# Best shelters to get a rescue



## Rinchan (Jan 4, 2011)

Ok I've been searching around for shelters and I've noticed some things about some.

I came across one that would only allow visitors by appointment. Why would that be? I've always heard not to get a dog from a breeder if you had to make an appointment to see the dogs

Another one, would not give adoptees full custody. They would come check on the dog once a year to see how it is being taken care of, and would repossess the dog if they did not approve.

Someone I know was also denied adoption from a shelter because she was 22 years old. Even though requirements to adopt from the shelter is 21, and she had a job, her own house with a yard, and a stable home environment.

So what is your opinion on these shelters? Are these rules and conditions good? Or should I stay away from them?

Also, random, but I have never technically owned my own dog before. Mine had all been family dogs and my parents are the ones that bought the food and paid the vet bills so I guess the dogs would technically be theirs. If shelters are asking for a vet reference to see if I keep up to date on shots, what should I do? Do I need to provide the vet that my parents go to?

And finally, how do I evaluate a shelter? Like how would I know which one is a good place to get a dog from? Are there any red flags I should watch out for? (I don't want to get a dog and be lied to about it's health condition or it's temperment) And I wouldn't return the dog if such a thing happened, I just don't want to be totally unprepared to deal with it or be blindsided by finding it out.


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## Bones (Sep 11, 2009)

Is that the vet you would use? When I adopted my first dog I just used my grandmother's vet. Though he knew me since I had brought her animals there on occasion. I know some shelters are not fully staffed all day- so they do appointments so they know when they need to have someone there to introduce the animals (this may be the reason IDK). Every shelter differs honestly.


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## brandiw (Jan 20, 2010)

I'm wondering if the by appointment visits are for dogs from a rescue instead of a shelter? I know the rescue I volunteer with doesn't have a shelter, we are a collection of foster homes, so all of our animals have to be seen by appointment. As for never fully having ownership of the dog, I would not get a dog from a place like that. That is a ridiculous requirement, and one that most shelters/rescues do not have.

As for age being a disqualification, it isn't for my rescue, but all rescues are different. As for shelters, shelters are normally easier to adopt from than rescues; they tend to have more lax policies. That isn't the case everywhere, but I have found it generally to be true.

The rescue I volunteer with also asks for vet information. If you have never owned a dog before, we just always ask if you know of vets in the area and if you have one picked out to use. We just want to make sure that you have thought about vet care for your new dog. You have to start somewhere!

As for deciding which shelter/rescue to go with, I think that one deciding factor would be their policies. Are their policies something you can live with and abide by? Also, know that in some instances, a rescue will know more about the personality of the dog than a shelter will. For the most part, rescues tend to have foster homes who have lived with the dogs and can tell you all about their quirks, that isn't typical of shelters (at least in my area). Also, dogs don't always show their true colors in shelter situations. It is stressful for them there, and they don't always act like their typical self. Issues can crop up once they are comfortable and settled in their new home. Also, not all shelters have funds for medical care, so not all animals from a shelter will have their shots or have medical issues taken care of, nor will all shelters have an estimate as to the age of the dog. IME, good rescues always have the medical care aspect taken care of, and have spoken with the vet to get a good age estimate (of course, it is always an estimate).

There are many great dogs at the shelter; my dog Heather was a shelter dog and she is fabulous. There are also many good shelters who take care of things like medical care, behavior evals, etc (the shelter I pull from doesn't do these things). I think you need to decide what is most important to you - i.e. medical stuff being taken care of, knowing approximate age, behavior, and make sure that the shelter/rescue that you do decide to go through does those things.


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