# LONG story over bad rescue experiance. (moved from chat)



## misslesleedavis1 (Dec 5, 2013)

I need to vent about my rescue experiances,

Around December we saw Tyson on my old rescues page with a urgent foster plee, we decided to open our home to him because his plee stated he would be put to sleep within the next few days. We recieved a call from the director asking us to go pik up Tyson at once to save him from the needle which we did. The rest is history and we decided to adopt him for a 300.00 fee. 

Fast forward a few months, i was put in touch with his old mom who confirmed that she had no choice but to give him up due to his cat incident, i like his old mom and we talk daily about things. I had mentioned to her that we were so lucky we had the chance to save Tyson from the needle, she sent me back a ???? and told me that Tyson was never at risk of being PTS and if he was she would be the first to know about it. I left it at that and told her what my old rescue had told me. I proceeded to call Georgina animal control and find out from them if he was at risk or not, they laughed at me and told me Tyson's cat incident was terrible but he was a very good boy and they dont put animals to sleep unless it is court ordered or there is a bite incident with a shelter member, my response to that was "well the rescue has told us he was at risk" and the shelter worker said "yes well we have had words with them for not telling the truth" ....so flat out lied too and manipulated we were, dont get me wrong i would have picked him up anyways regardless. 

I was really angry with them for lieing to us i made the mistake of telling the admin that and she had responded with "if you think that is bad you should see all the emails they sent out to each other bashing there fosters and calling them names" well! that was interesting and it was also just here say although it would not shock me at all but i did not have any proof of that so it was not a fact. I left it at that. 


About a week ago i logged on to facebook only to find out that i was deleted and blocked from their main fb page, i was deleted and blocked from their forever family page and i was removed from their foster page (which i understood because i was not fostering for them) but i was part of the forever family page, i have 2 dogs from them. I was really upset and told my SO who told me that i should thank my lucky stars and move on lol typical dude. Then the text msges from the director rolled in and WOW i saved them all but they are very very uncalled for, swearing at me ...telling me how they could not believe i believed the here say rumors about the foster bashing which i did not btw. Telling me that they USED to love us and the shelter lied to them about Tyson and it gets pretty emotional after that but i did not respond until i recieved a msg stating " we will just come and get your dog"...umm over my dead body with you remove my dog i thought. So i sent a very unemotional msg saying " Tyson is doing well and he has a home with us forever" i know better then to buy into it and send angry msges back. 


So that is were it ends after fostering multiple dogs for them, buying all the food for the fosters, travelling to meet adoptive families, travelling to do house checks going to events and spending TONS of money for carpet cleaning, i get the boot. In retrospect im glad it is over but i feel terrible all the same. I know great rescues exist but in the future i will be going to a breeder.


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## Blanketback (Apr 27, 2012)

I know you're upset, but focus on the dogs you were able to help while you were there. I hate to say it, but there are some weird people involved in the animal world - rescues for sure, but even in some pet stores too, lol! I've seen some crazy stuff...better to move on - said from a _female_ this time, lmao.


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## glowingtoadfly (Feb 28, 2014)

That sounds terrible! Threatening your dog?


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## misslesleedavis1 (Dec 5, 2013)

Blanketback said:


> I know you're upset, but focus on the dogs you were able to help while you were there. I hate to say it, but there are some weird people involved in the animal world - rescues for sure, but even in some pet stores too, lol! I've seen some crazy stuff...better to move on - said from a _female_ this time, lmao.


Blanket you are right, i am very much involved with the adoptive familes tho  they are on my fb and i get to see updates tons on the dogs lol, i only had 3 foster dogs and each one broke my heart when they were adopted.


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## misslesleedavis1 (Dec 5, 2013)

glowingtoadfly said:


> That sounds terrible! Threatening your dog?


It would be super counter productive to remove a dog from a stable home, that was the only msg that upset me though, but maybe i took it out of context? it was a sensitive moment lol.


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

Rescue world is full of crazies...


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## sehrgutcsg (Feb 7, 2014)

What they did to you specifically by lying to you and telling you that the dog was going to be euthanized and playing on your emotions for monetary gain was terrible but, then you went online and bashed the rescue on all different media outlets which means; "that other people" will no longer abopt dogs from their rescue, so enjoy your dog - let it go and take a lesson. Two wrongs don't make a right.


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## misslesleedavis1 (Dec 5, 2013)

sehrgutcsg said:


> What they did to you specifically by lying to you and telling you that the dog was going to be euthanized and playing on your emotions for monetary gain was terrible but, then you went online and bashed the rescue on all different media outlets which means; "that other people" will no longer abopt dogs from their rescue, so enjoy your dog - let it go and take a lesson. Two wrongs don't make a right.


I have never once bashed them openly i pm'd the admin privately..i dont count this as bashing because the rescue name remains not mentioned.

I also called the pound and spoke to them on the phone.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

sehrgutcsg said:


> then you went online and *bashed the rescue *on *all different media outlets *which means...


Other than this story here, which does not indicate the rescue in any way, what other "media outlets" is this story told on? 

Are you familiar with this situation other than this thread?


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## misslesleedavis1 (Dec 5, 2013)

Jax08 said:


> Other than this story here, which does not indicate the rescue in any way, what other "media outlets" is this story told on?
> 
> Are you familiar with this situation other than this thread?


No, I would not bash them openly. A law suit is not what I want. 

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## my boy diesel (Mar 9, 2013)

SunCzarina said:


> Rescue world is full of crazies...


i am sure breeders have their share of crazies too


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## Stevenzachsmom (Mar 3, 2008)

I have always said you have to be at least a little bit crazy to be involved in rescue. There is good crazy and bad crazy. It is the BAD crazy you have to look out for.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

I've had a huge range of experiences with rescue. I have fostered for a local all-breed rescue, they are great and totally legit. I've also adopted a few pets from another local all-breed rescue, also very great. My friend runs a local GSD rescue and at one point we saw a GSD listed in a local shelter, the shelter was pleading for a home saying the dog had been kenneled for months. However when we offered to move the dog into the GSD rescue and arranged transport, they insisted they were better equipped to find the dog a home. Better equipped than the BREED RESCUE after the dog already sat in a kennel run for months and was basically going crazy...OK! Last year I was interested in getting a younger mixed breed dog and decided to look into rescues or shelters before breeders. I looked ALL over, I live in Michigan and found a possible candidate in a rescue in Alabama. I applied but had bad feelings going through the application. It was like 8 pages long, had this huge contract that was very restrictive, almost like if I were allowed to adopt the dog it was more like the rescue letting me borrow their dog than me adopting a dog for myself. They had all these clauses on how you could train, where you could keep your dog, must list the rescue as a contact on all microchips, tags, etc. They denied me because I listed flyball and agility as two of my dog training activities. They said their breed was not suitable for those activities (which is BS since I see HUNDREDS of them at every event I participate in and they are wonderfully active dogs). I think they assumed that because I actually DO stuff with my dogs, that meant I stuffed the dogs in a crate unless it was their turn to train or perform, which cannot be farther from the truth (my adult dogs are home alone right now with complete free reign of the house, my *just* turned 5 months and is now sleeping through the night out of the crate).

You'll have the same problem with breeders....


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## my boy diesel (Mar 9, 2013)

pets and kids
always always always drama around both


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## misslesleedavis1 (Dec 5, 2013)

Liesje, we were lucky enough and trusted enough to assess homes for our foster dogs,  we are very open minded and the applicants we visited were always approved by us (they were always great) . Our contract states that we will have to give the dog back if they feel we are unfit, which is pretty rough considering these are our dogs, but I guess if they wanted them bad enough they could take them, that counter productive I think for a rescue. 

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## Merciel (Apr 25, 2013)

I got deleted and blocked from one rescue's FB page because even though I had fostered for them, rehabbed and placed some of their most difficult dogs, and done free evaluations for dogs that they were having problems with, I had the (GASP) temerity to say "hey that's bad information" when the rescue founder reposted an insane blog post on Facebook.

It was for the best, really, since that lady was completely unstable and her towering ignorance was matched only by her self-righteousness, but if I'm completely honest I'll admit I'm still a little miffed about it. The ingratitude! Why, I should have gotten to cut _her_ out of _my_ life first! (Yes, this is how my brain works sometimes.  )

Anyway, rescue is often a supremely unrewarding endeavor in many, many ways. You have to be a masochist to stick with it.


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## Msmaria (Mar 2, 2013)

Stevenzachsmom said:


> I have always said you have to be at least a little bit crazy to be involved in rescue. There is good crazy and bad crazy. It is the BAD crazy you have to look out for.


So true. I volunteered at a few in my younger years, had to stop because of the craziness there. Too much for me to post here or would even want to drudge up. I wasn't involved in any of it, but it got to be too much, were I was dreading going in. It was too bad because those dogs and cats really needed someone to be there to take care of them.


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

misslesleedavis1 said:


> ... but i did not respond until i recieved a msg stating " we will just come and get your dog"...umm over my dead body with you remove my dog i thought. So i sent a very unemotional msg saying " Tyson is doing well and he has a home with us forever" i know better then to buy into it and send angry msges back.


Did you sign a contract when you adopted the dog? If you did I would get it out and read it very carefully. If the rescue is that whacked they just might try to take the dog away and you should be ready to fight them.


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## nktigger99 (Aug 22, 2006)

I have had some okay rescue experiences, got a great dog from them but would never recommend them due to them not getting medical treatment for said rescue while in their care. I had a bad experience fostering a boxer that ended up in a bite to my 5 year olds face.....later told sorry he should have never been in a home with young kids....it cost the dog its life....the rescue put him to sleep after we brought him back.

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## RebelGSD (Mar 20, 2008)

As to who said what... One day I received a call from my local shelter that they are full and a dog I asked them about was on the euthanasia list, I would have to pick her up next morning. I was expecting an adoption in a few days and posted on FB for help for a 2-3 day temporary foster. On FB a woman attacked me that I was lying and that this dog was not in danger or on a euthanasia list. I said the shelter staff member called me to tell me that she was on the euthanasia list. Then this woman further accuses me of lying, that nobody from the shelter called about this dog. I had the phone number of the staff member both on my caller ID and on my phone bill. Still I was accused of lying on FB. So I called the staff member to ask her what was going on. She tells me that the woman attacking me is a troublemaker but raises funds for the shelter so they put up with her. I asked to call the woman and clarify with her that I was not a liar and that she should not make such accusations. I don't know what the staff member did. A few weeks later I had a similar situation, same staff member calling, again the dog was apparently not on the euthanasia list. Apparently, this staff member played on my feelings and wanted the dog out, even though it was not on the list, so that another dog does not get euthanized. I believe the staff member lied to me, although she never admitted it (but was struggling to invent explanations and excuses). Unfortunately I was attacked on FB, accused of lying and made look bad. I did block the woman who attacked me.
And , keep in mind that many shelters are not particularly eager to advertise on the phone that they euthanize dogs. In a different shelter a friend of mine was told he had to pick up the dog within 24 hours or he will be PTS (he lived 10 hours away and the adopter dumped the dog at the shelter). After a big FB effort the dog was pulled on time. A few days later the shelter posted a rebuttal on line that the dog was not (never) in danger, that they were no kill It was certainly not what they told my friend.

What I am trying to say that shelters don't always tell the truth either, not to rescues or the public. So, to the OP, are you really sure you know who was lying?

Also, I don't think it is a good idea for the animals to go to the shelter and tell them that the rescue was lying to you. They might refuse to work with the rescue in the future to avoid trouble and ultimately the animals will get hurt.


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## sitstay (Jan 20, 2003)

RebelGSD said:


> What I am trying to say that shelters don't always tell the truth either, not to rescues or the public. So, to the OP, are you really sure you know who was lying?


It is so common for some shelters and some rescues to use the "euthanasia list" rallying cry. Either of the organizations in the OP's case could be lying through their teeth. Or they could both be telling the truth as each of the individuals know it.

The large shelter I worked at (in the foster office) could go more than a year without a dog being on the PTS list because of space issues (meaning being on the list for no other reason than we had no room to continue to house that dog). But there were certain volunteers that would get on their cell phones and start "working their contacts" whenever they felt like it. As a consequence, it was my office phone that rang with offers to foster the little dog in kennel 408 that was going to be "killed" that night if it didn't leave right then. All because the volunteer thought that "saving a life" (no matter how in danger that life was) was worth it. The ends justified the means. I had one volunteer tell me that these were white lies used for a higher good, so I should be cool with it. 

There are also shelter staff (usually the kennel cleaners) who maintain connections to area rescues. Some rescues feel that having "someone on the inside" works well for them and they seek out kennel workers to build and maintain a connection with. The expectation is that the kennel worker's knowledge of what is going on will give them an advantage. And sometimes the kennel worker will stretch the truth in order to get out a dog they like. OP, it could very well be that a kennel worker lied to the rescue about your dog being in danger. 

And it could be that the shelter has a blanket policy of not talking about any particular euthanasia list with any outsiders. I have seen shelters that didn't even make their lists available to their own volunteers or staff to avoid last minute pleas and a wave of community people coming in the "rescue" a certain dog that had been euthanized 10 minutes earlier. Maybe the shelter's blanket policy is to claim that they don't euthanize over whatever incident is being presented to them in the moment ("No, Concerned Citizen, we would never euthanize a healthy animal over a cat incident/a playful nip/resource guarding...") because that is easier than dealing with a ticked off person who feels that there are no valid behavioral reasons for euthanizing. 

Some shelters will not discuss the dangers a surrendered animal might be in while the owner is surrendering and other shelters are very graphic in their explanation to surrendering owners. It all depends on how much trouble they have had in the past with either type of owner (have they had more people wig out the next day when they come back to make sure that Fluffy has gone to a rescue like on Animal Cops, or have they had more people wig out in the moment when the worker comes out to take their pet). So, for some shelters, they can have a daily euthanasia list and deny that is the case to outsiders. Or they can claim that any owner surrender is in danger the moment the papers are signed, even if they haven't actually euthanized an owner surrender in years. 

Some rescues are just bat crap crazy. And others are so disorganized that nobody really knows what happened in any given situation. Some shelters feel rescues are to be manipulated, and some shelters have so many different personal agendas going on at the same time, between staff and volunteers, that it is impossible to recognize only one "truth". 

I know of one breed rescue in Washington state that has broken off and splintered so many times due to competing philosophies within their membership that I was never sure which new faction was in charge from one month to the next. It is just crazy.

OP, your best bet is to just leave it alone. You got a great dog, hopefully your contract doesn't give them the right to come and take it and you now know better about who you want to work with. Lesson learned. 
Sheilah


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## RebelGSD (Mar 20, 2008)

In my case, the person who called me and lied that the dog was on the euthanasia list was the official rescue coordinator. I guess by getting me to pull one dog she saved the life of another dog, at the price of me being declared a liar. I did not see any benefit of this woman attacking me on facebook, and discrediting me. Two dogs ended up being saved.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

my boy diesel said:


> i am sure breeders have their share of crazies too


This.

You've had a bad experience with one rescue. Unfortunately, the dog world is a little like a religion of sorts. Or like how religion has many sects, and individuals are more or less passionate, devoted, orthodox, radical. And don't think churches/religions do not have politics -- they can be some of the worst, because you are believing that all these people follow the same moral code that you do and they act like this in meetings, and behind the scenes. The dog world is very much the same as this -- politics, different levels of involvement. And I expect the rescue section can be more prone to this by its very nature. It appeals to people by appealing to the part of us that wants to save a critter from suffering, pain, etc.

And so, with sensitivity, and urgency, and other things I am not thinking of at this moment, like helpers -- some personality types, you are going to have an environment that is conducive to drama. 

The chances are that you see a lot of what is behind the rescue, the true nature of the people in that rescue the deeper involved you are, and also the more likely you are to be hurt by it. Rescues need people who will rescue the dogs, and they need fosters and volunteers. Unfortunately, some are unhealthy, and once you get burned by one, it is likely you don't want to be in that position ever again.

Instead of swearing off rescuing dogs, what you can do is going only so deep into helping in a helping-organization. And guarding yourself, so that you do not allow other people's unhealthiness affect your happiness.


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## Merciel (Apr 25, 2013)

sit said:


> It is so common for some shelters and some rescues to use the "euthanasia list" rallying cry.


This is true and it galls me to no end.

One of the things that I absolutely _hate_ about the rescue I volunteer for is that, frequently, the volunteers who post the Petfinder listings will copy-paste exactly what's on the original shelter post.

The original post often includes a euthanasia date, because _while the dog was in the shelter,_ it had a euth date. But by the time we pull it, the dog is safe. We're a foster-based rescue; we don't euth for space. So when _we_ put up a Petfinder listing, that particular snippet should be edited out, because it is no longer true information.

Lots of times the volunteer leaves it in there, and I am pretty sure that it's not entirely accidental. It does drive inquiries; I know because I get people emailing me desperately wanting to know whether the dog has been put down yet. And I always have to tell them that no, the dog is not actually in any danger, that's just an artifact of the original listing.

Anyway that particular thing drives me bananas so I wanted to rant about it. I've yelled at them about it before, but somehow it mysteriously never seems to get fixed.


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## LifeofRiley (Oct 20, 2011)

I can sympathize with sit/stay, RebelGSDs and Merciel's experiences. 

But, having been a recipient of actual euthanasia lists from shelters in the greater midwest and central south, I hope people reading this thread do not walk away with the impression that there are *no* dogs out there that will actually be PTS the next day. Because, there are a lot of dogs that are put down when a rescue or adopter does not step up on behalf of that dog.

I can't stand people/shelters/rescues who "cry wolf" because it takes away from those occasions where the urgency is, in fact, urgent! There are real urgent cases out there every day!


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## misslesleedavis1 (Dec 5, 2013)

Well, I dont think it will. My experience with the rescue I was part of for a year will likely not cause a chain reaction. To address another forum members post, maybe there is bullcrap at the shelters end of things too but that does not excuse the insane texts I got nor does it excuse banning me / defriending me on fb. All that seems pretty extreme for a miscommunication I think. Anyways, my thread was not aimed at how terrible rescues are. I think they are great and people should explore adoption , this rescue in particular certainly takes care of there dogs, vetting and caring for them to the fullest, its how they treated us that made me upset.

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## Merciel (Apr 25, 2013)

LifeofRiley said:


> I can't stand people/shelters/rescues who "cry wolf" because it takes away from those occasions where the urgency is, in fact, urgent! There are real urgent cases out there every day!


Yes EXACTLY!, that is precisely why it makes me so mad.

Also, to be honest, I don't want to adopt a dog out to somebody who just wants the dog because "omg gotta save it right now!!" IME, those are _typically_ not great adopters. You get a higher-than-average percentage of unstable drama chasers and hoarder types driven by the (probably genuine, but badly misguided) impulse to "save" urgent dogs at the absolute last possible second.

I want to adopt dogs out to people who have carefully considered and chosen that dog because they feel it's a good match for their homes. I don't want people acting out of some imaginary timeclock pressure.

It's just bad on every level. Graa that makes me bonkers.


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## LifeofRiley (Oct 20, 2011)

Merciel said:


> Yes EXACTLY!, that is precisely why it makes me so mad.
> 
> Also, to be honest, I don't want to adopt a dog out to somebody who just wants the dog because "omg gotta save it right now!!" IME, those are _typically_ not great adopters. You get a higher-than-average percentage of unstable drama chasers and hoarder types driven by the (probably genuine, but badly misguided) impulse to "save" urgent dogs at the absolute last possible second.
> 
> ...



I totally agree with you! The all-breed rescues that I work with, who pull dogs from local and regional shelters, do not play on people's "savior complex." At the very least, I can say that I will not allow my foster dogs to go to the first sympathetic person. I am very discerning.


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## Gretchen (Jan 20, 2011)

Stories like these make me glad I do not text or have FB.
You are wonderful for your giving nature, but in the future you should look for
more professional organizations.


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