rescue centres

Re: rescue centres

Teri-Ann Baldwin — Tue, 25 Mar 2014 12:48:40 GMT

I think rescue shelters need experienced people to work in the shelters, either VNs, behaviourists, people with animal related qualifications who have some sort of knowledge with what they're doing. I don't know how it is in other places but in my local council dog home the people there have no formal qualifications and when i used to volunteer there i'd regularly see them telling owners what they want to hear to get a dog gone. I've had this done to me first hand, wanted a small dog to keep mum company after she had a car accident. Something i could help her train. Went to the mentioned home and saw 'JRT X' was then told he was crossed with a long haired dachshund but was more JRT. Fab, i thought, until 4 weeks later he's the size of a small labrador. Luckily, a friend who has a lot of land took him on as he had so much room for him, made me feel awful and could have been completely avoided if they'd said he was a larger breed - later found out he'd been from a litter the home had brought in to them with the mother who was a labrador.. >:-(

I think there should be regulations, exactly the same as there are regulations for us. Otherwise things go wrong and shelters are inundated when they could put the poor animals out of their misery. Personally think it's nicer to no longer be here than to spend the rest of your days with no love, no attention and being constantly rejected.

Re: rescue centres

Alison Clare Hickman — Tue, 25 Mar 2014 11:52:29 GMT

This is so sad... good intentions alone do not necessarily make sensible decisions, eh? Glad the poor wee beast is no longer suffering and can create no more suffering. No winners here and so fully agree with Sal re regulations. If the good-intenders cannot make the sensible (and, ultimately, most caring) decision themselves then they must have their hands guided by the law makers. How would it be policed though? I guess we'd still see examples of this problem but maybe lessened by guidelines/regulations? Don't know. No perfect world out there. Perhaps I could volunteer to be a roving rescue centre 'health checker' - become part of the solution instead of just sitting in my arm-chair pointing out the defects. Help, rather than accuse? I know that a good egg like our Sal has likely been active in this way in the past/present and is therefore well qualified to pass comment on this issue. The more I hear about such things the greater the impetus I feel to actually do something, (without risking broken bones or reputation!) Suggestions?

Alil h

Re: rescue centres

Sal the 1st — Tue, 25 Mar 2014 10:14:57 GMT

[quote user="emmadilemma"]

There`s nothing more distressing than an unrehomable dog spending their life behind bars....there`s definitely worse fates than death in my opinion

[/quote]

100% agree with that - I have worked or volunteered for a number of organisations. Some dogs just dont 'do' in rescue and thats a fact, and this is the reason I do not agree with shelters with a no kill policy

I dont doubt that most rescue organisations are doing what they think to be the best they can -but in reality are they? Sorry but this dog has really got to me - it deserved better.

I would like to see all rescues regulated and working to guidelines, and all rescues to be registered charities. There is so much about some rescues that is wrong.

Re: rescue centres

emmadilemma — Tue, 25 Mar 2014 08:24:05 GMT

I think they`re just doing the best they can with very limited resources though there`s no doubt that they should always tell potential new owners how many times a dog has been returned and the reasons why. Imagine how messed up the dog gets too going backwards and forwards to unsuitable homes all the time

I think in some cases the people who run these centres are very well intentioned but often lacking in the knowledge or the strength necessary to make difficult decisions. There`s nothing more distressing than an unrehomable dog spending their life behind bars....there`s definitely worse fates than death in my opinion.

Things are never going to better until this obsession with buying designer dogs stops..

Re: rescue centres

Sal the 1st — Mon, 24 Mar 2014 21:58:16 GMT

this dog has now been euthanased. The new owner really tried, but found themselves at real risk of being bitten badly - disgusted by this rescue centre. Sadly I think this was the best outcome for this dog, at least it cant be passed around any more.

If there arent any regulations out there for rescue centres there damn well should be

Re: rescue centres

Sal the 1st — Thu, 20 Feb 2014 19:27:03 GMT

and when the rescue centre know about the grandchild and that the new owners already have a dog - and they still dont warn them?

Re: rescue centres

Louise B — Thu, 20 Feb 2014 11:25:43 GMT

[quote user="Sal the 1st"]

Interesting conversation with an upset client yesterday.

Basically she had rehomed a dog from somebody who couldnt cope with it (we now know that this is the dogs 4th home in a very short space of time). Prior to that the dog had come from a rescue centre. The client has really tried with this dog and is a very experienced dog owner but regretably has had to return it to the rescue centre where it originally came from.

the term the client used was yo yo dog - it gets adopted, person adopting pays fee, returns dog when they find out it isnt suitable, centre retains adoption fee which is non returnable and then adopts out again to somebody unsuspecting.

Client returned the dog last weekend and is very upset to learn that dog was rehomed again on Tuesday and inspite of her warning the rescue centre that it should not be rehomed in a household with children (especially young children) or other dogs and cats and should be an experienced owner- the dog has gone to a household with an existing dog with a young child that visits almost daily, no home checks apparently.

Just how many times does this happen?

[/quote]

Short answer - lots! Especially in no kill shelters with very limited resources. Not usually as an intentional fundraiser, but simply as a byproduct of the way the system is set up. We have 'yo - yo' dogs at the shelter that I help out at but new adopters are informed of dog's return history. We very rarely do home checks but take the potential owner's word. Resources on't permit anything further.