# Frustrated! (Rant--My apologies)



## theyogachick (Aug 2, 2009)

Before I begin, please let me say that I admire anyone who rescues and/or rehabs dogs. I think that is an amazing venture and something worth applauding, and, for the most part, rescues are awesome about communicating, etc. I have even recently been added to the volunteer list at a local rescue because I love the idea so much. However...

My husband and I had recently talked about adopting a dog from a rescue (before our youngest dog sprung up with new health problems). We found a dog we both loved. Puppy, Shiba Inu/terrier mix, partially housetrained...adorable. I contacted the rescue and was told to fill out an application and contact the foster mom, so I contacted her and got no reply. I filled out the application, sent it in, was contacted by the rescue (again) and told to contact the foster mom to set up a time to meet the dog. I contacted the foster mom three times with no response. Finally, after five days of waiting, I contacted again (via text message) and was told the dog was no longer available.

So we looked again...and I found another that I liked. Puppy, neutered, gorgeous...so I contact the rescue (a different one) and was told to complete an application and send it directly to the adoption agent in charge of his case. I did, emailed the application, and asked if I could get word on if he was still even available (so we wouldn't get our hopes up). That was a week ago. No reply. Today I get onto their site and see that his adoption is "pending." So no dice for us (which may be a blessing considering recent helath developments).

My issue is this...it is heartbreaking to get your hopes up and think you will have a dog in the next week only to find out via website or text message that your potential best friend is now someone else's. It just makes me sad. 

Again, not frusutrated at the idea of rescue. Our next dog (when he/she comes) will be a rescue for sure, but I just wish more human contact was made so I wouldn't get bad news via impersonal technology. I have had my heart broken twice in a month...as crazy as that sounds. Hubby says it just wasn't meant to be, and I know he is right (if he reads this he will celebrate that I admit he is right), but it is still sad and frustrating.

Anyone else ever have this problem?


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## woofie (Dec 29, 2009)

I know what you mean, I worked with several rescue organizations over the course of about a year, trying to find a dog, posting applications and then getting little or no response. Each time we got our hopes up and were disappointed, either by lack of feedback or to find that the dog was already gone.

The good news is that we were finally lucky enough to rescue our Maya! It took multiple emails, phone conversations, visits to the Petsmart where she was being shown, two home visits and an interview with our neighbors to reference our character, but she is the best thing to ever happen to us and totally worth the wait. 

Dont give up hope! I wish you all the best!


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## Charlene (Sep 12, 2009)

i know it's frustrating but keep in mind, these places are staffed, pretty much, strictly on a volunteer basis. these people have families and jobs, for the most part, so their communications are often delayed.

having said that, i deal with great dane rescue of the ozarks and the two times i have acquired rescue dogs from them, they have been excellent about answering e-mails and phone calls! truly, they bend over backwards to make the whole process as painless as possible.

good luck in your quest!


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## pupnamedkarma (Dec 7, 2009)

We went through the same thing when we were looking for a dog. We even had our heart broken putting holds on dogs at the pound. Then we got a phone call from a family member that they took in a needy dog and needed to find a home for her. It just worked out and we are so in love with her. It will work out for you too when the situation is right. At least the dogs are being adopted out and are finding homes : ) that is they way I looked at it to feel better.


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## JSmith (Oct 13, 2009)

Besides not hearing back, my beef is that it's just too darn hard to deal with these rescue organizations. They've gone to an extreme. They've made it such a hassle that it's far easier and almost as cheap just to go to a breeder, or for those who don't know better, a pet store.

I'm tired of filling out four or five pages of detailed information and then waiting to hear nothing or that the dog is gone. And I'm not going to give out my friends' or family's personal information as references. Maybe that's why I'm not getting responses. I'm simply not going to give their information to strangers and I won't have them bothered by unwanted phone calls. If you can't tell about a family from a home visit and talking to them then I don't think you're perceptive enough to know what kind of home you're putting the dog in anyway. Obviously, a person's references are going to be coached and biased.

I'm really rooting for these organiztions, and I know these people are doing it because they want to do good by the animal, but honestly they are their own worst enemy. When the economy really gets bad (no, I don't think we've come close to seeing the worst of it) they'll have an even harder time placing these dogs with their procedures.

I'm on my last attempt at a rescue dog. If this one doesn't come through it's off to the breeder.


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## ILuvCanines (Dec 29, 2007)

theyogachick said:


> Again, not frusutrated at the idea of rescue. Our next dog (when he/she comes) will be a rescue for sure, but I just wish more human contact was made so I wouldn't get bad news via impersonal technology. I have had my heart broken twice in a month...as crazy as that sounds. Hubby says it just wasn't meant to be, and I know he is right (if he reads this he will celebrate that I admit he is right), but it is still sad and frustrating.
> 
> Anyone else ever have this problem?


I know it's frustrating, but I think your husband is right. I too am in the process of trying to find a dog from a rescue or shelter. I have contacted 3 or 4 different places, only to find they were adopted or pending. I am now interested in 2. One rescue has contacted me, the other hasn't.

These are "hard to find homes for large black long haired dogs". You would think I would have my pick wouldn't you? I am not in any way being discouraged because I firmly believe if it's meant to be it will happen.

Don't get discouraged, and please don't give up. Be happy these dogs are being adopted and finding homes instead of being one of the 5 million + who are being euthanized each year.

It'll happen, and you will say to yourself "God I'm glad I didn't get those other dogs, then I wouldn't have found (insert dogs name you adopted here)"

Keep looking--there is definitely a dog out there for you somewhere. And when you find him/her please post pictures so we can all see how lucky you are.


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## Charlene (Sep 12, 2009)

"Obviously, a person's references are going to be coached and biased."

if you're a responsible dog owner, you shouldn't have to coach your references. when i applied to rescue for my dane girls, i gave my vet, my groomer, a fellow dog owner friend, as references. i was more than happy to have them contacted. it only takes a few minutes of their time. in fact, i have been listed as a reference a time or two and was glad to be able to help friends find the perfect dog from rescue.

be patient...if it's meant to be, it'll happen. it took me a couple of months before my first perfect dane came to me from rescue.


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## ThoseWordsAtBest (Mar 18, 2009)

Chances are, if you're looking at adopting puppies, so are many other people. Those two pups were probably in the process of being adopted before you applied for them. Is it aggravating to go through the process only to find they've been adopted? Yes. But at least they've been adopted. You also have to remember that fosters aren't paid to be fosters. They still have to work and go about their lives and foster the dog. 

Don't give up on rescues because it's difficult. All four of my dogs are rescues and I can't even wrap my mind around the possibility of not having found them. It took us nearly 6 months to find Jack, and that was after being rejected for two dogs, driving two hours to meet a dog on the foster moms request to find she was already set on giving the dog to someone else (and don't think I wasn't super pissed about that. Especially after Smalls and him got along so well) and tried to pawn a dog off on us that was trying to kill Smalls the entire time. But then we found Jack and that is all that matters to me. 

And I almost passed up Jonas. So glad that other dog was adopted before we got her. Jonas is my little man.


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## theyogachick (Aug 2, 2009)

JSmith said:


> Besides not hearing back, my beef is that it's just too darn hard to deal with these rescue organizations. They've gone to an extreme. They've made it such a hassle that it's far easier and almost as cheap just to go to a breeder, or for those who don't know better, a pet store.


I do agree with the paperwork thing. Don't get me wrong...I get why they do it, but I can tell you I have filled out 4 applications in the last 3 months, and they take a long time. And of the 4 applications, I have only heard back on one of them. I emailed on woman about a puppy we had applied for like 4 times in 24 hours. She and I exchanged emails, she provided me with information, etc. and told me she would get back to me when the puppies went for their vet visit last week. I never heard anything...only to find out that the puppies are at a Petsmart today. 

On the bright side: In December, I applied for a dog who has tugged at my heart. Hubby agreed to meet him and we did on December 18th, but the dog had come from the vet and was sedated...not the best first meeting. TJ did not like him, couldn't understand why I was interested, etc. So I emailed the rescue and said we were not interested. Yesterday, TJ and I talked about it again and he agreed that he didn't give the dog a fair chance, so I contacted the rescue. He is still available, so we are meeting him again (with our boys this time) to see where we go from here. If this one does not work out, I will not be looking for a while because it is emotionally exhausting, but I at least feel good about how this is going so far.

And I am happy that the dogs are being adopted...I never want pets to suffer a poor fate  I am just emotional when it comes to dogs.


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## BooLette (Jul 11, 2009)

I wish you the best of luck. I know how you feel. You would think that it would be easier with how many dogs are being euthanized every day.


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## Northern_Inuit_Luv (Aug 26, 2009)

Ah that stinks! I've been trying to foster a dog, been trying for almost two months now. On December 2nd I was told they would call me the next day to set up a home check....and I still haven't heard from the guy. I've talked to the actual rescue almost weekly, and they just keep saying they've talked to him, and he'll call me this week. The last email I had was 12/22, when they told me that I would hear from them after christmas...still nothing...and I'm done nagging them to do it. If they are this bad at getting a hold of possible new fosters, what does that say about interested adopters?


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## JSmith (Oct 13, 2009)

Charlene said:


> "when i applied to rescue for my dane girls, i gave my vet, my groomer, a fellow dog owner friend, as references. i was more than happy to have them contacted. it only takes a few minutes of their time. in fact, i have been listed as a reference a time or two and was glad to be able to help friends find the perfect dog from rescue.


With a name and matching phone number I could get more information on someone then they can imagine. You get all the right pieces and identity scams would be possible. I don't want to be the one responsible for that.

Besides, my references would be guys. And guys generally don't like phone calls that don't start with "You just won the lottery", no matter what they tell you. 

I did give my vet's office information.

I've always stumbled onto my previous dogs from friends or neighbors. So myself and every person I've talked to about the rescue adoption process have been stunned by the hassle. Going from "Here, have a dog" to the same level of scrutiny I went through when I applied for a job that required secrecy credentials is a little bit much. 

Realistically, you have to look at anything from a cost/benefit perspective. If your goal is primarily to help a rescue dog or to save a little money (which is debatable aftering seeing some of the adoption prices) then maybe you won't mind the hassle. But if you primarily just want a dog, you won't. I'd like to help a dog, but primarily I just want a dog. Unlike a good breeder's dog, I'm willing to risk the cost of not knowing a rescue dog's genetic history. But not with the additional cost of the adoption hassle.

I like dogs because they relieve the stress from life's everyday hassles. I don't want the dog to become one of those hassles.


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## .308 (Jul 26, 2009)

Hang in there. As previsouly mentioned, many of these organizations are utilizing volunteers only and have full time jobs elseware. I'm not trying to justify the lack of communication coming into you, but I do know sometimes it's a two way street.

Rescue organizations are just like any other company in the U.S today run by people. Some are good, some not so good. Some have rules and procedures that are followed, some don't have many rules and procedures that are rarely followed.



> Obviously, a person's references are going to be coached and biased.


Ironically enough, some personal references have come back to us that told us they (the persons reference) felt that the potential adoptive family wouldn't make a good home for an animal.



> With a name and matching phone number I could get more information on someone then they can imagine. You get all the right pieces and identity scams would be possible


You got us figured out. We set up a 501c3, have monthly meetings with a board of directors, attend fundraising events and adminster funds and food to people in need just so we can run identity scams when we feel like it.

One should at least know what organization they are dealing with and do a little research on the organization.



> I did give my vet's office information


Personal references are taken with a grain of salt IMO. Your vet info is more of a "litmus test" IMO. 



> Going from "Here, have a dog"


One issue, where do you draw the line on what one would consider a "good forever home"? 



> I'm tired of filling out four or five pages of detailed information and then waiting to hear nothing or that the dog is gone.


I'd be curious to see a 4 or 5 page questionaire (are there a lot of open ended questions?)

Ours is about 2 pages, about 25 questions.

General rule, you make contact about an animal, you get contacted within 24 hours with all your questions answered.

However, as mentioned, communication is a two way street. It's always fun to get up early on a Saturday morning and drive an animal two hours one way for a home visit, only to have the family "forget" that they were meeting you and they "forgot" to tell you that they already found a dog for their family, only to find the SAME family six months later looking for another dog (go figure).

As mentioned, we do use a questionaire, we do ask for both a vet reference and personal reference. Contact us Monday and if everything works out paperwork wise and home visit wise, the dog should be in your onwership no later than seven days. May not be as quick as some would like, but considering we have real jobs that take up 40 hours a week, not sure what you'd expect (seen way too many bad things happen with "same day adoptions").

Keep in mind, you even have people who frequent here on this forum that posts...



> A lot of people like mixed breeds,because most of the time,they're cheap and people are eager to get rid of them.But there's some mixed breeds that are really cool looking. I've had several over the years and one of the favorite one I've ever seen was one puppy that my dog had. I had a female Bull Mastiff,that had a English Bulldog face.She mated with a black Chow.One of the puppies was really cool looking.She was all black,and had a blackish/blueish tounge,and looked like a baby Bull Mastiff.I wished I would've kept her but I gave them all away.I've also seen some down right ugly mixed breeds,but that's for another post.What's the coolest mixed breed you've ever saw?


The question is, how do you determine who these people are LOL


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## JSmith (Oct 13, 2009)

.308 said:


> You got us figured out. We set up a 501c3, have monthly meetings with a board of directors, attend fundraising events and adminster funds and food to people in need just so we can run identity scams when we feel like it.


And BTK was president of his church .

My point is, you can't trust anyone who is a stranger with that kind of information.

I've been in computer application development for 30 years and Enterprise Web application development for almost 15. So I know my way around this stuff. I've taken steps to protect myself from identity theft. But I simply won't give out other people's personal information.





.308 said:


> One issue, where do you draw the line on what one would consider a "good forever home"?


A home visit and talking to the family. If you're even average at reading people that should be plenty.




.308 said:


> I'd be curious to see a 4 or 5 page questionaire (are there a lot of open ended questions?)


Yes. 


Just for the heck of it, I googled "dog adoption application form". Here are the first two non-Word or -PDF documents from the first page. These seem to be typical of the ones I've filled out.

Example 1

Example 2


I'm going to give the last rescue organization I applied to until the end of this week. It seems that all rescue organizations I've seen require about the same level of hassle and unintended endangerment of personal information, so I won't be applying to any others.

When supply (rescue dogs) far exceeds demand (people who want rescue dogs) you need to figure out a way to make that supply disappear and/or the demand increase while still keeping your quality controls in place. I hope that some day most rescue organizations figure out how to do this. I agree with you when you say "Rescue organizations are just like any other company in the U.S today run by people". People are extremely fallible, and I'm used to that, so I'm not upset by it. I'm just going to deal with it the same way I deal with companies that cause me hassle. I'm going to find another source for what I want.

I really am an exceptional dog owner. I spoil them and I spare no expense. I spent almost $20,000 last year on my last dog's medical bills and I don't regret a penny of it. So unfortunately some rescue dog may miss out on a great home simply because they got "rescued?" by an organization that hasn't figured out how to efficiently match the right dog with the right family.

I know they mean well. But for the good of the dogs they've got to make the process less of a hassle.


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## auntiedeb99 (Feb 3, 2010)

Perhaps when you find a rescue group that usually has the kind of dog your looking for, e-mail them first, telling them a shortened version of the above story. That you have filled out multiple, detailed apps and not gotten any contact back from other rescue groups. Include a short summary of your pet owning history. Then let them know that you will only fill out the app if adoption is imminent---one due to privacy concerns and two due to not wanting to waste time.

Or, instead of combing petfinder ads and falling in love with pups on there, go to an adoption event at a local Petsmart or Petco, where you can see exactly what is available within a local rescue organization. Or, go to your local Animal Control---they usually don't require extensive applications and they tend to be less expensive than foster-based rescue groups.

For my recent experience, I found a dog on petfinder that I fell in love with (sound familiar?), I went to that rescue's Petsmart adoption event and that specific dog wasn't there. In fact, the only dogs available were unsuitable for our family. So I gave up and went to get my haircut next door to a local PetCo. Lo and behold, another rescue group was set up there! And they had just received a returned dog who's owner had to move. That was Tucker, who fits marvelously into our house.

My point is, turn off the computer and go meet rescue groups and dogs face-to-face. Or just go to your local animal shelter. There are almost always cute puppies available. 

Good Luck!

Deb A.


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## KarenJG (Jan 31, 2010)

In my view, any experience with any rescue is absolutely the rescue's responsibility. No excuses for your experience are sufficient. Yes, they're staffed by volunteers, but the group either has a policy of timely response, or they don't. If they don't, that's the rescue's fault. If they do, and one of their foster parents isn't following the rescue's policy, that, again, is the rescue's responsibility. Not the potential adopter's.

I'm proud of the rescue I volunteer with - they have a strict "48 hour contact" rule, and usually respond to an inquiry within 24 hours. And every call that comes in is reported to the whole group, so if somebody isn't following policy, it soon becomes evident. New fosters are mentored by experienced volunteers until they feel they can handle the adoption process themselves. They are excruciatingly honest about any problems a dog might have,and further, are scrupulous about pointing out that they might not KNOW about all of a dog's problems. Etc, etc, etc.

I don't say all that to brag, but to explain why I get absolutely incensed when I hear about rescue experiences like yours. Those groups are giving ALL rescues, including the one I'm so proud to be a part of, a bad name, and I hate them for it!

The group I volunteer with is the one I adopted two of my three furkids from (and the third was one of my fosters with that group). If I had to start from scratch though, I'd advise anyone looking for a rescued dog to adopt to find the GROUP you like, first, and tell them what kind of a dog you're looking for. Not just because they might know if they have such a dog, but because when the pullers go to the shelters, they might keep your interests in mind. Of course, they can't pull a dog they don't have a foster home for, just IN CASE you like it, but it could factor in. Not everybody can, or wants to, wait for a rescue group they like to find a dog they like, but, if you do have the time, it would be a far better experience. And it would give GOOD rescue groups more "traffic" so they can rescue more dogs.


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## TxRider (Apr 22, 2009)

.308 said:


> You got us figured out. We set up a 501c3, have monthly meetings with a board of directors, attend fundraising events and adminster funds and food to people in need just so we can run identity scams when we feel like it.
> 
> One should at least know what organization they are dealing with and do a little research on the organization.


Snarky answer, but answer me this?

Do you also accept credit cards for the adoption fee and take copy of a photo ID or DL number?

That means you have address, age, DL#, CC# and some even want your SSN.

More than enough to rip off an identity.

Now answer me this...

Are all volunteers checked with a criminal background check? 

What is volunteer turnover like?

How securely is this information stored? Who has access to it?



Those are question I have to answer, and certify, as well as having a 3rd party certify, for my business to make sure nobody gets their identity stolen.


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## JSmith (Oct 13, 2009)

Thanks for the response.

I did look into the pet adoption events at PetCo and PetSmart, but it seemed like the different organizations were spaced throughout the day and unless they had pictures on Petfinder you wouldn't know what was going to show up. That's fine for people who just want a dog, but I was looking at particular breeds at not too old of an age. None of the organizations listed had any pictures of the breeds at the right age I was interested in.

As for the shelters, I checked the Web sites for all the county and state shelters within 50 miles and didn't see any of the breeds I was looking for. It seems my local shelters are mostly full of pit bulls.

A couple of weeks ago I got a dog from a breeder instead.


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## theyogachick (Aug 2, 2009)

Wow. Lots of people have lots to say.

I know my original post was full of anger and frustration, but I can tell you that things have calmed down and worked out for the best for me.

Hubby and I are still not rescue dog owners, but one of our dogs got very sick and (sadly) we have to have him put down last week, so maybe the universe was trying to tell me that we wouldn't have the energy for a new dog right now.

Plus, I have found a local rescue organization that I love...and I am now a volunteer there. They were great about communication when my husband and I contacted them and I am still in contact with the woman who is fostering the dog we were (and are still somewhat) interested in. 

Hubby and I know that the right dog is waiting for us and we will find him (or he will find us). This whole experience has taught us patience.


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