Just wondering about rescues???

[tinies12]

How do you know if a rescue is legit? What do you look for? Who can you trust when dealing with one? We researched the Springer breeder's and found a great one mind you too us for ever!!! I can only assume that rescues are the same. Good and bad?

[bubbatd]

I believe the safest for both Breeders and Rescues are through your State's Breed Clubs.

[Rosefern]

1. Rescue groups should be registered as a non-profit organization, have a trade name, or a business bank account.

2. For PUREBRED rescue, the rescue should be affiliated with the National, Regional, and/or State breed club.

3. Dogs should be examined by a certified, licensed vet, and given the necessary vaccinations and medical treatments. You should be able to contact the vet, and obtain medical records. They should require you to get the dog checked out by your veterinarian within a certain amount of time, not longer then thirty (30) days.

4. All dogs should be spayed/neutered before adoption, unless they are medically unable (from injury or old age) to withstand the anesthesia. Our rescue group doesn't allow unaltered puppies to be adopted. For a rescue group that does, they should have a clause in the contract stating that the dog must be altered by a certain age. Some put in a spay/neuter deposit at time of adoption of a certain amount, which will be refunded when they recieve proof of altering.

5. The dog should be placed in a foster home to evaluate temperament and personality. If this isn't possible, the dog should be safely and humanely temperament tested by a trained professional. This is ESSENTIAL in all breeds, not just "bully breeds". All dogs should be tested to see how they respond to other dogs (both male and female), cats, small animals, and people (both male and female, of different races).

6. A reputable rescue will ask you to fill out an application about your lifestyle and pet ownership history. Some conduct a home visit, some don't. We do home visits for certain dogs, and not for others.

7. They should make you sign an adoption contract. In the contract, they should state that they will take the dog back if you don't want it.

8. The rescue group should let you have a copy of every piece of paperwork that you sign.

9. The group should let you see where the dogs are kept, even if they're in a foster home.

10. Ask where the dog came from, and his history. The rescue should hold nothing back. They should tell you both his good and bad traits and habits. Accept that in some cases, the group doesn't know.

11. The rescue group should be knowlegeable about the dogs breed, especially in the case of purebreed rescue. Even in the case of all-breed, they should know the breeds traits and overall personality, and know how this particular dog compares.

And lastly, congrats for looking into saving a dog's life!

Good luck!

-Rosefern

[adoptashelterpettoday]

There are quite a few good springer rescues.

Some rescues are bad, some are terrific. Like good breeders though it is easy to tell if you talk to them a couple of times.

[daaqa]

a good rescue should NEVER guilt trip you or try to push a dog on you. no one who actually cares about humans and dogs will want the wrong dog in the wrong home.

keep in mind, however, that great dogs can be found at horrible rescues/shelters. some awesome friends of mine were treated like irresponsible scum of the earth by shelter staff. they ignored the treatment because they were determined to adopt rather than buy from a pet store or byb. and their dog is a perfect match for their family.

i wouldn't recommend going to a crappy rescue/shelter if you aren't dog experienced, though!

[SharkyX]

state owned and operated ones or ones affiliated with the state SPCA would work.

I got my rescue from the Ottawa Humane Society, which is affiliated with the OSPCA.
I had to fill out 3 pages of 8x14 forms and bring all my roommates to meet the dog before I was allowed to bring her home.
They also gave free microchip, she came spayed and with 6 weeks of pet insurance for a trial.

You can generally tell by how your treated and the hoops you have to jump through to adopt the animal.
My general thought is that if you can walk in off the street and say "I want that one" and they give it to you without any questions asked... probably not the best place.

[SpringerDog]

We just adopted a dog through a Springer rescue group this past weekend. It was a good experience for us. We filled out an application online. We were sent an email with a contact person's phone number to call. That person conducted an interview over the phone with me. We were then given the number of the the animal coordinator. I left a message for her and she called me back. She had a long conversation with me, getting a feel for what I wanted and skillfully guided me to a great dog. We called the current owners and talked to them and set up a time to see the dog. If we liked him we could take him home, or think about it, or decide he wasn't the dog for us. We were sent a picture and given a history for him by the coordinator. I was given the dog's complete vet records from the first owners and a copy of the breeder's contract when we took him home.
We had a Springer for 14 years, so the rescue people knew we understood the breed. I had the impression that owning a Springer before, speeded things up considerably. This group does not have adoption fees, they made that real clear, they take only donations for their rescue operations. They have dogs in foster care, usually rescued from shelters, and ones being relinquished by their owners. Once a rescue, always a rescue is the rule for this group. If we had to give this dog up for whatever reason in the future, he goes back to them. These people care. :)
~Rhonda