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Post by gmcwife1 on Oct 17, 2017 5:40:16 GMT
We were turned down by the GSD rescue. It was the best thing for us and the GSD we ended up getting from a breeder.
We are very selective about the breeders we buy from. I just contacted a breeder to meet next year for the next dog we get in 2018 or 2019. I contacted my Samoyed breeder in June 2013 and got my boy in October 2014. She has also become a wonderful friend and mentor. I hope our new GSD breeder is the same.
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Post by Patter on Oct 17, 2017 10:37:53 GMT
After a failed rescue in our family, we only go to selective breeders (not puppy mills). It takes a long time and there are usually wait-lists but it’s what works for us now. Hope you find the fur baby for your family!
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Post by Delta Dawn on Oct 17, 2017 10:49:45 GMT
My white standard poodle was a nightmare. We adopted her from Oregon. I am afraid we are breeder people once again.
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Post by Spongemom Scrappants on Oct 17, 2017 11:04:23 GMT
We have always just gotten our dogs from the local animal shelters. No application, no house check, easy peasy. If you want to get a dog quickly and without a lot of fuss, the pound is the place. In the past (15+ years ago), we were able to adopt through shelters with wonderful results - a number of cats and one dog. A couple of months ago, however, we attempted to get a cat through the shelter for my mama. We (mama, me, my oldest son and his fiance) visited the shelter, spent time playing with the many available cats/kittens, and found the one that mama seemed to just instantly bond with. We filled out the application and were told it had to be approved. We left disappointed that we couldn't take the little kitty with us. There were so many crammed in together and many had some type of weepy eye matter that seemed to be going around through the cages. We would have like to get her out of there and into a clean, safe, loving environment right away. So we left... and waited... and waited. We made four phone calls to them over the next week - "person you need to talk to not here," "don't see your application," "person may have taken application home to work on," can you call back later?" Mama ended up taking a kitten from the farmer's market where someone had a cat with kittens in their shop. TWO weeks after our visit, the shelter called and said she'd been approved. Ummm, sorry. That ship has sailed.
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momto4kiddos
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,151
Jun 26, 2014 11:45:15 GMT
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Post by momto4kiddos on Oct 17, 2017 11:17:08 GMT
What about friends/family or your vet - can they recommend any shelters/organizations they've worked with who are easy to deal with?
Things can be very different obviously with different places. I adopted a cat from an animal shelter a few years back. Got in touch via email, she sent application and approved us. Next day I went to shelter and worked with her to determine which cat we'd take home (cat pretty much choose me, lol.)
Anyhow last year my parents found a cat online - emailed, called, went by (yeah they were eager!) Shelter was closed during hours they were stated to be open (they had very limited hours like less than 12 a week.) Finally after a couple days they get ahold of someone and get an application turned in. Needed references, but they weren't called. Finally about a week later they approve and cat comes home.
So my recommendation would be to check around with people you know or your vet and see what shelters or organizations people have had good luck with.
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schizo319
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,030
Jun 28, 2014 0:26:58 GMT
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Post by schizo319 on Oct 17, 2017 12:00:38 GMT
Rescues can be very particular about adopters. Try to find a municipal/city animal shelter to look for a dog - they are typically far less restrictive.
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Post by lisacharlotte on Oct 17, 2017 12:19:47 GMT
I've come to the conclusion most rescues are not really interested in finding animals forever homes. We adopt all our cats from the shelter. Never not been able to walk out same day with a cat. Our dog was adopted from a friend's litter of a million puppies.
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Post by Patter on Oct 17, 2017 13:01:23 GMT
My white standard poodle was a nightmare. We adopted her from Oregon. I am afraid we are breeder people once again. The kennel where we have taken our little Papillon for 5+ years had a horrible problem with the poodle rescues. She has 3 standard poodles from various poodle rescues, and she won’t do it again either. She has therapy dogs, trains dogs, has the kennel, etc., and is very knowledgeable. She doesn’t understand why the rescues do what they do either. So sad.
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scrapaddie
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,090
Jul 8, 2014 20:17:31 GMT
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Post by scrapaddie on Oct 17, 2017 13:13:44 GMT
Not sure why you are totally against breeders. I got my standard poodle from a breeder. The mother was two years old, having her first litter. There have been no litters since. I also have a rescue and was surprised when she came, met my other dogs and me and boom! We had a puppy! I had been refused by other rescues!
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Post by Anna*Banana on Oct 17, 2017 13:24:02 GMT
The pounds around here only have pits, chihuahuas and very large dogs, so that was not an option. I can't speak for other county or city animal shelters but I can speak knowledgably about our local one. It is the same here, mostly pits, beagles, and chi's. And the reason is because anything else brought in is offered to the rescues first; to pull from the shelter(s) fee free, before they're even given an intake. If it's a Lab looking dog, they call the Lab rescue(s). If it's a Retreiver looking dog, those rescues get called, etc. etc. Regular folks don't even have the chance to get them, let alone know they've passed through. I work as a foster for a local rescue. When I looked into doing this, I turned down fostering for many rescues as they're just nuts, for the most part. They make irresponsible decisions, financially and in management, with the pets. They're requirements are set up for failure for the potential adopter. Not even a chance. It's so close to a scam that I am leery of working with most of them locally. The things I've seen and the stories I could tell... Oh boy... Crazy. Accidentally putting 2 pits in the same turn out that turned into a fight that required thousands of dollars of Vetting for surgeries. Dogs that can't be put together sucking up limited finances and the Lab that was over 5 was put down for allergies. WHY?! More people came in looking for Labs for their family. And the amount of waste and stuff they throw out would make you sick. Bags of food, new bags. Towels and crates and cages. It was truly sickening. And this is a national named society everyone would recognize. And from what I've come to learn, it's not all that uncommon. And if you don't believe me, go volunteer. Not at the level of taking the fluffy pup for a walk, volunteer in the back where the real shit goes down.
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pudgygroundhog
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,643
Location: The Grand Canyon
Jun 25, 2014 20:18:39 GMT
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Post by pudgygroundhog on Oct 17, 2017 13:59:13 GMT
Wow, kind of sad reading this thread and the poor experiences people have had with rescues.
I have limited experience - we adopted two cats from a local SPCA and it was a good experience. My daughter and I visit the cats and volunteer at another local cat shelter and although we haven't adopted from them, I think they are a great organization. They have an application process - which can be put it before visiting the shelter - otherwise people don't leave the same day with a cat (and as I understand it, the hold up is usually trying to get a hold of landlords or references). I think they are honest with people and upfront about a cat's history and potential medical issues. In the end they want cats to go to forever homes and not be returned, so it's really in their interest to be upfront to avoid returns.
Anyway - OP, I hope you find the dog that's the perfect fit for your family.
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Post by Anna*Banana on Oct 17, 2017 14:29:22 GMT
Wow, kind of sad reading this thread and the poor experiences people have had with rescues. I have limited experience - we adopted two cats from a local SPCA and it was a good experience. My daughter and I visit the cats and volunteer at another local cat shelter and although we haven't adopted from them, I think they are a great organization. They have an application process - which can be put it before visiting the shelter - otherwise people don't leave the same day with a cat (and as I understand it, the hold up is usually trying to get a hold of landlords or references). I think they are honest with people and upfront about a cat's history and potential medical issues. In the end they want cats to go to forever homes and not be returned, so it's really in their interest to be upfront to avoid returns. Anyway - OP, I hope you find the dog that's the perfect fit for your family. Most don't let you walk away with an animal until the cat has had a Vet appointment, been fixed and an application has been checked out. Totally makes sense. Kind of a cooling off period for adopters too who may make rash decisions about adopting.
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pudgygroundhog
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,643
Location: The Grand Canyon
Jun 25, 2014 20:18:39 GMT
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Post by pudgygroundhog on Oct 17, 2017 14:35:10 GMT
Wow, kind of sad reading this thread and the poor experiences people have had with rescues. I have limited experience - we adopted two cats from a local SPCA and it was a good experience. My daughter and I visit the cats and volunteer at another local cat shelter and although we haven't adopted from them, I think they are a great organization. They have an application process - which can be put it before visiting the shelter - otherwise people don't leave the same day with a cat (and as I understand it, the hold up is usually trying to get a hold of landlords or references). I think they are honest with people and upfront about a cat's history and potential medical issues. In the end they want cats to go to forever homes and not be returned, so it's really in their interest to be upfront to avoid returns. Anyway - OP, I hope you find the dog that's the perfect fit for your family. Most don't let you walk away with an animal until the cat has had a Vet appointment, been fixed and an application has been checked out. Totally makes sense. Kind of a cooling off period for adopters too who may make rash decisions about adopting. Right - pretty standard procedure, but it's surprising how many people don't know that or get annoyed at an application process (I don't mean some of the excessive applications people talk about her, but just basic applications). People also complain about adoption fees but 1) it would cost them more to get the animals vaccinated and fixed on their own 2) the shelters have operating costs too (and the shelter I go to, they don't turn cats away for medical reasons. They take FIV, leukemia, and pretty much any medical condition - so their vet bills are pretty high. It's great to see the before and after pictures of the cats - they do such amazing work there).
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Apr 29, 2024 15:37:06 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 17, 2017 14:48:53 GMT
We tried to adopt from our local SPCA. It was a long drawn out process. Had to fill out an application and then put your name on a waiting list if you wanted a puppy and even then, you didn't have a choice as to which puppy. It's just the one they had available that is next in line. We tried our local shelters, but like others said, chi's, pits and larger dogs that we weren't prepared to handle with young kids. In the end we did adopt from a rescue, but even that wasn't without issues. We love her, but she had fear issues and it took a long time to get her over that. She also isn't food motivated so feeding is a chore. I get why people go to breeders and I also get the argument that there are so many dogs who need homes that we should adopt instead. Not sure what route I would chose if we were to go it again.
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Post by compwalla on Oct 17, 2017 15:13:22 GMT
The pounds around here only have pits, chihuahuas and very large dogs, so that was not an option. Here and in the city where we adopted our shelter dog, there are organizations that pull dogs from the city kill shelter (the pound) based on adoptability. MASA (Midland Animal Shelter Adoptables) will take dogs out of the high-kill city shelter and put them in foster homes. Those groups are halfway between a shelter and a rescue. They do have an application process but it's not that much more involved than what the city requires. I know the woman who runs MASA here and her goal is honestly to get the dogs into loving homes as quickly as possible. Every dog who gets a home frees up a spot for her to save another dog from the kill shelter. On weekends MASA brings a bunch of their fosters to adoption events at Tractor Supply, Pet Smart, etc. The MASA dogs have been vetted, have been evaluated by their foster families, and have all passed the canine good citizenship test where they check for food aggression and such. This leaves the less desirable dogs at the high kill shelter. So you might ask at Petsmart or at the city animal shelter if there is a group like that you can contact.
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smartypants71
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,697
Location: Houston, TX
Member is Online
Jun 25, 2014 22:47:49 GMT
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Post by smartypants71 on Oct 17, 2017 15:28:45 GMT
It is a shame that so many have had poor experiences with rescues. I had a wonderful experience with the organization I got my dog from. He came crate-trained, house-trained and knew basic commands. They did a great job of matching up the dog we got with our personal family needs. They did do a home visit and checked my references, but nothing crazy. I think I paid about 300-400 but he had massive vet bills from when they rescued him. I've never really been a dog person, but I love this dog so much! He makes us so happy!
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Post by Darcy Collins on Oct 17, 2017 15:40:32 GMT
It's so regional. There are no city or county pounds here - impounded animals are sent to the humane society. And good luck adopting a dog that isn't aggressive. We went twice - every single dog available was a pitbull or Chihuahua mix and not a single one could be placed in a home with small children or cats. We learned that to have any shot at a dog without serious behavior issues, you had to stalk their website at 8 am when new dogs available are listed. They must work with the rescues or another organization for puppies, as we looked for months and there was never a puppy available. Rescues won't accept an electronic fence. Reputable breeders were $2,500+ and year long waiting lists. We now know why so many of our friends go out of state for their pets. It's seriously insane.
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bethany102399
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,514
Oct 11, 2014 3:17:29 GMT
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Post by bethany102399 on Oct 17, 2017 15:41:38 GMT
It is the same here, mostly pits, and chi's. And the reason is because anything else brought in is offered to the rescues first; to pull from the shelter(s) fee free, before they're even given an intake. If it's a Lab looking dog, they call the Lab rescue(s). If it's a Retreiver looking dog, those rescues get called, etc. etc. Regular folks don't even have the chance to get them, let alone know they've passed through. This is true here as well. I grew up getting pets from the shelter, no big deal. well not anymore. almost all the animals you see online are pits which are illegal in some parts of the city. I had a friend who was looking for a small dog, NOT a chi- could not find one ANYWHERE. She'd see one come up, call and within 30 minutes of posting the image they'd have a waitlist. They ended up buying one and feeling terrible about it. I've heard too many horror stories of rescue centers that refuse to let you adopt for xyz reason, NOT putting my kids through that. We ended up getting George through a Co-worker. We get flack for it when we do events that support the local Rescue center too as he's big and often attracts attention. Inevitably we're asked where did you get him? which leads to where we got him which leads to comments. I'm happy to support the local shelters, but through donations not adoption.
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mallie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,253
Jul 3, 2014 18:13:13 GMT
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Post by mallie on Oct 17, 2017 17:09:14 GMT
The pounds around here only have pits, chihuahuas and very large dogs, so that was not an option. The shelter in my city is like that, only Chihuahuas, Pit-mixed breed dogs, and anything else over 100 pounds, nothing in between. We went to the shelter in the next city over and they had dogs of all sizes and breeds. And then we stalked them (both on-line and in person) for about 2 months before finally finding our current dog. It is all of the shelters around here. Last year I went to a regional dog adoption fair drawing from over 20 local shelters/pounds from over 100 miles away. They had over 400 dogs. Only 1 was less than 40 pounds. One smallish dog out of 400 from 20 shelters/pounds. She was adopted in the first 3 minutes the fair was open by the lady who was first on line and who got there 4 hours early. And who RAN into the fair -- she knew somehow that there was only one small dog and she was determined to get it first. So now I know not to waste my time even trying at a shelter/pound around here. The local big rescue here also requires a current vet reference from a local vet. So if you haven't owned a pet for a while or moved here, you are out of luck. I called to ask about that rule since we moved here and was told, "We are not interested in references from non-local vets. Try again in a few years after you have established relationships with local vets. And no first time dog owners are welcome." I will also add that my 2nd rescue dog is a toy poodle who is in excellent health and aside from some manageable adjustment issues regarding dominance and barking, is a great dog. But the rescue lied to us about her background. They told us she came from a family with small children and was given up when they had a 3rd child and couldn't handle the kids and the dog. The paperwork she came with had prior owner info -- they gave it to us by accident, I believe. I Googled the prior owner's name just being nosy and it turned out she was actually an elderly lady who died. Totally different background. Help explains why the doggie expected to spend all day sitting on the couch and bed and didn't really know how to play with toys or small kids. Being a poodle, she is smart and adaptable and learned pdq that life here was different, but another breed wouldn't have been so easy to change her ways which could have meant a failed adoption.
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Post by FuzzyMutt on Oct 17, 2017 17:27:28 GMT
Awwww this is sad! My dog is a found on the side of the road special. When I took her in to get spayed, the vet thought she'd put on a LOT of weight. Did an x-ray and found out she was pregnant. I didn't know what to do, so my vet put me in touch with a rescue. I "fostered" her, and then when the puppies were born, I fostered them. I reviewed the applications and called the ones I liked. I did home visits, and I opened my home to their families that wanted to spend time with their puppies before they were 8 weeks old. I built relationships with the folks adopting my pups puppies.
In the year after our puppies went to their new homes, we fostered 2 more adult dogs, and temporarily emergency fostered a mom/litter of 9 that were rescued from an outdoor/no shelter situation. NEVER did I lie to anyone, and I was understanding with the interview process. There was a great application not approved because the question "Where will the dog sleep" was answered with "probably on the front porch with our other dog." Turns out they had a 20 acre fenced working/teaching farm and the other dog liked to go through the dog door and sleep on the porch. Her answer simply meant where ever he wanted to sleep, the inside is open to him, but he'll likely prefer the freedom.
5 years later, all 7 puppies are still in their original homes. I have moved 800 miles away, but the rescue has agreed if any are returned, for any reason, that they are to come to me. I fostered through a rescue, but my son and I put my heart and love into them. I'm glad my rescue (legitimate and over 15 years est) allowed me to choose my families.
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carhoch
Pearl Clutcher
Be yourself everybody else is already taken
Posts: 2,990
Location: We’re RV’s so It change all the time .
Jun 28, 2014 21:46:39 GMT
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Post by carhoch on Oct 17, 2017 17:55:45 GMT
Seriously? We are good people. I remember how difficult it was 11 yrs ago when we got our last furry princess. back then it was bc we didn't have a fenced in yard and the breed we wanted at the time really needed a fence. Ok. Got it! We lucked out anyway. This time..I have applied to no less then 8 rescues to foster or to adopt and nothing. Zippo. I'm ready to go to a breeder and I'm totally against breeders. I am very against backyard breeders but there are some very good and responsible breeder out there they not cheap but I believe that you’ll get what you pay for .
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Post by craftedbys on Oct 17, 2017 20:14:13 GMT
It's not just dogs. I've been wanting a new cat since we lost one of ours in June. I spent the summer looking online at site that have listings from shelters and rescues.
A week ago Sunday I sent an email to a rescue inquiring about a cat that had been on this website since the end of June. I got a reply back within a few hours. They wanted:
A 3 page application filled out Our Landlord's contact info if we were renters Our veterinarian's number The medical records of any pets we have 3 Personal references A home visit AND An interview with every person living in the home, which considering our kids are both away at school, would be next to impossible
So I kept looking and last Tuesday I drove out to a shelter and found the perfect kitten. I filled out my contact information, told them the name of the vet we use, and paid the fee. All told took me about an hour, only because I spent so much time deciding which kitten was mine.
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Post by Tammiem2pnc1 on Oct 17, 2017 23:11:29 GMT
I think rescues are a joke anymore. We had wanted to get a dog a few years back and every single rescue here requires a fenced in back yard. We live in a town home development and are not allowed fences because everything off our patios are considered community property. We live in a dog friendly development and even have a little dog park area, but I got turned down every single time. I gave up and will never try to go through a rescue again.
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Post by catck on Oct 18, 2017 0:36:59 GMT
We just tried to adopt from a rescue who have dogs from Mexico. First off there was this very long questionnaire. One of the questions was 'would you crate' and we answered if it was necessary. Well they got as far as that question and then emailed to say they don't belief in crating. So then we explained that the crate sits in a room where I spend 8 hours a day working, the door is open and our beagle likes laying in there. We have 4 dog beds in that room and he can lay wherever he wants and sometimes chooses the crate. The only time he had to be crated was when he tore is ACL and had to be in there during the night so he wasn't hurting himself. So we got over that, then the next hurdle was food. Our dogs are on Kirkland food and the lady had sent us a list showing how good/bad certain foods were - the Kirkland brand was up the top but she still had a hissy fit and said the rescue pup should be fed raw meat, for crying out loud they are rescue dogs from Mexico and I'm sure they eat anything before being rescued from the street. Then we found out that the pup we were wanting had by now been adopted to someone else, despite being available the previous day. So we gave up. We are good parents to our dogs but this rescue just made it so difficult. We got our other dog, Maggie, from a shelter and Milo (beagle) was from a breeder.
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Post by tara on Oct 18, 2017 0:50:07 GMT
We will never go to a breed-specific or private rescue again. They're so freaking snobby. I want to say, "hello, I've been certified to adopt children multiple times. I can handle your freaking dog." I hate that "adoption" is tied to animals. I think it feeds into this control freak culture the rescues have. You're not curing cancer or ending starvation. You're finding a home for a dog. Noble, but keep things in perspective. /rant Sorry you've had a rough go. We got our last dog from the ASPCA. Son much less fuss and she was the best dog in the world. We will do It again when we are ready. I was about to post this very thing. We were foster parents for years and adopted 3 kids, yet a rescue for dogs turned us down. We got a dog from the next pound without any problems. I think we just had to agree to make the dog an inside dog.
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Post by lisacharlotte on Oct 18, 2017 1:36:23 GMT
Yeah, i'm not providing references or having a home visit. I'm adopting a dog or cat that needs a home. All this bullshit to give a needy animal a home is ridiculous. We've adopted 2 cats from the humane society. The only thing they required was our name, address, phone number on the application (so they can give our info to the city to ensure we get billed for the annual pet license) and our payment.
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scrapngranny
Pearl Clutcher
Only slightly senile
Posts: 4,762
Jun 25, 2014 23:21:30 GMT
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Post by scrapngranny on Oct 18, 2017 1:41:11 GMT
Nine years ago we applied to a boxer rescue for a dog. We already had one dog and lived on our farm. We were told they needed to do a home check before our application could be approved. I told them up front that we did not have any fences other than the barbed wire ranch fencing. They said that didn’t matter.
They came out and wanted to see where my dog was fed. Their rule was the dog had to be fed inside, our dog was. They saw where she slept and her toys. Nothing much was said. We were notified the next day we passed the inspection. Within a week or so they had a dog for us. He was six years old, they never seemed to have any puppies. After we adopted him, we never heard anything more from them. We did pay a $300 adoption fee.
I did get emails periodically saying they were looking for foster homes. That was something we were not interested in doing.
Both of those dogs have since passed away in the last couple of years. When we were ready for another dog we did decide to get a puppy this time. We really wanted the whole experience.
Overall, I had a very good experience adopting a rescue dog. He had some issues, but he was so loving and sweet.
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Post by gmcwife1 on Oct 18, 2017 4:53:55 GMT
Seriously? We are good people. I remember how difficult it was 11 yrs ago when we got our last furry princess. back then it was bc we didn't have a fenced in yard and the breed we wanted at the time really needed a fence. Ok. Got it! We lucked out anyway. This time..I have applied to no less then 8 rescues to foster or to adopt and nothing. Zippo. I'm ready to go to a breeder and I'm totally against breeders. I am very against backyard breeders but there are some very good and responsible breeder out there they not cheap but I believe that you’ll get what you pay for . Too often people don't understand the difference between a puppymill, a backyard breeder and a responsible breeder. Because of that, too many people are against all breeders. Responsible breeders health test their dogs, know their breed standard/pedigrees, breed to their breed standard/to improve the breed and screen their puppy buyers.
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pinklady
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,505
Nov 14, 2016 23:47:03 GMT
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Post by pinklady on Oct 18, 2017 5:22:49 GMT
Wow, I've not had the same experience as most with a breed specific rescue. My experience was wonderful.
I had 1 home check, let them know I was an inexperienced dog owner and they helped me find the PERFECT fit. I've adopted twice and both dogs were awesome. I've even donated money and supplies to the rescue because they do such wonderful work.
My retirement goal is to be part of their "shady paws" program where I can adopt 5 senior dogs and let them live out their life in a good home.
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Post by Patter on Oct 18, 2017 10:17:53 GMT
I am very against backyard breeders but there are some very good and responsible breeder out there they not cheap but I believe that you’ll get what you pay for . Too often people don't understand the difference between a puppymill, a backyard breeder and a responsible breeder. Because of that, too many people are against all breeders.
Responsible breeders health test their dogs, know their breed standard/pedigrees, breed to their breed standard/to improve the breed and screen their puppy buyers. Yes, yes, yes what Dori said about breeders! Breeders can be awesome if they are responsible. We LOVE our current breeder. She is the most amazing, responsible breeder, and we have two amazing dogs from her and wouldn’t hesitate getting another!
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