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Old 09-24-2019, 07:49 PM
 
407 posts, read 122,225 times
Reputation: 231

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We have recently decided to adopt a dog (or so I thought). Our last dog was a rescue, but not in the conventional sense. She was found in a bad situation in the south, brought up North, and I took her in. She was a crazy dog (min pin). We spent thousands on her easily. Fencing the yard, puppy classes, doggy daycare so she wouldn't be alone, boarding when we went away, ran her miles per day, had pet insurance, wellness plan, etc. She ended up getting under the fence when chasing a squirrel and was hit by a car on our busy street. We put the house on the market soon after that. The guilt I have over it remains years later.

Fast forward 3-4 years and her record might prevent the adoption of a little guy the kids and I fell in love with. Banfield, our previous vet hospital, reported back that she was 4+ years older than she really was, overweight (absolutely not-she was very fit) and had a heart murmur. How could I forget that? Maybe I suppose. They said she didn't get her yearly wellness visits or vaccines. Maybe I got the year of her death wrong, but it sounds like they are describing a different dog. We had more than one vet, too, and i sent that info over. I suppose we could have been late here and there with vaccines and visits. No more than a person.

The idea that temp foster or a shelter would be better for this dog than us is a hard pill to swallow. We're a decent family. Loving girls. I'm a 25 year vegetarian and love animals. We have 6 acres, don't really travel, and are homebodies. I'm heartbroken and wish I never started the process with petfinder.
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Old 09-24-2019, 07:53 PM
 
Location: West Virginia
13,914 posts, read 39,151,566 times
Reputation: 10244
Go to your local pound .... They have Tons of dogs that need homes too. & most times not as picky.
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Old 09-24-2019, 08:22 PM
 
6,923 posts, read 4,377,597 times
Reputation: 22591
Yes adopt from the local shelter. You obviously are good doggie parents)
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Old 09-24-2019, 08:26 PM
 
Location: Florida
3,179 posts, read 2,103,904 times
Reputation: 7934
I second the pound idea, but what would it it hurt to contact Banfield and set the record straight?

When I fostered puppies for a local rescue, I also fostered adult dogs, and sometimes interviewed prospective adopters. A lady was interested in a dog that I was fostering, but she kept talking about crating him, due to her worries over her furniture, and buying him cheap dog food. I didn’t get the feeling that she was the best home for this dog, so I passed. She talked more about the dog possibly ruining her furniture than how she was looking forward to having him come into her home. That’s a bad potential adopter, not you.

You and your family sound willing to provide a great home for a dog, so get things with the vet straightened out. Petfinder has a lot of dogs that need homes and you should be able to have your choice. No need to let misinformation stand in the way.
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Old 09-24-2019, 10:19 PM
 
Location: Michigan
5,500 posts, read 6,104,238 times
Reputation: 8028
Agree with previous posters - you will see on this board if you search previous threads now and again about this. Some rescue groups are somewhat ridiculous when it comes to their adoption processes. I have years of volunbteer exeperience wiht rescue animals, perfect veterinarian references, etc. and couldn't even get a call back when I wantesd to adopt a dog. I chalked it up to my hoensty in indicating at the time that I had a third of an acre that was unfenced that I didn't wantto fence in before I knew I had a dog that needed it. But I'll never know since I never did get a call back. And you;ll see many similar posts.

Their hearts are in the right place and so long as they are placing their animals in good homes I can't blame them, but it cen be frustrating. But as I mentioned I have years of experience wit rescue, and I ended up adopting my dog through the Humane Society where I volunteered. They didn't adopt to any comers, but the criteria was very different. They assume you were an appropriate adopter unless you gave them obvious reason to think otherwise. So long as you owned you home rather thsan rented orcould demonstrate the naimals was allowed under your lease you were good unless you demonstrated something to indicate you obviously were unfit. This is a really hard part about rescue. I volunteered with the intake portion rather than adoption - for me I could always tell myself that every animal endee up in a better place and I am sure that was true 80% of the time. But having easy adoption stsandards you have to accept that isn't always the case. But to place over 7,000 animals a year like we did you had to accept they wouldn't all be perfect placements. The laternative is to keep more in the sheltr for a much longer period, which is not ideal either. It'ds a balance.

So consider the local Human Sociaety, SPCA, etc. There are a lot of great aniamls there and they likely won't comb thrugh evrything and disqualify you for the slightest misstep that you could or could not have prevented. That's where we got one of our two beloved cats and our absoutely wonderful dog. The other cat was an adoption throu h our vet and in a similar situation. You may need to look for a few weeks to find the perfect dog for your family but he or she will come up and you will be all the happier for it.

Thankrs for adopting and not shopping.
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Old 09-25-2019, 01:06 PM
 
4,286 posts, read 4,725,667 times
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It sounds like Banfield is the problem. Can you go in person and straighten out the records issue?

I don't think any reputable rescue that does vet checks will adopt to you if Banfield reports (wrongly) the dog didn't get yearly checkups. If you don't want to mess with that then go to a city animal shelter.
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Old 09-26-2019, 09:42 AM
 
2,324 posts, read 1,970,313 times
Reputation: 4187
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jax_G View Post
We have recently decided to adopt a dog (or so I thought). Our last dog was a rescue, . . .
Fast forward 3-4 years and her record might prevent the adoption of a little guy the kids and I fell in love with. Banfield, our previous vet hospital, reported back that she was 4+ years older than she really was, overweight (absolutely not-she was very fit) and had a heart murmur. How could I forget that? Maybe I suppose. They said she didn't get her yearly wellness visits or vaccines. Maybe I got the year of her death wrong, but it sounds like they are describing a different dog. We had more than one vet, too, and i sent that info over. . . .

The idea that temp foster or a shelter would be better for this dog than us is a hard pill to swallow. . . . We have 6 acres, don't really travel, and are homebodies. I'm heartbroken and wish I never started the process with petfinder.
Banfield is a big corporate vet chain. From your description, I have to wonder if they got some records mixed up. How do the OTHER vet records compare to the Banfield records? Do that comparison. You may have to physically visit the vet's offices to get copies - but they should release them to you, as they are YOUR records, too. They aren't the property of the vet's office to release or not at their whim.

On to the adoption route. I can't see where you are located, and you don't mention it. In many parts of the country - like in the northeast, where I live now - the "pounds" and animal control officers have few dogs, or none, and the ONLY rescues available are through non-governmental rescue organizations. In some other parts of the country there is still an excess of adoptable dogs in pounds. Even though the numbers have decreased by millions in the past couple of decades as the internet has improved the distribution of dogs from "have" states to "have-not" areas for adoption. The way to find out is to check with your local animal control people. And don't worry if one rescue org doesn't work out - there are LOTS of dogs and rescue orgs.

Finding a dog online. Nothing wrong with this - it's a great thing, afaic. HOWEVER, looking at a photo only tells you how a dog LOOKS, and you should NOT be adopting solely based on looks. You SHOULD be adopting based on personality, and activity type. In other words, if the dog is a strongly driven herding dog, with weak social desires, while you limit your exercise to mowing the lawn, and want a pet who will be friendly to all your friends when they come over for a beer? Not a good fit, you see? If you get a dog who has an endless appetite - the kind who will sneak food and counter surf - but you are incapable of saying no to those oh-so-cute big brown cutie eyes? You'll have an overweight potato puff of a dog in no time! Not a good fit, right? Personality, the dog's inclination to bond to you and your family, the dog's instincts and activity needs should be of primary concern - not looks.

I also know that looks are just one of those things that drives us as humans. So if there are physical types that you find attractive - have the patience to wait and find one who will fit in with your family. All dog types and breeds come in a variety of individual packages. For instance, there are some individuals, from high-energy breeds, who make better couch potatoes than marathoners. It's rarer, but it happens.

There will always (ALWAYS) be more dogs out there than you can help. Be patient, and show restraint. Take time to make a decision. If you end up walking through a pound, looking at dogs, your heart will break some every time you do it - guaranteed. So you have to remember you are only one family - and this is a long-term thing - so patience and restraint will be rewarded.
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Old 09-27-2019, 10:42 AM
 
Location: South Carolina
14,785 posts, read 23,990,804 times
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I hate to say this but I had the same problem with banfield in florida . I wanted to foster for a rescue called paws and claws . Well fortunately the lady who ran paws and claws had some clients who had experienced the same thing with banfield so she told me that would not be a problem .She found out who it was that was spreading that garbage she spoke with banfield and the young lady was immediately fired . So yes banfield is notorious for this just one among many issues that I would never again use banfield ever again . So if you can find out who said this about you then you could speak to someone at banfield and make sure that never happens again . Yes just go to the pound and get a dog you are saving a life that way . God bless .
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Old 09-28-2019, 11:22 AM
 
14,376 posts, read 18,295,877 times
Reputation: 43047
Ok, I have witnessed some pure crazy with rescues and I have witnessed amazing people devoting their time and patience to overlooked animals. Put feelers out among your friends who have had good experiences with rescues. Ask them to introduce you. Stop by some adoption events, and talk to the people and get to know them. I adopted my last three dogs from a rescue that my friends used, and they were able to vouch for me. I also foster for the group when I can (last acquired dog was a foster fail).

Also, find a good vet in your local area that is not Banfield. They are kind of awful for anything but basic vaccinations, imo. I found a wonderful local veterinary practice that my friends have used on my recommendation because they are so sane and cost-effective. With a local vet you can develop a good working relationship with them, and if you have other pets to start now, they can tell a rescue what kind of pet owner you are beyond what their records tell them.

And RAISE HELL with Banfield. These places get records mixed up all the time. Make them straighten it out. Show them your adoption paperwork for your previous dog so they can get things sorted.

And if you're super frustrated, check out the shelter. I think there's a little more risk with that, but there are some great dogs that haven't been scooped up by the rescues yet. And they can't get them all. My first foster was almost euthanized (literally within seconds of it) because the rescue didn't know if it could place her in a foster home until they called me I confirmed I could. She is one of the sweetest and most adorable dogs I have ever encountered who delights her adoptive family daily - and she almost died because there weren't enough rescues to take her in.
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Old 10-05-2019, 08:07 AM
 
Location: Watervliet, NY
6,916 posts, read 3,908,145 times
Reputation: 12876
Find a better vet than Banfield when you do adopt. Taking your pets to Banfield is like taking your car to Walmart for service. Find a vet who is good enough to have their own practice, preferably one that is AAHA-certified.
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