When we had our dog, we spent most of the year looking for rescue/adoption options. It was demoralizing – to be repeatedly rejected, most of the dogs available had extremely high needs in a way we knew we weren`t able to handle, etc. In the end, we bought an adorable rare breed puppy (ish) and spent tons of time and money training him. It`s the best dog ever (in my opinion!) and I`ve never looked back on it. I received a lot of blame for the “selfish” decision to buy a dog, and it really bothered me. It`s not as simple as adopt a perfect good boy and save him from the needle! or walk around a pet store and buy a sick puppy from a puppy mill. Almost every “rescue contract” I`ve read says you`re the dog`s owner/guardian. If the animal needs to be rehabilitated, you need to return it to the rescue. What I understand is that you don`t really own the animal, I`m just responsible for the welfare of the animal and all the expenses, unless the rescue decides otherwise. Read contracts carefully and discuss anything you disagree with before signing and taking custody of a pet. Complaints abound.
`Rescue groups` for certain breeds may have very high standards and have you sign a contract stating that they can take back the dog if they feel you are not a good owner,” says one person who has had a bad experience with a rescue. Contracts between rescue groups and adopters generally contain provisions prohibiting the adopter from selling or giving away the pet, and some rescue groups include a clause to maintain co-ownership. Some contracts allow rescue agents to access the adopter`s property to conduct inspections at any time, with or without notice. Almost all of them allow rescuers to take the animal with them if they think the conditions warrant it. My friend M., who had a family dog when her children were 6 and 9 years old, had an equally boring experience. After she and her husband decided that the rescue was the right thing to do, they searched online and found a mother named Rusty. Rusty`s rescue group had an adoption day and the family made the long journey to see him. Adopters were told not to mix with animals, but that some dogs would be brought to them.
While Rusty was otherwise engaged, M. asked if they could look at some of the other dogs, but almost all of them were declared unsuitable for children. While the family waited, the children sat on the floor and began to write in the earth with sticks. A volunteer came alarmed. He scolded her, saying that if a dog sees a stick in a person`s hand, he will expect that stick to be thrown away, and it`s not fair to frustrate a dog. “I`ve been trying for a few months to abandon this dog for adoption and make it ring. tasty,” she wrote. “The problem is that it just isn`t. There is not a very large market for neurotic children, hating men, hating animals, who hate dogs that look like gremlins. But I have to believe that there is someone to Prancer because I am tired and so is my family.
Every day we live in the clutches of the Chihuahua demonic hellscape that he created in our home. I recently attended the 20th Annual Education Conference of the American Veterinary Medical Law Association. During one of the networking discussions among colleagues, an interesting topic was the requirement of certain shelters or rescues (collectively, “shelters”) that adoptive families must enter into “adoption contracts” before being allowed to “adopt” a pet. Most of the professionals involved in this discussion agreed that these contracts entail unintended responsibilities to shelters and can harm animal welfare. That was also my question. Even in the small town of Idaho, there are definitely free or cheap dogs to adopt everywhere. I cannot imagine having to travel far from an entire state unless there is another mitigating circumstance. Insisting that the dog stay indoors is just one of the typical rules of rescue. You can also be picky about who lives in the house: children and other pets can become problems that prevent adoption. Sometimes, as Larissa discovered, the loss of a pet can disqualify a candidate.
Prancer`s unique personality has melted the hearts of many social media outlets that have now personally invested in his adoption journey and are still thinking about him after the viral post. A group that I think is fraudulent has fees to apply, but they usually find a reason to refuse adoption. (The last thing I heard was that the owner planned to take the dog to the dog parks to play. Oh no!) The same goes for our city`s Animal Care & Control shelter (also known as dog pounds) – in fact, they often don`t have a paid adoption when they start to get full. If I applied my own personal standard of pet care to everyone, then very few people I know would have a pet. But that`s not how it works, not even with rescue. General guidelines are important for both the screening and education of adoptive parents. These should not be a few lines in a contract, but talking points during adoption. Some specific requirements before an adoption takes place may be appropriate.
For example, if a dog is a well-known fence jumper, it might be acceptable to ask if a potential adopter has a safe 6-foot fence. But why should all adoptions be restricted by a closure requirement, as some of our local first responders do? Rescuers make judgments when they adopt a dog or cat, and I hope it`s the right one. Follow-up calls are an important part of the process, both for the adopter if he has problems that can then be solved, and for the rescue to determine if some kind of intervention should take place – depending on the contract. After all, you signed and agreed. The goal should be to keep the pet in the house as long as there is no abuse or neglect. The gray area is when “abuse” and “neglect” are narrowly defined by salvation. Just as I would never rent an apartment, buy a house, or buy an invisible car, I would never adopt an invisible animal look. I appreciate the work that volunteers and shelters do when it comes to remote adoptions, but I personally couldn`t do it. As this article has shown, far too many risks. However, I know a lot of people who have had great experiences with the process. My sister adopted her dog from Los Angeles and she lives in RI, they met the shelter halfway from LA to RI at a meeting point because other people picked up dogs too.
She is the cutest animal of all time. But that`s just not my thing. Another user wrote: “Just read the adoption announcement to Prancer the haunted Victorian Chihuahua and I`m almost suffocated by my tea. What a treat. Someone please adopt and love this dog. LAOP may not have spent time with the dog before the adoption. As with more than one visit or walks or interactions with other animals. Give money, amazing vets who can donate their time if there are enough cats, they will probably significantly reduce adoption fees just to get them out to make room for more. For example, some contracts include a language in which the shelter and the adoptive family agree that the shelter will essentially retain ownership of the animal after it is “adopted.” This language is a mistake for several reasons. First of all, and most importantly, if a person decides to “adopt” an animal, there should be a 100% commitment to owning that animal for life. Any contract that includes an easy way for the adoptive family to return the pet for any reason sends the wrong message. .
