 

So, perhaps you could help to prevent your children from being "devastated" by being careful about how you approach the adoption process when going through a rescue.

[Bo Peep]

I'd like to add a couple things and a story for anyone that cares.

 

First of all, Buster has apologized over and over and I bet he would if he could erase what he started. Second of all, I have done rescue since the early 90's with NO HELP from any organization. In western OR. The clackamas humane society would call me when they had a BC or a BCX and then word just spread that I would find homes for dogs. I worked with my local vet, who Edie was dating (big plus there) for cheaper spays and neuters. Small towns help out a lot!

 

The story I'm going to tell you sounds like the worst placement. I received a dog from Gresham, OR. named Bailey- there sure are a lot of "Bailey's" out there. Her neighbors wanted to make sure she was ok and visited me. They had a young son around 8, he was slow, and they spent 2 hours at my farm with all the rescues and my dogs, taking pictures. They came to bring a nice photo album and told me they wanted Bailey. Right down the street- nope. But I went and checked out their place and it was great. She could NOT have gotten out and back to her original owner. I gave this a lot of thought and after they paid the small price for the spay, I gave them the dog. It was 4 years until I lost contact with them. A Christmas card every year with Bailey in it. I was wrong. I'm glad I gave this a lot of thought. This Bailey ended up very happy and a joy for the family to own. It's been a long time now, I'm sure this Bailey is gone, but I'm glad I could see past my "little red flag" and let her have her home she enjoyed.

 

One deal breaker. If I shed a tear and no one in that family does NOT give me a hug or any kind of concern- they don't get the dog. Compassion is something I look for in an owner.

[Shezrie]

Not to beat a dead horse, but I fail to see how anyone can say "I agree with the OP" because as has already been established, the original post is full of conjecture, supposition and imaged scenarios that were based in nothing factual, and subsequent posts proved this to be the case. So what the heck can you agree with, exactly?

 

RDM

 

Perhaps I should have worded that as 'I agree with the Opening Post'

 

Dog ownership is about the dog and the owner, no two ways about it.

 

It takes two to tango so I would say it is very much about the owner too. And perhaps this is where some Rescue Centers are handling things wrong. Their customer service is bad and they believe they are doing you a service by allowing you to adopt a dog. Well most people out there believe they are helping save a dog and that they are doing a service by going to a rescue center in the first place to adopt a dog instead of a breeder. So when they get there and are treated to an attitude of 'are you good enough to adopt our dogs' then of course they get offended. It is human nature.

 

It is a case of both believing they are doing the other a favor.

 

This has been the case for many I have spoken with and I am sorry there are those who think I or others are stupid for saying we won't go back to a Rescue Center, but I don't do back to shops or restaurants after being treated badly and I will not go back to Rescue Centers where I am given attitude and treated badly. Do you know they said they would call me if a dog became available, I am flippin' glad I didn't wait because that was 5 years ago!!

 

That said, obviously not every Rescue Center will be like that. There are people that work in these centers that are curteous, hard working and who are actually grateful to these people that come along and offer good homes to these beloved creatures that need good homes.

 

So please do not take this as an attack on those people who dedicate themselves to helping. Because it is not, it is simply what happened and why I will not return to a Rescue Center.

[MaryP]

Shezrie, I think you may be trying to compare apples and oranges here. I'm not sure what rescues are like in the UK, but in the US and CAN, for the most part, they are not large, centralized operations. There is not a center, per se, that you can go to where there are dogs and rescue workers. There are a handful of larger rescue groups in the US (not sure about CAN) that are run more like businesses with a centralized operation and paid workers. But, the majority of rescues here are nothing more than an organized group of individuals of varying size that have established procedures for taking in dogs and adopting them out. The dogs are scattered around in private foster homes. Most of the volunteers do rescue in their spare time. They have paying jobs and other responsibilities in addition to their volunteer work with the rescue. This seems to be a very different concept then the one you present in your posts.

 

This has been the case for many I have spoken with and I am sorry there are those who think I or others are stupid for saying we won't go back to a Rescue Center, but I don't do back to shops or restaurants after being treated badly and I will not go back to Rescue Centers where I am given attitude and treated badly.

 

Your analogy doesn't hold water. Are you saying that if you had a bad experience with one restaurant, you will never dine out at ANY restaurant again? I don't think so. You are saying that if you had a bad experience at one restaurant, you would never return to THAT restaurant. I get that. But, what others here have tried to say is, "Don't lump all rescues together." They are all unique and a bad experience with one should not translate to "all rescues are bad and have unreasonable expectations."

 

Bo Peep, I believe that this thread has morphed and grown and is not really about the OP anymore. Instead, it has become more of a discussion about the perception that some people have about rescue. His post was just the impetus for that discussion. With that said, I'm not sure what the underlying point of your post is. I'm not trying to be flippant, either. I read it several times and I really don't know what the point was that you were trying to make.

[vaporflowers]

Do you know they said they would call me if a dog became available, I am flippin' glad I didn't wait because that was 5 years ago!!

 

Rescues are typically run by extremely overworked volunteers. It is extremely hard for them to keep up with EVERY applicant. They are not a business; they are unpaid and typically have other full-time jobs. When I'm interested in adopting a dog, I check many rescues, visit them a few times, interact with several dogs; I want the rescues to get to know me as more than a piece of paper, and I want to keep in touch with them. This often involves effort on my part; I don't expect them to remember me from a few short interactions.

 

Their customer service is bad and they believe they are doing you a service by allowing you to adopt a dog. Well most people out there believe they are helping save a dog and that they are doing a service by going to a rescue center in the first place to adopt a dog instead of a breeder.

 

I don't know if you've ever fostered a dog. But I can tell you that my foster dogs, especially the long-term ones or the litters of puppies I had to hand-raise, are a part of me. When they get adopted, even though I am happy, a piece of my heart goes with them. I'm letting one of my precious babies go. So it is my responsibility to the dog to make sure that the home is perfect. None of the adopters who ended up with my pups complained about the process. They were happy to be "allowed" to take my dog, and often keep me updated on their lives.

 

A responsible breeder, in my experience and opinion, behaves much the same way about the puppies they have produced. They also make the buyer go through a process to get a pup because they've raised those puppies with so much love and care.

 

I'm sorry that you won't return to a rescue again. You are doing it because of a grudge against the people in a particular organization or a few organizations, but the ones who are really hurt by this are the dogs.

[Jack & Co.]

One deal breaker. If I shed a tear and no one in that family does NOT give me a hug or any kind of concern- they don't get the dog. Compassion is something I look for in an owner.

 

I don't get this. If I'm getting a dog from you and you dissolve in tears at the parting and I don't hug you or comfort you, the deal's off?

 

Gotta admit, I'm not a toucher or hugger and I think I would be a little uneasy at taking a dog from someone who was sobbing as we drove away. I understand being misty-eyed at seeing the results of your months of hard work leaving for a new home, but not placing the dog because the new family doesn't rush to your emotional rescue, come on!

[Tranquilis]

Dog ownership is about the dog and the owner, no two ways about it.

While true, humans are perfectly able to be their own advocates. The Rescue is advocate for the dog. That is our purpose - The potential adopters come to us, and we do the best we can to accomodate them, consistent with the needs of the dogs. If we err on the side of caution, well, that's our job - to be sure.

 

Even when there's a dog that's hard to place, it's still our duty to be choosy. It isn't personal - We don't hate anyone, nor do we wish to disappoint anyone, but our job is to find the dogs the best possible homes we can, and that simply means that some people won't make the cut.

 

So when they get there and are treated to an attitude of 'are you good enough to adopt our dogs' then of course they get offended. It is human nature.

People don't like being judged, but that's our job. When they try to make the Rescue 'wrong' by assigning negative attributes to an uncomfortable event, like being judged, well, that's human nature too. We don't go around with our noses in the air, assuming airs; We make judgements based upon the needs of the dogs, and yes, many people are NOT good enough - not because we dislike them, but because, in our judgement, they don't meet the standards we've set for proper care, safety, or circumstances. And others might be good enough, but we've got better choices, so those borderline cases are also rejected. We don't want adopted dogs coming back again if we can possibly help it, so we err on the side of caution.

 

This has been the case for many I have spoken with and I am sorry there are those who think I or others are stupid for saying we won't go back to a Rescue Center...

I see. So if you had a bad experience whilst shopping, you'd never go shopping again, eh? Interesting. You're treating your experiences with a limited number of institutions as being typical to them all. That's a pretty broad brush you're swinging there - By way of comparisson, you'd be closing out, say, all convenience stores because of a bad experience in one or two such stores.

[beachdogz]

With that said, I'm not sure what the underlying point of your post is. I'm not trying to be flippant, either. I read it several times and I really don't know what the point was that you were trying to make.

 

I thought Bo Peep's point was that originally she didn't want to place the dog with someone who lived so close to the original owner. However, when she really got to know the people, she was glad that she did not listen to her first instinct not to place the dog with them...as the home turned out to be an excellent home. I thought her point was that you just can't tell a good home from the initial contact, even if you have a red flag go up on it. Am I wrong?

[Bo Peep]

I don't get this. If I'm getting a dog from you and you dissolve in tears at the parting and I don't hug you or comfort you, the deal's off?

 

Gotta admit, I'm not a toucher or hugger and I think I would be a little uneasy at taking a dog from someone who was sobbing as we drove away. I understand being misty-eyed at seeing the results of your months of hard work leaving for a new home, but not placing the dog because the new family doesn't rush to your emotional rescue, come on!

No- I'm no sobbing- I do that later- LOL. The wife usually gives me a hug, the hubby a touch on the arm and the kids a BIG hug. This is a good placement.

Your right beachdogz- it was an excellent placement, after taking much thought into concentration.

[Shezrie]

My point was simply to provide another point of view and perspective as to why there are threads such as this and why people get upset with the process.

 

No one likes to be judged and people like even less to be judged when they are trying to do something good. Rejection in any form hurts at least a little regardless of how many people tell you to 'get over it.' That is human nature and when you open your home and family and receive rejection that is not good. How do you think people feel when they go to provide a loving home to an animal in need and are told what they have to offer is not good enough. It is like a slap in the face. You think the dog needing rescuing would turn down a loving home because of the garden size or if someone works, no.

 

My point and opinion is simply that the 'criteria' that must be met in order to adopt a dog from a rescue center is stopping dogs from finding homes and turning away potentially very good homes. That said, I am talking about Canadian Rescue Centers, I have no experience of European or USA ones. While I understand the need to evaluate potential owners, I think it goes to rediculous lengths in some cases.

 

And in that, I was agreeing with the first post. I suspect, the OP met with such an angry backlash to his first post that he felt he could do nothing other than rescind his post.

[Genie]

One deal breaker. If I shed a tear and no one in that family does NOT give me a hug or any kind of concern- they don't get the dog. Compassion is something I look for in an owner.

 

That's unfortunate. A person can be compassionate and still be uncomfortable with hugging someone they just met.

[Root Beer]

That's unfortunate. A person can be compassionate and still be uncomfortable with hugging someone they just met.

 

Hear hear!!

 

Also, I tend to express compassion by giving someone space when they tear up. I do that because it's what I appreciate.

[MrSnappy]

Gotta admit, I'm not a toucher or hugger and I think I would be a little uneasy at taking a dog from someone who was sobbing as we drove away. I understand being misty-eyed at seeing the results of your months of hard work leaving for a new home, but not placing the dog because the new family doesn't rush to your emotional rescue, come on!

 

I second or third or whatever this. You'd be hard pressed to make me cry in general, and if someone else start's crying I am unlikely to hug them. I'm not a huggy person. That sounds weird to me too!

 

RDM

[jdarling]

The wife usually gives me a hug, the hubby a touch on the arm and the kids a BIG hug. This is a good placement.

 

I've had a lot of very bad placements then, because I am not the huggin' sort, either.

[BustopherJones]

Whereas I started this unfortunate thread, may I have the privilege of ending it with a summary based on the insights I have gained from other contributors to this thread, and hope that Eileen will lock it once and for all, as the entire discussion is getting out of hand? To support my points, I will, where appropriate, quote people involved in rescue, so that I cannot be accused of making arbitrary or uninformed statements.

 

Point 1: Formal rescue organizations tend to be focused on the dog, not the prospective owner. This is neither a criticism nor a condemnation. As has been pointed out, these organizations are made up of volunteers who are committed to ensuring a better life for dogs that desperately need the best of all possible second chances. Because these volunteers place the dog first, they establish their standards, however qualitative those standards might be, to judge the best possible environment for each individual dog's personality and needs.

Rescue is not about first come, first served. It's about placing the dog in the best home, as the rescue sees fit… the rescue has to make judgments based on the application, references, home checks, interviews, etc. They have to weigh all the information and decide where the dog would best fit. It's not a slap in your face if they don't choose you. It just means that they thought another home was a better fit. (MaryP)

 

Point 2: The fact that one may truly want a particular dog, and feel that he/she has something special to offer to that dog, particularly if it has special needs (as was the case that resulted in my ill-advised post), it is within the purview of the rescue organization to determine the best match. This might mean that one must wait for that right match; and it can potentially mean that such a perfect match never comes along, for there are many homes looking for rescues for a specific breed.

Our foster homes simply do their best to find a perfect home for each of our rescued dogs -- and yes, that means that sometimes, you will have to wait for the right match to come around even if you can provide a good home for a BC. (phej)

 

Point 3: Decisions about the right match may sometimes seem subjective and arbitrary, and may not always seem fair, especially if the rescuer knows nothing of the type of home one has to offer. But that is the prerogative of the rescuer.

I know at this point I'd turn him down for my rescues. My number 1 reason would be because these dogs have had enough trauma without getting with an owner with too much attitude to fill out a couple of pieces of paper. (Lenajo)

 

Point 4 (No quote to back this one up, just my opinion): Formal rescue operations are the best choice for finding the right dog, if one wants to be patient and to allow a knowledgeable and experienced person to determine the optimum match. If one prefers to control his/her own destiny, or does not wish to wait, there are numerous other venues and approaches to finding the right dog. Dogs in shelters and dog pounds also need loving homes. For instance, my own beloved Missy came to us through a rather unusual route. We had just lost our Beagle, and always had two dogs in the house. Our vet (who knew our home intimately and the way we take care of our dogs) urged us to open our hearts to another dog, preferably from a shelter or dog pound, as there are so many out there who need homes. She happened to run across a dog in a local dog pound for which she was the consulting vet, and called us immediately. We had Missy for 14 years, and (despite some significant medical expenses for reconstructive surgery of her knee and, at the end, treatment of her cancer, Cushing's Disease, and heart condition) never regretted that decision.

 

Finally, it strkes me that ALL of us participate on this board because we love dogs, and our desire for knowledge and insight extends far beyond that of the average dog owner. We each have different perspectives and experience sets, and (as is obvious from the variety of posts above) different perceptions. But we are a fraternity of unique individuals, not just because we include Border Collies in our families, but because we care enough to share our viewpoints and experiences with each other. The only people I condemn are those who demean or ridicule others for having a different viewpoint or opinion; but those persons are extremely rare, and for the most part we are a family unto ourselves.

 

I offer this food for thought, if one is thinking about adopting a rescue, especially after losing another dog:

Sorrow fills a barren space;

you close your eyes and see my face

and think of times I made you laugh,

the love we shared, the bond we had,

the special way I needed you -

the friendship shared by just we two.

 

The day's too quiet, the world seems older,

the wind blows now a little colder.

You gaze into the empty air

and look for me, but I'm not there -

I'm in heaven and I watch you,

and I see the world around you too.

 

I see little souls wearing fur,

souls who bark and souls who purr

born unwanted and unloved -

I see all this and more above -

I watch them suffer, I see them cry,

I see them lost, I watch them die.

I see unwanted thousands born -

and when they die, nobody mourns.

 

These little souls wearing fur

(some who bark and some who purr)

are castaways who - unlike me -

will never know love or security.

A few short months they starve and roam,

or caged in shelters - nobody takes home.

They're special too (fur balls of pleasure),

filled with love and each one, a treasure.

 

My pain and suffering came to an end,

so don't cry for me, my person, my friend.

But think of the living - those souls with fur

(some who bark and some who purr) -

And though our bond can't be broken apart,

make room for another in your home and your heart.

 

Caro Schubert-James

 

And hopefully this will put an end to a discussion that at times seems to be generating more heat than light...

[afrancis]

Bustopher,

As always, thanks for the moving tribute to your Missy and to the many others lost.

And keep us posted about your search for another furry friend to keep you company. I hope you find the perfect companion to help fill the void that Missy left.

 

Aside from the tone that you (and others) have felt, I think that this thread has been constructive in so far as reinforcing to newbies (and people like me) that rescue organizations are as different as the individuals that run them. But also, first and foremost, that these individuals share a dedication to be the best advocats for their rescued creatures. And because we are all human, it is possible that mistakes and oversights will be made. Nevertheless, I applaud them for their unwavering generosity of spirit and love.

 

Finally, it strikes me that ALL of us participate on this board because we love dogs, and our desire for knowledge and insight extends far beyond that of the average dog owner. We each have different perspectives and experience sets, and (as is obvious from the variety of posts above) different perceptions. But we are a fraternity of unique individuals, not just because we include Border Collies in our families, but because we care enough to share our viewpoints and experiences with each other.

 

Amen.

 

Ailsa