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Old 02-17-2012, 02:36 AM
 
Location: In the Redwoods
30,286 posts, read 51,725,105 times
Reputation: 23653

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Quote:
Originally Posted by bs13690 View Post
I know this thread is old, but if anyone is reading this and getting discouraged against adopting, don't. If for some reason, the local animal shelter "rejects" you just cruise on down to The Humane Society. We adopted a cat within a couple hours of meeting her and just had to fill out an application.
Bingo.

Another old thread, I know, but the message is still important! When I decided to adopt a dog 6 years ago, I probably didn't look like the best candidate on paper... at the time I was a 29 year-old graduate student with a part-time job, 2 cats, and a renter with a history of moving frequently. I also lived in a REALLY bad neighborhood, not far from a major street and highway, and my "yard" was basically a fenced patio with some dirt & concrete. But I am also a lifelong pet owner (mostly cats) who spoils my fur-babies rotten, and even with all of my moving around, I've never given up a pet because of that - often passing up great rentals and/or paying above market price, just because it wasn't suitable or welcoming to my pets.

Bottom line, after being rejected or ignored by a few private rescues, I decided to go to our local kill shelter... there I met an adorable little mutt puppy, went home to "sleep on it," and adopted him within an hour when I returned the following day. They only cared that I had a long & successful history of raising pets, and lived in a dog-friendly complex (they took my word on that, and it was true) - also that I'm clearly not a crazy abuser, and care very deeply about the well-being of animals. Six wonderful years later, that puppy is now a 40lb dog who's never been neglected, mistreated, or unloved in any way whatsoever. He's a pretty lucky dog, and I'm a lucky woman to have him in my life.


Last edited by gizmo980; 02-17-2012 at 02:46 AM..
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Old 02-18-2012, 03:52 PM
 
1,015 posts, read 2,414,242 times
Reputation: 959
Rescues are great and I applaud those that do them, but as usual the people in them can take things to extreme. I understand that they want the best for the animals but if you tell EVERYONE they aren't the pet for you, how is that helping the animals?
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Old 02-21-2012, 09:24 AM
 
Location: Southeastern North Carolina
2,690 posts, read 4,197,001 times
Reputation: 4789
This thread has made me very sad to read. And I don't think that these impossibly high adoption standards will keep animals out of the hands of people who abuse, neglect and mistreat them, because these people will just get puppies or kittens from their friends and relatives who don't spay or neuter their animals.
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Old 06-21-2012, 12:21 PM
 
48 posts, read 102,450 times
Reputation: 25
Smile Jax. Fl. Humane society is great!!

Quote:
Originally Posted by WildnFree View Post
Rescues are great and I applaud those that do them, but as usual the people in them can take things to extreme. I understand that they want the best for the animals but if you tell EVERYONE they aren't the pet for you, how is that helping the animals?
One year ago I adopted a JRT/bichon mix from our HS w/o being put through "the ringer". Snoop was terrified..had been returned after 6 weeks. She had real abdonment issues. Walking her on lease was heartbreaking. She crouched, tail down, ears back, and turned to make sure I was still beside her every 3-4 steps. It took about a month but she is a normal lovely dog. Apparently, her temperament is more bichon than JRT as she just wants to please.

So, I will never put myself through the private rescues again. The jax. Fl. HS is just wonderful.
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Old 06-21-2012, 02:06 PM
 
Location: Floyd Co, VA
3,513 posts, read 6,345,510 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 2dogsonly View Post

So, I will never put myself through the private rescues again. The jax. Fl. HS is just wonderful.
The Jacksonville Humane Society IS a private rescue, not a government run body. So if it ain't govt, it's private.

From their FAQ page:


Q. Do you receive government funding?
A. No, we do not receive funding from the state or federal government. We are not a United Way agency. All of our donations are provided through the generosity of individuals and corporations that support our cause.
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Old 06-21-2012, 09:42 PM
 
Location: Pittsburgh area
9,912 posts, read 24,527,214 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by zugor View Post
The Jacksonville Humane Society IS a private rescue, not a government run body. So if it ain't govt, it's private.
Well yeah, but I for one would have a completely different thing in mind when I hear "rescue". When I hear/see "private rescue" I'm thinking of a network of people with no facility and shoestring resources, just taking in animals effectively as fosters and attempting to place them. Jacksonville Humane Society is certainly a private non-profit organization, but they are a large, long-established entity with a shelter building (well, not sure if they have a new one yet, just read about the fire on their site), staff and a significant budget.
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Old 06-22-2012, 10:18 PM
 
Location: Floyd Co, VA
3,513 posts, read 6,345,510 times
Reputation: 7625
Quote:
Originally Posted by greg42 View Post
Well yeah, but I for one would have a completely different thing in mind when I hear "rescue". When I hear/see "private rescue" I'm thinking of a network of people with no facility and shoestring resources, just taking in animals effectively as fosters and attempting to place them. Jacksonville Humane Society is certainly a private non-profit organization, but they are a large, long-established entity with a shelter building (well, not sure if they have a new one yet, just read about the fire on their site), staff and a significant budget.
A community has to get to a certain size before there are enough people with the desire and ability to have a facility with paid staff. In my rural county (population 15,000) I'm very active with the HS and we are just a handful of people (about 50 members on the books and only half of those are active). All our critters are in foster care, the county pound has just 12 runs for dogs and does not accept cats at all. We're doing better with fund raising and obtaining grant monies but it is always a struggle. We'd love to have some wealthy person(s) provide the money for a facility and staff or win the lottery and have the means to create a nice shelter but neither is very likely so we do what we can to save as many lives as possible.

Without the thousands of small, all volunteer, foster based rescues around the country the euthanasia numbers would once again sky rocket back up into the tens of millions of cats and dogs each year. Even in large cities with big shelters there are often many smaller groups, many specializing in limited types of animals - only cats or a particular breed of dog or size of dog or some other type of animal altogether (rabbits, ferrets, birds, etc.) and all of these are needed.

Maybe someday there will be no more puppy mills, no more "oops" litters, no more abandoned and dumped pets but until that day comes rescue organizations in all sizes are truly needed and the vast majority do a great job and have very reasonable criteria for adopting. Don't forget that even large organizations also depend on the many volunteers who foster very young puppies and kittens and sick or injured animals in need of more intense care than can be provided in a shelter environment.
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Old 06-23-2012, 08:31 AM
 
Location: Pittsburgh area
9,912 posts, read 24,527,214 times
Reputation: 5162
Absolutely zugor. We're not in disagreement here. I even volunteer at a larger organization in this area. (Well, admittedly, I haven't been there much this year, but I'm still clinging onto the idea that I can get back to it.)

I only noticed the terminology difference. The word in question really isn't "private" so much as "rescue". And there are rescues that are unfortunately run a little too tightly, that is what the other poster was referring to. Still, we should be careful not to generalize too much. Not ALL rescue-type organizations are run that way. And the many people spending so much of their own time and money helping animals are to be commended.
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Old 06-25-2012, 05:05 AM
 
371 posts, read 1,203,527 times
Reputation: 648
This thread is scaring me! I have been planning for months to get a kitty when I'm settled in to my new apartment (I'm moving in a few weeks for a new job). I'm afraid the shelters will not accept me I adore cats- I always had one growing up but this would be the first pet that I own on my own. I'm fairly young (24) and I'm a renter, but my new place accepts pets and I even already paid the pet deposit since I knew I was going to be getting one right away. I had no trouble finding housing that took pets- in fact I don't think any of the places I checked out didn't allow cats. Pet stores aren't as strict, right? I really want to rescue one but if they won't let me have one I would choose getting one from the pet store over not getting one at all.
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Old 06-25-2012, 06:20 AM
 
7,329 posts, read 16,339,298 times
Reputation: 9687
If you are talking about Petco and Petsmart, those cats are from shelters. And no, I wouldn't expect them to reject you. I wouldn't expect your local shelter to reject you either. I believe these worst case scenarios are not true of the majority of shelters. A small foster based rescue might be another story.
Please don't hesitate! Kitten season is spring/early summer and shelters are bursting at the seams. Especially consider an adult cat, who's more likely to be overlooked for the cute kittens.
And be sure to let us know about your new friend once you get him or her!
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