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I signed up with two rescue groups. I would have taken any small to medium sized dog and, although I didn't want a senior dog, I would have been happy with an adult. I had two things working against me. I was 65 and I live in an apartment. The lack of a backyard excluded me from adopting any dog from one organization. When I applied to adopt a small (15 lb dog), from another organization, I was told that they had a long list of people ahead of me. So, after doing a lot of research on dogs that would be good for older folks who live in apartments, I bought one. Paid a lot of money to get a healthy dog and she brings me a ton of happiness.
There is a rescue I really support and because they deal with special needs dogs they are really careful who they place them with yet I know they have had several that have come back after a few years so just because a rescue is careful does not mean they will not get dogs returned maybe they see less returned but even they get dogs back.
That said I myself have gotten some of my best dogs from shelters and Humane Societies. In those cases I was able to adopt the dog on site and leave with it. I applied for a dog at a local rescue and she would have been a good dog for my home. Gave them great references such as my vet of 30 yrs which could tell them that despite living in a condo that the dog would have a great life with me and that I was someone that will fix a problem rather then return a dog but every time I contacted them I got the "We have not made a decision yet". Meanwhile a puppy in a high kill shelter in Texas popped up on my face book page. I am in Calif and really wanted an adult not a puppy but that puppy's photo screamed I am your dog. I picked up the phone called the shelter was able to adopt her over the phone as long as I had her out by her euthanasia date which was in 2 days she was mine. I then set about finding someone to pull her out to keep her safe until I could fly there to get her. That is my Chaos and 7 yrs later I can say what a great find she was as she is a great dog.
I also have a purebred dog that I got from a breeder because he could never be a show dog as he had a retained testicle. Show breeders will let the pet quality pups go for less then one of their show quality pups. Sometimes you can get dogs that are a bit older too that did not live up to the breeders show expectations so they let them go to pet homes so they can focus on dogs that have a better chance of winning at dog shows.
Those groups put you thru the Wringer & Just as you are suppose to meet them to pick up the dog they decide to keep it or pass it to a friend. 1 dog I wanted was a Border Collie Pap Cross. They refused me then passed her around from group to group for 3 Years... then out of the blue KILLED her for lack of home.
Visit you local Pound. IF you have breed in mind Visit Breeders.... bet they have older dogs that make great pets. Pups that wont quite make it in show ring.
My family and I are looking to adopt a dog. We're working with a rescue group, and it's a pretty intensive process: an online application, phone interview, home visit, vet referral, and obviously we have to meet the pet. It feels like I'm applying to a competitive college! As an added bonus, there can be many applications for one dog and others can languish in foster care for months. The dog we're applying for falls into the first category...
Is it better to apply for multiple dogs and then rescind applications when we're matched? Or apply for one dog at a time through a single rescue?
I'm wondering how one gets a vet referral, if one has never owned a dog before.
These people are kings of their fiefdom and like it or not, you just have to jump through their hoops.
I don't see the point in applying for multiple dogs. You ought to be looking for a specific dog that meets your needs, and you need to be well-informed about the breed of dog you're wanting. I was looking for a black dog that weight under 50 pounds, so I was specifically looking at flat-coated retrievers and schipperkes. I found a beautiful flat-coated retriever chow mix, and got her from a rescue in a neighboring State, and the adoption fee was only $90, which was more than reasonable.
The adoption fee at the county shelter is $20, and your choices are pit bull, pit bull, pit bull, pit bull, pit bull-mix, pit-bull mix and pit-bull. Occasionally, your other choice is pit bull.
One thing you could do is ignore the rescue. Even better would be to encourage others to ignore the rescue.
It would even be appropriate to start a FacePuke page to identify bad rescues.
That's one way to coerce rescues to be more reasonable and apply common sense.
I did fill out an online application. It did not require my income, nor a vet referral nor references. It simply asked if I worked, how many hours the dog would be alone during the day, how many hours could I devote to the dog each day, whether I had other pets, and how those pets might react to a new pet and other very relevant meaningful questions, like how many other dogs and pets have I had and the size of the living area and what kind of pet I was looking for.
They brought the dog over, we chatted for about an hour and they said okay and left with the dog, then I picked her up a few days later.
There are many rescues, some close to where you live and others farther away, and even others in other States, and they're worth checking out, especially if they are saner than the one you're dealing with.
Pet-Finder is a very good way to find the dog you're looking for. That's what I used, and it's a good way to get what you want, instead of just taking a dog to have a dog.
My family and I are looking to adopt a dog. We're working with a rescue group, and it's a pretty intensive process: an online application, phone interview, home visit, vet referral, and obviously we have to meet the pet. It feels like I'm applying to a competitive college! As an added bonus, there can be many applications for one dog and others can languish in foster care for months. The dog we're applying for falls into the first category...
You'll have this problem as long as you're applying for the more desirable dogs.
I don't see anything wrong with working with several rescues as long as you stick to the desirable dogs that are going be easy to place. That way, you're not leaving an older or special needs dog hanging.
Last edited by Metlakatla; 01-23-2019 at 03:54 PM..
I think you may have problems if you are applying to a breed-specific rescue. I have been unimpressed with the ones I have encountered. They can have truly arbitrary rules that don't coincide with the dog's personality, but do conform to various "traits" attributed to the breed. They also seem more likely to be profit-motivated. These are just personal observations.
Put your name in with several rescues. Don't bet on an individual dog, but consider the dogs that fit your needs in terms of personality before anything else.
I have a foster staying with me that is a lovely dog. She drives me nuts because she is not the dog for me (not very drivey, though not hard to train), but she's a very sweet, playful and affectionate dog who is also quite smart. She's got dobie-style markings, so she doesn't photograph that great and looks kind of boring. She's not getting much attention from the applicants to the rescue, and I think a lot of it is because she is generic looking. Everyone who meets her in person LOVES her. I think that my best bet is just to take her to a lot of breweries and patios to show her around and we'll meet an adopter that way.
Widen your search and look for hidden gems - maybe not the flashiest dog, but maybe the friendliest. Ask a friend involved in dog rescue to introduce you to their colleagues. Then you will have people contacting you when a dog comes up that would fit your household.
There is a rescue I really support and because they deal with special needs dogs they are really careful who they place them with yet I know they have had several that have come back after a few years so just because a rescue is careful does not mean they will not get dogs returned maybe they see less returned but even they get dogs back.
That said I myself have gotten some of my best dogs from shelters and Humane Societies. In those cases I was able to adopt the dog on site and leave with it. I applied for a dog at a local rescue and she would have been a good dog for my home. Gave them great references such as my vet of 30 yrs which could tell them that despite living in a condo that the dog would have a great life with me and that I was someone that will fix a problem rather then return a dog but every time I contacted them I got the "We have not made a decision yet". Meanwhile a puppy in a high kill shelter in Texas popped up on my face book page. I am in Calif and really wanted an adult not a puppy but that puppy's photo screamed I am your dog. I picked up the phone called the shelter was able to adopt her over the phone as long as I had her out by her euthanasia date which was in 2 days she was mine. I then set about finding someone to pull her out to keep her safe until I could fly there to get her. That is my Chaos and 7 yrs later I can say what a great find she was as she is a great dog.
I also have a purebred dog that I got from a breeder because he could never be a show dog as he had a retained testicle. Show breeders will let the pet quality pups go for less then one of their show quality pups. Sometimes you can get dogs that are a bit older too that did not live up to the breeders show expectations so they let them go to pet homes so they can focus on dogs that have a better chance of winning at dog shows.
I remember when you got Chaos from the Irving Shelter. That’s a great shelter as far as care and cleanliness, and being really flexible with adopters. But it is a high kill shelter and my rescue group pulls dogs from that shelter all the time. Glad she’s doing well!
I've never heard a serious dog breeder call them culls. They are "pet quality". Not "culls".
Not every pup makes it to the showring, or whatever else it's job was supposed to be. Sometimes markings aren't right, sometimes the dog is to tall or too short. Or maybe, a dog just doesn't like to show. These are excellent, well bred dogs and they make excellent pets.
You can find pet quality pups in performance kennels, too. A gundog afraid of loud noises goes to a pet home. A herding dog that doesn't like sheep goes to a pet home. These are excellent well bred dogs and make excellent pets for active families ( performance bred dogs are high energy)
But, oops..... if you buy a pup from a serious breeder, you will have to jump through lots of hoops. They want to verify that their pup will be safe.
Last edited by oregonwoodsmoke; 01-23-2019 at 05:05 PM..
I’ve volunteered with several rescue groups. They are each very different so I don’t think a blanket statement about rescue groups as in post #2 can be taken as the “right answer.” However, in answer to your question, I suggest you apply for several dogs at several rescue groups. You will meet dogs that clearly are not a fit; you may meet dogs you’d like to adopt but the foster parent finds a match they feel is better for that dog. But you’ll eventually find a great dog.
I've never heard a serious dog breeder call them culls. They are "pet quality". Not "culls".
Not every pup makes it to the showring, or whatever else it's job was supposed to be. Sometimes markings aren't right, sometimes the dog is to tall or too short. Or maybe, a dog just doesn't like to show. These are excellent, well bred dogs and they make excellent pets.
You can find pet quality pups in performance kennels, too. A gundog afraid of loud noises goes to a pet home. A herding dog that doesn't like sheep goes to a pet home. These are excellent well bred dogs and make excellent pets for active families ( performance bred dogs are high energy)
It's common practice in the Alaska commercial mushing community to cull pups that don't make the grade. Many of them are really quite awful people despite the Disney movie reputation they have in the lower 48. Then when the team dogs get too old to function as part of a winning team, they put them up on Craigslist for "adoption"— and those are the lucky ones.
Last edited by Metlakatla; 01-23-2019 at 05:35 PM..
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