How to Get The Right Dog From The Right Rescue - (and feel free to add omissions!) Just like Breeders, not all Rescues are created equally. Many, many, are amazing. But some are not; - like puppy mills, they are in it for the money. They pick it up from Location A, drive it to Location B, and sell it for a fair chunk of money... without having done any of the things below... The application process for a dog should be slightly painful, including a house check. Photos do not cut it. We can all send photos of our neighbours beautiful fence, so why even bother? If you love this dog as much as you claim, at least check me out, and see if I am worthy... Good Rescues will advise you of pros and cons of your dog They are always running out of money. Rescuing dogs is expensive work... Never buy a dog fresh off a plane or car. You, and they, have no idea what you are getting. Said dog needs to have lived with a foster, in their home. An experienced trainer will know who that dog is right away if they are in their home, while a normal foster might need that dog for a minimum of a month before they know. This needs to happen in your town, in your culture... Dramatic Veterinary Care is a turn off. Lumps, bumps, abscesses, skin, teeth are admirable surgeries, but If it left them with a life of maintenance, rehab, and future concerns, I question if the benefit was for the rescuers giant heart, or is sheer marketing genius tugging at peoples heart strings, rather than the benefit of the dog. Large dogs with three legs, or major joint surgeries constantly struggle with movement (at least all of the ones Ive seen do). This will affect their temperament and mood, and lifestyle. And to keep them at their best will require regular swimming. If you are determined that this three legged dog with half a jaw and rewired nasal cavity must be yours, be sure you have money to spare, time to spare, in addition to all the love that you have to spare. If the dog was returned to them from a previous adopter, ask questions. It could indicate a behaviour problem was present, and you need to be honest with yourself about your own training skill. This would be the moment to hire a trainer to asses the dog for you.... Regular Veterinary Work is a turn on. Dog will have been vet checked, by a local vet, and is healthy with all maintenance procedures done (including spay and neuter unless unique circumstances are involved). Even if your dog was seen by a Veterinarian in another country, make sure he was also seen by a local Vet. Teeth: A giant expense on a dog is dental work. Your rescue needs to have either warned you of the condition of teeth and $ involved, or done it for you in advance. Always check teeth pre adoption. If you have no clue what you are looking at, ask the rescue for permission to talk to a local vet who saw the dog. The Vet will give you a very clear picture, so that you can budget accordingly, or make an educated decision about whether you can honour this dogs needs. A flashy website, once again, makes me question. Lots. Most are home-made, and updates are weak. There are no $ to pay a professional and most volunteers are over worked and exhausted, unless the rescue lucks out with a marketing pro as a volunteer! And if there are any in the Greater Victoria area, please contact me. The rescue that I volunteer for needs you. Seeing a Paypal Donate Now button makes me look even deeper... Time to talk to past adopters, and find out how the Rescue are honouring their dogs once they have your money. While it could be genuine and genius, verify. Past adopters go back to the same rescue for their next dog Good rescuers ALWAYS take their dogs back when needed. ALWAYS. No exceptions. Drama, in the form of The dog is about to die if you dont rescue him, or telling his tragic tale about how he was starved, beaten by a herd of donkeys, then the dog dragged his body across eight highways to my front doorstep where I saved him, getting run over four times in the process, so now he only has two legs but can walk fine on his front arms.... is not in your best interest. --Make a decision with your brain, not your heart. You cannot help this dog if you feel sorry for him. You must respect him, his strength, and his determination in order to be able to help him. If you find yourself feeling sorry for him - DO NOT PICK THAT DOG. You will end up creating behavioural problems in him. And my own personal bias: Adopt Local. While we polite Canadians might not advertize Death in 24 hours if you dont save him the same thing does happen here. We are just too polite to use these marketing tactics! Adopt Local does not apply to breed rescue though - that is different. Some breeds are so unique and not wanted by many, so a larger geographical area is needed to find them their rightful homes. And a caution: just because they lived with a group of dogs in their foster home does not mean that they get along with strange dogs.... Monique Anstee Victoria, BC
Posted on: Wed, 15 Oct 2014 13:20:01 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015