How hard is it to get a puppy from a local rescue group?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I work with a rescue group. We DON'T require people to be home all day and we DON'T require fences. I have my own dog plus one of their fosters all the time and I am at work all day. I have two kids and they started letting me foster when the younger was 6. Below are our adoption policies.
I don't know what dog rescues you guys have worked with but I hope you don't give up. Check out our dogs at worthydog.org.



ADOPTION POLICIES





Must be at least 21
All applicants who live in a rental property must provide contact information for their landlord, and have approval from the landlord to have a pet at the residence listed on the adoption application
Applicants must allow Worthy Dog Rescue to conduct a home visit to confirm that your home will be a good environment for a new dog
All animals in the applicant’s household must be spayed/neutered and up to date on all vaccines before consideration
All adults living in the home must meet the dog and be in agreement about adoption
Applicants must be willing to keep their new dog and current family pets as indoor pets
All adoptive families will provide all medical care and treatment needed for the dog including, but not limited to, yearly medical checkups, vaccines, and preventative heartworm medication
Dogs will be adopted only as a personal companion and not as a gift, working animal, or guard dog
A fenced yard is ideal for dogs, but is NOT a requirement for adoption unless specified
Because young puppies require intensive training and care, we cannot place puppies younger than five months of age in a home where someone is consistently absent from the home for long periods of time
In the event an adoption does not work out, applicants must agree to return the dog to Worthy Dog Rescue rather than rehoming the dog themselves

Sorry, but the home visit requirement is insane. It's invasive and people are busy. Plus, who the hell are you to decide?

Um, they're the people who currently own the animal? Take it or leave it.

With the stated goal of finding the dog a new home, right? The actions are counter-productive to the stated goals.

Hmm, somehow my rescue group placed about 500 dogs last year despite "counter productive" policies.

Snide rescue workers and draconian policies are the reason so many choose other options, and millions of dogs get euthanized every year. 500 dogs is a drop in the bucket.

Right. Wonder if PP knows how many animals his/her rescue had to turn away, ended up at kill shelters, and were euthanized? I would truly love to know. The reality is that these crazy rescue groups can only handle so many dogs per year b/c their process is time-consuming and space/funds are limited to care for them until they get placed.

[Anonymous]

Snide rescue workers and draconian policies are the reason so many choose other options, and millions of dogs get euthanized every year. 500 dogs is a drop in the bucket.


Right. Wonder if PP knows how many animals his/her rescue had to turn away, ended up at kill shelters, and were euthanized? I would truly love to know. The reality is that these crazy rescue groups can only handle so many dogs per year b/c their process is time-consuming and space/funds are limited to care for them until they get placed.

NP here. I have to wonder why you two feel compelled to post about things you know nothing about. "Millions' of dogs don't get euthanized each year. The ASPCS estimates the number is 670,000 - and the number is decreasing. So, one group re-homing 500 dogs in a year is pretty significant and impactful.

I don't know any local government shelters that are high kill shelters because demand for dogs in this area is so high and there are so many rescue groups. I also know of no rescue groups in the area that turn dogs away. Rather, these groups partner with high-kill shelters in rural areas (in and out of state) and pull dogs out of those shelters. Not every dog in a high kill shelter is adoptable. Rescue groups have to pick and choose which ones are re-homeable.

I know you're incredulous about the vetting process most groups require. However, despite having interviewed many prospective adopters and done even more home visits, I am stunned at the stupidity of some people. Some are renting in places that do not allow dogs. Some are gone 12 hours a day and plan to crate the dog. Some plan to chain the dogs up outside. Some refuse to neuter the dog (a requirement by all government bodies licensing a rescue group), some refuse to provide heartworm prophylaxis, some have a history of returning dogs and demanding a refund, some will confine the dog to a single room (can't risk scratching the hardwood floors!), some already have 10 dogs in a 1,500 sqft/0.10 acre home, etc. In addition to what I've witnessed first hand, you wouldn't believe what I've read on the DNA (Do Not Adopt) emails! Oh, rescue groups share information on people who should not be allowed to adopt. A home visit from one group will often suffice for another (just give me a call and I'll let you know how the visit went!). If one group felt you such a poor candidate for ANY of their dogs, you can bet they shared their opinions with the other rescue groups.

Having said that, my family got into fostering after we adopted our first family pet. My kids were 8, 6 and 5 at the time. DH and I both WOH FT and 2 of my kids have SN. We were working with several groups to find a dog that was a good fit. There were a couple that we were flat out told wouldn't work. From the time we started the process to the time we brought our 3yo, 86lb Lab home was less than a month. We had such a great experience with all the rescue groups (HART, Lost Dog, Homeward Trails, Lucky Dog, etc.) that we began fostering 6 months later. We didn't find any of the rescue groups or their volunteers unreasonable. Everyone was committed to helping match us with a dog that was a good fit. We got an awesome dog.

Right now is a good time to get a dog. There are probably 1,000 Hurricane dogs in the area by now, including a lot of puppies. These dogs were already in shelters when the hurricanes hit. They've been moved out of those areas to make way for dogs with owners to improve their chances of being reunited with their families. We've got 2 in our house now.

Good Luck!
https://www.aspca.org/animal-homelessness/shelter-intake-and-surrender/pet-statistics

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Snide rescue workers and draconian policies are the reason so many choose other options, and millions of dogs get euthanized every year. 500 dogs is a drop in the bucket.


Right. Wonder if PP knows how many animals his/her rescue had to turn away, ended up at kill shelters, and were euthanized? I would truly love to know. The reality is that these crazy rescue groups can only handle so many dogs per year b/c their process is time-consuming and space/funds are limited to care for them until they get placed.

NP here. I have to wonder why you two feel compelled to post about things you know nothing about. "Millions' of dogs don't get euthanized each year. The ASPCS estimates the number is 670,000 - and the number is decreasing. So, one group re-homing 500 dogs in a year is pretty significant and impactful.

I don't know any local government shelters that are high kill shelters because demand for dogs in this area is so high and there are so many rescue groups. I also know of no rescue groups in the area that turn dogs away. Rather, these groups partner with high-kill shelters in rural areas (in and out of state) and pull dogs out of those shelters. Not every dog in a high kill shelter is adoptable. Rescue groups have to pick and choose which ones are re-homeable.

I know you're incredulous about the vetting process most groups require. However, despite having interviewed many prospective adopters and done even more home visits, I am stunned at the stupidity of some people. Some are renting in places that do not allow dogs. Some are gone 12 hours a day and plan to crate the dog. Some plan to chain the dogs up outside. Some refuse to neuter the dog (a requirement by all government bodies licensing a rescue group), some refuse to provide heartworm prophylaxis, some have a history of returning dogs and demanding a refund, some will confine the dog to a single room (can't risk scratching the hardwood floors!), some already have 10 dogs in a 1,500 sqft/0.10 acre home, etc. In addition to what I've witnessed first hand, you wouldn't believe what I've read on the DNA (Do Not Adopt) emails! Oh, rescue groups share information on people who should not be allowed to adopt. A home visit from one group will often suffice for another (just give me a call and I'll let you know how the visit went!). If one group felt you such a poor candidate for ANY of their dogs, you can bet they shared their opinions with the other rescue groups.

Having said that, my family got into fostering after we adopted our first family pet. My kids were 8, 6 and 5 at the time. DH and I both WOH FT and 2 of my kids have SN. We were working with several groups to find a dog that was a good fit. There were a couple that we were flat out told wouldn't work. From the time we started the process to the time we brought our 3yo, 86lb Lab home was less than a month. We had such a great experience with all the rescue groups (HART, Lost Dog, Homeward Trails, Lucky Dog, etc.) that we began fostering 6 months later. We didn't find any of the rescue groups or their volunteers unreasonable. Everyone was committed to helping match us with a dog that was a good fit. We got an awesome dog.

Right now is a good time to get a dog. There are probably 1,000 Hurricane dogs in the area by now, including a lot of puppies. These dogs were already in shelters when the hurricanes hit. They've been moved out of those areas to make way for dogs with owners to improve their chances of being reunited with their families. We've got 2 in our house now.

Good Luck!
https://www.aspca.org/animal-homelessness/shelter-intake-and-surrender/pet-statistics

Thanks for your kind, useful and informative post!

There are a lot of frustrated people out there trying to adopt who would never do the things that you list, who unfortunately get put through the ringer because of the small number who do. The 90 percent get punished because of the bed 10 percent. And there are a few bad rescue people who seem to enjoy the process of playing God with these dogs' lives and seem to want to make legit adopters miserable, who make the other 90 percent of good rescue worker look bad.

It's a conundrum.