# Rescue Groups that have problems



## crittersitter (Mar 31, 2011)

I commend all rescue groups for their time and obvious love for the dogs. However, I have heard some horror stories from really good dog people that have tried to adopt through several of the groups. They seem to be terribly disorganized and frankly control freaks. Applicants are put through the ringer only to end up having it nearly impossible to adopt one of their dogs. And I'm talking about people that were approved, have great references and a wonderful home inspections. One of the people I know got so upset about being strung along for months that he gave up on the idea. What's the story? I have been thinking about using a rescue group myself but don't want to go through this kind of a struggle.


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## NewbieShepherdGirl (Jan 7, 2011)

I guess I don't know anything about the problems that some people have had with rescue groups. I know my rescue experience was AMAZING! I looked at several rescue groups near where I lived, and when I settled on the one that I got Sasha from it was a very pleasant experience. The experience I had was I looked at the dogs they had available. I picked several that I thought would mesh with my family, and then I printed off their pictures/info and my mom and brother and I voted on which ones we liked best (ironically Sasha wasn't my first or even second pick and is MY dog, not the family's dog lol) Then I went online and filled out the application. Within a few days we got a phone call, as did my references. We then scheduled a home visit, and the people were very friendly and understanding. I'll just say I was super nervous about this, as I did not know what to expect, but they weren't trying to find reasons why we shouldn't have a dog, they were just getting a feel for what kind of dog would best suit our lives (and I'm sure also to make sure we were who we said we were). I don't know how old you are, but one thing my rescue did want to know because of my age was whether or not my mom would take in the dog IF for some reason I wasn't able to take it with me somewhere. This would be because I am a 20 yo college student, and let's face it some of us in my age group are really impulsive and don't think about the long term commitment of taking care of another living thing. A few days later the rescue contacted me again and told me that Sasha (who we had put down as our first pick) was still available and put us into contact with her foster family. I spoke to her foster mom several times and then (because of the distance between our two homes) we met her and I brought Sasha home  I have been in contact with Sasha's foster mom several times, and the rescue has been very supportive in helping us with a few issues that cropped up in the beginning. Overall, I would DEFINITELY recommend rescuing! I love my girl, and I am so glad that she is in my life.


Also, I think there are quite a few people on this forum who are from your general area. I would definitely talk to some of them and see which rescue groups they recommend. I'm sure there are some groups that are better than others, and many of these people would be able to point you toward some very reputable rescues in your area.


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## Achielles UD (May 26, 2001)

My biggest pet peeve about some rescues is the demand that a fenced in yard is required. People are more than capable of walking a dog on a leash!


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## Myamom (Oct 10, 2005)

You will meet "rescues" that keep their dogs in deplorable conditions, hoard, give their animals to anyone unscreened..send dogs out unvetted...do not take dogs back...etc......

You will meet rescues that will vet, work very hard with you to match you to your perfect dog, do the appropriate screening...take dogs back... and become your new extended family.

Not all rescues are bad.

You will meet "breeders" that keep their dogs in deplorable conditions, sell too young, no health screening or vetting, etc. 

You will meet breeders that do health screening, title their dogs, match their adopters to appropriate puppy, take dogs back, are there for support...etc.....

Not all breeders are bad. 

Your child will have a teacher that will make their year ****....

Your child will have a teacher that will take a special interest in them...be a role model...and impact them for life.

Not all teachers are bad.


You will meet a policeman that takes bribes and looks the other way...

You will meet a policeman that dedicates his life to making sure his community is safe.....

Not all policeman are bad. 

etc...etc...etc....

No group can be judged as a whole. 

Do your homework and find a reputable rescue if you wish to go the rescue route. I wish you luck


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

Why start a thread about rescues that is set up to bash them?

There are far more unscrupulous breeders out there than rescues. So why not start a thread called, "Breeders that have problems."

Every single day there is at least one horror story posted on this board about a breeder. In fact, there is usually a horror story about a breeder that ends with the poster saying they had to take the pup because it was essentially rescuing the pup to get her/him out of a bad situation. 

And obviously many breeders would do well to be more discerning about the homes their pups go to or so many dogs wouldn't end up in shelters or with rescues in the first place. So maybe you should start a thread called "Puppy buyers who have problems." 

Just take a look on petfinder at the number of pb gsds in shelters and/or rescues. That might help you understand why rescues are so careful about who they place their dogs with. Better yet, start volunteering with your local shelter or rescue. There's no better way to understand the homeless animal problem we have in this country and understand why it's important that rescues be thorough in their vetting of potential adoptees.


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## NewbieShepherdGirl (Jan 7, 2011)

Achielles UD said:


> My biggest pet peeve about some rescues is the demand that a fenced in yard is required. People are more than capable of walking a dog on a leash!


I kinda don't like that rule either, but I can see why they have it. How many people _say_ they'll be responsible (ie: "Oh yeah we'll walk the dog every single day!") and what not, and then aren't. I know if I worked in a place where I saw so many really good dogs in really terrible shape because they had been left to roam on their own, I'd be a little cautious too.


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## Myamom (Oct 10, 2005)

I don't like the fact that Sam's club requires a yearly fee to shop there...so I buy elsewhere.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

Myamom said:


> I don't like the fact that Sam's club requires a yearly fee to shop there...so I buy elsewhere.


:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup: Their stuff isn't that great anyway. It's all junkfood.


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## sitstay (Jan 20, 2003)

As has already been pointed out, there are some pretty poor rescues out there and there are some pretty wonderful rescues out there. I wouldn't judge ALL rescues by the actions of a few.

There are so many different organizations out there. It is entirely possible to find a rescue that is more than willing to work with a potential adopter despite that potential adopter not having a fence, or having an intact animal in the house already. If someone wants to go the rescue route, there are choices out there. If there is a will, there is a way. Don't let stories of the cruddy under belly of the rescue world turn you off. 

I have yet to hear of someone saying that the stories of bad breeders have turned them off buying from a good breeder, if buying from a breeder was what they wanted to do to begin with. I have heard people say that stories of bad breeders have made them more educated on what to look for in the good ones, but never have heard them say that they refuse to buy from a breeder ever. And yet, we hear that all the time from people about rescue: "I got turned down by rescue, so I was forced to buy from a breeder".

Someday I would like to run a little experiment here. I would like to take one of the really harsh threads on rescue (preferably one that names names) and change the word "rescue" to "breeder" throughout the thread. Then I would like to copy and paste it into a new thread in the breeder section and see how long it stays up. Not that the OP here is being harsh! Far from it. 

We are told over and over again to not view all breeders based on the really craptastic few. And yet, if someone uses that same argument to defend the good work done by many rescues we are called militant and even mocked for being PETA dupes. 
Sheilah


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## Rerun (Feb 27, 2006)

Regarding the fence rule...I think it should be able to be waived for the right owner, I don't care for the "set in stone rules" that many rescues adhere to.

However, 99% of the dog owning population doesn't want to leash walk their dog morning noon evening and night 24/7, 365, for 10 - 15 years. The reality is most will start just opening the door and letting the dog potty while they watch, then it'll progress to "well they never leave the yard" to "they only go a couple houses down and then come back" and eventually "he comes back at night" to..."Hi I just registered here and I'm looking for a breeder because my dog disappeared/was stolen/lost/hit and killed by a car/poisoned/etc..."

Thus, many have requirements for a fence.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I do not think breeders take it personally every time someone has a bad experience with a breeder. But rescues seem to take it personally if a rescue is found to be doing something untoward. 

If an individual comes on and says their breeder is a BYB and gives some details, no one comes on and says, lets wait until we have all the facts. 

Breeders are just as likely to jump on bad breeders, nameless breeders with bad breeding practices, people thinking about breeding who do not have the bare minimum. 

Rescue people maybe should stop being so defensive about this, and stop villifying anyone who may not see eye to eye with a rescue.


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## PupperLove (Apr 10, 2010)

It seems like the OP is asking how they are able to tell if a rescue is good vs. a rescue that is not as reputable. Is there a way to tell? It sounds like they want to rescue, but are taken aback by the things they have heard and don't want to get strung along....I cannot comment, I have not dealt with a rescue before....


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## NewbieShepherdGirl (Jan 7, 2011)

Rerun said:


> Regarding the fence rule...I think it should be able to be waived for the right owner, I don't care for the "set in stone rules" that many rescues adhere to.
> 
> *However, 99% of the dog owning population doesn't want to leash walk their dog morning noon evening and night 24/7, 365, for 10 - 15 years. *The reality is most will start just opening the door and letting the dog potty while they watch, then it'll progress to "well they never leave the yard" to "they only go a couple houses down and then come back" and eventually "he comes back at night" to..."Hi I just registered here and I'm looking for a breeder because my dog disappeared/was stolen/lost/hit and killed by a car/poisoned/etc..."
> 
> Thus, many have requirements for a fence.


Exactly! And why don't they want to do this? Because it's a pain in the rear. I don't know how many times Sasha has needed to go out when it's been rainy, or windy, or I'm tired, or I'm running late. (we don't have a fenced area right off our house) I don't know how many times I've told her, "Ugh! I wish I could trust you to just go do your business and come back." But I throw on my carhartt and take her out, only to watch her sniff for an eternity before deciding to go to the bathroom (or start to go to the bathroom, get distracted and not be able to go. Only to have to go out 15min. later). It's a pain, and most people are lazy. I don't blame rescues at all.


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## NewbieShepherdGirl (Jan 7, 2011)

PupperLove said:


> It seems like the OP is asking how they are able to tell if a rescue is good vs. a rescue that is not as reputable. Is there a way to tell? It sounds like they want to rescue, but are taken aback by the things they have heard and don't want to get strung along....I cannot comment, I have not dealt with a rescue before....


I'm sure there are people on here more knowledgeable than I but these are a few of the things I looked for:

Health testing (for example: "such and such tested positive/negative for heart worms")

Home visits

Very committed to putting you with the right dog, not just the one you think you want.

I only looked seriously at rescues that did the foster system (though I don't know that ones that don't aren't responsible; it could just be a different way of doing things. I just liked that I could have an accurate picture of how they behaved in a home environment.)

I liked the ones where they told you the dog's attributes AND liabilities. Some dogs aren't good with strange people, dogs, kids, whatever, and this should be included.

I'm sure I'm forgetting stuff but that was the basic overview of what I looked at.

ETA: I also looked at rescues that didn't require fenced in yards. This didn't have to do with me thinking that rescues that require these things are bad or whatever; it had to do with me knowing we don't have a fenced in yard (we have a fenced in area on our property but it is not house adjacent) so I wasn't going to waste my time or the time of the rescue people if I knew that that was a non-negotiable area.


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## Myamom (Oct 10, 2005)

Selzer...your perception on this is way off. You can look above and see two ongoing threads...do you know where that dog is going...and....how to distinguish reputable rescues from others....both posted by..and on... by rescue people themselves.


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## GSD_Xander (Nov 27, 2010)

I think, just like with anything - there are great rescues and there are some that are not so great. 

I haven't personally had an experience with a dog rescue but my experience with cat rescues has been OK. IDK it it's coincidence or not but all the cats I had gotten from rescues would pee around the house and never in the litter box. The only reason I can think is because they were kept in tiny cages with dirty boxes so maybe they figured they can potty where they sleep. Maybe I'm just not lucky with cat rescues. 

I think one of the things is you always hear more about the bad stories and don't hear about all the good stories. I'm sure there are lots of people on this board that would have some great rescue stories to share with good experiences.


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## Betty (Aug 11, 2002)

I think some of the negativity towards rescues sometimes is that for some of us they can touch on our guilt. I see some of the pictures of well bred German Shepherds on death row and I squirm.... Maybe for others they remind them of a pet they owned at one time in their life and did not do right by, or their parents did not do right by. 

And for some there is a rejection which is never easy to take, at least not for me. Even at my advance age rejection can sometimes propel me back in time when I was the last one chosen for the team in gym class or the pre teen girl in dance class wondering if a girl was going to end up my dance partner. 

With the fence issue as a breeder it is something I consider and it is a biggie in my book. But I can make exceptions. It the sale of the pup goes bad I have no one to answer to but my conscience. I do not have a BOD to explain it to, I do not have to explain it to people that have donated blood sweat or hard earned money.

Most rescues would not adapt to me and I'm ok with that. The same ones that will not adopt to me will board a dog with me in an emergency and that's ok too. If I really wanted a rescue any of the kill shelters in my area will probably let me walk out with one within 1/2 an hour of walking in. 

There seems to be a double standard. This board would not allow any breeder to by named like they do the rescues. As a breeder if someone came on this board and said I refused to sell them a pup because their yard wasn't fenced I think I would be applauded and not criticized.

I have seen what I think of as "good" rescues call each other out and question each other publically. I've seen them police each other. On this board I have seen rescues questioned on the amount of dogs they are pulling and where are they going--by other rescue people.
There are good and bad rescues. 

Just like anything else.


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## Remo (Sep 8, 2004)

We work as hard as we can to be responsible, and thorough, without making it seem difficult to adopt from us. And yes, we have had folks complain about us, BUT - for every complaint, I can give you 100 people who are thrilled with their adoption experience with VGSR.

It always seems to be the folks who are NOT happy that make the most noise and get the most attention. All you have to do is go to our Happy Tales section at www.shepherdrescue.org and read some of our many success stories - we must be doing something right!!!

We try to make our decisions on a case by case basis. Will we put an off the charts energetic, high drive, barking maniac of a dog in a condo? Nope. Will we put a quiet, middle aged dog with less exercise requirements in one? Probably! A good friend of mine had three large dogs and lived in a condo on the third floor. Her dogs had lives to be envied by most other dogs. I would hate to lose a great applicant because of a perceived generalization. 

Right now I am working trying to find the right dog for a very awesome lady who is 87 (yes 87!) years young. She just lost her dog that she adopted from me 4 years ago and she is very lonely without a GSD in her home. Even though she might be 87, she has more energy and enthusiasm than most folks in their fifties!

We recently raised a question about something on someone's application, and instead of the applicant getting angry with us for asking, she thanked us for our concern. How awesome is that?

As you can imagine, it is difficult for the rescue to walk the fine line of being responsible and not too overbearing.

And anyone who doubts a rescue's motives, actions or reasons behind their policies, please think about joining up with that rescue to learn things first hand. Not every volunteer has to foster - we need transporters, home-checkers, dog evaluators, folks to help with adoption days and fund raising. The best way to make change is to do it from within!


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## gsdraven (Jul 8, 2009)

Remo said:


> *The best way to make change is to do it from within!*


:thumbup:


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Myamom said:


> Selzer...your perception on this is way off. You can look above and see two ongoing threads...do you know where that dog is going...and....how to distinguish reputable rescues from others....both posted by..and on... by rescue people themselves.


I am getting here from Active Topics not by haunting the rescue section. But I think the OP might find the help they needed by looking at the thread, how to distinguish reputable rescues from others.


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## AuberryShortcake (Mar 9, 2010)

I think the fence rule stems from the fact that however well intentioned an adopter may be, when the reality of not only taking the dog outside for potty breaks on a leash, but also on a leash for most if not all exercise sets in even someone with the best intentions can have issues. 

For example: I don't have a fenced in yard, and it is like a second job making sure the dogs get out as much as they need to. I have to get up in the morning, take the dogs potty, then I get clothes on, take the dog for their actual exercise walk/bike ride, then get dressed for work, then another potty break right before I leave, just to make sure they are done. I get off work, take the dogs potty, go change clothes, take the dogs for an exercise walk. Then there are probably two more potty breaks during the evening after that and I take them out one more time right before I go to bed, just to make sure they are done. 
This is just my schedule, there are others who may have a less time consuming way of getting things done. When I am sick, it still has to be done, I can't just open the door and let them go in the back yard. I currently have a foot injury, but I can't stop giving them their exercise walks just because I am in pain, they have to go. I have to admit there are days it would be nice, when I am hurting really bad, to let them in the back yard and throw the ball with them. Not having a fence is hard work, and not for everyone.

When someone gets tired of all the work you can end up with a dog that gets no exercise, or worse, a dog that is chained up or runs free when people are tired of dealing with all the outside breaks and exercise.

I am not insinuating that you would be one of these people or that there aren't responsible people without fences, I am just saying it is more than the average person or family really wants to deal with, even if they don't realize it. Most reputable rescues make their rules based on the best interest of the dogs in their care, not to make things difficult for adopters.


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## GSDElsa (Jul 22, 2009)

There are good rescues and bad rescues. There are good breeders and bad breeders. There is every shade of gray in between and everyone will have a different opinion as to which one looks best on them.

Do your research and make sure you are going with a reputable rescue. Then do more research and make sure the rescue and you are the right fit for each other. What I look for in a rescue and what you look for in a rescue are not going to be the same thing. 

I volunteer for a few different rescues and they all have pretty different ways of approaching things. But I would consider all reputable. 

And, let's not forget a good breeder is just about as picky as a rescue. The only difference might be a home check. But they still will give you the 3rd degree and make sure their dog is ending up in the right place.


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## lanaw13 (Jan 8, 2011)

I, too, have been involved with good and bad rescues.... and I can see why they want their dogs to go to great homes....
When you put your heart, soul, time and money caring for a dog, nursing it back to health, thru heartworm treatment and past emotional scars you don't want anything BAD -- NO, you feel obligated and compelled to ensure nothing bad ever happens to that dog, ever again....
If this foster I cared for goes to another neglectful or abusive home, I have accomplished nothing... and failed the dog... that's why they are picky.
Some are disorganized....and slow. I have experienced that firsthand also...
To the OP, there is good and bad in all....
Just my $.02


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

something I didn't see mentioned, but forgive me if it was,,is, the majority of rescues/volunteers are just that, volunteers with NO pay, who work long hours trying to save dogs and make sure they go into homes that are permanent. 

so if they don't get back to you right away, which I know can be frustrating as all heck, they do have "lives" and those rules that are in place, again, can be frustrating, but again, they want those dogs going to permanent homes.


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## Jax's Mom (Apr 2, 2010)

A few years ago before getting my current two, I went to the shelter. It was after my best ever dog died, I got lonely one afternoon and went to see what they had because I just _needed_ to have a dog in the house. I fell in love with a dog that reminded me of the one I just lost... Same personality, same reactions to me... I wanted her. They told me I couldn't have her because a rescue had already called about her and is arranging for a foster home. A foster home??? I was offering to take her to a permanent home. There was a mixed breed drooling and snapping and carrying on at the other end of the cages, I asked if any rescues had dibs on him... No I could take him. Clearly nobody would want that dog, I was not equipped or experienced enough to handle such a dog. I passed. 
I applied to a rescue organization. I wrote them that I was interested in one of their dogs, could I apply? They told me to apply and that they will choose the most appropriate match for me, I can't just pick which one I wanted. Sounded odd to me.
Second rescue, different breed, I wrote a big long essay about how I don't have a fenced yard but aware of the responsibilities and implications of owning a dog, sent references and my vet info, no response. A month later I wrote a follow-up asking if they had received my application, they responded "yes". Another follow-up, asking if they had a status update, they write back "per our policy, we don't adopt to applicants without a fenced yard." Fantastic, another 2 months of my life gone. 
Then we adopted our older dog from friends and after a few months I thought I'd try again thinking I had a leg to stand on that I'm now aware of what owning a dog is, really! and maybe they'd consider us... Response: "you've already applied." Got ticked, contacted a breeder. Breeder met with us, "allowed" me to put a deposit down... Just for kicks, I contacted the rescue one more time, I told them if they didn't allow me to apply to adopt one of their dogs, I will purchase the puppy from the breeder which seems to think we're good enough. No response.


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