Comments: Dog rescue groups: picky

“Some rescues are ridiculous, and it's a power trip with them, which is very sad because they end up shortchanging the very animals they are entrusted with protecting. Sreening is necessary, but nit-picking and being arbitrary in their requirements is not. Some rescues hold on to their dogs for months and years in anticipation of that elusive "best match," denying applications to perfectly good people for absurd reasons, such as no fence or no other dogs in the family. These dogs spend sometimes months in boarding or crated in a crowded foster home because the person who applied for them doesn't have a yard. Leash walks and/or dog park are just not good enough. And these rescue people can be very territorial on their turf. Try telling them they are not doing the best by the dog, and you are an enemy for life!” — Natalie, Jun 30 2009

“I am new to learning about rescued pets. However, from what I have learned so far, it's a good idea for the Rescue org. to have visitation for a period of time. They have put forth a lot of the time, heart and expense into the pet. I am in the process of adopting a now dog, and am seriously considering a rescue adult dog instead of a puppy. ” — Kathy, May 19 2009

“What do you have to say about shelters who are apparently just holding out for a particular ideal profile? People who want to adopt a shelter dog are not there hoping to save $. Adoption fees are competitive now with purchase costs. My daughter is an experienced German Shepherd owner who just lost an 8-year-old suddenly to bloat. She trained the dog herself to both English and German commands and has a fenced-in yard but so far although she has visited several shelters and expressed interest in some of the dogs, the managers are holding off decisions evidently hoping for some ideal profile (young active male? Single, no other pets? Does not work but is independently wealthy?) will appear. This for dogs who have been at the shelters for over a month, strays, not surrenders or abused dogs, seemingly in good health. She has no issues with being checked up on or following guidelines. Her dog's breeder had a very restrictive set of rules for any purchaser, which she abided by. She wants to help these homeless dogs, and so do I but we are both now inclined to forget it and find a reputable breeder and be done with it. I do not want to hear any more about all these dogs who need a good home, when the person who can offer a good home is just not good enough to measure up to some idea of T h e P e r f e c t O w n e r.” — cameo602003, Mar 02 2009

“Breeders SHOULD be picky!!! But sadly, many people just want their money and get rid of the pups. One ad I saw said "I want my garage back." They aren't interested in the long term of the pups' lives like rescues are. ” — cherha01, Oct 29 2008

“So what if the rescues are picky? If you had been through what these dogs have been, you would want to be checked up on for years too, trust after abuse can be very hard to come by, whether for abused dogs or abused people.
I did an independent rescue to save my APBT from a trip to Death Row...It's a year and a half later people and I run into tell me that she "just exudes health".I would be proud to have folks from a rescue stop in for coffee and check on the dog...but alas, she only has me..Rescued dog owners should be glad there are others who still care about the dog, plus God forbid some family disaster occurs, the dog will have some familiar humans to take her (back).
Think of it like getting remarried and having your child's biological other parent have visitation...It's all in the kid's(dog's)best interest.” — Snoep's Human, Oct 29 2008

“Rescues are picky and do follow up checks because they don't pour out their heart and soul to a dog in need - not to mention every penny it needs, to send it to a home that thinks they can throw them in the back yard, never provide vet care, or ever give the dog any attention - and I could go on and on. Not every rescue is the same - And YES - you guessed it - I am a rescue!! All to often we pull dogs out of bad situations, adopt them to someone who meets all the criteria we look for - to have the dog picked up by animal control as a stray - and the owners have moved away. Or checked in a dog to find it is extremely underweight, but yet they never cared enough to take it to the vet. Or flea and tick infested etc..... It is those people, those that decide to not be responsible pet owners that give rescues the reason to have all their rules and regulations. So rather than taking it so personal for being denied or complaining about the follow ups, or the length of the application - give it some thought and understanding, we see on a daily basis - what you occasionally hear about or read about. Our application is very lengthy, but a lot of it is to help match the proper personalities together, just because a dog LOOKS cute to someone, doesn't mean it will be the proper fit for that family - we strive to find a life long family for our dogs and not just a quick fix family. I do agree that some go above and beyond sometimes with childrens age restriction, or the part time work thing??? But wouldn't you rather know you are getting a dog from someone that not only really cares about the dog, but knows it's personality, makes sure it's healthy before adopting it out, and is always there for any help you may need in the future? You may want to go to a city shelter that has "less restrictions", you don't need any one to check up on you, or tell you how to take care of your dog - and you have every right to do so - But I sit back and wonder - why? If you are such a good pet owner, what does it matter to you then if someone checks up? What do you have to hide??” — skig, Oct 22 2008

“I agree with Luna; some organizations also reserve the right to do spot checks on your home for several years after you adopt and remove the dog if you don't meet some criteria. Some applications are so daunting, I didn't bother to fill them out because they were so judgmental.

Wouldn't it be a better use of time to teach people to be better caretakers? ” — Loves Dogs, Sep 11 2008

“I hear you, Luna. I certainly agree with screening adopters, but it can get kind of ridiculous.

You might want to check out your local Animal Care & Control, they tend to be less picky. ” — PuppyPants, Apr 02 2008

“We tried adopting a rabbit from a shelter, we really tried but all places we tried denied us the opportunity because my son was 3 at the time (young kids are cruel to animal, they said). Now my kids are 7 and 9, so we were OK for adopting a dog from a shelter but no, we could not adopt a dog because I work part time and the dog would be alone too much. I'm sorry, but the reason why shelters are so crowded is because they don't give families a chance to own one of their dogs unless they are "perfect" dog owners (I have yet to meet one).” — deleted user, Apr 02 2008

“I agree with Hattrick on this one. Our breeder has a very extensive screening process and it is not easy to get one of her puppies. I intend to be just as picky when we breed our conformation future champion girl. I only intend to breed her once and the families who are lucky enough to have one of her pups will live close enough for me to keep an eye on them. Most reputable breeders feel the same way, we take great care in placing the puppies and make sure that if for some unforseen reason the puppy should need to be rehomed we have it returned to us so that we can go through that same screening process with the next family. Unfortunately most people do not wish to pay the costs for a quality puppy that it takes from a reputable breeder so they choose to go with a lesser quality and lower priced puppy from a not so reputable breeder and therein lies the problem. Going with a reputable breeder may also mean they have to wait for an available puppy, and since reputable breeders do not just breed unless they have a specific purpose for the breeding most are not willing to wait. We have become too much of a "I need it now" society that they just go with the first pup they can find. ” — smitte21, Feb 05 2008

Back to Dog rescue groups: picky