Why is it so hard to adopt a dog in the DC area?
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Anonymous
| After years of discussion, our children are older and we are ready to adopt a family dog. Instead of a puppy, I would prefer to re-home an older dog 2-4 years old. After contacting a several private individuals and shelters, the process to adopt a dog here is crazy insane. Background checks, endless forms, interviews...not to mention that I am not comfortable disclosing so much personal information (driver's licence #, employment contacts, ect.) to adopt a dog. What is up? Anyone had good dealings with an in area shelter/rescue? |
Anonymous
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Paw-rescue.org
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Anonymous
| Fairfax County Animal Shelter |
Anonymous
| worthydog.org |
Anonymous
| A good rescue will make it difficult to weed out people who just want a dog to abuse it or other nefarious purposes. Having a dog is a large commitment--this will be one of the easiest parts of the process. If this is turning you off then maybe you're not ready to have a dog. |
Anonymous
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I agree that the process is overly difficult. Friends of ours (who had owned a dog for years that had recently died of old age) were turned down to adopt an adult dog from a local rescue because their house was too messy -- not hoarder messy, mind you, just normal I-have-kids messy.
We have had good luck with Fairfax County Animal shelter. |
Anonymous
| Drive 20 minutes into Maryland and stop by a kill shelter. That's my plan when we're ready for another dog -- get it in Columbia after a visit with my FIL. I'm over the 6 home visits + signed notarized affidavit that I've never petted a declawed cat + 18 week wait + blood sample + $350 adoption fee nonsense that the "rescues" put you through. I'll go actually rescue an animal that would otherwise be put down, like I did for every other dog I've ever owned in my life. |
Anonymous
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I have adopted from three rescues, and 2 out of those three dogs were returned by other families. One wasn't able to handle the responsibility with young kids and the second one was returned by family who clearly did not treat her well.
I'm not saying this is every dog, but that is the reason that rescues are so wary and thorough. These people were pretty vetted and still returned. Imagine if they didn't do any background checks at all. I think Wolf Trap rescue has a good reputation though I've never worked with them. I had luck with K9 Lifesavers and lucky dog. |
Anonymous
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I'd also like to point out that a lot of these rescuess do a lot of work treating and socializing and fostering dogs and matching you with a dog that suits your temperament and lifestyle. and this is generally the reason the adoption fee is so high. The County shelter is an absolutely great choice for finding a dog, but but just know the differences
not every rescue is created equal, but I can almost guarantee that unless you're going with a super high value rescue breed dog, the pp' story about a family not getting a dog because they were too messy is inaccurate. I'd wager a lot of money that your friends either lied or the shelter try to say something nice about the reasons they weren't getting a pet |
Anonymous
This may not be a popular opinion but I think the fact that rescues make you sign a "must return dog to us" form makes people think of keeping the dogs as more optional than they would otherwise. If they haven't housebroken it in 2 weeks or something they're just like, "well, the rescue said they'd always take them back!" instead of working with the dog to get through the issues. People that would never abandon a dog in the country or drop it off at a kill shelter will just call a mulligan on a dog that they know is only going back to a foster home as a worst-case scenario. |
Anonymous
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Not all of the shelters and rescues in the area make it difficult! Humane Rescue Alliance prides itself on being friendly to adopters - and so do the other local shelters:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2018/02/02/millions-of-dogs-need-homes-why-is-it-sometimes-hard-to-adopt-one/?utm_term=.a9e30d118973 |
Anonymous
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PP here, and it was a beagle mix. And, yes, said friends were denied adoption after the home visit because their house was deemed too messy. They then went to a different rescue org and adopted a dog.
I am not making this up, nor are they. |
Anonymous
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Having worked for rescues, if you're not willing to fill out some paperwork, then you're not ready to have a dog. People really bristle about the home visits, but I have done them. It's mainly to make sure it's not a hoarding, dog bait or anything else that's crazy. Please don't clean your home for me or get stressed about it. The only thing that may possibly get checked is the fence, depending on the rescue. So, from my perspective, it's not really a bunch of hoops to jump through given the time commitment.
I'm always surprised people say it's hard to adopt. I could have brought home 200 animals by now. I have multiple kids and no fence and no issue finding people to adopt to me. The breed specific rescues are often more stringent. k9 lifesavers, Wolf Trap (mostly puppies), Lost Dog - the ones who bring up dogs from the south and have mutts or various breeds - are usually more relaxed. Good luck! Please stick with it.If you are more specific about what breed or size of dog, maybe we can help you. |
Anonymous
| It's ridiculous. My friend was turned down because she had never had a dog before, and because she worked out of the home. She wasn't trying to adopt a puppy and she would have been a good pet owner, and it's just life that most people have to work during the day. |
Anonymous
Meh, I didn't get a dog until I could afford a dog walker. It's really not fair to leave a dog home along all day. |