# Appropriate questions for a rescue to ask



## Rinchan (Jan 4, 2011)

My friend, after hearing from me wanting to eventually rescue a dog, tried to fill out an application for a cat from a rescue.

She was a bit overwhelmed by some of the questions she was asked. They wanted to see a deed to her house, a pay stub, they asked her several questions about her life, about her parents, about her employer, her siblings, her friends, her hobbies, her yearly income, her schooling and how well she performed in her classes. They also wanted 3-5 non family references.

Finally, they told her that they were concerned about her age (23) and that she might have children in the near future despite the fact that she is not currently dating and has never dated before. She also does not want children because she is the oldest of seven and has and still is helping her mother to raise kids. They were also concerned about her working a 40 hour week. She mentioned that the woman that interviewed her did speak in a very condescending manner.

So my question. What are appropriate questions for a rescue to ask potential adopters? Which questions are not appropriate to ask and should be an indication to go to another rescue?

And I know that the rescues just want their animals to go to a good home and I am sure they have a reason for asking all these questions. I always figured that I'd go through the SPCA. If someone asks me about my hobbies, my answer could be a little awkward


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

Um, yeah, some rescues go a bit overboard. Or a lot overboard. If someone isn't comfortable with that level of screening, there are plenty of rescues that aren't that demanding, and most kill shelters aren't picky at all. Lots of options out there  .


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## lil_fuzzy (Aug 16, 2010)

Sounds a bit over the top to me. When I wanted to adopt my two dogs (from two different shelters) I was asked about who lives in my household, age of children if we had any, size of property, type of fencing, other pets, how many hours per week we work. That was the same for both of them, but the shelter where I got my second dog also asked what type of activities I would want to with the dog and if I would have the means and intention to care for the animals when it reaches old age with all the extra medical stuff that involves.

But personally I think it was the good dialogue I had with the foster carer at the second shelter that made her give me the first pick of the puppy in question. We had already emailed back and forth several times about breed characteristics, my concerns, what type of training I was into, when she finally decided to send through the application form to me, and I got the impression she only sent that because it was a formal requirement for the shelter, not because she was worried about how capable I was. I got the impression she was already keen on giving me the puppy before I filled out the form.


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## storysunfolding (Aug 26, 2008)

There's a whole gauntlet when it comes to rescues. I just recently "adopted" right after new years. Some rescue's were fairly relaxed. They simply asked a few questions about my knowledge of dogs, expectations and their expectations of care. Other rescue's were more draconian covering a wide range of topics: income, time at home, commute from home, dog knowledge (they grilled me worse than at my dissertation defense!), dog expectations, lifestyle, lengths and number of past relationships, and more personal details. Each one also had contracts on how I was to treat the animal with numerous conditions that would result in my giving up the animal, and paying a $500 fine. One even refused to deal with me because I'm not a stay at home or retired person and I lived more than 15 miles from the rescue.

I chose a rescue that fell a little in the middle. I almost chose not to adopt from that rescue but I built a strong bond with my little Bada. However, I did receive legal council on the contract. While a little overbearing, my lawyer informed me that most of their conditions aren't enforceable given inherent contradictions, terms used and the nuances of contract law. Still, since I never plan to abandon, starve or beat my dog I can't see a rescue utilizing their limited resources to go head to head with me in court.

So yeah, it's surprising what some groups find to be "reasonable" questions and terms. Luckily for your friend while unfortunate at a macroscopic level, there are plenty of homeless animals out there in shelters, rescues and on the streets. Plenty of opportunity to find the perfect companion.


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## BmoreBruno (Jan 19, 2011)

I can't believe she was applying for a cat and they were concerned about her working full time! That is just ridiculous! When I was applying for a dog 2 months ago it was REALLY hard to find a rescue who would let me have a dog! I feel like I'm a stable, responsible adult that wants to give a dog a loving home and part of that includes working full time. It made me understand why people sometimes go to back yard breeders or pet stores. I finally found a rescue that offered "same day adoptions" and didn't require that I actually fill out the application. They ended up being rather shady, but now I have a dog and we're both happier.  In general it would be easier to get one from a shelter than a rescue and that's what I plan to do in the future, but this time around wasn't possible for me due to my current roommate situation. The shelters wouldn't allow me to adopt without my roommate also meeting the dog and I just kept missing out on great dogs because she wasn't immediately available to come to the shelter.

Sorry that was just a rant and didn't really answer your question. I found that a lot of the rescues in this area use the same application. A couple had made up their own, ridiculous 10 page applications that I regret filling out. After you look at a couple of apps, you'll see what the standard questions are. Basically they only want to adopt to unemployed, sterile, people with a fenced in back yard. Sorry if you don't fit that description. ;-)


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## Rinchan (Jan 4, 2011)

Yeah she is now going to the SPCA. She is heartbroken that she couldn't take that cat. And she would have been a perfect candidate. She's grown up with animals and her mother is a vet so vet bills would not be that costly for her. And she said that the actual rescue site was pretty gross and smelled pretty bad. Also, ironically enough, apparently the owner has young kids...

Are these rescues really doing animals a favor by denying qualified people for working or possibly having kids in the future? I mean, they could save so many more animals. I assume most people that want to rescue are out to save an animals life and if things don't work out between the new animal and owner then couldn't the owner just return the animal? Though maybe I'm just naive on this.


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## BmoreBruno (Jan 19, 2011)

I know, I've asked myself the same questions. I can imagine that a lot of dogs are returned to rescues so they want to make sure they are adopting to forever homes, but I doubt there was much scientific research invested in developing the applications and they are rejecting perfectly good candidates based on personal prejudices. I think someone should spend some time developing an application that is actually an accurate predictor of who will keep a dog forever. Because if people are still returning dogs to rescues and they wouldn't adopt to me, they are obviously doing a poor job screening. ;-)


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## doggiecrossing (Jan 13, 2011)

Seems a bit much, I have fostered for different rescues and I have never seen that intense of a screening. SPCA is an excellent choice.


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## Rinchan (Jan 4, 2011)

BmoreBruno said:


> I know, I've asked myself the same questions. I can imagine that a lot of dogs are returned to rescues so they want to make sure they are adopting to forever homes, but I doubt there was much scientific research invested in developing the applications and they are rejecting perfectly good candidates based on personal prejudices. I think someone should spend some time developing an application that is actually an accurate predictor of who will keep a dog forever. Because if people are still returning dogs to rescues and they wouldn't adopt to me, they are obviously doing a poor job screening. ;-)


Yeah I feel the same way. These people reject perfectly good candidates then become upset that people are still going to back yard breeders, pet shops, and puppy mills. I know people that have just "given up" on rescues. Someone I know was asked to get a background check before adopting, years ago. He followed through and still got rejected for having a 40 hour a week job :/

Not to say that all rescues are bad, some are quite wonderful and really do try their best to find homes for animals. And I am not all all opposed to house checks, and SOME information. But some rescues just come off as glorified hoarders :/


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## sandydj (Sep 27, 2010)

That sounds way over the top. My local AHS , where I got my two , is reasonable. They ask you who is home during the day ..if nobody is home they ask you how you will contain your pet and make sure he is occupied while you are at work . They ask to see permission from your landlord if you rent , and a deed to your house to show you are telling the truth that you own. They ask about a fenced in yard , if answer is no , they ask if you will be willing and able to walk your pet several times during the day. They ask about small children and other pets. They ask to meet the family if you have kids and pets..to make sure everything looks on the up and up and everyone gets along. 

That is the extent of it.


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## BmoreBruno (Jan 19, 2011)

sandydj, I wish that had been my experience because I would have been able to answer all of those questions. I wish the foster care system for children was as thorough as the applications I filled out for a dog!


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## myahele (Nov 6, 2010)

i think them wanting to know the # of past relationships is a too personal because what's that got to do with being a good owner?

When I was looking to adopt, most rescue adoption applications asked for vet refs, types of pets got, whether i owned or rent, etc. Nothing personal except that most wanted an home inspection.

However, I didn't like the whole adoption process and I decided that dealing with an individual is faster and less stressful.

So I posted a detailed and well-thought out ad on craigslist and I eventually found my dream puppy! The original owner gave him to me for free and came with all his belongings because her dog hated the puppy.


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## dantero (Feb 2, 2011)

Rinchan said:


> Yeah she is now going to the SPCA. She is heartbroken that she couldn't take that cat. And she would have been a perfect candidate. She's grown up with animals and her mother is a vet so vet bills would not be that costly for her. And she said that the actual rescue site was pretty gross and smelled pretty bad. Also, ironically enough, apparently the owner has young kids...


Considering the state of the rescue facilities, I'd question the legitimacy of the organization. Your friend basically provided these people with everything they need to know for a nice case of identity theft. Especially if she showed them a pay stub. Might be time to run the occasional credit report, just to keep an eye on things.

Even if this rescue was legit, as soon as they started asking those questions I would have told them "none of your business" and if that's a problem for them, I'd leave. There are plenty of other places you can adopt a pet from.


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## Taryn (Feb 9, 2011)

dantero said:


> Considering the state of the rescue facilities, I'd question the legitimacy of the organization. Your friend basically provided these people with everything they need to know for a nice case of identity theft. Especially if she showed them a pay stub. Might be time to run the occasional credit report, just to keep an eye on things.
> 
> Even if this rescue was legit, as soon as they started asking those questions I would have told them "none of your business" and if that's a problem for them, I'd leave. There are plenty of other places you can adopt a pet from.


I too wouldn't have answered that many questions since that sounds like a good way to steal someone's identity.

I too have seen the rescues refusing to adopt to people with children(some would disqualify me for having an 8 year old), one said no children under 18, which I find beyond belief, they also said if they find out you have children living with you they would take the dog. I skipped those and others with weird requirements. I can understand that certain dogs and children are bad but to blanket refuse to adopt to people with children, especially older children, just boggles my mind. 

The one we ended up going to let us take Dex for a week to try him out. Our neighbor has been friends with the owner of the rescue forever which helped since once we got her glowing reference we were in the clear(Mitzi had talked about us due to our 50 million feral cats.OK, not really, the hoarder lives up the street, but at one point we had 15 kittens and 4 adults, we're down to 5 cats total outside.) They bypassed home visits and everything else since they know Mitzi will keep an eye on things and would let her know if we were doing the dog wrong(which we wouldn't.)

They too had issues with long work hours and won't adopt if the animal(well the dogs mainly) will spend 40 hours a week alone. Paul is retired and I'm unemployed so no issues with work. They also made sure since we didn't have a fenced in yard if we were willing to walk him on a leash. Of course we were. They also had a few that said weren't good with children(not Dex) that they were pointing out and I said I had an 8 year old and they said they considered children to be at most 4 years old(and they do adopt to people with children, given the dog/cat isn't labeled as not good with children.) 

Taryn


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## WildHearts (Dec 18, 2010)

Wow, I would say, like most people here, that's too much. I adopted my dog from a pomeranian rescue CA and I live in ID and they didn't ask super personal questions like this. The lady was very nice and they had no problem shipping the dog to me. 
So not all rescues are like this but I still think on a whole rescues are my picky then shelters, it took me a while to find one that would work with me. Just keep looking you'll find the right place and dog.


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## osdbmom (Feb 15, 2011)

this is really scary to me. We bought zoey but that was bc she was our first dog and we didnt know anything about rescues. I had checked the local shelter and there were no dogs that worked with my allergies/asthma. we'd like to get a second dog, and I had hoped to rescue this time. But the applications are scary. Some places wont let me adopt a dog if I dont promise to feed it a special diet, like BARF. Or bc my yard isnt fenced. Or bc two of my kids are under 12 (14, 13, 10, 8) even though they are great with animals, have been taught to be kind and careful esp with small dogs, and our current dog is 12 lbs and they are good with her. Some wont let me even see an application if I ask first about the cost....well, if I have only a certain amount I can spend, what is the point of going to fall in love with a dog that is way over my budget? some wont let me see a dog if I need to hold it first to see if it sets off my asthma.(well, Id rather bring home a dog to stay, not have to return it bc I cant breathe). It does feel frustrating and Im scared I wont be approved when we do apply.....and not bc we are a loving family who would be great pet parents.


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## Fuzzy Pants (Jul 31, 2010)

osdbmom: You might want to search several different shelters and pick out 3 you like and apply for them and see which one you get approved for. Different shelters here in MI have different levels of strictness in the adoption process. There was a 1 year old and a 5 year old dog I was interested in at Homeward Bound Rescue. A week after I applied for the 1 year old they finally got back to me to let me know they'd decided to place it with a family with kids. Two weeks later they still haven't gotten back to me about the 5 year old Shih Tzu. So I applied for a puppy at Last Day Dog Rescue that my husband thought was cute even though I wanted an older dog and now we have a home visit scheduled for Tuesday and if that goes well then we'll get to keep the puppy. If it falls through then I'll just keep checking back at the Humane Society of Huron Valley to see if they have any non-pitbull mixes I might be interested in. HSHV also partners with Petango where you can sign up and select which breed/age you are interested in and then select to receive notifications when one becomes available. Otherwise, whenever my husband and I take a roadtrip we might just make pitstops at shelters in every town till we find what we're looking for.


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## osdbmom (Feb 15, 2011)

Is it that little black dog? Oh, I hope you can get him.....he looks so lovable


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## Fuzzy Pants (Jul 31, 2010)

Apparently, the adoption event at Petco was a success. Good for the rescue but not for me. A lot of people put in apps for Moke, the cute little black Brussels puppy so they are still reviewing apps. I'm burnt out on filling out adoption forms, waiting and then being turned down or never responded to so I'm just going to wait until summer when the shelters are usually overflowing.


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## osdbmom (Feb 15, 2011)

I have another question. When we start to look for our next dog....maybe this summer....Im wondering how picky they are about financial resources. Lets say we find a dog at an adoption event, or on petfinder, and apply through a rescue. We have a home that we own with a large yard in a good neighborhood. Four kids who are older-ish, a current puppy that has all she needs and more, good vet care, we own our vehicles, etc. However, we do not currently have jobs. We have income, but not jobs. We are both in school right now and will be for awhile. I wonder if they would turn us down for that. We feel we could afford another dog....I just wonder if we would be given that chance.


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## WildHearts (Dec 18, 2010)

osdbmom

I think it depends a lot on the rescue, I adopted my dog from a rescue and I'm in school. But they didn't ask me exactly how much money I had, I just told them I was in school and could afford her and her supplies and they were happy. Not all rescues get way into your money matters, thank God! So as long as they're not super picky and you answer yes to basic questions, like "can you afford vet bills" and stuff you should be good. I have seen rescues that go overbroad with this, and these are the places that have had they dogs for 5 years. 
Also a lot of shelters have so many dogs that they don't even get into money and will pretty much adopt to anyone with in reason so you could try them out as well.
Hope this helps a bit.


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## Fuzzy Pants (Jul 31, 2010)

Honestly, I feel like I shouldn't have mentioned that I'm looking for a job even though I'm only looking for part-time work. It seems like they think I'd be away from a puppy for too long even though I'm only taking one class this semester and one in the summer since I'm being charged out of state tuition. I won't be able to take more classes until next fall but they seem to think working part-time and going to school part-time is too much time away from a pet. Sheesh! Most people can't afford a dog without working and it isn't like I'm even going to work full-time until I finish my certificate program. Your chances are good if you can convince them you have the funds and apply for a dog that they want to place with a family.


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## osdbmom (Feb 15, 2011)

thanks... I was really starting to worry about it Its working out well bc we dont like to leave the kids alone, so for the most part one or the other of us is always here. First we were thinking to wait until we both finished school to look for another dog, but then got to thinking that this year would be good, bc someone would almost always be home to teach and bond with her. So there might be some upside to both of us being unemployed at once? AWESOME!!lol


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## WildHearts (Dec 18, 2010)

Yeah, they seem worried about the dog being left home a fews hours a day but they want you to have tons of money... that don't work in the real world to much LOL  
But yeah, if someone is always with the dog that should be a plus. Hope you find the perfect dog!


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## Fuzzy Pants (Jul 31, 2010)

Yeah, I'm definitely leaving out that I'm looking for part-time work on future Apps. I'll just say that I'm currently a housewife and leave it at that.


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