Dog Puppy Forum - share dog and puppy information, news and tips

Mon 03 Dec 2007 11:51AM PST

CarlaGenender 291 post(s)

I am gathering information regarding what can be done to reduce the number of animals brought to shelters, increase adoptions, reduce the number of animals that are returned after they are adopted because it didn’t work out, and ultimately reduce the number of animals euthanized. In addition to the conversations I am having with the shelters in Palm Beach County, it occurred to me that my MDS friends from all over the country/world who have rescue dogs could provide a different perspective. So I would appreciate any input you can give me, including the shelter environment you dealt with, how well they prepared you for how to integrate the pet you chose into your family, what issues you had to deal with during the adjustment period, and anything else you think might he useful. Thank you for any help you can give me.

Mon 03 Dec 2007 03:17PM PST

Robert 298 post(s)

on a side note: many people do not know that there are purebred rescues too - thats where I come from (Samoyed Rescue). So even if you are thinking of a purebred - check your local rescue groups.

Mon 03 Dec 2007 03:23PM PST

CarlaGenender 291 post(s)

Very good point. Thanks Robert. The same input is applicable wherever the rescue dog came from. I have a meeting with my County Commmissioner the end of this week, and I would love input that would help provide insight into how to improve the shelter/rescue situation here.

Mon 03 Dec 2007 03:58PM PST

SIBRESCUE 46 post(s)

Calra, As the fundraising coordinator of South Florida Siberian Husky Rescue I can tell you what we do to avoid returned pets. Our adoption process is MUCH more involved then say Peggy Adams. Frist of all we interview the perspective adoptee. We educate them on the breeds "quirks" and "challanges" We encourage them to research the breed before going further with the adoption. Second we do a home inspection to make sure they are prepared to have a husky in their home. During that time we again speak to them on what is needed to take care of a Husky. Finally we do a meet and greet with the entire family including the 4 legged kind to make sure everyone fits well.

Mon 03 Dec 2007 04:46PM PST

sanchodixie 141 post(s)

I have experienced two different places and how they differ with adoption. At the shelter where I volunteer part time people fill out an application, meet with the dog in the bonding room but it is not required that all family members or other pets come in. I believe that is the biggest reason pets are returned. We do a good job at getting to know the dogs and their personalities and work with them on basic commands. I just don't think potential adopters are screened well enough and at public shelters this may be the majority. my experience with getting dixie from the aussie rescue group was completely different. I filled out an application online. Dixie was already in foster care having been rescued from a high kill shelter. They had alredy checked her out with cats, children ect. When we met her at an adoption event my vet had already been contacted and references too. A home check was done to see how she got along with Sancho and if we had a fenced yard and experience with this breed. The 2 worlds are far apart. Public shelters need more volunteers that are trained and more money of course. But a few simple rules and educating people before they adopt could go a long way in preventing animals returned. Good luck.

Sat 08 Dec 2007 10:17AM PST

pakamomama 2 post(s)

I found our male schnauzer Pancho on "petfinder.com". He was being kept by a woman in Fort Lauderdale who fancied herself to be a friend to dogs, but I sure was uncomfortable with her situation. When I went to the door, she would not even open it far enough for me to see inside. There were a lot of animal noises inside and the smell coming out the door was not pleasant. She brought Pancho out and I took him without any questions or further ado. How could I have left him in that environment? When we got him home, it was obvious that he was abused in his past life. I suspect he was used to being kicked, and, therefore bit the feet of all of my family members and my kids friends. He also bit all of us in other locations when he felt threatened by fast movements. He was not the favorite of our house. My husband and I talked quite a bit about how to re-home him, but knew that no matter where he went, he would be a problem. So.....we kept him and just tried to show him that people can be nice. He still has problems with other dogs, except for our two female schnauzers, who boss him aroung, but he is usually aggressive to any other dog. IF YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT GETTING A RESCUE DOG, please be prepared for ANYTHING. Do not get a rescue dog unless you are prepared to work through all of the problems, and I can pretty much guarantee that there will be problems. There was a fourth schnauzer we tried to adopt, who we also found on "petfinder.com", but we had to give her back to the rescue group after she attacked one of our other females. Had I not corralled them into the shower and turned on the cold water to at least be able to get them apart and control the blood flow, she would have killed our original dog, who was rushed to the emergency clinic where they cleaned and stitched her up and kept her a couple of days. It was awful. Greta was a wonderful, loving dog, but it turned out that she had to be the alpha dog no matter what. She ended up with a retired older couple where she is the light of their lives. So, you just never know what you are getting yourself into, but my advise to anyone who wants a dog is to go out and adopt one. DO NOT GO TO A PUPPY STORE. Petfinder.com is a great website where you can put in the breed you are looking for and your zipcode and the dogs in your area up for adoption appear on your screen. Also the Humane Society of Broward County have a wonderful facility on Griffin Road by I95. If you want a specific breed of dog, they have a list you can put your name on and they will call you when one comes in, or you can just go the shelter and find a dog that appeals to you. Either way, it is the best thing for the dog world if you adopt and not promote the puppy mills. Thanks for reading my long, drawn out post. (Sorry!)

Sat 08 Dec 2007 01:21PM PST

TinaValant 845 post(s)

Excellent post, Paka! While I am glad your dogs are safe and doing great, you made a great case why to go thru reputable rescue/breed organizations. It sounds like Pancho survived a hoarder's home. They truly think they love animals, and often keep them in deplorable conditions b/c they can not bear the thought of anyone else giving them the love that they do!! ;-O In aussie rescue, ( www.aussierescue.org ) our dogs are placed in a foster home, who KNOWS the breed and the quirks. We evaluate, temperament test the dog in numerous situations (dogs, cats, kids), in addition to a background (bite & vet history). Ask ItsAllMine about Orbit's recent adoption. We met here, at MDS ~ an application was completed and submitted, had vet checks and a home visit. We make sure it is going to be a good match, for the dog and the new family. When we got our first rescued aussie, Rudy, he was about 15 months old. No way (at age 40) was I going to subject myself to puppy-stuff! It was a perfect situation. Then I flew to Houston months later to get my Mack, and failed fostercare three times ~ they don't ask me to foster, any more! Mack & I are long time pet therapy volunteers at HS of Broward. If you have the current newsletter (pomeranian on front) he is one of the features!

Sat 08 Dec 2007 02:11PM PST

itsallmine 114 post(s)

I think it's important for the rescue / fosters to try to be objective when describing the dog in question, some traits or issues of the dog could be nothing to one person but a big issue to another. Herding breeds like to herd, some like to mouth your hands (Buddy) some like to nip ankles (Orbit), to some this is no big deal but a nip to the wrong persons ankle could mean a law suit to another. I've seen a eleven thousand dollar kennel built more secure then some jails for huskies, they like to escape.While people familiar with the breeds know these things, the family with the perfect yard and surroundings may not. It's also important to let the potential adopter know that the cute, timid, cuddly doggy will change, in a good home he will gain his confidence and soon will be challenging you and any other dogs you have for the alpha role. I'm going through this now with my recent rescue pup, what a blast! ARPH did a great job with their screening, I also know the border collie rescues do good to in evaluations but I don't think anyones going to be 100% just because the animals do change. And as Robert said the purebred rescues have better animals then you would ever purchase from a breeder or pet store / puppy mill, you just don't see advertisments for them in the newspapers.

Sat 08 Dec 2007 02:21PM PST

itsallmine 114 post(s)

I forgot, once approved I was (for lack of better) doggy shopping, so many aussies out there needing homes, beautiful dogs, crazy dogs, old dog and pups but what made my mind up was a short video the foster made on youtube. I think more videos would help especially in certain situations like older dogs that still run like the wind or blind dogs that get around just fine, a picture can say alot but a video can make you say "wow!". Alot of rescues use or know of a "underground railroad" made up of volunteers too, so a dog on the west coast can find a home on the east.

352 days ago

aussie6pk 147 post(s)

One of the things I tried to get established here in Jax was for the shelters to have adopters who had adopted a dog that was an Aussie or AussieX to contact me. I figured it's not possible for the shelter staff to be familiar with every breed, and I could provide any breed specific counseling an adopter might need. I also offered to list any of their Aussies on our website to try to get them appropriate homes. Unfortunately the ideas didn't fly because the shelters here are not terribly rescue friendly and in some instances it seems they feel threatened by us. I am not sure if that is due to how their funding works or what their reasoning is. I thought they were good ideas and perhaps they would work in your shelters. Overall, they are easier to work with. They also have some good placement ideas at Halifax HS where they try to match adopters to dogs in a shelter environment. I can try to run down the website, etc if needed. Unfortunately the screening we do in rescue isn't feasible in shelters.

352 days ago

aussie6pk 147 post(s)

One of the things I tried to get established here in Jax was for the shelters to have adopters who had adopted a dog that was an Aussie or AussieX to contact me. I figured it's not possible for the shelter staff to be familiar with every breed, and I could provide any breed specific counseling an adopter might need. I also offered to list any of their Aussies on our website to try to get them appropriate homes. Unfortunately the ideas didn't fly because the shelters here are not terribly rescue friendly and in some instances it seems they feel threatened by us. I am not sure if that is due to how their funding works or what their reasoning is. I thought they were good ideas and perhaps they would work in your shelters. Overall, they are easier to work with. They also have some good placement ideas at Halifax HS where they try to match adopters to dogs in a shelter environment. I can try to run down the website, etc if needed. Unfortunately the screening we do in rescue isn't feasible in shelters.

352 days ago

aussie6pk 147 post(s)

Oops...sorry for the double post...guess I stuttered...

352 days ago

qbstacy 2 post(s)

I work with both Aussie rescue and mini Aussie rescue and both groups operate in a very similar manner... as Tina said, we do home visits, reference checks, vet checks and make sure that the people that are looking to adopt really know what they are getting int with an Aussie!!! Of course, there will always be cases where the person ends up returning the dog etc, but we work really hard not to let that happen!!

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Mon 03 Dec 2007 11:51AM PST CarlaGenender 291 post(s)	I am gathering information regarding what can be done to reduce the number of animals brought to shelters, increase adoptions, reduce the number of animals that are returned after they are adopted because it didn’t work out, and ultimately reduce the number of animals euthanized. In addition to the conversations I am having with the shelters in Palm Beach County, it occurred to me that my MDS friends from all over the country/world who have rescue dogs could provide a different perspective. So I would appreciate any input you can give me, including the shelter environment you dealt with, how well they prepared you for how to integrate the pet you chose into your family, what issues you had to deal with during the adjustment period, and anything else you think might he useful. Thank you for any help you can give me.

Mon 03 Dec 2007 03:17PM PST Robert 298 post(s)	on a side note: many people do not know that there are purebred rescues too - thats where I come from (Samoyed Rescue). So even if you are thinking of a purebred - check your local rescue groups.


Mon 03 Dec 2007 03:23PM PST CarlaGenender 291 post(s)	Very good point. Thanks Robert. The same input is applicable wherever the rescue dog came from. I have a meeting with my County Commmissioner the end of this week, and I would love input that would help provide insight into how to improve the shelter/rescue situation here.

Mon 03 Dec 2007 03:58PM PST SIBRESCUE 46 post(s)	Calra, As the fundraising coordinator of South Florida Siberian Husky Rescue I can tell you what we do to avoid returned pets. Our adoption process is MUCH more involved then say Peggy Adams. Frist of all we interview the perspective adoptee. We educate them on the breeds "quirks" and "challanges" We encourage them to research the breed before going further with the adoption. Second we do a home inspection to make sure they are prepared to have a husky in their home. During that time we again speak to them on what is needed to take care of a Husky. Finally we do a meet and greet with the entire family including the 4 legged kind to make sure everyone fits well.

Mon 03 Dec 2007 04:46PM PST sanchodixie 141 post(s)	I have experienced two different places and how they differ with adoption. At the shelter where I volunteer part time people fill out an application, meet with the dog in the bonding room but it is not required that all family members or other pets come in. I believe that is the biggest reason pets are returned. We do a good job at getting to know the dogs and their personalities and work with them on basic commands. I just don't think potential adopters are screened well enough and at public shelters this may be the majority. my experience with getting dixie from the aussie rescue group was completely different. I filled out an application online. Dixie was already in foster care having been rescued from a high kill shelter. They had alredy checked her out with cats, children ect. When we met her at an adoption event my vet had already been contacted and references too. A home check was done to see how she got along with Sancho and if we had a fenced yard and experience with this breed. The 2 worlds are far apart. Public shelters need more volunteers that are trained and more money of course. But a few simple rules and educating people before they adopt could go a long way in preventing animals returned. Good luck.


Sat 08 Dec 2007 10:17AM PST pakamomama 2 post(s)	I found our male schnauzer Pancho on "petfinder.com". He was being kept by a woman in Fort Lauderdale who fancied herself to be a friend to dogs, but I sure was uncomfortable with her situation. When I went to the door, she would not even open it far enough for me to see inside. There were a lot of animal noises inside and the smell coming out the door was not pleasant. She brought Pancho out and I took him without any questions or further ado. How could I have left him in that environment? When we got him home, it was obvious that he was abused in his past life. I suspect he was used to being kicked, and, therefore bit the feet of all of my family members and my kids friends. He also bit all of us in other locations when he felt threatened by fast movements. He was not the favorite of our house. My husband and I talked quite a bit about how to re-home him, but knew that no matter where he went, he would be a problem. So.....we kept him and just tried to show him that people can be nice. He still has problems with other dogs, except for our two female schnauzers, who boss him aroung, but he is usually aggressive to any other dog. IF YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT GETTING A RESCUE DOG, please be prepared for ANYTHING. Do not get a rescue dog unless you are prepared to work through all of the problems, and I can pretty much guarantee that there will be problems. There was a fourth schnauzer we tried to adopt, who we also found on "petfinder.com", but we had to give her back to the rescue group after she attacked one of our other females. Had I not corralled them into the shower and turned on the cold water to at least be able to get them apart and control the blood flow, she would have killed our original dog, who was rushed to the emergency clinic where they cleaned and stitched her up and kept her a couple of days. It was awful. Greta was a wonderful, loving dog, but it turned out that she had to be the alpha dog no matter what. She ended up with a retired older couple where she is the light of their lives. So, you just never know what you are getting yourself into, but my advise to anyone who wants a dog is to go out and adopt one. DO NOT GO TO A PUPPY STORE. Petfinder.com is a great website where you can put in the breed you are looking for and your zipcode and the dogs in your area up for adoption appear on your screen. Also the Humane Society of Broward County have a wonderful facility on Griffin Road by I95. If you want a specific breed of dog, they have a list you can put your name on and they will call you when one comes in, or you can just go the shelter and find a dog that appeals to you. Either way, it is the best thing for the dog world if you adopt and not promote the puppy mills. Thanks for reading my long, drawn out post. (Sorry!)

Sat 08 Dec 2007 01:21PM PST TinaValant 845 post(s)	Excellent post, Paka! While I am glad your dogs are safe and doing great, you made a great case why to go thru reputable rescue/breed organizations. It sounds like Pancho survived a hoarder's home. They truly think they love animals, and often keep them in deplorable conditions b/c they can not bear the thought of anyone else giving them the love that they do!! ;-O In aussie rescue, ( www.aussierescue.org ) our dogs are placed in a foster home, who KNOWS the breed and the quirks. We evaluate, temperament test the dog in numerous situations (dogs, cats, kids), in addition to a background (bite & vet history). Ask ItsAllMine about Orbit's recent adoption. We met here, at MDS ~ an application was completed and submitted, had vet checks and a home visit. We make sure it is going to be a good match, for the dog and the new family. When we got our first rescued aussie, Rudy, he was about 15 months old. No way (at age 40) was I going to subject myself to puppy-stuff! It was a perfect situation. Then I flew to Houston months later to get my Mack, and failed fostercare three times ~ they don't ask me to foster, any more! Mack & I are long time pet therapy volunteers at HS of Broward. If you have the current newsletter (pomeranian on front) he is one of the features!

Sat 08 Dec 2007 02:11PM PST itsallmine 114 post(s)	I think it's important for the rescue / fosters to try to be objective when describing the dog in question, some traits or issues of the dog could be nothing to one person but a big issue to another. Herding breeds like to herd, some like to mouth your hands (Buddy) some like to nip ankles (Orbit), to some this is no big deal but a nip to the wrong persons ankle could mean a law suit to another. I've seen a eleven thousand dollar kennel built more secure then some jails for huskies, they like to escape.While people familiar with the breeds know these things, the family with the perfect yard and surroundings may not. It's also important to let the potential adopter know that the cute, timid, cuddly doggy will change, in a good home he will gain his confidence and soon will be challenging you and any other dogs you have for the alpha role. I'm going through this now with my recent rescue pup, what a blast! ARPH did a great job with their screening, I also know the border collie rescues do good to in evaluations but I don't think anyones going to be 100% just because the animals do change. And as Robert said the purebred rescues have better animals then you would ever purchase from a breeder or pet store / puppy mill, you just don't see advertisments for them in the newspapers.

Sat 08 Dec 2007 02:21PM PST itsallmine 114 post(s)	I forgot, once approved I was (for lack of better) doggy shopping, so many aussies out there needing homes, beautiful dogs, crazy dogs, old dog and pups but what made my mind up was a short video the foster made on youtube. I think more videos would help especially in certain situations like older dogs that still run like the wind or blind dogs that get around just fine, a picture can say alot but a video can make you say "wow!". Alot of rescues use or know of a "underground railroad" made up of volunteers too, so a dog on the west coast can find a home on the east.

352 days ago aussie6pk 147 post(s)	One of the things I tried to get established here in Jax was for the shelters to have adopters who had adopted a dog that was an Aussie or AussieX to contact me. I figured it's not possible for the shelter staff to be familiar with every breed, and I could provide any breed specific counseling an adopter might need. I also offered to list any of their Aussies on our website to try to get them appropriate homes. Unfortunately the ideas didn't fly because the shelters here are not terribly rescue friendly and in some instances it seems they feel threatened by us. I am not sure if that is due to how their funding works or what their reasoning is. I thought they were good ideas and perhaps they would work in your shelters. Overall, they are easier to work with. They also have some good placement ideas at Halifax HS where they try to match adopters to dogs in a shelter environment. I can try to run down the website, etc if needed. Unfortunately the screening we do in rescue isn't feasible in shelters.

352 days ago aussie6pk 147 post(s)	One of the things I tried to get established here in Jax was for the shelters to have adopters who had adopted a dog that was an Aussie or AussieX to contact me. I figured it's not possible for the shelter staff to be familiar with every breed, and I could provide any breed specific counseling an adopter might need. I also offered to list any of their Aussies on our website to try to get them appropriate homes. Unfortunately the ideas didn't fly because the shelters here are not terribly rescue friendly and in some instances it seems they feel threatened by us. I am not sure if that is due to how their funding works or what their reasoning is. I thought they were good ideas and perhaps they would work in your shelters. Overall, they are easier to work with. They also have some good placement ideas at Halifax HS where they try to match adopters to dogs in a shelter environment. I can try to run down the website, etc if needed. Unfortunately the screening we do in rescue isn't feasible in shelters.

352 days ago aussie6pk 147 post(s)	Oops...sorry for the double post...guess I stuttered...

352 days ago qbstacy 2 post(s)	I work with both Aussie rescue and mini Aussie rescue and both groups operate in a very similar manner... as Tina said, we do home visits, reference checks, vet checks and make sure that the people that are looking to adopt really know what they are getting int with an Aussie!!! Of course, there will always be cases where the person ends up returning the dog etc, but we work really hard not to let that happen!!