**UPDATE** Strange Rescue Organization Encounter

[ridingfamily4]

Last Saturday, my sister tagged me on Facebook regarding a rescue who was looking to adopt out a boxer girl. A little back story, our 14 y/o boxer passed on Dec. 26th. We weren't looking for another yet, but the story on this little girl touched my heart.

I contacted the woman (Deb) who had posted the story on her. We spoke on the phone and she said she was very impressed and thought we would be a perfect match. She then gave me the website to complete an application for the rescue. I completed the app on Sunday. Mind you, this app is very dry - asking very to the point questions, which I answered honestly.

Deb has kept in contact with me everyday, asking if I had heard anything. The rescue had responded to my app on Monday and said it would be 2-3 days before I heard anything. This was supposed to be an emergency placement. I was being patient, waiting. Deb finally called her contact at the rescue who told her they decided we weren't a good match. She asked why had I not been contacted and at least told of the situation. They emailed me this morning, saying that because we worked and the dog would be home 8 hours a day by herself, it would not be a good match.

My response to their email:
I wish someone had taken the time to contact me or even meet us. What wasn't conveyed in the application is that I work 4 days a week (mon thru thurs) and as being the manager, I am able to bring my pet with me to work. So being alone is not an issue. Unfortunately, as with reading resumes, you may not always get the full story.
We have raised a boxer to 14 years old. All our friends whom we camp with, have boxers...she would never be lonely! Our pets are always part of our family.
I tell you this not to change anyone's mind, but to hopefully in the future, encourage you to do more research before blindly turning down a loving home.
Sincerely,
CM


I post this so that any rescuers that are here, please do not go blindly by an application. Sometimes, there is more to the story. Yes I work, but that does not keep me from being a good doggy mommy, as my 14 y/o boxer or my 13 y/o lab spaniel could have attested to. I am not angry or bitter, just sad for this poor baby who has been shuffled around.

Also, this is not to slam any rescue organization. I think the work they do is wonderful and necessary. All of our pups have been rescues of one sort or another.

[toedtoes]

Having done fostering for years, both with an organization and on my own, I will tell you that it is very difficult to "know" which homes will be a good home for a particular animal. Because most rescues use volunteers, and volunteers are very hard to come by, it is very difficult to staff the organization with people who have the ability to pick a good home every time. Some groups/volunteers are about how many can we place today; others are about only adopting to a "forever home".

I've had people swear to me up and down that they will do all the right things for the animal if I let them adopt it. I've had them yell and scream at me when I tell them no. But, I have to go with my gut feelings and hope that I have made the right decision for the animal. Some of my choices (good and bad):

Husky/shepherd mix who had a husky brain. Woman wanted to adopt her. She would take the dog out for a walk along the river twice a day and she worked from home. Sounds like a perfect home - EXCEPT that this dog needed constant mental stimulation. If she got bored for one second, she was shredding a bag of candles all over the couch, or chewing up a boat, or jumping the fence, or jumping out the open window, etc. I refused the woman who was furious - until I asked her "so, I adopt the dog to you, and you're first full day together, you take her out for a nice long walk along the river, you come back inside and go into your study to work, 5 minutes later you come out to get a cup of coffee and your couch is shredded. What will you do?" She was aghast that this dog would do something like that and suddenly wanted nothing to do with her. The dog went to a different home - they took her to agility classes and set up a course in the backyard, they did non-snow sledding with her, and she still managed to throw them a curve ball every few days.

I had a very nice older female cat. She was extremely timid and nervous. Before I fostered her, she had been staying at a pet store adoption center full-time. Someone had taken her out at an event with all sorts of noises going on and she escaped. It took about an hour to get her back (with many scratches on my arms). Several months later, I brought her back for an adoption. A woman really liked her and we spoke that day and the following week at length about her timidity. I made it very clear that she would hide for several months before she got used to the new home and to not push her. The woman made the promises very easily. I had a niggling doubt, but convinced myself I was just sorry to see the cat go. She picked her up on a Sunday afternoon. On Monday morning at 8 a.m., her boyfriend dumped her at the store. The store called me and I came to pick her up. She smelled of fear so horribly that the stench was noticeable from over 5 feet away. The people had apparently chased her the entire night to keep her from hiding anywhere. The poor cat tried to hide in the kitchen cupboards she was so distraught. I was so beside myself with guilt for not foreseeing this, that I immediately adopted her myself and she never left my house again.

I had a very nice litter of kittens who had been rescued from a uncontrolled breeding home. They were very sweet kittens, but lacked the civilized manners. Even at 5 months, they used their claws for everything - including climbing up your leg. A very nice old man and his son wanted to adopt one. The man was in his 80s and had very very fragile skin. I explained to the son that these kittens were not right for him due to the scratching and pointed out several kittens which would be wonderful for his dad. The son was furious with me because his dad wanted THIS kitten and I should be grateful that it was getting a home. I explained that any gratefulness I felt would be shortlived when the cat climbed up his father's leg and ripped it apart and the son brought the cat back screaming about how horrid it was that I adopted a monster to his fragile dad.

There are many other examples where a perfectly good home is not the right home. Yes, it is frustrating to try to adopt an animal only to be turned away. But think about it from the other side: you have made a commitment to find this animal a good home. You send the little thing on its way only to find that it was mistreated, tortured, neglected, dumped, or returned. The guilt you feel for failing to protect that animal is so overwhelming that you do whatever you can to ever prevent it from happening again. For me, I learned that I will never ignore my doubts about a home again no matter how small. It may piss people off, but I'd rather piss you off than fail another animal.

[Farmerjon]

rockhillmanor wrote:

Farmerjon wrote:

rockhillmanor wrote:

Farmerjon wrote:
What a sweet dog. She needed you to be available.

We were turned down by a greyhound rescue group because we wouldn't agree to never allowing her outside unless on a leash or in a fenced yard because "greyhounds are a sight hound and they will just keep running and not stop when they are on a hunt".
We explained we have fenced yards of 1/4 and 1/2 acre for the dogs but they don't have to stay penned up when we are out and about with them. And we explained that our farm is 240 acres, 1/2 x 3/4 mile, there is room for them to run and get them selves stopped.
No we don't understand when someone tells us a breed is untrainable.We give dogs more credit than that.
They told us we just don't understand the greyhounds and how fast they are.
We think we missed out on a good fur kid and the dog missed out on a loving home. I hope all their dogs got placed.

Please don't be so condemning on a rescue group for their decision.

From a rescue stand point it is not that a dog can't be trained it is a case of the 'new owners' not following thru on training that might be needed in a case by case situation.

Potential owners always say they will train and then don't., oh my dog won't leave the property, no need for a leash, etc., etc. etc.

And then the rescue dog gets loose, lost or worse yet is killed.:(

So when it comes to retired racing greyhounds they make a hard and fast rule fenced yard and leash for the "DOGS" safety.

Animal rescue looks out for the DOGS benefit so it will never have to be in a rescue situation again or worse die from being placed in an incorrect home.

Good rescue groups interview, interview, interview and do home inspections for a reason, so the rescue dogs go into good appropriate homes 'forever'. That's the ultimate goal.:C

I didn't realize I was being "so condemning"

Animal rescue groups need people like us to adopt their DOGS, for the dogs benefit.
We keep our pets forever we are not a way station.
If this group had done any "interview, interview, interview and done a home study they would have learned what kind of pet owners we are.
Even a quick phone call to our vet's office would have given them a good idea.We have our latest rescue because her owner didn't want her after the dogs leg was broken in 3 places. The vet contacted us and asked us to please take her.
Maybe they would not have felt they were avoiding sending one of their DOGS into an inappropriate home that would not be careful and diligent with our new family member.
Of course that would have required they interview even a little bit.

What you are missing is that you were trying to adopt a "greyhound".

They told you fenced yard and on leash where required with this breed of dog and you responded with:

"...they don't have to stay penned up when we are out and about with them. And we explained that our farm is 240 acres, 1/2 x 3/4 mile, there is room for them to run.. "

Which meant you would NOT keep the dog in the fenced yard and you had full intentions of letting it RUN FREE.

Greyhounds can reach speeds of up to 45 mph....they would be off your property in a heartbeat if they chose to do so.

Greyhound Frequently Asked Questions
http://www.gpa-mn.org/greyhound-faq.html
""How fast do greyhounds run?
Greyhounds can reach speeds of up to 45 MPH. In fact, they are the second fastest animal on earth, behind only the cheetah.

Can greyhounds be allowed to be off-leash? NO
Greyhounds cannot be allowed off-leash except in completely fenced or completely enclosed areas. This is one of the most important things to know about greyhounds. No matter how much trust you think you have established with your hound, their innate senses can unexpectedly engage within a split second, and once a greyhound decides it wants to chase something (keep in mind, these sight hounds can see a small animal up to half a mile away) they probably will not respond to voice commands, and they run a lot faster than you do. The risk of the dog being lost or running into harm’s way is simply too great to let your greyhound off-leash.""

I think the adoption agency did their job correctly.

Glad you found a rescue breed that fits your family. :C

I have been reading about greyhounds and of course looking to back up my idea, that any breed can be trained to stop and come. My experience has been some are more difficult to train then others but they eventually learn.
our Anatolian Shepherds can be very intense when chasing a predator and our Border collies can be totally bonkers when fired up.
I have found some Greyhound owners and trainers say they can be trusted off leash but the overwhelming majority say no, not at all.That even well trained obedience dogs will ignore you and continue the chase and come back when they choose to, if they survive running across a busy road.
So ok, I will concede that greyhounds as a breed cannot be trusted to run free. Sad.
And further that they are correct in their stipulations about off leash and fenced yard. again sad, but it is the safest way to go.

[BCSnob]

Congrats on your new boxer.

It's not just rescue and animal welfare people with the hard and fast "check lists". When we were looking for our first dog we called an English Cocker breeder but she would not sell us a pup because we didn't have a fenced yard, end of conversation. So we got a Border Collie instead. I suspect that if we were able to keep a Border Collie pup mentally and physically exercised and happy without a fenced yard we would have been able to do the same for an English Cocker.

It takes time and effort to get to know potential adopters or puppy buyers; it's much easier and faster to have a hard and fast checklist to cut down on the number of possible homes for those who are trying to deal with placing large numbers of dogs day in and day out.

[rockhillmanor]

Farmerjon wrote:

rockhillmanor wrote:

Farmerjon wrote:
What a sweet dog. She needed you to be available.

We were turned down by a greyhound rescue group because we wouldn't agree to never allowing her outside unless on a leash or in a fenced yard because "greyhounds are a sight hound and they will just keep running and not stop when they are on a hunt".
We explained we have fenced yards of 1/4 and 1/2 acre for the dogs but they don't have to stay penned up when we are out and about with them. And we explained that our farm is 240 acres, 1/2 x 3/4 mile, there is room for them to run and get them selves stopped.
No we don't understand when someone tells us a breed is untrainable.We give dogs more credit than that.
They told us we just don't understand the greyhounds and how fast they are.
We think we missed out on a good fur kid and the dog missed out on a loving home. I hope all their dogs got placed.

Please don't be so condemning on a rescue group for their decision.

From a rescue stand point it is not that a dog can't be trained it is a case of the 'new owners' not following thru on training that might be needed in a case by case situation.

Potential owners always say they will train and then don't., oh my dog won't leave the property, no need for a leash, etc., etc. etc.

And then the rescue dog gets loose, lost or worse yet is killed.:(

So when it comes to retired racing greyhounds they make a hard and fast rule fenced yard and leash for the "DOGS" safety.

Animal rescue looks out for the DOGS benefit so it will never have to be in a rescue situation again or worse die from being placed in an incorrect home.

Good rescue groups interview, interview, interview and do home inspections for a reason, so the rescue dogs go into good appropriate homes 'forever'. That's the ultimate goal.:C

I didn't realize I was being "so condemning"

Animal rescue groups need people like us to adopt their DOGS, for the dogs benefit.
We keep our pets forever we are not a way station.
If this group had done any "interview, interview, interview and done a home study they would have learned what kind of pet owners we are.
Even a quick phone call to our vet's office would have given them a good idea.We have our latest rescue because her owner didn't want her after the dogs leg was broken in 3 places. The vet contacted us and asked us to please take her.
Maybe they would not have felt they were avoiding sending one of their DOGS into an inappropriate home that would not be careful and diligent with our new family member.
Of course that would have required they interview even a little bit.

What you are missing is that you were trying to adopt a "greyhound".

They told you fenced yard and on leash where required with this breed of dog and you responded with:

"...they don't have to stay penned up when we are out and about with them. And we explained that our farm is 240 acres, 1/2 x 3/4 mile, there is room for them to run.. "

Which meant you would NOT keep the dog in the fenced yard and you had full intentions of letting it RUN FREE.

Greyhounds can reach speeds of up to 45 mph....they would be off your property in a heartbeat if they chose to do so.

Greyhound Frequently Asked Questions
http://www.gpa-mn.org/greyhound-faq.html
""How fast do greyhounds run?
Greyhounds can reach speeds of up to 45 MPH. In fact, they are the second fastest animal on earth, behind only the cheetah.

Can greyhounds be allowed to be off-leash? NO
Greyhounds cannot be allowed off-leash except in completely fenced or completely enclosed areas. This is one of the most important things to know about greyhounds. No matter how much trust you think you have established with your hound, their innate senses can unexpectedly engage within a split second, and once a greyhound decides it wants to chase something (keep in mind, these sight hounds can see a small animal up to half a mile away) they probably will not respond to voice commands, and they run a lot faster than you do. The risk of the dog being lost or running into harm’s way is simply too great to let your greyhound off-leash.""

I think the adoption agency did their job correctly.

Glad you found a rescue breed that fits your family. :C

[mabynack]

We have volunteers that do most of our screening and some have had some weird ideas about who should and shouldn't be allowed to have a pet. We had to "fire" one older couple who screened out anyone who wasn't home all day. We tried reasoning with them and they continued to do it. Sure it's better for a dog if there is someone there all day, but how many animals are going to be put down because of a lack of otherwise good homes.

[Farmerjon]

rockhillmanor wrote:

Farmerjon wrote:
What a sweet dog. She needed you to be available.

We were turned down by a greyhound rescue group because we wouldn't agree to never allowing her outside unless on a leash or in a fenced yard because "greyhounds are a sight hound and they will just keep running and not stop when they are on a hunt".
We explained we have fenced yards of 1/4 and 1/2 acre for the dogs but they don't have to stay penned up when we are out and about with them. And we explained that our farm is 240 acres, 1/2 x 3/4 mile, there is room for them to run and get them selves stopped.
No we don't understand when someone tells us a breed is untrainable.We give dogs more credit than that.
They told us we just don't understand the greyhounds and how fast they are.
We think we missed out on a good fur kid and the dog missed out on a loving home. I hope all their dogs got placed.

Please don't be so condemning on a rescue group for their decision.

From a rescue stand point it is not that a dog can't be trained it is a case of the 'new owners' not following thru on training that might be needed in a case by case situation.

Potential owners always say they will train and then don't., oh my dog won't leave the property, no need for a leash, etc., etc. etc.

And then the rescue dog gets loose, lost or worse yet is killed.:(

So when it comes to retired racing greyhounds they make a hard and fast rule fenced yard and leash for the "DOGS" safety.

Animal rescue looks out for the DOGS benefit so it will never have to be in a rescue situation again or worse die from being placed in an incorrect home.

Good rescue groups interview, interview, interview and do home inspections for a reason, so the rescue dogs go into good appropriate homes 'forever'. That's the ultimate goal.:C

I didn't realize I was being "so condemning"

Animal rescue groups need people like us to adopt their DOGS, for the dogs benefit.
We keep our pets forever we are not a way station.
If this group had done any "interview, interview, interview and done a home study they would have learned what kind of pet owners we are.
Even a quick phone call to our vet's office would have given them a good idea.We have our latest rescue because her owner didn't want her after the dogs leg was broken in 3 places. The vet contacted us and asked us to please take her.
Maybe they would not have felt they were avoiding sending one of their DOGS into an inappropriate home that would not be careful and diligent with our new family member.
Of course that would have required they interview even a little bit.

[rockhillmanor]

Farmerjon wrote:
What a sweet dog. She needed you to be available.

We were turned down by a greyhound rescue group because we wouldn't agree to never allowing her outside unless on a leash or in a fenced yard because "greyhounds are a sight hound and they will just keep running and not stop when they are on a hunt".
We explained we have fenced yards of 1/4 and 1/2 acre for the dogs but they don't have to stay penned up when we are out and about with them. And we explained that our farm is 240 acres, 1/2 x 3/4 mile, there is room for them to run and get them selves stopped.
No we don't understand when someone tells us a breed is untrainable.We give dogs more credit than that.
They told us we just don't understand the greyhounds and how fast they are.
We think we missed out on a good fur kid and the dog missed out on a loving home. I hope all their dogs got placed.

Please don't be so condemning on a rescue group for their decision.

From a rescue stand point it is not that a dog can't be trained it is a case of the 'new owners' not following thru on training that might be needed in a case by case situation.

Potential owners always say they will train and then don't., oh my dog won't leave the property, no need for a leash, etc., etc. etc.

And then the rescue dog gets loose, lost or worse yet is killed.:(

So when it comes to retired racing greyhounds they make a hard and fast rule fenced yard and leash for the "DOGS" safety.

Animal rescue looks out for the DOGS benefit so it will never have to be in a rescue situation again or worse die from being placed in an incorrect home.

Good rescue groups interview, interview, interview and do home inspections for a reason, so the rescue dogs go into good appropriate homes 'forever'. That's the ultimate goal.:C

[Oaklevel]

Congrats, She is a nice looking Boxer looks a lot like our Sadie.... Glad things have worked out.

[Farmerjon]

What a sweet dog. She needed you to be available.
We were turned down by a greyhound rescue group because we wouldn't agree to never allowing her outside unless on a leash or in a fenced yard because "greyhounds are a sight hound and they will just keep running and not stop when they are on a hunt".
We explained we have fenced yards of 1/4 and 1/2 acre for the dogs but they don't have to stay penned up when we are out and about with them. And we explained that our farm is 240 acres, 1/2 x 3/4 mile, there is room for them to run and get them selves stopped.
No we don't understand when someone tells us a breed is untrainable.We give dogs more credit than that.
They told us we just don't understand the greyhounds and how fast they are.
We think we missed out on a good fur kid and the dog missed out on a loving home. I hope all their dogs got placed.

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

Congratulations!!!

[xteacher]

Congrats on your new fur baby! Boxers are the best!!

[pulsar]

Now that is sweet! Congratulations!

Tom

[dturm]

She looks very happy, you too. Congrats.

[campn4walleye]

Congrats! So glad things worked out and you found your new special fur baby.

Have fun. Duncan sends hugs.