| I
often have to justify a decision regarding placement to
an applicant who
doesn't realize that there is a fundmental
difference in the way a rescue
operates as compared
to the other kinds of organizations involved in dog
adoptions.
I've found that there is much misunderstanding about the different
roles rescues, shelters, humane societies and pounds play
in the business
of adoption, particularly since
many people feel that since we're all always
full to the brim
with dogs awaiting homes, anyone who wants a dog
should
be able to have him.
Yes, the shelters are full, and we do our best
to pull as many dogs
as we possibly can, but
rescues don't just want any home for their dogs.
It has to be the right home.
I've
turned away many good homes waiting for the perfect one,
and I know I've upset
a lot of people along the way. If
you've been frustrated in your dealings with a rescue,
or plan to adopt a
dog in the future, please let
me explain why we operate as we do,
and
tell you a little more about
dog adoption and rescue in general. ~
Rescues
are generally staffed by volunteers who care for the dogs
(often in our own
homes), plus answer phone calls, take
applications, do home visits, check
references, do follow ups,
plan fundraising events
- everything and anything
that's required to save dogs
and other animals from uncertain futures. Some
organizations specialize in a particular breed or type of dog,
such as ex-racing
greyhounds,
small dogs, old dogs, or dogs with behavior issues.
For several reasons, the process of adopting a dog from a rescue
may take
a little while longer than going to a shelter or pound. Rescues
are often "limited admission," which means that when
we get to
our limit, we are unable to accept additional dogs. We
are all generally "no kill,"
and will only euthanize a dog if he
has life threatening,
incurable physical problems or dangerous behavioral
issues. One
of the many benefits of adopting a dog from a rescue
is that the dogs are
generally very healthy,
some have had basic obedience training,
and all
of them have been carefully evaluated
to determine what kind of family would
suit them best.
Even
though most rescues accept donations
and charge adoption fees, the money
we take in
is rarely enough to cover expenses,
particularly since we
accept many dogs
with health conditions and behavioral issues
that are
very time consuming and costly to deal with,
so we wind up paying for
many of the dogs' needs out of our own pockets. These
are the dogs who most other organizations would not help. It's
hard not to get personally involved with our dogs. We know
their stories,
their quirks, and generally come to love them as our own. We
feel that this is the best way to be able to place a dog with the person
or
family who is best matched for him, and who will love and keep him for
the
rest of his life. We need to know that this dog will never
again be abused,
neglected, or abandoned. This
is also why
we all have clauses in our adoption contracts requiring
that the dog be returned to us if the adopter is
ever, for any reason, unable
to keep him. That's
the promise that we make to our dogs. And it's the only way
that most of
us can continue to deal with
all the sadness we see and hear about on a daily
basis. ~ Unlike
rescues,
shelters, humane societies and dog pounds are best at placing a
lot of dogs.
They are generally not as personally involved with the
dogs, and,
for many reasons, are less able to be as particular
about
the quality of the home.
~
Some, generally what we think of as dog pounds,
require nothing more than
a basic application and adoption fee. Many
dog pounds have no spay/neuter policy,
so many of the dogs they adopt
wind up producing more dogs -
who then wind up in pounds or shelters themselves. Pounds
and other publicly funded organizations will accept all dogs
brought to them,
as well as strays and humane cases. Some
require that the person who brings the dog pay a fee
for the dog to be admitted
to the facility. Most
pounds have a very high rate of euthanasia.
Many kill dogs for very
minor health or behavioral issues,
to make space for incoming dogs, and/or
at the end
of a predetermined time. Many
euthanize all dogs of certain breeds, most often
American Pit Bull Terriers,
no matter how loving and well-behaved
the dog may be. Often,
the methods used are extremely painful, frightening, and inhumane. ~ Humane
societies and shelters will often,
in
addition to the basic application and fee,
require some combination of background
check,
home visit, and references before releasing their dogs to new homes.
Some
utilize volunteers and foster families, and house some or
all of their dogs
in homes rather than kennels. Most
will not place dogs who are not yet spayed or neutered,
or require spaying
or neutering within a
specific period following the adoption. Some
require that the dog be returned to
them if for any reason the adopter is
unable to keep him. Many
shelters and humane societies euthanize dogs,
often for the same reasons
as dogs pounds:
space, time, funding, breed discrimination. As a rule,
the methods used by humane societies and shelters
are a bit more humane.
~ Each
organization has its place, and each of us, as individuals,
has to find where
we feel we can do the most good. ~ We
feel very strongly that no healthy animal brought into the
rescue/shelter/humane
society/pound system should ever be killed. I
believe that the resources are out there,
and communities need to develop
and cultivate
relationships with these resourses in order to make No Kill
a reality.
If
you'd like to find out more about the No Kill alternative,
please visit the
No Kill Advocacy Center website
or see the interview with
Nathan Winograd.
(Click for links) | 
