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i'm sure you knew what was up with the shelters you volunteered for, i'm just questioning when you say you've seen countless shelter applications and would be rejected for all of them because of your renting and lack of yard. you don't know that all those shelters have the same criteria as the ones you volunteered for.
that is really unfortunate about the ones where you volunteered, but things can change. one of the shelters in pittsburgh (there are 3 major ones) used to be known as the one that would never give up an animal, but they made a conscious decision to loosen up their requirements. they're still the strictest of the three, but their requirements are at a much more reasonable level now.
It is the application that scares people from adopting, not the posts on this forum.
i have seen people literally say that they were worried about adopting because of posts they've seen on this forum about the process being really stringent. i remember someone on here saying they were afraid they'd be blacklisted at all local shelters if they applied to one and got rejected because they don't have a yard or because they work full time or something like that. they had not seen an application, they had just read about adopting on this board. and every single discussion of adoption always leads to the same debate we're having now. do you really think people don't read and react to the things that are posted here? of course posts like the ones above give people a negative impression of adopting, regardless of what the process is at their local shelter.
i agree that there should always be an interview as part of the adoption process, but i don't see the problem with an application leading into it, to cover the basic questions and give the interview a starting point. i'm definitely against automatically eliminating applicants because they don't have a yard or own their homes. that's just ridiculous. i just have never encountered a shelter or rescue that does that in a lifetime of adopting in 3 different states, so i question how common it really is. i'm not saying it doesn't happen, i just don't know that it's typical.
now, if someone fills out the application and say they plan on spending $100 a year on the dog and keeping in chained up in their yard, i'd call that grounds for automatic rejection.
Do you really think the majority of the population is on CD? I'm willing to bet that this forum makes up less than 1% of the animal owning population! The other 99% are deterred from adopting by factors not related to this forum.
And you brought up another good point, both of the shelters where I volunteered immediately disqualified you if you worked full-time. I have friends that volunteer in shelters and rescues all over the country. Every single one of these places will not adopt to you if you work full-time outside of the home and I hear that cited as a huge reason to avoid adoption.
i never said the majority of the population read this board, and of course i'm not saying that all or most people in the entire world are deterred from adopting by c-d posts. i'm just saying some people are.
i'd say a fair number are also deterred by the general attitude that shelters and rescues reject everyone, that is being furthered by many posts in this thread. and yes, there is also ample evidence on this board and elsewhere that people are put off by the actual application process. but by far, the majority are probably put off by things unrelated to the stringency of the adoption process - the idea that shelter animals are all messed up, plain old ignorance of the pet overpopulation problem, desire for a puppy or kitten of a specific breed without a wait, not wanting to go to a shelter and see all the sad animals, etc.
in the course of my life i have talked in person to quite a few people who have bought pets from pet stores, puppy mills, bybs, etc. not one of those people made that decision because they thought they'd be rejected by a shelter or rescue. i do know some people who were rejected by a shelter or rescue - in all of those cases they appealed the decision or went to a different shelter or rescue and ended up with a pet.
I agree that many of these shelters are ridiculous with their requirements, but there are also many that are not. I'm in Jersey, and my parents got their one dog from our local shelter where they now volunteer...they did not have a fenced in yard and both work full time. They had a great experience with them. I, on the other hand, went to a local rescue near our new apartment in NJ. When we first started our apartment search, our number one criteria was that it was dog friendly. Well, once we were settled in we went to an adoption day, and I have never been treated so rudely. As soon as we walked up, the woman in charge asked many many personal questions and was very sarcastic..I guess she did not take us seriously since we looked younger (my bf and I are both 23, both have well paid full time jobs, live in a pet friendly rental, and looking to buy our own place within about 1-2 years). But we did not fit her "ideal" criteria as pet owners since we both worked, lived in an apartment, and were younger. Well, let me tell you Sydney is more than happy with his living arrangement..not only does he have the best of friends with the other dogs in our complex but he's only alone for about 3-4 hours at a time since we both work close by and go home during lunches and gets more exercise than most dogs with huge fenced in yards. Although I was really bothered with how this woman treated us, I will definitely try to adopt for our next dog. Don't let one rescue turn you off from adopting..there are good ones and bad ones
Sadly, in the end it is the pets at shelters who don't get adopted.
I was, and hopefully will, be able to adopt pets as long as I live, no matter where they come from.
If people get scared bc of what they read here, I am sorry, they should balance the posters' opinions and make their own mind without being so easily impressed. It is just an opinion, we might agree or disagree. I might hear you, but I am intelligent enough to make my own decision, whereas the countless pages application is a real thing.
I am not saying they should give away dogs no questions asked, but I would be more than happy to get interviewed in person and show my true best intentions.
This is what they should take in consideration... They are supposedly experienced pet people,aren't they?! I have had dogs all my life and can "smell" a pet lover/hater from a 5 minute conversation.
But it's important to help people understand that rescues/shelters and byb/stores/puppy mills are not the only options. There are many amazing and reputable breeders out there. If you're looking for a particular breed, want one that's conforms to breed standard and is healthy, and want a puppy then a reputable breeder is a better bet than taking a puppy from a shelter in many cases, especially with certain breeds. Some breeds (Bulldogs, French Bulldogs) are only in rescues because of serious health issues. As the rescue President for a local Bulldog rescue says, a well-bred Bulldog rarely ever needs to be rescued. They only get the worst cases, since not many are running to give up their healthy dog.
No one is trashing shelters and rescues. People are sharing their experiences with them, personal experiences. If that's trashing, then perhaps the shelters/rescues should do something so that they don't come off so negatively. All the posters who commented on the shelters/rescues have only shared what they experience, they are not making things up.
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