# Question about rescue operations



## mmb42 (Aug 30, 2008)

Recently I've been spending time on a dog rescue website...not sure if we are allowed to post names here but I know you've ALL used it and know which I am talking about...anyways we are possibly interested in adopting a male Jack Russell. 

So for the past 6 months I've been on and off the site just waiting. Then there he is. The description seems great, the photos are adorable, I have JRT experience, and the shelter/or dog is located nearby. 

I email them (the shelter he is at, a private one not a SPCA) immediatly. It was a Friday night so I figured Monday. Well I never heard back. So I email them again. Nothing. Not even "this dog has found a home, maybe we can find another dog who will suit you!" 

Now is this commonplace with these private rescues? Do they ignore emails unless you include the adoption application? Their website did not specify that I needed to include it, but they did offer one. However before filling anything out I simply had some questions about this dog. I figured they would want to get back to interested parties RIGHT AWAY. 

So I wanted to ask here, what typically is the procedure for rescues, and is it typical to not hear back from them for up to and over two weeks?


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## MustLuvMutts (Nov 17, 2008)

This can be quite common with some indepedent rescues. This can happen for several reasons. 1) Most are staffed mainly if not entirely by volunteers. They often don't have time to go through all the emails. I know it seems like they should be doing it, but sometimes there are more important things to be done. 2) These places often have very small staffs. I don't know the rescue, but there could be a reason why nobody has been answering the emails lately. Perhaps that person is sick? Perhaps someone very important has been gone and others have to do those duties. 3) Rescues receive MANY emails for various reasons and many are on rescue related email lists. They could have accidentally deleted it, it got lost in all the messages, or they simply didn't get to it for a mixture of reasons. 

I'd email them again. Do they have a phone number? If so, call them. I'd keep trying a few more times. If you do get in touch and something seems strange, reconsider your options. Yet, I wouldn't suspect anything weird right now. Plus, if you think this is the dog for you, you don't want to give up on him yet.


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## babysweet (Dec 11, 2008)

I run a private rescue.

We try to answer all emails within 24 hours, and generally we do. 72 hours is the max.

However, there are occasions when we are out of town - at that point we do have a vacation setting on our email to let people know we are out of town and when emails will be responded to.

There ARE some rescues who won't bother to respond to your emails unless you fill in their adoption application. I've never understood this, but to each his own.

There's also the possibility that they're having computer troubles, so don't jump to conclusions just yet. Shoot another email, give them a week, and if they don't respond, I would move on after sending an email expressing my views on their lack of response and loss of a great adoptive home.

I have people who come to us all the time and are shocked at how quickly we respond and the thoroughness of our responses... due to their former experiences with other groups, so you are not alone.


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## BarclaysMom (Aug 24, 2008)

Sometimes they get busy. I'd call them if you're serious. 

I had a bad experience with a rescue a couple years ago. I filled out their LONG application and told them specifically what I was looking for and asked them to let me know if there were any dogs they felt would fit our needs. I knew I was asking for a lot, because we have a whole farm of animals, and we want to make sure anyone we add does not hurt anyone who's already here. But we are open to older dogs as well, which I thought might improve our chances of finding a match. Plus we have a farm with lots of room to run, and we work at home so we're around all the time. They had a dog that from the initial description sounded good to us.

After two weeks with no response I emailed them and asked if they received the app, and they wrote back and said yes, and they were very excited they might have the perfect match! They asked me to call at a certain date and time. 

I called and no one answered, so I left a message. And waited. And waited. Meanwhile they kept advertising on CL that they needed homes for all the wonderful dogs they had taken in. By now I was starting to get a little annoyed. I know I shouldn't have, but I wrote and said, funny you have time to advertise on CL for new homes, when no one has bothered to contact me and I've been waiting over a month to hear from someone, after they already told me they thought we were a perfect match!

Oh boy - I got a response, the lady ripped me up one side and down the other, told me they had no dogs that could possibly fit with my rediculous expectations, that no dog could ever please me, they had no dogs they would give me because all their dogs had been seriously neglected and required homes to rehabilitate them, that they would never adopt a dog to me anyway because I was not their kind of people, and that they never wanted to hear from me again! My friends and I got a laugh out of it, because obviously these people didn't know me in the least. 

That was kind of the final straw. I probably filled out ten applications for dogs in a six month period. Some people never responded, some had already placed the dog, some of the dogs were sick, some had what I considered over-the-top adoption rules and fees. We did try out one dog that was supposed to be good with cats and was not, and we sent him back to rescue for the safety of our smaller animals. I finally gave up on rescue and we started researching breeders and a few months later found Barclay. In the end it all worked out, but trying to adopt a dog from rescue turned out to be a lot harder than I thought it would be.


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## rcravey (Dec 12, 2008)

I am sorry to read of your experiences with rescue groups. I am a foster mommy with Russell Rescue Inc and we have an incredibly responsive, dedicated group of volunteers. I know they respond to each and every email promptly. If you do not receive a response from them then your email most likely got lost in cyberspace. You do need to complete an application prior to adopting but they will answer questions and get the process started prior to the application being completed.

As mentioned by someone else, rescue groups are run by volunteers and unfortunately they are pulled in many different directions so occasionally a response might take a bit longer than anticipated. Additionally, we do not have a shelter 'location' as the dogs live in foster homes located throughout the US. 

I understand when you have a bad experience with a particular group that you tend to get soured on all similar groups, however, I encourage anyone reading these posts to please, please give rescue groups a chance. 

MMB42, if you are still looking for a Jack Russell, please visit the Russell Rescue Inc site. You may also contact me directly if you like.


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## PattyU (Jan 16, 2009)

I recently joined this forum as we are looking for a dog. I've contacted a few of the rescues I've seen advertised and have not had a response either. I've not been picky, and they don't know anything about me that could possibly make them not respond. I've followed the directions. One posting I responded said ALL emails will be responded to. Mine wasn't. I am thinking of going to a breeder now unless I can find the right dog at the dog shelter. I am hesitant to adopt from our local shelter because of some bad publicity they recently received. 

I understand that a rescue is staffed by volunteers, so it may take a while to respond. But still, if they really need homes for these pets, I would think someone would respond to interested people.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

PattyU said:


> I've contacted a few of the rescues I've seen advertised and have not had a response either. I've not been picky, and they don't know anything about me that could possibly make them not respond. I've followed the directions. One posting I responded said ALL emails will be responded to. Mine wasn't.


Do you have a free e-mail (like Yahoo or Hotmail)? If so, the rescue's spam blocker might be blocking it. It really is best to make the first contact with the rescue by phone, if they have a phone number listed.


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## PattyU (Jan 16, 2009)

Willowy said:


> Do you have a free e-mail (like Yahoo or Hotmail)? If so, the rescue's spam blocker might be blocking it. It really is best to make the first contact with the rescue by phone, if they have a phone number listed.



My email is with my paid internet account.I'm thinking that it's because the rescues are staffed by volunteers. The volunteers all love the dogs and enjoy the more hands on duties better than things like answering email or phone inquiries. I left a message for two rescues by phone. I think they were the only ones that had phone numbers. I left a message for a breed specific rescue. They don't even list their dogs on petfinder, and state that you need to call the hotline to find out what available pets they have. My aunt fosters for that one, and said that they stopped posting the pets online because the person doing it was too slow. They just want people to call in and ask about the dogs. She seemed to think that they always have a lot of dogs, so I called. They have an application that requires a $10 application fee. I didn't send in the application because I don't even know if they have any dogs that I want to adopt. 

I may just go to a shelter outside my county. If we decide that we really want that certain breed, I could have my aunt contact the rescue for me since she's friends with people in the group.


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## myminpins (Dec 20, 2008)

I've had a horrible experience with a rescue, too. They sent a lady out to check out our place and for some weird reason she lied to them! She said our yard wasn't fenced (it was, I even sent pictures); she said we had a huge hole in our deck (we didn't, it was brand new, sent more pictures). I don't get it and I didn't get it then. The lady who came to visit us had very unkept yorkies who really needed a bath and horrendously needed a grooming. I tried to talk to the rescue but they believed her.

That was that. Go away.

I never called a rescue again. I went to breeders. I know it's not always true but that really, really, really irked me because they had SO MANY dogs who needed homes and we were willing and able to be one but nope, sorry... tuff... sigh... it still bugs me to this day and that was seven years ago.

If you're not going to answer your emails, why give out an email address? Why not stick to phone and fax? Ignoring emails is just really, really rude, IMHO. Take awhile, yes. Busy so it's a week, sure. But completely ignore? That's rude.


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## Melissa_Chloe (Dec 31, 2008)

myminpins said:


> I've had a horrible experience with a rescue, too. They sent a lady out to check out our place and for some weird reason she lied to them! She said our yard wasn't fenced (it was, I even sent pictures); she said we had a huge hole in our deck (we didn't, it was brand new, sent more pictures). I don't get it and I didn't get it then. The lady who came to visit us had very unkept yorkies who really needed a bath and horrendously needed a grooming. I tried to talk to the rescue but they believed her.
> 
> That was that. Go away.
> 
> ...



Wow that sucks!
I find there are a few rescues around NS that just have TOO strict conditions. That usually deters a lot of people away. Which is sad, because when you look at their animals they have the highest number - because it is TOO hard for someone to even get one.


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## myminpins (Dec 20, 2008)

I know. Their standards are SO high the dogs NEVER get homes. What's their point? Doesn't make sense to me.


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## rcravey (Dec 12, 2008)

Patty, what breed are you wanting?

I am sorry that several of you have had bad luck trying to adopt from rescue groups. I foster for Russell Rescue, Inc. and our group in Texas truly does respond to every inquiry. We have an incredibly dedicated group of volunteers. 

Research the Jack Russell breed and if you feel it is the dog for you then please, please contact Russell Rescue. 

Here is a link to the available dogs. We have a lot of little JR's that need a good home and we will respond to you.


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## MyRescueCrew (May 8, 2008)

Working in, and with, rescues, I can relate. There is one rescue, that I no longer associate with, nore volunteer for. They are the rescue that, before I ever got involved with them, had a bad reputation for turning down great applicants for dogs, and being so strict that they were overcrowded with dogs and understaffed with foster homes. 

One example; I was fostering a lab mix, and we had her up for adoption thru this particular rescue, though she was still MY responsibility. They turned down *18*(!!!) applications for her over a year span. We didn't find out about this until a particular thing happened. The vet clinic where I worked had a client come in one day, and she was there with me. He goes, "Oh my gosh, is that KeeKee??!!" And I said, yeah it is. Well, this client was an older man, who had just lost his wife and his old dog 6 months before (due to different circumstances). He was very rich, semi-retired, only worked 2 hours a day, three days a week. He had a huge house, a huge fenced in yard, and was looking for a lovely, older big dog to live inside and keep him company. He had been a client at the vet for years and years with his previous old dog. He applied for KeeKee and they turned him down. Why? They gave him the lame excuse that he didn't have a dog door (wtf?), and that his older age might not allow him to exercise her properly. She was 9 and arthritic, and that excuse was ridiculous.

Needless to say, the vet talked it over with me about him as a client, I met with the man a couple times, and in the end, I was HAPPY to personally adopt her to him. And I did. It's been almost a year, I see her often, and that dog is living the life of her dreams.

Anyways, I could go on about 10 other dogs I've fostered for them, or tons of other stories of people who were perfect for a dog, but were denied or ignored all together. But, that's just this one particular rescue that has a notoriously bad rap sheet for such incidences. 

Now, there are many out there like that. However, there are MANY that are not, and are more than willing to adopt to a great home. I volunteer for one that has a great record for adoption, and isn't overly strict. They do home visits, vet checks, references, ect. but are not so strict that they turn down one great home after another. 

Now, granted, I know why rescues are strict in their adoptions, and couldn't blame them in the least. However, sometimes rescues are so strict, they make a dog lose its chance at the perfect family.

Anyways, don't give up. And have a look around at your local SPCA. Sometimes they have plenty pure-breds looking for a home. Ours had 2 jack russels just the other day. One was a 3-legger, and was cute as a button!


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## smileypits (Dec 25, 2008)

I know there are tons of great rescues, but like everything - too many others are giving rescues a bad name.... 

Here in Seattle, I had a friend email me with a desperate situation for an adult shepherd mix dog that was good with dogs/cats but not good with men. I emailed every single rescue in our area and only 2 out of 83 responded. 

A couple of months later, my friend had someone abandon a very very pregnant chi mix on their front door of their office.... she was huge and they were very concerned that she had been bred with a larger dog and was going to require a c-section so they wanted to surrender her before the birth (understandble....) so I emailed a bunch of rescues again to see if we could get any help. I had rescues fighting over this dog, just absolutely fighting over over this soon to be litter of puppies... it was horrible and just really sick to watch it happen when just months before I had asked for help from these same people for the shepherd mix. 

ugh - I could go on....... this one is really bad.... we rescued this dog living on a chain off of craigslist, wanted to rescue it. we get it home and begin looking at the dog more closely - she had just recently had a litter, like within a week or so... so we thought how odd it was and where were her puppies?! So we gave it a shot and posted on craigslist..... "mommy missing puppies" and LO and BEHOLD both the rescue with the puppies AND the previous owner before the owner we got her from contacted us! The rescue wouldn't take the mom back because she wasn't adoptable, she would rather keep the puppies away from the mom and bottle feed the 1 week old litter! 

The original owner says she ran away and that was why she surrendered the puppies. It was horrible..... The rescue ended up losing 2 of the puppies when we had a perfectly healthy mommy..... 

I know there are good ones out there... but just like pits, its the bad ones that ruin it for everyone.


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