# Once You Form a Rescue Group....



## Countryboy (May 16, 2011)

... you've got to keep a steady supply of rescued dogs coming in. And they do... whatever breed of dogs... and from wherever they can get them. Very quickly the life of the rescue group becomes as or more important than the dogs they 'rescue'. So they've got to "Keep those dogs coming!"

Which is why I'm wary of rescuers. 

Canada is importing pit bulls by the hundreds from the U.S., worrying dog advocates | National Post


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

That is an interesting piece CB. While rescuing a dog in need from certain abuse or euthanasia in a shelter is an honorable and perhaps even courageous act in some situations, wouldn't it be better if we recognized and worked towards a scenario where having to rescue was only a way to help a dog whose owner had died or otherwise unable to care for it. Key to that effort is making puppy training and support for new owners a requirement of having a dog.

Many of the puppies in one of the large shelters in this area are brought to New York from the south. Sadly many of them are very young and parvo infected. Lots of them die before being adopted. For some of the others I suppose that in their later lives they have social adjustment problems from not having grown up to an adequate age with their biological moms and siblings. I know numbers of people end up spending lots of $ on medical care for these dogs once adopted.

Again I think that adopting a rescue dog is a great thing to do and even more so I think that people who do foster care are really generous fabulous people, but I see also that many people become zealots about rescue. Being blindly zealous about following any cause or belief makes one blind to other points of view and leads to dogmatism. Neither of those extreme attitudes is healthy. A man Javelin and I met in Lowes last week was visibly disappointed when I replied to his question about where I rescued him from that I had not rescued him, but instead had gotten him from a responsible and caring breeder. He stopped petting Javvy so abruptly it was as if he thought this dog just could not be worthy of his attention.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

I would hope that this the exception, not the norm.

But, I am appalled that this shelter is bringing pitbuls from US when we already have our own pitbul problems. Hundreds, thousands of them maybe have to be destroyed each year, and with the banning of them in major cities, it's not going to get better.

Rehoming a pitbul is a huge responsability. You don't want to put them in dangerous hands, and you have to really make sure they are sound of temperament and won't pose a threat to people. Knowing these two facts, who is the genius who had the idea to import more pitbuls from unknown origins and testing from US ? 

This is putting me in a bad mood this morning, I can't believe how stupid humans are sometimes !


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## Countryboy (May 16, 2011)

Dechi said:


> This is putting me in a bad mood this morning, I can't believe how stupid humans are sometimes !


Raonic is beating Federer at the moment. That should cheer you up. 



lily cd re said:


> Being blindly zealous about following any cause or belief makes one blind to other points of view and leads to dogmatism. Neither of those extreme attitudes is healthy.


'Dogmatism' - haha - how appropriate. Like the head of the Poodle rescue group in Toronto who thought I would be unsuitable as a foster because I think that a pinch collar, tho I've never used one, may be a valuable tool with some dogs. That same woman couldn't wait to snatch a pure-bred Poodle from a woman who offered it to her while it's proper owner was in hospital. For those two reasons I despise the Toronto Poodle rescue group called SPIN. Standard Poodles in Need. 

Unfortunately, it's shown me a side of rescuers that I never wanted to see.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Yes, it does, go Raonic, go !




Countryboy said:


> Raonic is beating Federer at the moment. That should cheer you up.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## Caddy (Nov 23, 2014)

CB I just read that article before signing onto PF, and it certainly worries me that so many potentially dangerous dog are being imported where I live. You really dare not say anything negative about pit bulls, or their advocates and rescuers will jump on you. We just changed where we take Abbey for agility because of a pit bull, the combination of an oblivious owner and his obsessive interest in a couple of the other dogs. Last week she asked DH if her dog could meet Abbey, DH refused but blamed Abbey so as not to cause a problem. Lily I know exactly what you're saying about the change in attitude from some people once they know you "purchased" your dog.


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

I wish there were cheaper flights from Texas! Just kidding. Alberta should grant amnesty to the pit and pit crosses from the provinces that have banned them first. I have noticed our shelters have gotten creative in naming pit bull crosses like boxer, mastiff crosses. You can't hide those beady eyes.


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## WinnieJane (May 6, 2016)

I in no way intend this to apply to all, or even most, rescuers, but in some cases the "rescue impulse" seems to veer into a compulsion. I'm reading The Secret History of Kindness by Melissa Holbrook Pierson. She traces her own adopted dog's background and her reporting takes her to some rescue homes -- which, she observes, are on the surface not easily distinguishable from the homes of animal hoarders. 

I hear you on the judging, Catherine. Our future dog walker -- who is a lovely person -- has texted me with news of poodles in shelters as we await our puppy. They are always toy poodles and we want a standard, but she just can't seem to resist evangelizing.


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## WildPriscilla (Nov 19, 2015)

Sadly, we have a huge problem with rescues, shelters and humane societies importing dogs from other countries into the US. 

The humane society of the US just imported hundreds of meat dogs from China and I fear that it only jeopardizes the changes for animals already needing a home in the US. Not to mention they this year is the second year in a row where there where mutated strains of the canine influenza virus found in local dogs. I just can’t help but wonder if this came from the imported meat dogs.


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## Countryboy (May 16, 2011)

WinnieJane said:


> I in no way intend this to apply to all, or even most, rescuers, but in some cases the "rescue impulse" seems to veer into a compulsion. I'm reading The Secret History of Kindness by Melissa Holbrook Pierson. She traces her own adopted dog's background and her reporting takes her to some rescue homes -- which, she observes, are on the surface not easily distinguishable from the homes of animal hoarders.


Exactly! As I see it, you start calling yourself a rescue once you reach the three *in our area* dog limit. Some are organized and enthusiastic... others are simply batty. 

That scenario has been tried here and always failed. The town is on them quickly. More than three dogs??... call yourself a rescue?? Well m'am, that would make you a Kennel, so here's a copy of our Kennel Regulations and inspection schedule.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

At least Raonic won against Federer ! ;-)


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Many many years ago there was a local woman who "rescued" all sorts of animals: squirrels, geese, dogs, you name it. Her neighbors complained about the noise and stench. The town set her up in a house with no close neighbors. She was a hoarder, not a rescuer. I went to the house she got set up in once. It was fairly appalling to put it mildly.


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

California is importing Chinese dogs? That puts me in a bad mood.


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## Poodlemanic (Jun 27, 2016)

In BC, the reputable shelters run out of dogs quite often, and bring them in from other shelters in the province which have a surplus, to help find homes. However sometimes when they run out of dogs, the shelters contact people who are rehoming their pets on kijiji or craigslist and try to convince them to surrender their pet to the SPCA instead. This hasn't always yielded best results, as it seems people find it insulting to be asked to surrender their dog vs. rehoming him/her. Over 3 dogs is a rescue? Hey I'm a rescue! I rescued my dogs from very lovely breeders who are my close friends to this day


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

Routinely running out of dogs at a shelter is remarkable!


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## Poodlemanic (Jun 27, 2016)

Yeah, BC is different that way. I don't know what the cause is, but I suspect the spay and neuter campaign is partly to credit; people here sell rotti/shepherd/husky cross puppies for $500 each! Which tells me there is a real market for dogs of any breed and probably why the SPCA runs out of dogs so often. City dog pounds try to identify breeds and have all the breed rescues on speed dial around here; the rescues pay for dogs of their breed categories to be flown out to them. All very helpful in rehoming unwanted dogs!


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

OH HECk!......We have waaaay too many pitbulls (and Chihuahuas) here in San Diego, and yes we are getting the Korean Meat Dogs too! These are being brought in by all the 501 "rescue" groups even though we already have too many homeless dogs already! 

I just heard on our local news station that our ' Animal Services' shelter is going to have a 'CLEAR THE SHELTER' day and all adoption fees will be waived!!!! Our City shelter is really nice actually! They are on the same property as the San Diego Humane Society and both were built entirely by donations!!! NO HSUS funds at all! Independent of that Organization, thank you!!!! 
But what I find interesting is that at the City Shelter the adoption fee is usually about $69 for all dogs and puppies, while just across the courtyard, the Humane Society charges $195.00 for a puppy and $95.00 for a dog over 7 months old.......both places vaccinate, spay & neuter, and give a 1 year license ! ???? 
Oh yeah.....both places charge a 'surrender fee' for owner surrendered dogs! 
It's kinda like each dog is earning money at both ends of the process.........hmmmm


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

In NYC, the rescues immediately put a hold on any cute little dogs who are not ancient, they are never even offered to the public for adoption. And you virtually never see a puppy ever.
But the saddest thing is that they do get tons of litters of kittens, and mama to nurse them or not, they all get put down if they are under the minimum 8 weeks to be put up for adoption! They won't wait for them to grow, they kill them all!

And yes LilyCD, I have also gotten the sad look and turn away when somebody asks me if my girls were adopted and I tell them no. It is warped!


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## Poodlemanic (Jun 27, 2016)

My sister has a cat rescue in the U.S. Fear not; no cats go unclaimed where she lives  Even the feral ones find homes. But up here in Northern BC there is a big market for barn cats. Everyone wants barn cats because they keep the rodents at bay. I'm not even kidding, I just saw 3 ads asking for barn cats in my little 2000 population community.


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## Caddy (Nov 23, 2014)

Our local SPCA closed its doors a month ago, their bank account was frozen by the government as they owed 100,000.00 in payroll deductions. They asked the city and county to bail them out but they have not bacause of poor handling of funds, and the lack of a business plan going forward. Needless to say it's the animals that suffer, most were adopted out (quickly) and others went to local rescues. The ones entering the system now must stay in the city pound which is not appropriate for long term. It's a mess, and I suspect there has been some serious mismanagement at the very least.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

There is also potentially tons of money involved in the rescue movement. I just looked at the 2014 financials for North Shore Animal League, which is here on Long Island and claims on its website to be the "World's Largest NO-KILL Animal Rescue and Adoption Organization." They are a 501 (c)(3) organization (in others words a not for profit charity). In their 2014 audited financial statement they show a net asset of just over 50 million dollars! That is an eye popping number for sure. I am not trying to suggest in any way that they misuse their money, but clearly there is a lot riding on what they are doing for a lot of people. They did spend over 5 million that year on fundraising efforts, which I find to be a high number.

There also are clearly lots of aspects of their website that show that they plan to be in business forever. They promote the "mutt-i-gree movement" which has a way to register a shelter pet (as what? and why?) and they prominently note that they bring rescued dogs from all over the country. While they do say they want to end euthanasia of unwanted pets and they have a strong spay/neuter program clearly they know they also have to keep the supply of animals coming in to sustain themselves. If that mission is successful then rescue organizations other than breed rescues for the rehoming of animals that can no longer be cared for by their original families should eventually go out of business since there would no longer be any animals left to rescue (in my view a good thing). They also in my view conflate puppy mill dogs with breed rescue dogs since the only way to get to information about breed rescue dogs is through a link on the page about stopping puppy mills.

Members of my family have adopted NSAL puppies two times and both dogs have been wonderful family companions. There can be hidden costs though too. One of them is now closing in on his last days at age 14, but the other died last winter at age 7 of cancer. I am not saying that I don't think they can and do adopt out lots of pets that end up having wonderful lives. Both dogs have had some health issues along the way including mast cell tumors for one and an orthopedic set of problems for the other (who ended up having an amputation of one hind leg).

As noted by countryboy in his first post, rescue becomes a mission in the minds of some kinds of people, but also has a lot of money tied up in it too (and not always productively) as Caddy noted with respect to her local SPCA.


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## Poodlemanic (Jun 27, 2016)

Wow, adoption prices here are much more expensive. The SPCA charges $419 for small dogs, $319 for dogs in general, and somewhere near $500 for puppies. The breed rescues charge more though; one that I sometimes donate to charges $600 for an adoption fee without the extras (such as registry with their organization), and of course they put applicants through the wringer before approving, don't approve any out of the area, don't ship, and must perform a home visit prior to approval. And THEN once they have one's contact info, they continually ask for donations. One of my coworkers gives $1,000 every time they ask, and another coworker has willed all of her considerable estate to the rescue. Which of course is wonderful on the other hand; on the other hand, if it is making some people rich, makes you think about it differently.


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## Countryboy (May 16, 2011)

Poodlemanic said:


> on the other hand, if it is making some people rich, makes you think about it differently.





lily cd re said:


> As noted by countryboy in his first post, rescue becomes a mission in the minds of some kinds of people, but also has a lot of money tied up in it too (and not always productively) as Caddy noted with respect to her local SPCA.


I guess money-making runs the gamut from PETA and HSUS to mom and pop in the country, with a drive shed or a barn, who care for animals.

That's why I like to keep my donations aimed directly at the animals and not to executives. Old blankets, a garbage bag full of clean towels, a bag of kibble, a stack of inexpensive food bowls.... 

Nobody golfs on my money. :devil: heehee


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## Lori G (Sep 19, 2014)

I read an article recently, I think I'd found it in another discussion here on PF, about all the money involved and how the "rescue business " has become very profitable. Frankly, it makes me sick. It is all built on a false premise. As Catherine stated, the rescue mission, in its purist form, will eventually out the rescue out of business. It reminds me of government taxing cigarettes as a way to discourage smoking but then promises to use those funds to fund health care programs, etc. If people really quit smoking, the tax money will dry up. If tomorrow all pet owners became responsible, caring for and keeping dogs for their entire life, the rescues would all close down. Oh yeah, I forgot, they can import from Asia or drive down to Mexico for a fresh supply. Ugh.

Several people on the inner circle of my life are deeply involved in rescue organizations. They are in total denial of the money making side of things. It's become a topic we just don't discuss. And don't get me started on my friend who wants to breed her dog to make "an easy $7500". ???


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## ApricotsRock (Jan 10, 2014)

In researching volunteer opportunities, DD found out that in order to volunteer at the local rescue you must first make a donation...ummm....really?

Also I always thought that if you took oh say $5 million and spent it on free spay/neuter clinics instead of advertising wouldn't that be a better result in the long run?


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## Poodlemanic (Jun 27, 2016)

That reminds me of various runs to raise money for Cancer research; I have run in many of them, and it is very annoying to have to commit to fundraise $200 or whatever before you can run with them. It goes against the grain to be told, essentially, that any donations less than that aren't welcome. Running is free for heaven's sake, and the little pink paper race number you get probably costs $1 to produce. I've never had a problem raising more than $200. It just rankles that when you're trying to do something worthy, some corporate policymaker tells you what level you must achieve or don't even bother. By the way, the Terry Fox Foundation doesn't ask for a minimum pledge amount or entry fee before you can join their race, and good for them. It's on September 29 this year


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

Lori G said:


> I read an article recently, I think I'd found it in another discussion here on PF, about all the money involved and how the "rescue business " has become very profitable. Frankly, it makes me sick. It is all built on a false premise. As Catherine stated, the rescue mission, in its purist form, will eventually out the rescue out of business. It reminds me of government taxing cigarettes as a way to discourage smoking but then promises to use those funds to fund health care programs, etc. If people really quit smoking, the tax money will dry up. If tomorrow all pet owners became responsible, caring for and keeping dogs for their entire life, the rescues would all close down. Oh yeah, I forgot, they can import from Asia or drive down to Mexico for a fresh supply. Ugh.
> 
> 
> 
> Several people on the inner circle of my life are deeply involved in rescue organizations. They are in total denial of the money making side of things. It's become a topic we just don't discuss. And don't get me started on my friend who wants to breed her dog to make "an easy $7500". ???




Know what the very best way to insure that somebody loves and cares for their dog for life is? If they give lots of thought to what characteristics they admire ,enjoy and fit well into their lifestyle, and are matched with a healthy puppy who will reliably carry those traits. You know, like a reputable purebred dog breeder would give you.
I might be the a dedicated tiny poodle mom who will ideally care for my girls from cradle to grave, but doubt I would last a month if I went down to the shelter and brought home one of their adolescent pit bulls!


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I am generally very careful about where I leave my charity $$. If I see tons of money going to advertising/fundraising or to maintenance of office and staff compared to what they do then even if I like the cause they are off my list. Much of my money goes to smaller organizations as a result.


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