Mending the Rescue Wall

http://www.honestdog.com/2012/02/02/mending-the-rescue-wall/

I wanted to share this article because, while it is another article about how rescues can be too stringent in their adoption requirements, the article also presents it from the rescue's point of view. I think this article is a good read.

I have to admit, I've not had a problem with a shelter or a rescue since my Mom and I were turned down for a kitten because we lived in the wrong county some twenty-something years ago. All of my adoptions of pets (5 of them) have gone pretty smoothly.

I think that article does hit a very important point, though I wish it would highlight it more. That point is that this question should be asked: "Is there some way we can make this work?"

Because I think what really sends people off the deep end and leads to real feelings of injustice is when there is some absolute, arbitrary rule, such as "no fenced yard, no dog" or "any intact animals, no cat." The prospective owner points out that they run marathons and excercise for 3 hours every day, and they are still told no dog (or they want to adopt an elderly basset, or . . .). The prospective owner has a SAR dog, or an animal with an anesthesia allergery, or (god forbid!) is a breeder, and they can't have an animal . .. even of another species. Or you have kids, therefore you can't have a large dog. At all. Ever.

Its one thing to flag such things as issues that need to be discussed in an interview. Its another to make them absolute bars.

For example, there was an uncomfortable moment when we were adopting Shadow, the younger of our cats. Just that morning we had had put down Bago, another cat, at the age of 11 due to kidney failure. We listed on our application for Shadow that we had lost a cat at 11. The adoption counselor looked at that and said . . ."Eleven? That's younger than we would prefer . . ." Mike responded "He died of chronic renal failure. This morning." "Oh! I'm terribly sorry. That's different." End of discussion, and we walked out with Shadow. She had a right to ask (it was young) . . . but she needed to ask, not make assumptions, which she did, and found out that there was little or nothing we could have done for Bago. That's how these things should go.

This was a good read. I understand why certain rules are placed but like she said. Intact female dog means no neutered male cat? Different SPECIES. They cannot breed. Does not make sense.

Rescues need to put their attention towards things that actually matter instead of blanket rules. Does it truly matter my dog is intact if I want to adopt a fixed cat? No. That's just plain old silly and makes no logical sense.

I invite people who think rescues should do this-and-that should spend some time and volunteer with rescue - see how it works from the other side - there is often much more conversation on the "back end" than the applicant ever sees. Often times it isn't just a blanket denial or approval.

I have spent time with rescue, lots of time, and I have seen how it works on the other side. I can tell you, because I've seen it with my OWN EYES, that there are a lot of power-hungry closed-minded snobby people in rescue. People who deny people because they CAN, not because there's truly a good reason. Yes it is understandable that a rescue might be a bit picky who they adopt to when they've put time and love into an animal, but there are an awful lot of people out there who act with their own interests in mind, not what's best for the animals.

I've seen people exercise this control in other ways as well. At the rescue shelter there are dogs who sit there forever because they are difficult to handle, so nobody wants to adopt them. A good rescue SHOULD be training these dogs and making them more adoptable. In fact, some years ago the instituting of a training program was attempted, but it was nixed by people in power who thought it was "cruel" to have dogs be trained during their "walk time". But apparently it's not cruel to leave these dogs in kennels forever. Okay then. What I'd like to see is a network of experienced foster homes who can take dogs who have been there too long and get them trained so that people will want them. Its incredibly hard to work on training at the shelter because so many people handle these dogs and bad behaviors are constantly reinforced. I cringe every time I see a person stuff a treat in a dog's maw as it jumps up on them, clawing them with both paws.

I have helped out at rescues a lot. There are a lot of times when someone is turned away for a legit reason and they get angry and complain. I totally understand those.

But I have also been there when someone with a god complex decides that they want the power to tell a perfectly good family no. And that doesn't hurt anyone but the animal who was about to get a loving family.