Remote ranch home for BC denied by Rescue groups

[janeinthemtns]

I can only consider this political. After more than a month sitting at my old computer for many hours every day, I am still without my Border Collie. However, I have aggrevated my back so badly that I have to think before I make a move - tough to do on a ranch. I live in north central New Mexico on a cattle ranch/hay farm. My BC cross died on June 22 at 13 years old. I felt like I might just go with her - we have been together on remote ranches for all of her life.

 

Immediately, I began looking on the computer for Border Collies. My Iris hated all other dogs or I would not be here without one now. All these years I stuck it out with the weirdest Border Collie/ Basingi behavior imaginable. I found Border Collie rescue groups in Wyoming and Arizona. And one group in Santa Fe that is just getting organized. Looking at all the sad faces was almost as bad as losing my dog. I tried to submit applications. My computer evidently is too old to fill out the Wyoming application properly. After over a week of downloading the application page by page, filling it out by hand, scanning it back into the computer all I got was more instructions on how to do it from two different states (I think). I had written a long bio of me, my dog, my four rescued cow horses, etc. In fact, this letter contained more information about me than any other individual knows.

 

This letter included information about our excellent local vet who had been the State of New Mexico vet until a couple of years ago. Also, information about a woman I know who does large and small animal rescue who was happy to provide me with an excellent reference. I posted many photos of my dog, my horses and my home. My horses all look like sheared beavers in March after being fed a high fat, high dollar diet all winter. There can be no mistake made regarding the care of these animals. I don't know anyone else around here who has horses looking so fit at the end of a 30 below zero, 60 mph windy winter.

 

From Wyoming Rescue, I received more instructions regarding proper computer use. Apparently, without their SPECIFIC application form, I was not to be considered for pet adoption.

 

From Arizona, I received a call from someone named Bob who stated he is a volunteer. Bob told me that it would be possible to send photos of my home because there was no one around here to do an inspection. He stated that they needed to be sure there was enough room in the house for the dog. One of the photos of my home shows a two story adobe farm house. I guess if there was not enough room for my dogs, I would have to put the furniture out in the yard. Bob asked me a lot of questions. He had seen my letter, but had not looked at the photos - that was my understanding. Bob told me that "the dog person" would be calling me soon. I told Bob that I was specifically interested in the two BC pups on the website. Now both those dogs are "adoption pending." Although I sent another application, sent email inquiries several times plus more photos, I never heard anything from them.

 

Every day I look at this site and see cheery messages from rescue people that they have more dogs or have successfully adopted dogs. I have not heard anything from any of these people.

 

What is going on here? Have the Border Collie people gotten so far removed from where the Border Collies came from that they cannot recognize a good ranch home when they see one? Exactly what knocked me out of consideration after the phone call from "Bob in AZ?" Apparently, it works for some people to send photos of their home, but not for me. I am a 58 year old woman, retired from a career in Civil Construction Management. I live on a ranch. I need a ranch dog and a constant companion. I plan to have at least two Border Collies. My dogs live in the house - sleeping on the end of my bed when they want to be there. My dogs are never loose to run without supervision. They never ride in pickup truck beds and they will be running outside AT LEAST twice per day even in the worst weather because the horses always need to be checked on and fed. I don't go any place that the dogs cannot go. The only time the dogs are left alone is during the summer when I go into town to grocery shop - maybe 1.5 hours max. NO children are here ever. In fact, nobody but me and the cows and horses have been here for a long time - except for the woman who does animal rescue. Last time she was here, I didn't let her in the house because my dog was just beginning to get sick.

 

No person on a remote ranch will ever have as much time as I have to spend on the computer searching for dogs. I have made the time on top of all the other work for over a month. We do not have fancy, high tech, new computer equipment. Some of us do not have land line telephones and we cannot afford over $100.00 per month for satelite service. When I had the landline hooked up here a few months ago, I found the neighboring ranch was using my "street address" for their phone service. We do not have 911 service here - calls to 911 ring into an office 70 miles away with no address verification. We are rural and remote. I have received emails from breeders asking me why anyone on a ranch would need "a watch dog." One woman in Texas said she was confused by this - I should get some other breed. It went mostly downhill from there. I am still without a dog to alert me to any noises outside - in fact, I am like a sitting duck. The horses are great at this, but I cannot see them from my window at night.

 

Not many of us can afford $750.00 or more for a puppy. In fact, it seems to me that there is no effort being made by many breeders to ensure that the dogs even have a herding instinct. Anybody who doesn't know why ranches need dogs, should not be breeding Border Collies.

 

So here I am - dogless in dog heaven. Recently I sent them all more photos of the view of the ranch from the house (hundreds of green, green acres) and photos of the living room. Because I do not live close to any town with city people who want to inspect my life and my residence, I am not eligible for Border Collie rescue dogs. Do these people imagine that all the dumped dogs are coming from ranches? I guess this would be very inappropriate discrimination. There are many thousands of dogs living very well on ranches as pets and as a very important part of the whole operation. In my opinion, this attitude will keep any rescue operation from ever helping any dogs in this area. WHo would call these people? And it is not as if there are no stock dogs in trouble around here. AFter seeing all the sad, homeless dogs on the internet, I have decided to do something about this situation. One thing I can do is adopt at least one older dog after I find my young dog. But I will not be working with any groups who are so separated from ranch and farm life that they make demands of time and equipment that are unattainable for many of us out here

 

I have tried to upload photos onto this site, but I get failure notices and directions to contact the administrators - where ever and whoever they may be.

 

Sheridan Collins

near Tierra Amarilla, New Mexico

[Caroline Reichard]

Hi Jane,

 

From what I've read about your situation both on this Forum and from you privately, I think you need more than a run-of-the-mill Border collie rescue(deserving animals though they are). I think you need a dog that you know will work w/ you and be more than simply a companion (honorable calling though that is).

 

Have you considered a retiring trial dog? You might be a perfect placement for the right dog. Perhaps someone out there can hook you up w/ someone else??? (Drats, where is the "leading look" emoticon When you need it?)

 

No one should be livin' the dream w/ no dog.

[dracina]

Hi Sheridan:

 

It is impossible to understand why this has occured without actually being there to evaluate your situation. I am very sorry that this has happened, as it is evident that you desperately want a border collie or two to accompany you on the ranch.

 

Maybe you have already considered this, but perhaps you could try a shelter rather than a rescue? Have you searched Petfinder? You may have better luck, and the adoption experience may be easier, quicker, and less expensive for you.

 

I wouldn't take it personally, Sheridan. Rescues are fantastic, but they are sometimes understaffed due to lack of volunteers. Maybe you could call or email the rescues (e.g. Bob) and ask why you were not considered? They may be able to give you more insight than we can here.

 

Best of luck,

Karrin

 

ETA: or what Caroline said !!

[Patty Abel]

Sorry you are so far disappointed in your search for a rescue border collie. Just maybe the rescue fosters know that the dogs they are sheltering are not working or farm life quality. I have turned down a seemingly perfect hobby farm home because my foster had quirks that I just didn't feel comfortable passing off to another. The applicant was not happy and felt that she didn't measure up. In truth it was the dog. Oh well.

I would check out the shelter in your county, buy a community newspaper. Put an add at the feed store near you. You will have more border collies/sheep dogs than you can feed!

[WildFlower]

I am so sorry to hear this.

 

Honestly, I was quite skeptical about resuces because I had heard many stories similar to yours where a person was turned down for silly reasons, IMO. However, I do think that rescues try to do the best that they can even though they are often understaffed with volunteers and have limited time and money. I would advocate for you to try and call the rescue that you did not get a satisfactory answer from and ask to speak to the person in charge of the rescue to get a better answer. And plead your case. (I think talking to a person is so much more personal than writing a letter or sending an email.) Perhaps its just my pushy business attitude but I don't give up easily.

 

Several other members have offered you great alternative paths to try too.

 

I wish you the best of luck and I hope that you are able to give a BC a wonderful home soon.

[SoloRiver]

Hi Sheridan,

 

I am not sure why you consider this "political." Getting a rescue dog is not always a rapid process, especially when a home has needs as specific as yours (i.e., the dog needs to work) and the fact that you are very remote makes it much more difficult. You consider their demands unreasonable, but keep in mind that most rescues are run by volunteers who have full-time jobs and are doing what they can with the free time that they have. You say you started this process a month ago, which was not all that long ago. Even if you were able to fill out the online application and have a home visit it is extremely doubtful that any rescue would have been able to match you up with an appropriate dog within a week or two; a month or more is a more likely timeframe. Since you want a working dog, it would probably take longer than that even without any technical difficulties. I know this because I too was looking for a working dog from rescue (hobby herding) and was told that it would probably takes months to find the dog I was looking for through rescue, if I found her at all. I ended up buying a trained sheepdog that time around.

 

A retired trial dog sounds like a good option for you.

[Cody & Duchess]

I understand your computer access is limited. Try going to petfinders.com put in your area on the left side - click on the breed button - scroll down to border collie... I am in New Mexico - there is a number of dogs that you might find interesting. Boots - in Sante Fe with UnderDog Rescue Inc, is one year. You may not get a puppy - but a young dog can usually be reshaped to a wonderful companion and helper. I am aware that both of the rescues that you noted in your posting have said on their website that they will not adopt out of their location due to the fact that they cannot do a home visit. I understand their desire to do that, I also understand you deep need for a new dog. Good luck.

[nancy in AZ]

Sheridan, I hope you will take under consideration the valid points made by Melanie. Check out this New Mexico rescue org. They currently have listings for BC's looking for homes.

 

http://www.broandtracy.org/privaterescue/index.shtml

[Eileen Stein]

I don't see how this fits into Politics and Culture, so I'm moving it to General Border Collie Discussion.

[janeinthemtns]

Hi Jane,

 

From what I've read about your situation both on this Forum and from you privately, I think you need more than a run-of-the-mill Border collie rescue(deserving animals though they are). I think you need a dog that you know will work w/ you and be more than simply a companion (honorable calling though that is).

 

Have you considered a retiring trial dog? You might be a perfect placement for the right dog. Perhaps someone out there can hook you up w/ someone else??? (Drats, where is the "leading look" emoticon When you need it?)

 

No one should be livin' the dream w/ no dog.

[BustopherJones]

Jane, in addition to this site, you might also consider visiting the Rescue Board site: BC Rescue Board There are rescue dogs listed by geographic area, as well as general discussions. (Certainly, there is no slight intended to the great rescue people on this board; the additional board simply provides another resource.)

[PSmitty]

First of all, were you actually denied by any rescue group? Maybe I need to go back and re-read, but I don't think I noted that. Is it a pain in the ass to meet the application requirements? Possibly, but could be worth it in the end! It's up to you. Also, there are so many dogs in need, I am quite sure if you watch Petfinder, you can find a rescue dog. You will have to go to a shelter and fill out an application, but again, well worth it.

 

Rescue groups have their policies for a reason. Trust me, they don't take likely the placing of these dogs that they're responsible for (at least good ones don't). If one rescue turns you down for a particular reason, try another. They don't all have the same policies. If you want a rescue dog badly enough, you can find one. It just might not be as easy as you originally imagined.

 

Now, having said all that, many rescue groups will not be able to properly screen a Border Collie for working potential. As much as I love to recommend rescue, if you NEED a working dog, you might be better off looking for a retired working dog, or maybe one who isn't quite top notch trial material, but could handle what you need around your place.

 

Best of luck to you.

[janeinthemtns]

Thank you for all the suggestions. I posted this originally in Politics and Culture because ranch culture is an entity in itself. It becomes political when the cultural divisions become apparent.

 

I don't believe I could ever be in the position of deciding who should be able to adopt any animal. Nobody really knows if they are all on the same page when talking about adequate (hopefully more than adequate) care. I once worked on a 100,000 acre cattle ranch that was comprised of many different leased places. Some of those places had older owners still living on the ranch. I saw such horrible things being done to animals by people who professed undying love for them that I finally quit. Sometimes the horses I was riding had been left from a long day the day before with nothing but a bucket of water that had immediately been tipped over. Things went down hill from there.

 

I appreciate all the work the rescue operations are doing. No rancher or farmer would be able to do this ever. But I have spoken to at least one person involved in rescue and adoption who has already realized there is a rift occurring. It is not only my experience. Maybe it is because I have lived in both worlds all my life that I am willing to bring any attention to the problem. Most ranchers and farmers don't bother. It is not a problem for me to fill out applications - if I am able to. It would be nice to be able to start driving around four states looking for a dog. What person with stock can do this? At the moment, I only have four horses here. I still can't do it. A long time ago I stopped trying to leave people with my animals. I can clean up in five months in Alaska as a civil construction manager, but I don't do it any more - my dog and horses where never properly cared for while I was gone.

 

I am very excited to see photos of working Border Collies. I have only seen semi trained dogs chasing cattle out of oak brush - in no specific direction. This caused a lot of work gathering them up again, but at least no one was on the ground with snakes and bulls. I used to see Border Collies on hay farms when I was brokering horse hay out of the mountains. It was only the Border Collies that I had to keep my eye on - they would watch which direction I was looking, then creep up behind me. They were always the best guardians of everything.

 

It has occurred to me that I should be looking for one dog with working potential and get another from a kill shelter. I don't know if I can go into a kill shelter. My dog ran away from a motel in the middle of Phoenix once after a SWAT team shot tear gas into a room downstairs from us when I was out. It was horrible. I spent days in shelters looking for her. I knew no one would be able to catch her (too quick and smart), and she was a biter. The motel was surrounded by 6 lane 50mph roadways. She had never been around traffic before. I followed garbage trucks for days with no air conditioning in my pickup. I figured they saw everything everywhere. I paid bums in the park to call me if they saw her. I even got calls and saw dogs that looked like her, but were not. I almost got arrested for putting up posters everywhere. I refused to leave without her. After 4 days in 118 degree heat, Iris showed up in the parking lot. She was dehydrated and had burned feet, but she was OK. That night a big pit bull showed up at the top of the stairs. I thought he was coming after me - he was definitely on a mission. He trotted right by me, put his nose to the bottom of our door and then kept on going and left down another stairway. I figure he had been taking care of Iris for those four days. She always liked the pit bulls and Rottweilers. I had my dog for 5 more years, but I never forgot all the dogs in the huge kill shelter

 

Sheridan Collins

near Tierra Amarilla, New Mexico

[janeinthemtns]

I was not specifically denied for any reason. There were no dogs at the Santa Fe rescue operation that is just getting organized, however that rescue has been extremely gracious. I never got any response from Four Corners Rescue after many emails to all the email addresses I could find. One shelter asked me if I own the ranch where I live. No, I do not. However, I understand that due to demands made by new policies of insurance companies, some people who own their homes are trying to dump their dogs. I would walk away from a house before I dumped my dogs and/or horses.

 

I only received two responses other than Santa Fe and private breeders. I did receive several emails with directives concerning paperwork after a month on the internet sending out inquiries. I offered all information in a written letter form. If there was a problem with out of state adoptions, someone should have told me. In fact one of the rescue operations works across Wyoming and Colorado. Is just New Mexico excluded? One response I received was from a shelter in Colorado who did not want to give me a puppy I had specifically inquired about, but would give me an older dog. I had sent them an email after I read about a 4 month old pure bred puppy who "a rancher gave up on" because she was "terrified of stock." The post said this dog would not be adopted to a family with stock. I wanted to know what was going to happen to this dog when she found her inner BC, stopped feeling terrified and started herding children. And one phone call from AZ by telephone - a long time ago with no followup.

 

I appreciate the suggestions, but it's interesting that people on remote ranches are told to go to shelters. Many ranches are remote with close in areas being subdivided. Shelters it is. For many years I have admired the Bro and Tracy adventures on horse back. That seems like a good place to start. If I had called every place in Texas, New Mexico, Colorado and Arizona that I have contacted, I would be looking forward to a $200.00 telephone bill, and much more for the suggested trips to visit these adoption facilities. If a prospective adopter cannot get a response, why would she/he start driving around?

 

Sheridan Collins

[mattinky]

I absolutely understand how you feel. It would be easier to adopt a child. When my dear sweet Roxie died a couple years ago I thought I would lose my mind I was so upset over losing her. I knew the best thing for me to do was get another dog and I too thought that a rescue would be the way to go. Like you, I was short on money at the time and also thought it would be great to rescue a dog and give it a good home. After 3 or 4 months of trying to deal with these people I gave up and just bought my current puppy, Kate, from a local breeder that I know.

 

I fully understand that rescues want to be sure that the dogs find a good home where they will be well cared for. But... they get way too personal with the questions and want way too much information, like pictures of the inside and outside of your home. Sorry, but pictures of my home are nobody's business, this is'nt Nazi Germany we're living in. I used to feel really sorry for the rescue services but I don't anymore after trying to deal with a few of them.

 

Just fwiw, Kate has a great life here, she has lots of space to run and play, she's spoiled rotten, gets tons of love, attention and play time with me, goes everywhere I go in the truck and basically leads the life of Riley

 

A friend of mine recently wanted a couple of kittens for her little girl so she went to a local shelter that had tons of kittens. She said they made her feel like a terrorist being interogated by the FBI, would not let her take any kittens that day and said they'd review her application and get back with her. A week later they called her back and told her that they thought she was unfit to have any kittens since they would be staying outside. Shes lives on a big farm and they would have had a great life, I guess it's better to just put them to sleep....

 

I say just look around and find a puppy that you can afford like I did and stop wasting your time dealing with rescues - my experiences with them were all bad. P*ss on 'em.

[sweet_ceana]

WARNING: VERY LONG RESPONSE

 

I am a VERY active volunteer for Arizona Border Collie Rescue. I am sorry if you feel marginalized by our inability to get back to you promptly, but no one gets paid to do any of the work that we do. A vast majority of us have full time jobs, dogs of our own, plus fosters in our homes. We do not have a lot of free time.

 

It is very hard for us when we are interviewing adopters in other states. We have a hard enough time getting people out to visit homes in Arizona, let alone another state. We have adopted to New Mexico adopters before, heck even Canada, but our normal system is completely thrown off and it can take more time. I don't think it is fair to pick on Bob either, especially since he is not here to defend himself. You don't know Bob, but I do. I know that Bob calls just about EVERY application that comes through our rescue. I often get emails from the poor guy late into the wee hours of the night as he tries to squeeze in as much rescue work as possible. If he said that someone will you call you, I am sure they will. We have had to work very hard recently with two other rescues to get some pups out of a bad situation, we have two events coming up in the next month, and the local shelters are over flowing. It is not as if we are just sitting here twiddling our thumbs. I know how hard I and others have been working recently, and it is comments like this:

 

Because I do not live close to any town with city people who want to inspect my life and my residence, I am not eligible for Border Collie rescue dogs. Do these people imagine that all the dumped dogs are coming from ranches? I guess this would be very inappropriate discrimination. There are many thousands of dogs living very well on ranches as pets and as a very important part of the whole operation. In my opinion, this attitude will keep any rescue operation from ever helping any dogs in this area. WHo would call these people?

 

that are completely uncalled for. I am one of "these people," and I would appreciate it if you didn't try and assume that you know my views on anything. We get that you are upset, but really, you are going to throw out discrimination because someone doesn't call you back as quickly as you would like?? In case you are unfamiliar on why rescues check out people's residences I would like to clarify. BAD people, people who abuse dogs try and get dogs from rescues just as they do every where else. We owe it to the dogs in our care to make sure they go to a safe home. Being a dog lover I am sure you would never just give a dog to someone not knowing how they would treat it. Please take a moment to step back and remember that this process is about finding the best home for the dog. We have a responsibility to every dog that we take in, and we do not take it lightly.

 

Any dog that has adoption pending on the website means that they are already in adoptive homes. We do not consider the dog officially adopted until the dog has been successfully placed in the home for two weeks. We also do not hold dogs for anyone in the adopting process. If we find a good home we place the dog. It is not fair to the dog to have to pass up on a great home because someone else is interested.

 

If you truly need a great working dog, as others have said, it can take a while. It sounds like you are familiar to what can happen to a working dog's ability through improper breeding. Most dogs that have been bred for outstanding working ability do not wind up in rescues because the responsible breeders are amazing at placing them in great homes. Every once and a while we may get a working gem, but we may not have a great working dog in rescue right now.

 

As a personal note I would like to remind people of the damage you can cause an organization by bad mouthing it on the internet. I am sure your post was mainly intended to express your feelings and not meant to make any of the rescue's work at placing dogs any harder. Regardless of your intentions your words can have consequences. I came to this site and lurked before I got my first border collie. How many lurkers could have read your post and automatically assumed that all these rescues are horrible and apparently discriminate against ranchers? Your words in cyber space do not exist in a vacuum; they have consequences.

 

No person on a remote ranch will ever have as much time as I have to spend on the computer searching for dogs.

It sounds like you have time, and from what you have written a lot of passion. Why not take that time and frustration and help a rescue out? As you have experienced, we have a lot of work and not of a lot of time to get it done in. Even someone who is in a different state can help out tremendously.

 

ETA: We do not have a facility. We are literally just a bunch of people connected by email and phone who keep the dogs in our homes.

[PSmitty]

Amen, Sweet Ceana. Amen.

 

(I don't know why I let this topic get to me every time, but I do.)

 

Mattinky, seriously? Seriously, you don't think that a rescue deserves the opportunity to see where a dog it adopts out is going to live? I guess I'm glad you must live in a world where everyone is trustworthy, never lies, never misrepresents themselves. I'm happy for you. The rest of us aren't so lucky. A home visit, or damn, at the very least, pictures of your home is so unreasonable? Rescues are RESPONSIBLE for the well being, the very life, of the dog they rescue and adopt out. How can asking to see where it will live be offensive?

 

(Not nearly as offensive as the Nazi remark, that's for sure).

[Caroline Reichard]

I absolutely understand how you feel. It would be easier to adopt a child.

 

No, it wouldn't. I have done both, and know.

 

On the other hand, just bacause an organiztion is staffed by volunteers does not mean that it can't be professional in the sense that it offers a reliable and reasonable level of service. Timely responses would seem to be a part of that. If you can't do that, then you must expect that people will be disspointed and say so. If you ae so overwhelmed that you may take many weeks just to respond to inquiries, then I think you should say so right at the get go. That way, people won't get their feelings hurt.

 

My sense is that janeinthemtns is a very sincere person who really wants to offeran ideal life for a dog. It is bewildering and hurtful to get no responses or ones that don't really respond to her situation.

 

I say just look around and find a puppy that you can afford like I did and stop wasting your time dealing with rescues - my experiences with them were all bad. P*ss on 'em.

 

And I am certain that they feel exactly the same way about you.

[PSmitty]

From AZ BCR's website:

 

Thank you for your interest in adopting a dog from Arizona Border Collie Rescue. We want to let you know the steps in our process for matching you with the dog of your dreams. The process can take from several days to several weeks, depending on your needs, and the available dogs. Please remember that we are all volunteers, so your patience is appreciated.

 

I think with Jane's special circumstances, she may be looking at longer than several weeks, but should expect it to take at *least* that long. In fairness, I have no idea how long it was between the time she finally got her application sent by mail and she was contacted by a volunteer, but it doesn't seem like it was an extraordinary amount of time.

 

ETA: Sorry, but I forgot to mention this earlier...Jane, you were upset that two puppies you were interested in were "adoption pending" by the time you got your application in. I think it bears repeating that with a rescue dog of unknown parentage, you just don't know if you'll end up with a dog who can work. May I suggest an older dog (not old, just older) who can already be evaluated for working potential. One of the AZ dog's bio says she comes from herding lines. Something to consider while you figure this all out.

[nancy in AZ]

I fully understand that rescues want to be sure that the dogs find a good home where they will be well cared for. But... they get way too personal with the questions and want way too much information, like pictures of the inside and outside of your home. Sorry, but pictures of my home are nobody's business, this is'nt Nazi Germany we're living in. I used to feel really sorry for the rescue services but I don't anymore after trying to deal with a few of them.

 

I suggest you volunteer with a rescue and go out on some home checks before you start slamming them for putting their dogs first by trying to place them into the best home possible. If you'd seen what I did on the last two checks I completed, you might just possibly understand why they are a crucial component of the adoption approval process.

 

And as to your hyperbole with regard to Nazi Germany-- Really?? Did someone put a gun to your head and force you to apply to a rescue. Let me disabuse you of the idea that you are doing the rescue any great favors by applying for one of their dogs. It's not about YOU--it's about the dogs.

 

I say just look around and find a puppy that you can afford like I did and stop wasting your time dealing with rescues - my experiences with them were all bad. P*ss on 'em.

The immaturity you've demonstrated here is astonishing.

[nancy]

Back in the late 1990s, when we were looking for a BC mix to adopt, I contacted several rescue groups.

 

Our yard is not fenced. We live on an acre lot, in a neighborhood of 81 houses on such lots. We have an 8-acre common land win a pond of about 2 acres. No real neighborhood association, just a rather informal group who volunteer to pay what is needed (taxes of $1 a year), mow when needed, pick up trash, and feed the ducks.

 

I can't see how we could fence our yard without cutting down many of the trees that give us our privacy. We have a few feet out around the house that we have to mow. The rest is the woods that were here before our house.

 

So I could not even get an interview with a rescue group. I was told that I would have to fence my yard before they would consider us.

 

We have had Fergie for over 13 years. Got her through a vet tech at our vet's who knew someone at her previous job whose dog had pups.

 

Fergie has never been in our yard without us. She has never even tried to leave our yard - although she may step over the line behind the wood pile. But only by inches. She fetches the newspaper on our way in from our before-breakfast walk. She carries the mail in every afternoon. But that is with one of us.

 

We walk down the street and around the pond with her about 4-6 times every day. On and off leash - depending on who is driving, who is out, and how hot it is. She walks faster with the leash. And she is too friendly with new neighbors. The old ones expect her to be off leash so they can schmooze with her. Although she is dedicated to saving the world from squirrels, she will eat grass rather than upset either the deer or the family of ducks in the areas.

 

I know that our vet tech would have found her a home anyhow. But what dog lost out because no rescue would accept our unfenced yard?

 

I understand the need to check on a location. Bu I don't understand the exclusion of homes on a check-off list basis. I'd have been willing to wait for when a volunteer had the time to come and look at our situation. I just didn't appreciate being turned off on one item.

[juliepoudrier]

I just want to repeat what others have said regarding working dogs in rescue. But I have to note that you say all you have is four horses, so what is your need for a working dog? Do you work the cattle (?) on the ranch where you live and just own the horses? Are you expecting a dog to round up the horses (most responsible working dog folk wouldn't dream of sending a dog into such a situation--that is, if the work is with horses--because it's entirely too dangerous to the dog, and I certainly can't imagine a rescue dog go to a home with that work in mind). It really will be difficult for you to find a rescue who can "guarantee" that the dog you get will work. I've read from rescuers on this forum over and over again that most of them have neither the stock nor the experience to truly evaluate a rescue for ranch work. Dogs that can successfully work cattle are probably even harder to come by than those that will work sheep. I don't really think rescue is the place to look for a dog whom you expect to be able to do ranch work (if by that you mean actually working stock and not just being your companion and general watchdog).

 

I am not a rescuer, but I do have sympathy for those who do rescue because they are always expected to meet the potential adopter's expectations about how the process will go. We are a society (as Matt and Matt's friend who wanted kittens illustrate) who tend to take a "me first" attitude and the hell with those who are truly trying to help. Personally I think everyone who freely complains about rescues and the rescue process should volunteer with a rescue for *at least a month* and then decide if the rescues are really as awful as they like to complain they are. You know the whole "walk a mile in their shoes" cliche, which just happens to be very appropriate for situations like this.

 

Jane, your remoteness certainly does work against you. It's hard to get a home visit when you're in the middle of nowhere, as I'm sure you realize. When I was working full time and running my farm, I can't imagine adding rescue activities on top of that. There are only so many hours in the day. While you apparently have time to struggle with your computer and search rescue dogs on the Internet, please remember that the rescuers are working full time jobs, perhaps raising a family, and also trying to juggle the responsibilities of rescue. Sadly, rescue folks come on here fairly frequently to say they are completely burned out and giving up. Attitudes like Matt's probably play a large part in such decisions. You (or Matt) are just one person. Imagine being on the receiving end of many such people, all of whom think you should drop everything else you might be doing to repsond to *them* before all else. And imagine taking the criticism over and over again. I think it's time for people to grow up and realize that rescues exist for the dogs, and while you might not like the rules and restrictions rescues place on *their* dogs, there certainly are other options out there for finding a dog if you can't tolerate the rescue process. The tradeoff is that with a rescue you'll generally have a dog who has been fostered, whose temperament and various quirks are known, and who has been recently vetted and found to be in good health, but you might have to wait for them to get around to you and your request. If you want instant gratification, then pounds, shelters, or the gazillion bad breeders advertising on the Internet are there to fill your "need."

 

I don't quite understand your comments regarding the division between ranchers and rescuers. The truth of the matter is great working dogs seldom end up in rescue, and many rescues have neither the time nor the resources to try their dogs on stock (as I noted earlier). And even a dog that shows promise a time or two on dog-broke stock might not turn out to be useful on a ranch, so it is easier (and better for the dogs) for rescues not to make assertions about working ability, since they have no way of guaranteeing that a dog who shows potential will work out for your situation with your stock. Remember that a rescue's goal is to find a permanent home for its charges. Sending dogs into ranching situations that might not work out is not the logical choice for people who are looking for permanent homes. While you may be the exception and would keep the dog for life no matter what, I think it's fair to say that many ranchers who end up with a dog that doesn't work how they'd like (or even work at all) aren't likely to be so understanding. That dog will instead be moved on, maybe back to rescue, maybe not. And that's not a fair situation to send a dog of unknown heritage or ability into.

 

Like others have said, if it's actual stockwork you need, you'd do better to use the Internet to search for local stockdog associations or ranches that already have working dogs and find a working dog that way. If it's just a companion/watchdog you want, then give rescues a chance to get back to you. Your other choice is to hit the surrounding shelters/pounds and find something, but what you get there will be much more of an unknown than what you get through a rescue. You could certainly find a real gem that way, but you have even less of a chance of finding a working dog than you would even with a rescue. Your choice. Instant gratification isn't always what it's cracked up to be.

 

ETA: Nancy, remember that screening processes are in place to try and take some of the burden off the rescuers. Yes, some of the rules may seem unfair, but they have to somehow winnow things down into something that is doable *for them.* Yes, as has been admitted here many times before, surely some good potential homes are knocked out this way, but that's one of the downsides of being in a "business" where there's way too much to do and too few people and too little time to do it in.

 

J.

[painted_ponies]

Why do people get so upset about the idea of home visits? Y'all realize people lie to rescues all the time about their facilities, right? How are rescues supposed to know which applicants are telling the truth and which aren't without doing a home visit?

 

OP, what gave you the idea that your difficulties in adopting are "political"? To me, it sounds like it might have been more of a problem with logistics, given how far out you live.

 

Or maybe the rescue thought you planned to allow the dog to run your horses. Your post reads that way. When I evaluated homes for rescue, I would not place bc with people who intended to use them to move horses, because it's a good way to get bcs and horses hurt or killed.

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

That wasn't CBCR was it Nancy? We always prided ourselves on considering homes on a case-by-case basis when I was there. But, the foster homes had the last say in where a dog was placed so for an individual dog sometimes one of us might say, "No, we're looking for a home with a fenced yard."

 

Rescues develop with rules based on the experiences of the people who set them up - sometimes a particular hobby horse, or a way they were taught themselves was ideal for adoptive homes, or sometimes based on what resources are available.

 

I've been a rescuer, and a farmer, at the same time. I added in homeschooling mother, and attempted to train for and compete in, three or four different "dog sports." My group's resources were spread very thin, and I was at the time, the one who had the most room for "just one more." And there always was. So guess what I did all the time? For a couple of years, I let rescue eat every moment of time I had - spending hours on the phone, on the net, driving hours to home visits and adoption meetups and of course always the dog transports. I killed three vehicles, and my own dogs hung around getting old waiting for their turn.

 

Never again. Especially now I see this kind of attitude every time this comes up. When I first started, people understood (with a very few exceptions) that rescue wasn't a canine Walmart. Now one meets with ire and aspersions at every reasonable requirement and necessary delay.

 

I'm sort of wondering what the change is, and suspect it may be the instant gratification of the internet at work. The "shopping mall" of photos and desciptions perhaps imply that there are shelves of dogs and eager sales people waiting to execute whim of clientele. I don't know. Anyway, I sense a lot more hostility out there than there used to be.

 

I sound like an old fogey.

[Malvie]

I absolutely understand how you feel. It would be easier to adopt a child. When my dear sweet Roxie died a couple years ago I thought I would lose my mind I was so upset over losing her. I knew the best thing for me to do was get another dog and I too thought that a rescue would be the way to go. Like you, I was short on money at the time and also thought it would be great to rescue a dog and give it a good home. After 3 or 4 months of trying to deal with these people I gave up and just bought my current puppy, Kate, from a local breeder that I know.

 

I fully understand that rescues want to be sure that the dogs find a good home where they will be well cared for. But... they get way too personal with the questions and want way too much information, like pictures of the inside and outside of your home. Sorry, but pictures of my home are nobody's business, this is'nt Nazi Germany we're living in. I used to feel really sorry for the rescue services but I don't anymore after trying to deal with a few of them.

 

Just fwiw, Kate has a great life here, she has lots of space to run and play, she's spoiled rotten, gets tons of love, attention and play time with me, goes everywhere I go in the truck and basically leads the life of Riley

 

A friend of mine recently wanted a couple of kittens for her little girl so she went to a local shelter that had tons of kittens. She said they made her feel like a terrorist being interogated by the FBI, would not let her take any kittens that day and said they'd review her application and get back with her. A week later they called her back and told her that they thought she was unfit to have any kittens since they would be staying outside. Shes lives on a big farm and they would have had a great life, I guess it's better to just put them to sleep....

 

I say just look around and find a puppy that you can afford like I did and stop wasting your time dealing with rescues - my experiences with them were all bad. P*ss on 'em.

 

 

Uh, yeah, actually, as a rescuer, if you want one of my dogs, I absolutely DO have the "right" to inspect your home and inquire as to your plans for the dog I saved (exactly 2 hours from his scheduled execution at a high-kill shelter, sitting in a pile of his own excrement, shaking, terrified of humans because of the abuse he'd sustained from them), took home in a van that had to be aired for days because of the reek, took to the vet at my expense to have wormed, shotted, etc., worked with for hours, first to get him to even let me in the yard with him without his hiding in terror (no chance of getting him in the house), then working up to getting him to come take food from me, then working him inside the house, and after MONTHS of work, finally having him in a condition to have him adopted---yeah, I freaking DO have the right to find out if you plan (as one couple did) to chain him in the back yard because you don't have a fence (funny, their application indicated that they had a fence??? but none was evident in my visit....turns out they were "PLANNING" to get a fence. Ahhh, I see, well, call me when that happens....oh, and their last dog was gone because someone stole him out of their back yard----this was in the middle of Houston, not some farm somewhere---and there were those 3 kids they failed to mention in the blank marked "Number of children in home" on their app).

 

Yeah, buddy, I have a right to ask these questions before I give you a dog I've loved and labored over. And if you don't like it, p*ss on YOU. You have no "inalienable" right to one of my rescue dogs.

 

Sorry, but that one went all over me.

 

Look, rescue is a two-way street. It's not just you getting a dog; it's me looking out FOR the dog, and making sure the dog doesn't end up back in a shelter---or worse---within a month.

 

 

(BTW, the second couple--older-- with whom I did a home visit on CoCo, the dog I mention above---had lost their 14 year old black lab to old age. When the lady saw CoCo, she burst into tears; he ran right up to her and did the "CoCo wiggle"; her old dog's picture was on the mantle with the grandkids; they had a nice fenced yard and a nice home---modest but very nice. CoCo plopped his butt down on the floor between them and the lady cried again, the man teared up--seems that's where their lab had parked normally. I cried as I left, because I would miss CoCo, but I knew I had done right by him, leaving him in a good place. They called recently; they bought an RV and CoCo was enjoying the life of Riley traveling with them. Good placement.).