What Rescue is and What Rescue is not.

By Rottweiler Rescue of NY, a fantastic breed specific rescue group:

The following information may seem harsh, rude, and perhaps even ignorant. If you plan on pursuing adoption from rescue please continue to read no matter your opinion. The following things are meant as information only. These are not all truths in our rescue, but many of them DO fit, and we want you to be aware of the rescuer�s side of rescue.

We will spell this information out as plainly and distinctly as we can, so that hopefully it cannot be misunderstood or read incorrectly. You may not agree with some of the things said on this page, but please understand that these are the realities of many rescues. This is not to say that it should excuse rude or ignorant behavior, but it lets you have a behind the scenes view.
You may have encountered rescues who didn�t ever reply to your e-mail, never returned your call, never contacted you about your application, wouldn�t let you adopt a dog, wouldn�t let you foster a dog, or a rescue person who was impolite to the point of being rude. As you read the following page you will be given an insight to a rescuers day/week/month, and perhaps you will begin to see why so many rescuers are hardened, snippy, crabby people who don�t seem to be living in the same word as everyone else.

If you take offense to anything below we regret that, but if you are offended it may let you know a little more about yourself and your thoughts on rescue prior to reading it. We are not here to lecture anyone, and if you feel after reading this that you cannot for some reason adopt from our rescue, please find one that you feel you can adopt from.

When you are finished reading this you still may not agree with how some rescues handle themselves (and even many rescuers feel this way) but hopefully you will at least understand a little better WHY they are like that. Our goal is to help educate you about rescue....what it is and what it isn�t.


WE�LL START WITH THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND


RESCUE IS NOT A SERVICE FOR YOU .... PERIOD . NOT FOR YOU TO FIND A DOG,
OR TO GET RID OF YOUR DOG.

Rescue is a service for the dogs. We care about them, the dog is who we are here to help. Helping you find the dog of your dreams is a result of that, but our main concern here is the dog and what is best for each individual dog.




RESCUE IS NOT A SHELTER THAT YOU CAN JUST STOP BY TO VISIT, PICK OUT A DOG, AND TAKE IT HOME WITH YOU WHENEVER THE MOOD STRIKES YOU. THERE IS NO PLACE TO DROP BY AND WINDOW SHOP, NO BUSINESS HOURS, AND NO TIMES WE ARE OPEN.

Rescue is a group of people that love their breed. Those people open their homes and hearts to the dogs, give them a place to live, and love them until they find a loving home. We take applications, screen them, and then have people come and visit with the dogs in our homes .... See .... no shelter involved. There is a volunteers� home on the end of any phone number you are given. Please respect that.




RESCUE IS NOT DIAL A DOG, DIAL A PERSON THAT WANTS TO HEAR ABOUT MY TROUBLES, DIAL A PERSON TO UNLOAD MY DOG .. I�VE HAD IT FOR 10 YEARS AND IT SIMPLY DOESN�T MATCH THE FURNITURE ANYMORE.

Rescue is a phone number or e-mail that reaches right into the home of a volunteer who has little time to deal with the guilt you are feeling over giving up your dog or tossing them out like last nights leftovers. They have even less time to deal with you see-sawing back and forth between keeping the dog and giving it up. If you�ve taken the trouble to find a rescue and call or email, then 99% of people have their minds set on getting rid of the dog. Don�t lie to us or to yourself. Simply tell us the reason you are giving the dog up and answer the questions we ask. If we are going to help you the least you can do is help us speed up the process.
Please do not think us cold or callus, but we don�t have time for every person giving up a dog to cry on our shoulders. We�ve heard all the reasons for giving up a dog before..... including :

* allergies, moving, housebreaking issues, money issues, new baby, too hyper, barking, sick, injured, nasty, uncontrollable, landlord doesn�t allow, parents said no, owner died and nobody wants the dog, divorce, marriage, too many animals, doesn�t like new dog, doesn�t like old dog, chases cars, chases cats, sheds too much, too much trouble, new job, wants too much attention

To the other extreme, which includes

* it�s cross-eyed, it�s ears don�t stand up, it doesn�t match the new couch, it looks at me funny, he doesn�t like it here, and he�s told me he�s not happy.


We�re not cold hearted, we simply have too many things to do and not enough time to do them all and still listen to how sorry you think you are about getting rid of your dog. If you have done everything you could do before coming to rescue, you should not feel guilty. We understand things happen in people�s lives that make hard choices a necessity. We are not judging those who have done everything they could yet still have to give up the dog. We just want those who haven�t taken the responsibility seriously to understand that we are not here to offer emotional support to them when they�ve made a stupid decision and refuse to take responsibility for it.

Rescue should be one of your last resorts. Try obedience training, try crate training, try everything you can before you make the decision to give up your dog. When you�ve done all that you can, then call us and let us know why you�re giving up the dog in the least amount of words you can. We�ll ask questions, you answer them. Quick, Simple, and Honest.



RESCUE IS NOT A PERSON SITTING AT THE COMPUTER OR PHONE ALL DAY JUST WAITING FOR YOU TO CALL OR EMAIL. WE�RE ALSO NOT RUNNING HOME DAILY HOPING WE�LL HAVE LOTS OF EMAIL AND ANSWERING MACHINE MESSAGES. WE�RE NOT RUSHING TO RETURN YOUR CALL OR EMAIL.

Rescue is a group of people who already have a life, a family, a full-time job, their own dogs, foster dogs, 50 e-mail a day looking to adopt or give up a dog, 20 phone messages a day looking to adopt or give up a dog, calls from shelters needing a rescue to take a dog who is about to be put down, not to mention applications to process, vet appointments for foster dogs.....and countless other things that rescue involves.

Of course, this does not include the volunteer eating, sleeping, and having a life, I almost forgot.



RESCUE IS NOT A WAY FOR YOU TO FIND A PUREBRED DOG FOR LITTLE OR NO MONEY

Rescue is a safe haven for dogs of a specific breed, with people that know and understand the quirks and personality of that breed, and have the knowledge needed to handle that breed, it�s medical requirements, and who can access an application to be sure it would be an appropriate home for that breed.



RESCUE IS NOT A BABY-SITTING SERVICE FOR YOUR DOG, A KENNEL,
OR A PLACE THAT WILL TRAIN YOUR DOG

Rescue is a place that dogs who are homeless, about to be homeless, or in a shelter, come into where they will receive the medical attention, physical attention, and behavioral attention they need. Rescue is most times the only thing standing between a dog and a lethal injection.



CAN I GET A DOG FROM YOUR RESCUE THAT IS NOT SPAYED OR NEUTERED?

Rescue is not a place where you can pick up a "girlfriend" for BUTCH or a "boyfriend" for FIFI so that you can irresponsibly mass produce puppies, sell them to homes that may very well want them for Pitbull bait, toys for the children, something for the kids to take care of, or something to neglect and then later abandon.

Rescue is responsible about the reproduction of their breed. In fact, rescues believe that they only breeding that should be done is by the FEW responsible breeders out there, and only to improve the breed. And by the way, responsible breeders are not those folks with "free puppies" signs or ads, and doesn�t not include Jane down the street who has a few Chihuahuas she allows to breed whenever they feel like it and then charges $500 for a puppy. Responsible breeders are folks that care about their puppies and take pride in placing them in loving homes where they will be cared for. Responsible breeders have quality pups who are lovingly raised, given proper care, and sold only to homes that are appropriate for the breed.

All rescue dogs are spayed or neutered before adoption so that no "Accidents" happen.
You won�t get a dog unaltered, don�t even bother to ask.



RESCUE IS NOT A PLACE THAT WILL TAKE THE MOST VICIOUS, NASTY, AGGRESSIVE DOGS AND KEEP THEM FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES, LIVING HAPPILY EVER AFTER IN THEIR OWNERS MIND WHILE THE DOG IS MISERABLE.

Rescue is a place where the nasty dogs that are not safe for anyone to own, handle or be within 5 feet of are humanely put to sleep where they will be happier, and people will be safer. If YOU don�t want to deal with your dog that bites, whom you�ve loved for 6 years, what on earth makes you think that someone else would want it biting them or their family?

We do work with every dog to see if they are just frightened, or have an issue that is fixable, or if they are just nasty. Those who are scared or have an issue that is fixable we work with and allow them time to adjust and overcome their fear. Those who are nasty are put to sleep - PERIOD. Some people think a rescue that euthanizes is horrible, and that�s fine, but let us fill your house up with dogs you cannot sneeze around without getting bit and let us see you still save the lives of 60+ dogs a year.



RESCUE IS NOT A MAIL ORDER SERVICE TO FIND YOU THE DOG OF YOUR DREAMS, THE DOG THAT LOVES KIDS, CATS, EVERYONE, DOESN�T BARK TOO MUCH, IS PERFECTLY HOUSEBROKEN, IS 3 POUNDS, DOES TRICKS ON COMMAND, AND KNOWS HOW TO ACT IN EVERY SITUATION.

Rescue is the place that gets calls from shelters and owners who have a Dog in need. Sure, we may come across a dog like the one described above, but chances are it will be adopted quickly and it will be a long time before we see another one like it.

We work with each dog to make them better pets than they were when they entered rescue, but we aren�t miracle workers. Every dog has his own personality, and that is what matters. If you want a dog that fits a few certain requirements - okay, that�s realistic. But trying to find one that matches perfection is not going to happen anytime soon, and if one comes in that is perfect we have a line 5 miles long of people waiting for it...



CREDIT FOR THIS BLOG GOES TO ROTTIE RESCUE OF NY!

FABULOUS post!!!

I doubt that the writer understands that their target audience doesn't have the patience to read their ranting. (Heck, *I* don't have the patience to read their entire rant.)

I know they are stressed and sick of dealing with self-absorbed people, but c'mon -- going on for pages and pages just makes them sound.... I don't know... self-absorbed.

i guess I didnt realize there was confusion about rescue. that's what I always thought it was. well, now that I think about it, people are always flabbergasted by how much I spent on my "rescue" dogs. they assume they should be free pretty much. I spent about 250 for my pups and i found it extremly reasonable. I wasn't looking to get a cheap dog but looking to give a underdog a chance at a good life.

goos post. I think i need to copy and email it to a few folks

having done Bullmastiff rescue for over 30 years I can really relate to the post Sometimes I want to do serious harm to the people who bring me dogs. They may have had the dog for 3 years but no one bothered to teach it even how to walk on a leash or housebreak it when it got past the cute "puppy" stage it was put in a pen in the back yard and given the bare minimum of care to sustain life. But they boo hoo about they are moving and can't take the dog. Like they are really going to miss it. UGH The more time I spend with the dogs the less I like people. These dogs are starved for human contact and once they realize I will give them love and the attention they need I suddenly have a 130 lb dog that actually curls up in my lap like a 8 week old pup. That is what makes it so easy to work with 99% of the dogs that I get in rescue. They will do anything for love and my attention.

This could prop up that old stereotype that people in rescue relate far better to animals than to fellow humans. Not saying that like it's a character defect or anything, but to suggest that maybe it would be good to rethink the tone. I had kind of a violent reaction to the tone of this when I first read it. People who are in rescue, I would expect them to pick up on the writer's need to rant, and have a very supportive reaction. If the reader is someone who is giving up a dog to rescue, or contemplating it, I would expect the result to be a disaster. If disaster means they decide to take their dog to a shelter, or have it PTS by Animal Control, instead of turning it over to the rescue dedicated to that breed. And as someone looking to adopt, who clearly has a wide range of other options, I would be scratching my head. This would make me wonder: Are these the people I want to be dealing with, are these the people I want judging me as a fit or unfit adopter? I think each of these three potential audiences needs to be communicated with in a separate and targeted way, for the best result.

***Edited By: JoanEK on 3/25/2008 9:04:45 AM***
Reason: added a sentence

"You spoiled the message though by saying there were only a 'FEW' good breeders."

IMO, considering the ratio of good breeders to BYBers & Millers - there are only a "few" good breeders. For every good breeder, there's 250+ bad breeders.

i said i wanted to do serious harm not that i would actually do it. instead i very patiently assure them they can visit or call to check on their "beloved" pet,etc. in fact none of them have ever called or come to visit i do really love and appreciate the wonderful people who forego buying a cute puppy and adopt one of my adult dogs it just makes me upset that so many dogs and cats{i have 5 rescued cats} are just treated like disposable objects like they don't have feelings

I hear you, Drogheda. I was writing more from a PR perspective. There are documents, like newsletters and posts on rescue blogs, that are good therapy to let your hair down and rant and reinforce one another. But then there are documents that are for public consumption, and this one read like it was trying to be both at once. That might be a natural product of what you get in a group of very blunt people with nothing to hide and God on their side. But I'm thinking that rescue, like politics, is the art of the possible. I would not want to turn off a potential ally, and the wording in the original post might alienate a lot of them, especially potential adopters. But who knows, maybe the bluntness works to weed out a lot of people who wouldn't work out anyway, or makes people work harder to meet the rescuers criteria.

I didn't write this one-far better than ones I've done!


I don't think there are many good breeders-I have rarely see someone and think wow they really know there stuff. Usually its why the hell are you breeding that dog! there are great breeders out there-they just are not easy to find. If there were more good than bad I wouldn't have to do rescue. I'll never look down on someone for going to a good breeder-I do! But most people don't take the time to research it out.

I am just so sick of the woe is me posts from people bashing those of us in rescue for not adopting to them for whatever reason when its blatantly obvious why no one would adopt to them.

I have kissed rear to get a dog out of a bad situation but I will never give someone a dog just to please them and have them tell their buddies warm fuzzy stories.

Don't worry about kissing butts Joce..Just keep spending your own money, writing your posts and putting down those that have negative experiences. Those that truely want an animal will find one somewhere else. Guess what your attitude does?....only encourages bad breeders. When you have your high and mighty attitudes towards those "woe is me people"...they will go elsewhere to get their pets. ("good" breeders, "bad" breeders, or humane society) Your rantings just prove my point about the attitude that SOME adoption agencies can have..
Joan...I agree with your comments. There are some that may be considering adoption and read that post and will think twice.

***Edited By: maxpup on 3/25/2008 4:58:48 PM***
Reason: spell error

Pen- I go to all the shows I can make in driving distance.


And as I am sure you know those are not the breeders that are the problem. For every one good breeder there are hundreds of bad.

I don't know why you don't get this-I know there are good breeders-I never denied it. I am not sure why you keep pointing this out. Saying there are more good than bad I don't agree with though. I am not against breeding.


And if my "attitude" scares anyone away they have some issues. If someone is that offended by me or anyone trying to find a good home for a dog then they are going to keep going to back yard breeders but in NO way is that my fault. There has to be a line drawn somewere to what is acceptable and what is not. Sorry I care were dogs get placed.

And when we have turned anyone down its not a flat out no-its this is why and here is what you can do or were else you can go. I try to educate every chance i can and I like to think its helped.

Although there was one with the last litter the rescue sent and the attitude of these people made me want to vomit. They were told they were the first ones coming to look and when we told her which ones we were keeping she said no I was told I have first pick and I want this one! That is the only time I have ever been negative with someone-and even them I tried to educate. They said in there application they had never rehomed a dog yet told us about a terrier they got rid of because it was too entergetic-and it was an aussie mix they were looking at!! I made sure they knew that an aussie was likely to be more high drive than there terrier had been but some people are just turned off to any info you have to give them.

I hope I fall in the "good breeder" catagory I have rescued owned and bred Bullmastiffs for almost 35 years I have all my dogs x-rayed for hip and elbow dysplasia, thyroid tested, and have done Cerf exams on 4 generations. In that time I have had a total of 9 litters. I have always sold pets on a must spay/neuter contract and have refunded $100 of the purchase price upon receiving proof of the surgery being done.I have always taken back any of my dogs that have to be rehomed and that is stated in my contract. I have on occasion refused to sell to some one if I felt they would not be a responsible owner or if their current family situation was not good for a puppy. I am very upset by the people who have many breeds and mixed breed litters all the time. To me this is a puppy mill no one can give that number of dogs the love and care they deserve and I don't care who I offend by this statement. If you are guilty of this practice you know who you are and no amount of whitewashing is going to change the facts. I am just as concerned about the type of family that adopts a rescued dog as one I bred. All of them are given love and the same care when in my home. I just wish the numbers of people who don't do the proper testing and don't take their dogs back would decline. It is heartbreaking to have a 2 year old dog come into rescue that is suffering from a genetic disease, when you know that if the parents had been tested a good breeder would never have bred them.

Great post Joce, thanks for sharing it with us.
Drogheda Bullmastiff, BRAVO!

I've done rescue and I've adopted dogs and cats from rescue.

I think that you're wrong about the service being more for the dog than the public. I've seen the faces of families taking home an adult dog that really needed a home. Those families really needed a dog. If all the necessary education, background checks and a realistic portrayal of the dog and its temperament is done... Well, it can be a match made in heaven.

People go to a rescue because they want a dog that really needs them. They want advice about dogs that they can't get from a shelter. They want to know what a dog is like at a rescue volunteer's home. Do they get along with other dogs, cats, children. This is very valuable information and they rely on the rescue for that.

Ideally rescue serves BOTH the dog/cat and the new family.

People who like animals better than people shouldn't work in rescue. Dogs and cats usually like people just fine--they just need homes. Why should the rescuer like people less than a dog does? How can you successfully place an animal if you have no empathy for the potential adopter?

I think that you've been doing this for too long. Take a break and give the job to someone who appreciates the wonder of a successful placement. You (or the person who originally wrote the piece) has obviously forgotten what rescue is all about.

cat...simpley perfect. The sad thing is, there is more than just the person who posted this working in these adoption agencies..

Catdogmom-condescending much?

I think I have said this 5 times-I did not write this.

But I do agree with it.

When rescue starts catering to the people and not the animals is when we become a pet store and do everything to please the consumer.

And about a quarter of the people who contact me are looking for a cheap pet-nothing more nothing less. The ones that know what they are looking for and want to help are obviously not an issue.

Rescue is a balance.


**edited to add I'm a nurse-If I didn't like people(at least a little bit! lol!) I would have lost my job a loooong time ago-can't fake caring.

And I think some people are removed from the stupid things people say because the rescue screens homes and not the foster home. People looking for breeding dogs,dogs to fight, dogs for their five year old to learn responsibility and can they bring the dog back when billy stops caring for it to teach him a lesson. It goes on and on. Yes there are great b people who come and adopt-but there are horrible people that come and try.

Right now I am waiting to see if my first fosters might be coming back. Owners are getting divorced and it had been a questionable placement in the beginning because they did bicker and some other things I don't have time to go into but there daughter loved these dogs and so did they but now its a question on if they'll move to a place they can care for them-I hope they can. But I placed them for the people more than for the dogs and that wasn't right. Hopefully it works out.

I am blabbing out-but there are good people out there that you want to help but bottom line they would not be a good home for a hamster let alone a dog! There are kids I want to cry for because there parents are complete idiots and they might have an escape with a dog but with their parents talking about ones they have put down themselves or that accidentally froze to death you can't do it.

So no I don't think rescue is for people in general. It is for the dog-and then for the people.

***Edited By: joce on 3/28/2008 12:47:56 PM***
Reason: j

Joyce,

I am not condescending, just don't agree either with you or with the person who wrote the piece you posted.

You remind me of the salesman who said to the manager, "Look at the store now! I've got all the merchandise put away nicely, the rug is clean, the displays are all set up properly. I can get so much done here when all those stupid customers are not here constantly messing things up."

I know that a dog is not a dress or a pair of shoes. But if you didn't have potential adopters, you wouldn't have rescue. The dogs/cats/hamsters/birds etc. don't have the homes and the money to take care of themselves. You are trying to match them up with PEOPLE who do.

If you don't like the heat--get out of the kitchen.

If you don't like people disagreeing with you--don't post.