Rescue dogs

[Cassidy]

I was just wondering how this rescuing thing works. Before we got Ladybug, and was looking for a dog, a called the local pound. They said I could come look at the dogs and fill out an app. if I wanted too. This completely floored me. What is the application for? and why couldnt I just get the dog? What are they looking for? And, is this anything like foster care for children? We ended up getting Ladybug from a breeder, but if this rescue is anything like foster care, we have had an extremely bad experience with foster care for children. I am an avid dog lover and have always had a dog, and I could never imagine not having one. But, I have to say, that if rescue is anything close to fostercare, my husband would not go for it and I could never blame him because the experience we had was unspeakable and torture. So that is why we opted for the breeder.

[Jack & Co.]

I'm confused. Did you have a bad experience with rescue or a bad experience fostering a human child? I can't imagine that fostering a child could remotely compare with getting a dog from rescue.

 

My dog came from the pound and yes, I had to fill out an application. They try to place dogs in a good home.

[mbc1963]

Hmm...

 

Well, others who do rescue could answer with more detail, but my understanding of how rescue differs from getting a dog from a pound is that, in rescue, people take the dogs into their own homes. In that environment, they can closely monitor behavior and needs, and make a good match when they go to place the dog for a permanent home. With a shelter/pound dog, you only know what the people there can tell you, and the dogs are processed as quickly as possible. My own dog is from a shelter, and he's wonderful... and the adoption process wasn't as long or involved as adopting from a rescue would have been - it's just a different process.

 

As far as comparing dog rescue to human foster care - I think it's pretty much apples and oranges. I'm not sure what problems you ran into with foster care... but I'd bet they're very specific to human social problems, and not that closely related to dog problems. Rescue dogs are free and clear for adoption by a qualified home, which is quite different from the situation many foster kids find themselves in.

 

Mary

[Cassidy]

Well, I was thinking in the lines of home visits, and social workers and such. Is the dog in their custody until they approve you? See, the thing is when we bring a dog into our home we would expect to keep it without any hassle or questions. If they are looking for a home for these dogs, well if he is in mine, thats where he should stay and should be my dog. We would never be able to bring a dog in our home under someone elses conditions because of what we have been through.

 

Oh and our experience was with human foster care.

[ShoresDog]

....the experience we had was unspeakable and torture. So that is why we opted for the breeder.

Home visits are torture? Or is the problem that if the adoption doesn't work out, the rescue would want the dog returned to them? My goodness, rescues want the adoption to work out! What is the problem here??

[Laurae]

Um, the dog wouldn't be yours until you were approved and had already had a home visit. But if you want to just get any old dog and not be subjected to any "hassle" or even answer any questions about yourselves and your home, well, then perhaps rescue isn't for you. Of course, if a breeder just handed over a dog without asking you any questions either, I'd question that breeder's ethics.

 

Well, I was thinking in the lines of home visits, and social workers and such. Is the dog in their custody until they approve you? See, the thing is when we bring a dog into our home we would expect to keep it without any hassle or questions. If they are looking for a home for these dogs, well if he is in mine, thats where he should stay and should be my dog. We would never be able to bring a dog in our home under someone elses conditions because of what we have been through.

 

Oh and our experience was with human foster care.

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

This is not like foster care/adoption proceedures. The foster home is an experienced rescue person whose charge it is to find a suitable permanent home (like you) for the dog in their care.

 

The adoption process does involve screening, but it does not involve a long fostering process for the adoptive parents. Once the dog is transferred to the adoptive home, it is forever, ideally. Most rescue groups do not require, for instance, subsequent home visits after the adoption, etc. Any home interviews are part of the "getting to know you" process so that the perfect dog for you can be placed with you.

[Allie Oop]

I adopted both of my BCs from rescue (two different ones). I did have to fill out an application, have personal reference checks, a veterinary reference check and a home visit. However, I didn't find any of these things to be extremely invasive or a problem. The bottom line is, a rescue is trying to match their dogs with the right home, and to make sure that the animal will be cared for properly and that the prospective owner is prepared for ownership of the dog (which with a BC is especially crucial). They spend a lot of time, money and energy in rehabilitating dogs that have been discarded, abused, neglected or simply ignored. Their screening protects both the dog and the prospective owner and keeps a lot of dogs from ending up back in the rescue, a shelter or worse. Rescues are also great at educating prospective owners about the dog they are wanting to take into their homes and families.

 

Yes, you usually do sign a contract agreeing to give the dog back to the rescue in the event that the dog does not work out for whatever reason or if you just don't want the dog. That should be a reassurance - that there is a place that the dog can go if problems arise and it is in the best interest of both the dog and the adopter. I'm afraid it's basic human nature that people tend to value more the things that they have to work a little harder for.

 

I now volunteer for one of the rescues and am doing a home visit tomorrow night and I can tell you, I want this family to succeed and to adopt a dog. They certainly don't have to rich, have a big house or yard, or have fancy job titles -- what I want to know is pretty basic: Are prepared for having a dog (like a Border Collie) in their home? Do they have the time and experience/interest to spend in training the dog? Will they properly feed and care for the dog and get it proper medical attention if it needs it? Will they love the dog, or is it just going to be another piece of property they own? I also hope to be able to answer questions they have regarding Border Collies and be a resource for them.

 

Just FYI - the local Humane Society and the local Animal Services (i.e. shelter) in my area also requires an application and they also do some screening. So, if your intentions are to find a dog and make it a part of your family, it really shouldn't be a problem to go "through the process".

[vaporflowers]

A breeder should be screening you as well.

 

Acquiring a dog by any means, whether through rescue or purchase, should involve lots of questions from the rescuer/pound/breeder. The typical understaffed animal shelter will make sure that you own your home or that if you rent, you have landlord approval. They typically want to know where the dog will live (indoors or out), and if you've ever given up a dog before... simple things like that.

 

A rescue group or breeder, if they are reputable, should really interview you. Especially in border collies... this is a breed that a typical novice dog owner cannot handle. Breeders and rescuers care DEEPLY about the dogs they are placing and want to make sure the home is truly prepared for that particular dog.

 

Do you think everyone that applies for a dog is a capable dog owner? There are all kinds of sick people out there, willing to abuse and harm dogs. There are also irresponsible people who consider pets disposable or breeding machines.

 

How is a rescue supposed to be able to tell the difference without an application?

[Rhys]

Adopting a dog from a rescue isn’t anything like fostering a child. A dog rescue’s purpose is to adopt the dog into a good permanent/forever home. The purpose of foster care is to place the child in a safe and nurturing home while the birth parents work on the issues that caused the child to be removed from them. The goal is to reunify the child with the birth parents though there may be concurrent planning for the foster parents to adopt the child if reunification fails.

[Bo Peep]

I'm afraid if anyone came to check out my place they would put me as a "no adopt". My yard is so tiny now. But my dog has a park 2 houses down. I think the rescuers are more concerned about your knowledge of the breed and if you can give it what it needs. There are so many "toss away BC's" they just don't want another. Now that you've had one, and survived- LOL. Plus still want another, I see no reason why you should be turned down. All they want is an active loving home with someone that understands border collies. I think you fit the category. Good luck!!

[bexie]

Anything that happens with adopting from a rescue or a shelter is BEFORE you take possession of the animal. I just want to make sure this is clear. You won't be taking a dog home, thinking you have a good chance of adopting it, get all attached, then have them decide to take it back.

 

When you want to look for a second dog, your best bet would be to find a reputable rescue in your area (if you are looking for a BC, the people here might be able to help you find one). Then you can contact some one at the rescue and ask them to explain the procedure to you in detail. Just tell them you've had an unpleasant experience in the past so you want to know exactly what you're getting into before you start so you don't waste their time or yours. Once you understand the procedure, you can sit down with your DH and discuss it with him and decide if that option would work for you. Rescuing takes time, from what I understand (unless they already have a dog on hand that is perfect for you), but they will help you find a dog that matches up with your family's needs and expectations. For a second dog, that also means one that works with whatever BC quirks Ladybug has.

 

Good luck working it out.

 

There are a lot of people here with rescue experience on both sides of the table. So you're getting honest answers from people who really are experienced. I've only ever adopted from shelters and that was a while ago (my BC is obtained from the farmer who bred her). But I replied to make sure it was clear that you weren't going home with your pet then having your home invaded and the pet taken away. Many rescues and some shelters do want to do a home visit, but that is before you've gotten the dog. In some cases, it might be part of when you meet the dog, but that varies.

[kelpiegirl]

Applications sort things out in many ways. First, if you are really interested, you will fill out the paperwork, and take the time to be approved - at shelters that means a vet check. It also helps match the right dog with you. For instance, say you are interested in the Rottie, and are set on him. Turns out he is iffy with kids, and you have a two year old. That particular match up would probably not be good for the dog and the owner.

I just adopted a kitten from the shelter and had to fill out an adoption application. It was rather streamlined compared to that of the dog apps, but it asked important questions. They also "interviewed" me as well. I think one of the most important things to remember, is that it is REALLY hard for animals to be turned BACK in to shelters because they don't fit. That's a crying shame when it happens. This is why pet shops suck so bad- no application, no forethought, just plunk the money down and you have that ball of fluff- who grows up to be true to itself, which may not be your idea of the perfect pet!

[PSmitty]

They said I could come look at the dogs and fill out an app. if I wanted too. This completely floored me. What is the application for? and why couldnt I just get the dog? What are they looking for?

 

Seriously? What is the application for? Do you think that they should just hand the dog over to someone, without knowing *anything* about the person or the situation the dog will be living in? If you had a dog in your care, would you do that? The application is obviously to verify that the person is who they say they are, that the dog will have a place to live, what kind of home are they going into (other animals, children, etc). They typically ask for the name and number of your vet, to verify that your current or past animals were cared for. They want to know if you rent, will your landlord allow pets, all kinds of things. I'm always surprised when people question having to be screened before they adopt an animal, I mean the shelter is trying to make a good match and do the best they can for the animal, to make sure it's going to hopefully a forever home.

 

And an application isn't really much, compared to some rescues who do home checks. Personally, I would welcome both.

 

And, is this anything like foster care for children? We ended up getting Ladybug from a breeder, but if this rescue is anything like foster care, we have had an extremely bad experience with foster care for children.

 

Uh, no, I'd say it's not really like foster care for children. Rescues and some shelters have dogs in foster homes. It's a great thing, since if you decide to adopt an animal that is being fostered, you will be able to talk to them and get a good feel for the kind of home the dog needs and what would be a good fit.

 

I am an avid dog lover and have always had a dog, and I could never imagine not having one. But, I have to say, that if rescue is anything close to fostercare, my husband would not go for it and I could never blame him because the experience we had was unspeakable and torture. So that is why we opted for the breeder.

 

I agree with Laurae. Any decent breeder is going to screen you just as throughly, if not more so, than a shelter or rescue.

 

ETA: I've adopted two dogs. One from the HS and another from a rescue. A thorough application and vet references were required for both. (My third came from a foster who pulled him from a shelter, and she had to fill out an application, too, I'm sure).

[Pat W.]

As a foster home for a BCR my main goal is to find a happy, healthy and appropriate home for my current foster so I can take in my next one, in order to acheive that goal I need to find out what makes the dog tick ie: good with cats, kids, other dogs, any kind of issues to be fixed ie, resource guarding, no recall, no manners, what are the dogs needs ie high drive needs lots of activity, or laid back happy with romping with the kids in the backyard and playing frisbee. Rescue 's sole goal is to rehome FOREVER Border Collies in appropriate homes, not thwart your attempts to adopt, hassle your or be your worst nightmare. In order to do this we require a application with some basic questions about you, your family, your experience with border collies and your lifestyle. We also ask that you supply a vet reference as well as two personal references - all for the saftey of the dog - not to make you feel threatened or small. Some rescues then do a phone interview - theres only so much you can learn from a piece of paper and sometimes the applicant remembers things they would like to ask or forgot to list. Its amazing how much you can learn by talking to someone on the phone. Last we do a home visit again just to make sure this is a great place and family for one of our rescues. Once you are approved we strive to find the right dog within our group...if we dont feel that we have a dog for you we're not going to string you along same if we feel that you might not be ready for a border collie in your life. I will say this however MOST rescues do have a clause in their contract that states that if for any reason you can no longer care for the dog that you must return the dog to the rescue to be rehomed...a pretty standard procedure despite what Ellen Degeneres would have you believe.

 

Once you have adopted from us you might get invited to join a support list online, I personally will provide my email and a phone number for you to contact me with any questions in reference to a dog I have fostered that you might have. We will touch base with you from time to time just to see how things are going. No hounding, no hassel.

 

As for adopting from a shelter WONDERFUL...however you are not going to know as much about the dog as you would if adopting from a rescue, for simply these reasons: time, money manpower, available space. Unlike a shelter rescue can and does hold on to a dog for as long as it takes to find a good home, I've fostered a dog for 7mos until we found the appropriate home. Some dogs are in their foster homes for a year or more but that is an extreme case.

[painted_ponies]

Before we got Ladybug, and was looking for a dog, a called the local pound. They said I could come look at the dogs and fill out an app. if I wanted too. This completely floored me. What is the application for? and why couldnt I just get the dog? What are they looking for?

 

Well, the application was probably for their records, so the pound can prove someone adopted the dog. I doubt they wanted anything besides your name and address, etc. Would you feel better if pound personnel could just hand a dog to anyone who came along with no paper trail? How would you prevent unscrupulous staff or "adopters" from selling dogs to research labs?

 

I'm not sure what your experience was with fostering children. The goal of fostering children is so they have a safe place to stay until either their parents get their sh*t together so they can have them back, or prove that they don't care enough about the kids to have them back. Then they're usually moved to pre-adoption placement. The foster home knows this going in. Most foster homes for kids do it because they like kids and can use the extra income. Nobody expects it to be a permanent thing.

 

The goal of fostering dogs in rescue is to give them a safe place to stay until a good permanent home can be found. If you didn't even want to fill out an application at the pound, rescue is not for you. As rescue will check your vet references and do a home visit. The foster home has put a lot of time and energy into rescuing the dog and will want to make sure it's going to a good home. There's no way to know that for sure unless the foster checks things out for herself. If that's a problem for you, don't waste the rescue's time.

 

Once a dog is placed, the rescue will take it back at the adopter's request, but they don't go snatching dogs back unless there's a real good reason - maybe someone drives by and sees the dog chained to a tree in the hot summer sun for hours on end, for instance. I've never known this to happen, personally, because the home is checked out thoroughly before the dog is placed.

[BustopherJones]

Missy came from a rescue situation, arranged through a local dog pound. We had to complete a comprehensive application form; but because the adoption was arranged through our vet, who personally vouched for us and was the consulting vet for the pound involved, we did not have to go through the extensive verification/certification process that is normally required. My understanding of the process, however, is that it is intended to ensure the safety and well-being of the dog. Annie came from a breeder; in that case, we also had to complete an application, provide information on the home environment, and obtain a written recommendation from our vet. (We also had to sign a non-breeding agreement, guaranteeing that Annie would be spayed within the first year.) In addition, the breeder asked (but did not mandate) that we e-mail her with regular monthly updates as to how Annie was doing for the first year, and annually (with pictures) after that. The breeder also wanted to ensure that the dog would be in a proper home; she made it clear that if at any time we felt we had to give up the dog, we could return Annie to her for re-placement. (FAT CHANCE! If anything were to happen to both DW and me, and our family would not take the dogs, or if we had to give up the dogs for some other reason, the vet has already made it clear that she will take them!)