Frustration and Shelters
Why are rescue groups so antagonistic?
Seriously.
I have been looking through shelters and contacting rescues quite a bit recently. I am, after all, looking for a dog to adopt. Not just any dog, but a dog that shows the potential to become a service dog.
This dog will live an awesome life where he will get to go with his owner everywhere, have a real job to do AND he will be saving my life. In return for his services to me, he will receive love, attention, careful training, medical care, high quality food, squashy beds and plenty of toys. I will see to his physical and mental health on a daily basis and go out of my way to ensure that he gets everything he needs. When he's old and wants to retire, he will do so honorably, in my home, where he will continue receive all of the above mentioned things just because I kinda do like dogs, y'know.
I have excellent credentials. I am a dog trainer, I have plenty of good references and even one or two mediocre references to prove that not everyone loves me, and to keep my head small enough for my hats. I have a very well behaved sweet, loving, well adjusted dog. I have a clean nice home with a yard and a pond. I live in a nice neighborhood with sidewalks and little traffic. I have no children.
Why then can I not adopt a dog? I have been denied by various rescues and shelters over 25 times now. The shelters that want to help me do not have dogs that are of the right age/sex/size/temperament. The shelters that have potential dogs, won't even talk to me.
Why?
1)The dog would be a service dog in training, because there is a chance the dog won't make it and might have to be returned/rehomed they are not willing to attempt it.
Okay so if I washed out a dog, it would take me at least a month, probably more, to decide that a dog couldn't make it once that dog passed the initial evaluation and medical screening. So that's at least four weeks the dog would be receiving daily one on one training with a professional dog trainer. That would be four weeks the dog would not be in the shelter/foster home system. I would be willing to continue to foster the dog until he was placed, if it was needed, during which time I would continue to work with the dog on whatever issues he has.
2)Gypsy is overdue for her DHPP shot . . .
In all the apps right under the vet reference I add a note, Gypsy will appear on her records as overdue for DHPP because she has vaccine sensitivity I only do DHPP once every three years. My vet wants it every year anyway, but I feel she is protected because of this info (with a link to current vaccine practices of a local vet school)
3)You rehomed a dog in the past.
Yes, for the sake of the dog, I put Dusty in a new home where they love him and treat him well. I have explained my reasons for this. Dusty can not be a service dog, and I cannot have more than two dogs, so I could have kept him, and locked myself back into my house and given up on any hope of living independently again, or I could do what is right for him and place him in a home better suited to his temperament.
4)You do not own your own home.
No, I don't, but my parents do and here is written evidence that they are okay with me bringing home any dog of any size or breed.
5)You are 31 and still live with your parents? No we can't place with you because we believe you will probably move out soon and we don't want our dogs in unstable homes.
WTF?
6)You do not have a physical fence.
No I don't. They cost far to much, my yard cannot be fenced and still be called a yard and not a postage stamp, and really, I do have access to other fenced in places (not the dog park) every day for off-leash time. And since when does having a fenced in yard that I could toss my dog out in and ignore make me a better owner?
7)Your dog has been known to be aggressive to other dogs, so we can't take the chance.
This one had me stumped. Yes Gypsy has bitten other dogs. And drawn blood. Usually a single puncture wound. She is old, she is in pain, she doesn't like her space being invaded rudely. And she doesn't like to share her very high value items.
She has lived happily with two other slightly grumpy chew possessive dogs (and is currently snuggling with one of them). We just don't leave bones out all the time, only supervised chewing in their spots, if anyone gets up, the chews go away. If the other dog is calmish around Gypsy, so that she feels safe and not like she's going to be jumped on, she is fine. She even enjoys playing with other dogs that don't jump on her. She likes to play tag and fetch and keep away. She does not like wrestling.
I am not sure how all of this translates into her being 'dangerous' to a new dog.
8)You used to work for "name removed" at that other shelter. We don't want to be associated with "name removed."
9)We only adopt out pet dogs. We don't place service dogs.
I'm just tired of being turned down for stupid reasons. I can really understand why the pet store dogs look so attractive to some families.
I am also beginning to understand how there can be so many people who WANT to adopt from the shelter who DON'T.
Lucky for everyone I have a pair of retired racing greyhounds to evaluate later today. Wish me luck.
Seriously.
I have been looking through shelters and contacting rescues quite a bit recently. I am, after all, looking for a dog to adopt. Not just any dog, but a dog that shows the potential to become a service dog.
This dog will live an awesome life where he will get to go with his owner everywhere, have a real job to do AND he will be saving my life. In return for his services to me, he will receive love, attention, careful training, medical care, high quality food, squashy beds and plenty of toys. I will see to his physical and mental health on a daily basis and go out of my way to ensure that he gets everything he needs. When he's old and wants to retire, he will do so honorably, in my home, where he will continue receive all of the above mentioned things just because I kinda do like dogs, y'know.
I have excellent credentials. I am a dog trainer, I have plenty of good references and even one or two mediocre references to prove that not everyone loves me, and to keep my head small enough for my hats. I have a very well behaved sweet, loving, well adjusted dog. I have a clean nice home with a yard and a pond. I live in a nice neighborhood with sidewalks and little traffic. I have no children.
Why then can I not adopt a dog? I have been denied by various rescues and shelters over 25 times now. The shelters that want to help me do not have dogs that are of the right age/sex/size/temperament. The shelters that have potential dogs, won't even talk to me.
Why?
1)The dog would be a service dog in training, because there is a chance the dog won't make it and might have to be returned/rehomed they are not willing to attempt it.
Okay so if I washed out a dog, it would take me at least a month, probably more, to decide that a dog couldn't make it once that dog passed the initial evaluation and medical screening. So that's at least four weeks the dog would be receiving daily one on one training with a professional dog trainer. That would be four weeks the dog would not be in the shelter/foster home system. I would be willing to continue to foster the dog until he was placed, if it was needed, during which time I would continue to work with the dog on whatever issues he has.
2)Gypsy is overdue for her DHPP shot . . .
In all the apps right under the vet reference I add a note, Gypsy will appear on her records as overdue for DHPP because she has vaccine sensitivity I only do DHPP once every three years. My vet wants it every year anyway, but I feel she is protected because of this info (with a link to current vaccine practices of a local vet school)
3)You rehomed a dog in the past.
Yes, for the sake of the dog, I put Dusty in a new home where they love him and treat him well. I have explained my reasons for this. Dusty can not be a service dog, and I cannot have more than two dogs, so I could have kept him, and locked myself back into my house and given up on any hope of living independently again, or I could do what is right for him and place him in a home better suited to his temperament.
4)You do not own your own home.
No, I don't, but my parents do and here is written evidence that they are okay with me bringing home any dog of any size or breed.
5)You are 31 and still live with your parents? No we can't place with you because we believe you will probably move out soon and we don't want our dogs in unstable homes.
WTF?
6)You do not have a physical fence.
No I don't. They cost far to much, my yard cannot be fenced and still be called a yard and not a postage stamp, and really, I do have access to other fenced in places (not the dog park) every day for off-leash time. And since when does having a fenced in yard that I could toss my dog out in and ignore make me a better owner?
7)Your dog has been known to be aggressive to other dogs, so we can't take the chance.
This one had me stumped. Yes Gypsy has bitten other dogs. And drawn blood. Usually a single puncture wound. She is old, she is in pain, she doesn't like her space being invaded rudely. And she doesn't like to share her very high value items.
She has lived happily with two other slightly grumpy chew possessive dogs (and is currently snuggling with one of them). We just don't leave bones out all the time, only supervised chewing in their spots, if anyone gets up, the chews go away. If the other dog is calmish around Gypsy, so that she feels safe and not like she's going to be jumped on, she is fine. She even enjoys playing with other dogs that don't jump on her. She likes to play tag and fetch and keep away. She does not like wrestling.
I am not sure how all of this translates into her being 'dangerous' to a new dog.
8)You used to work for "name removed" at that other shelter. We don't want to be associated with "name removed."
9)We only adopt out pet dogs. We don't place service dogs.
I'm just tired of being turned down for stupid reasons. I can really understand why the pet store dogs look so attractive to some families.
I am also beginning to understand how there can be so many people who WANT to adopt from the shelter who DON'T.
Lucky for everyone I have a pair of retired racing greyhounds to evaluate later today. Wish me luck.