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I think its crappy that the volunteer person you are talking to is guilt tripping you about him crying. I wonder if it even accurate. Dogs adjust pretty quickly.
It really is best for the dog. Think about it, if the rescue org does their job, they will place him with a family who will be able to not spend too much time away, maybe have another dog (if that helps), etc. He is going to be a happy camper when he meets the right match.
And you will go on and find the perfect fit for your family, also making a dog very happy!
You went above and beyond to make it work and clearly he was just in too much distress. Separation anxiety is tough to treat in dogs.
But maybe the dog just doesn't like the crate. I never understand why people don't at least try leaving out of one.
None of my dogs have ever been crated except a puppy.
I had to return my dog to the rescue group a few weeks ago and I'm really worried about him. I told them about his specific food needs, told them that he needs to eat a specific number of times a day or he'll lose weight, and provided them with a couple of months worth of food, but they said they wouldn't be able to feed him as often as I said he needs to eat. When I checked his online profile today (as I do daily), I saw he's already lost 20% of his body weight within the several weeks that he's been back with them! Are they planning to just let him starve to death?
They claimed that there was a lot of interest in him. Then why has he still not been adopted? Oh right, because they lie about almost everything.
They told me he'd go straight into a foster home rather than into boarding. Apparently he's very unhappy, which I doubt would be the case if he was actually in a foster home because he loves all people. So I'm pretty sure they lied about him being in a foster home and he's probably sitting in a cage somewhere, which is horrible for any dog but especially for a social dog who lives to be with people.
I guess I shouldn't be surprised that they lie like crazy since they left out certain important facts that should have been disclosed before I adopted him. Long story short, he was making me physically ill from stress (months of nausea, stomach pain, and no appetite).
In my opinion, they're a pretty horrible rescue group. No behavioral evaluations or vet checkups prior to adopting dogs out. They cut off contact once you return a dog, which isn't okay if the dog isn't totally healthy. I already feel really bad and reading this dog's profile is heartbreaking, knowing how happy he was before (not to mention the weight loss...he must be almost skin-and-bones thin now).
You did the right thing in returning a dog if he wasn't a match for your situation.
There are good rescues and bad rescues out there. The fact that they don't do vet checks is troubling. Sometimes issues with a dog aren't apparent while in rescue and don't manifest themselves until the dog is in a home. If that's not the case and they didn't tell you about his issues, that's wrong. They should have told you what his special needs were.
As far as the feeding goes, most rescues are run by volunteers who have full time jobs in addition to family responsibilities. They are probably doing the best they can with the feeding as they don't have the a volunteer or other resources available who can feed him on your schedule. It's not unusual for a dog to has been in a home and is returned to the rescue to lose weight. It's not good but sometimes can't be helped.
There may be a lot of interest in him. A couple of things are possible, the rescue hasn't had the time to process the applications (see point above about jobs, families, etc.) OR the people who have been applying haven't been the right fit. In my experience, once a dog is returned the rescue is more stringent about who they will adopt him to. They don't want him to be returned for a second time as it is stressful for the dog.
Also in my experience foster homes are very hard to come by. It's possible that they had a foster home lined up and for whatever reason it didn't work out. The foster had a family emergency, got sick or sometimes people just change their minds. The latter isn't uncommon. A rescue will take a dog thinking they have a foster home for it and then the foster flakes and the rescue has a dog with nowhere to go but boarding which the rescue has to find the money for.
I'm not at all surprised they cut off contact with you once you returned the dog. I think that is quite common even if the dog has a health issue. Again it goes back to time, there aren't enough hours in the day to do everything a rescue needs to do. I think it's unrealistic to expect them to keep in contact with you.
Honestly, I think it would be best if you just stopped checking his profile. You did the best you could and it didn't work out, nothing wrong with that.
This thing was a lifesaver for our pup. We had setup a camera and she would just cry for hours on end in her crate and try to escape when we were gone. Got this stuffed toy dog with a mechanical heartbeat and she was instantly content with staying crated. She only started crying again when the batteries needed changing and the heartbeat got too weak. https://www.amazon.com/Smart-Pet-Lov...+heartbeat+toy
And all this 'it's their den' stuff doesn't hold water for a LOT of dogs.
I once dogsat for a dog who was supposed to stay in his crate when I wasn't there. HE HATED IT. He howled like I was performing surgery on him as I put him in it, and ****ed and **** in it every time I left him in it. I finally had to call my friends and tell them I was no longer going to crate their dog, and if they wanted to get come home or a new dogsitter, so be it. I left the dog out, both at their apartment and my own, and there was no destruction in either location: no chewing of furniture, and no **** or **** anywhere. He was a perfectly well-behaved dog except when crated.
My friends were actually grateful I figured this out for them.
I was lucky when I got my first dog as an adult. We had never had a crate growing up so it didn't enter my mind. She was a LARGE 6 month old puppy and I just left her out when I was gone.
Except for yummy things in the trash, she didn't do anything. I didn't need a crate. I put yummy things into small bags in the kitchen sink or took them out right away /shrug.
This dog I currently have will go after anything that has the most remote amount of food on it - like a napkin.
Will tear up ALL the trash in search of more.
Prior owners crated her ALOT.
Still no problem for me. Anything with a trace of food goes into a trash can that is high up.
The dog crate is now a cat cave (with the door open) I did find it useful for baby puppy until she was potty trained.
Her fur-ever home immediately gave her the run of the house since they knew she was potty trained. No issues.
She had also been taught 'drop it' and other things. Not to chew on anything but her toys, etc. I think she was even less than 6 months when she went .......
No, but crate training works wonderfully with a lot of dogs. There wouldn't be millions of dog training sites and books that advocate crate training if it wasn't a good training aid and a safe place to leave a dog (who isn't crate phobic) alone. Many see it as their "room" or "bedroom" if they are crate trained PROPERLY and KINDLY.
It does work for some dogs (but I think the door should be removed- and the dog goes in when it needs to- those of you who say it works, try this, and if your dog truly likes the crate, the door isn't needed)...
But please, lets all be aware that crates and crate-training has become a huge industry- the manufacture and purchasing of the crate and crate accessories, and its a big part of puppy classes these days- which I think is a shame....
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