trials and tribulations of rescue (sorry, a bit long)

I am jumping off my "puppy" posts this week to speak a little on rescuing pets.  I have done my share of rescuing over the years and sometimes though rewarding, there can be downsides.  I have had the fortune to have mostly success with one "not-so-great" turn out but rescuing can be quite rewarding and often overrides any heart break.  I have some friends who still do a lot of rescue work and God Bless them, people are not fun animals and sometimes do the wrong thing.


One friend this week spent a lot of time and effort on her foster (had the dog for a couple of months in her care), only to have him returned after four days in a new home.  Makes you wonder what people are thinking when they jump through the hoops, fill out pages of questioners, endure interviews and home inspections to give up on a dog so quickly.  It is very frustrating to know that the dog will be bounced around again.  It is a shame people don't put more thought into making that decision to take a pet on.


However my biggest complaint is with the "holier than thou" rescuers.......the ones who seem to be in it for the credit......a couple of examples...several years ago there was a large puppy mill bust up north.  Breed rescue was overwhelmed with a very large number of dogs to care for.  Some dogs had to be euthanized for either health or lack of socialization issues but the number of dogs needing care was larger than the number of foster homes.  But there is also the financial burden. A group of breeders in the area knew they couldn't help with fostering but offered financial help and donations of food, bowls, blankets, etc......the rescue group REFUSED THIS HELP....they claimed the breeders were part of the problem.  For the record....legit breeders are far from contributing to the problem!


Another example is when a dog from a well known kennel turned up in a shelter.....the breeder (while Im sure cussing out her buyer for not contacting her first), took full responsibility for the dog...it was her breeding and it was the right thing to do....so what happened next?  She was bad mouthed all over the internet because her dogs (though only one incident) were turning up in shelters!!!


One thing that really bothers me however is when the person rescuing a dog off the street assumes it was in a bad home.  Most dogs found scared and running around like maniacs are not "street wise" which means they probably were protected from such things.  Not to say that all animals running around lost were in good homes, but effort should ALWAYS and I repeat ALWAYS be made to find out first before keeping or placing the dog. Even if the dog appears to have been on its own for awhile, they can end up a long ways from home.....someone somewhere may still be looking for it! Not everyone is educated in ways to get lost pets back.


 A friend of mine got a bitch back from a woman out of state and obviously lacked some socialization.  She somehow escaped my friend's property once back about a week and the search was on!  Thanks to an ad in the paper calls were made when there were sightings and after being on her own (and in some scary places like the interstate) for weeks, the bitch was safely back home...... some "holier than thou" person could have caught her and seeing her after some time on her own, would have never made an effort to find her rightful owner based on a "judgement" that the dog wasn't cared for.


Another example is when a grooming client had a dog get away from them.  They hadn't had him long. They put the word out with pictures and a couple of months later the dog turned up in a grooming shop in shabby shape...the groomer recognized him from the poster in the shop and he was returned home.


These are just a couple of examples of things not appearing as they seem....don't just assume an unkept dog is lost from "irresponsible" owners.  A child can leave a door or gate open, there could be a spot in the fence you weren't aware was needing repair....the list goes on!

Thanks for letting me vent and if you rescue....God Bless you again!  I know how tough it can be!!!


Some pointers:  


microchip, my dogs don't wear collars and tags......the chip identifies them as mine!
if your pet is missing, take an advantage of most newspapers running lost and found ads at no charge....
contact vets, groomers, shelters in your area as quickly as possible.  The more people aware your pet is missing the better the odds of getting them back.

First Competition Outing

At 7 1/2 months Justin is too young to compete, but I thought he would benefit from attending the TVKC Agility trials held this weekend at Roane State.

At first being a puppy he was quite apprehensive, but within minutes Justin rocked the place. He learned quickly that dog people have cookies, and rather tasty ones! He wasn't so sure about the dirt floor at first but quickly realized that dirt was fine to walk on! We went shopping. Bought a new tug toy with a tennis ball attached and a new leash that matches my red boys coat. All and all I watched him blossom from a timid puppy to a confident outgoing pup that was having a ball. He could hardly contain himself. Self control is in our future lessons....he wiggled and twisted and about came out of his skin! What fun to watch him!

On the way home we stopped at a high school group's car wash. Justin met a special little girl with medical issues named Clair....he was afraid of her at first as in her excitement she would scream....but soon they were friends. We also stopped at a neighbors on the way home where he got to play with Shine, a two yr old Aussie that loves puppies!

A very big day for the boy! and hopefully just the beginning of many more!