From another thread:

"We have a three page application and a two page contract. When we look for the right family or person to adopt a dog to. Race, religion, color, or sexual preference DOES NOT matter. What we look for is for the adopter and dog to be a good match.

Www.pawsrescueva.org"


We wanted to adopt a dog. Found one we liked, filled out the application. Then had to be "interviewed" twice. Seemed more like a test. Then they gave us the contract to sign. It had so many restrictions on what we could do with the dog that we said forget it.

If your rescue league would post your contract online, it would have saved us a lot of time. But I suppose it's like buying a used car: once the customer falls in love with it they will sign almost anything.

What restrictions are you talking about?

We adopted a pup back in June and had an interview at an adoption event and then they came by the house to see where he would live and they asked that we get a lock for our back gate, it already had a latch but no lock on it. Other than that I found the process to be painless and the puppy we got is the sweetest little guy. Took him a week to come out of his shell, I think he was the runt at the shelter he was at and probably got pushed around so for the first week we had him he walked around with his tail between his legs and slept most of the time. Once we got him familiar with our other dog and comfortable with stairs he became a whole new dog with his ears up and his tail wagging, always wanting to play.

Animal Rescue Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> From another thread:
>
> "We have a three page application and a two page
> contract. When we look for the right family or
> person to adopt a dog to. Race, religion, color,
> or sexual preference DOES NOT matter. What we look
> for is for the adopter and dog to be a good
> match.
>
> Www.pawsrescueva.org"
>
>
> We wanted to adopt a dog. Found one we liked,
> filled out the application. Then had to be
> "interviewed" twice. Seemed more like a test.
> Then they gave us the contract to sign. It had so
> many restrictions on what we could do with the dog
> that we said forget it.
>
> If your rescue league would post your contract
> online, it would have saved us a lot of time. But
> I suppose it's like buying a used car: once the
> customer falls in love with it they will sign
> almost anything.

All that work to adopt a neurotic rescue dog?

You could probably go to a pet shop or a breeder and buy a dog without filling out any paperwork.

they go to that extent is to ensure the dog is going to go to an environment that will benefit the dog as much as the owner.

a lot of rescue leagues take in animals that have been mistreated, in some cases badly, and the dog then requires special care that not every potential owner can/will provide.

sure some may go to an extreme in the interview/evaluation process, but that's better than handing out an animal to any joker that walks in the door.

sorry, but i wouldnt want some ghetto clown "rescuing" a pit bull that had been "mistreated", only to have the dog go right back into the same type of environment then attack my 4 year old daughter while we're at a park. would you?

it's not just for violent, or potentially violent breeds, either. good luck trying to get a border collie from one if you're single, working full time, while living in a condo in arlington.

"good luck trying to get a border collie from one if you're single, working full time, while living in a condo in arlington."

Exactly, a lot of this process is to make sure the dog has the right environment. I wanted to get a husky but I couldn't because I currently live in a townhouse and I realized that is not enough space for that breed. Most people get a dog based on its looks, everyone wants that puppy with the big eyes and the cute little ears but you should be getting a breed that meshes well with your lifestyle. That makes the whole process a lot easier on the dog and the owner.

This isn't a legitimate thread, it is just an attack on graymoose1.

Those animal adoption agencies are run by a bunch of do-gooder PETA sluts with nothing better to do since hubby already earns the household bread.

Don't get me wrong, I love dogs; however, dogs ARE dogs. They aren't little children, nor should they be treated like that. From past experience, if you're really interested in 'saving' a dog, then go to a DC animal shelter or SPCA. Those dogs really need a good home to go to and the shelter's care more about the animal finding a decent home, rather than be coddled to death by uneducated suburban housewives.

If Mike Vick wants a pit bull, he should get one.

That's all I'm sayin'.

Pet adoption services are like any other business. Except they obtain their product for free. Then enhance it with subsidized spaying fees and anything else needed to make the animal legal and desirable. Then they sell it for $300-$500. All those restrictions they put in the contracts may be BS, but gives them the right to take back the pet if they want. No refunds. As with anything else, buyer beware.

In the end, it's much cheaper to buy a pet from a breeder than to adopt. We took our new adoption to the vet for a checkup and was told she needed a $1200 surgery. By falling in love with her before we signed the paperwork, it put us in a very awkward position. When I called the rescue league, they guilted me into keeping her, and said if we returned the dog, not only would be not receive a refund, we would never be allowed to ever adopt again from any rescue league. Never again.

sorry to hear, that's pretty crappy on their part. some ailments with animals are missed, honestly, and in the end it's nobody's fault.

but AFAIK, an animal adoption/rescue business should have all dogs brought in thoroughly checked out with a vet beforehand. not just for singular issues with one animal - a bad ACL or displaysia - but for communicable problems as well.

post the name of the adoption service, and if they specialized in one particular breed, that way others who reas this will know what to ask up front and what the joint may try to pull after the fact.

I have volunteered with many rescues and all have contracts. SOme more investigative than others. What i wish you understood was that we (as fosters of these dogs) LOVE them and try to nurture them back to emotional health. I have found that people who are open to a home visit and a discussion about the needs of a new animal in the house are more less likely to get frustrated and angry eith the dog. People in rescue have seen the effects of placement of a dog with someone who may not realize the full extent of the commitment for the dog they "love" and want. The adoption process should be one where the adopter fully understands the commitment so that the dog is not further tramatized by being ignored, tied out, given to someone else or isolated in the back yard bcz it is too hairy, dirty, slobbery...
We are just trying our best to make a good match for the dog and the family.

Oh, that is a shame. Shame on the rescue...no one should be guilted into keeping a dog. They should have taken the dog back-and should not have limited you in the future-I do not know what is wrong with rescues that say these negative things! The goal is to match the dogs so they are happy, not push medical bills on adopters.

I am not a suburban do-gooding PETA slut.
Can you not comment without cussing and being crass?
I do agree with getting dogs from shelters, pounds or Humane Society. Please do not get them from pet shops, those dogs come from puppy mills, are not vetted and are not socialized (in general)

PAm Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I am not a suburban do-gooding PETA slut.
> Can you not comment without cussing and being
> crass?
> I do agree with getting dogs from shelters, pounds
> or Humane Society. Please do not get them from pet
> shops, those dogs come from puppy mills, are not
> vetted and are not socialized (in general)


Can you not comment without sounding like such a do-gooding PETA piece of shit?