Getting Discouraged With Rescuing

[courtney323]

Harry D -

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[3dognight]

I too was in your shoes and got very frustrated with the rescue process, I ended up giving up and getting my boxer through petfinder.org Its now been 2 years since we got our Cooper and though we CRAVE another little boxer to love in our home (2 dogs and a 7 month old baby is ENOUGH) I decided that since I can't currently give another boxer a loving home I'll become a volunteer with a local boxer rescue so I can help to find MANY Boxers a loving home! I couldn't foster and I couldn't possibly imagine doing home visits with a new baby, so I volunteer to help the application process by conducting phone interviews. I remembered how it felt to keep trying to contact the rescue and get no response, I decided that was the best way I could help out.

It feels so good to help out! I urge everyone to try and help a local rescue (even by donating collars or leashes) I promise you that any small gesture will be greatly appreciated!

 

[boxers:)love]

discouraged

I understand the anxiety but do keep in mind we try our hardest to do things in a timely manner. I look over all of the applications for Rockin P in the state of AL and can I say we get some applications. Sometimes I have to just sit back and laugh at things to keep from crying. Some applications are just a waste of time and some are perfect but it takes time to look at them all and check things out. One thing I recommend... DO call and bug people. It gets our attention and makes us think you really want a dog. Hope you have better luck soon!

 

[rog1006]

There are some things to keep in mind about rescuing. We cannot manufacture the perfect dog to come about for each family, so some families have to wait. Most families that are waiting in our rescue are families with young children, families that live in apartments (as many of the current dogs we have are not appropriate for an apartment), those with other dogs, and especially cats.

If the applicant has young kids and wants a dog that is good with toddlers, we will only put a dog that has been proven with toddlers into that home. It just so happens that we only have ONE foster home with young kids so we have a very difficult time knowing if they will be okay and we don't want to take the risk of the child getting knocked down, etc. Cats are a huge issue right now as we have oly TWO fosters with cats that will test them out. There is SO much more to placing dogs than people think. NO ONE wants us to call and say "well we have a dog for your family but we have NO IDEA if it will eat your cat, knock down your kids, fight with your dog, but HEY why don't you try it out for us and see!"

E-mail us, if it's Boxer Luv. I will personally tell you exactly where we are with your application.

 

[boxerlove]

You can always check around for another group, look on PETFINDER.....I've done rescue for years & while it may take a while if you are looking for something specific....I would think with 30 or more dogs, there would be a match for you ! But don't give up...rescuing is the way to go...just make sure you are comfortable w/ the group you are working with & if you not ...look for another...there is nothing wrong w/ that as long as you are upfront about everything. I hope you can find a perfect match to your family...

 

[MMBR]

Please do not give up. Rescues can be so overwhelmed sometimes that they do not know which end is up.
This time of year especially is when people are dumping their dogs right and left and just keeping up with getting new dogs in, evaluating their temperaments and medical needs, etc is so time consuming we have little time for anything else.
You might want to contact them again in case you kind of got lost in the shuffle though.
Good luck to you. Hang in there!

 

[rog1006]

I also wanted to say one more thing. With other rescues waiting a couple months is normal. For instance, a woman I know is the adoption counselor for a Golden rescue and their AVERAGE time is 4 months+ as they are very careful about screening and placing. It's interesting to note that their return rate is less than 1% as they do such a good job in matching dog to owner. We have been working with 60-75 dogs and just now are down to about 45 which is still a ton for us to work with. Some of these dogs have issues with other dogs so they can't be placed with other dogs--I'd say roughly 25+ of our current lot cannot go to another dog home. And very few people want a dog that may not be dog friendly even if they don't have a dog. We have about 10 that are too sick to be adopted out and are on hold.... The list goes on. If you've just slipped through the cracks, then we can take responsibility for it. However, that rarely happens, so it's probably that we don't have a dog for your family right now. We just did an adoption last week for a family that waited for a dog since MAY as they needed one that would get along with two very small children and two very small dogs. They are ecstatic now as they got a great dog, and were so happy they waited for the right one as we easily could have placed them with a "maybe this dog will be okay but we're not sure" situation.

Sorry to ramble on but I really want everyone to understand what goes when you're working adoptions. It's so hard and if and when dogs get returned, it makes us even more careful about placements as we feel terrible when the dog and people get their hopes up only to have it not work out.

 

[L'Ecuyer]

Waiting....................

Wow.. I'm waiting for one too threw B.R. Ontario and B.R. Quebec,it's bin a month now.I hope it dosen't take to long. I live in Ottawa.

 

[mufffie]

If you were out here in Southern California I would intro you to Boxer Rescue in Los Angeles. These people are simply amazing.
They kept in contact with me, I visited with them at different PetSmarts in the area to see what they had...went to the rescue facility in Sun Valley and they ended up finding me exactly what I wanted...er, what I NEEDED.
Don't give up..hang in there...believe me these boxer dogs are worth the wait !!!

Good luck

Pam

 

[ReelDesigner]

The Boxer Rescue in LA is where my brother got his dog. It's a wonderful Boxer and they think the world of him.

There are some things to keep in mind about rescuing. We cannot manufacture the perfect dog to come about for each family, so some families have to wait. Most families that are waiting in our rescue are families with young children, families that live in apartments (as many of the current dogs we have are not appropriate for an apartment), those with other dogs, and especially cats.

If the applicant has young kids and wants a dog that is good with toddlers, we will only put a dog that has been proven with toddlers into that home. It just so happens that we only have ONE foster home with young kids so we have a very difficult time knowing if they will be okay and we don't want to take the risk of the child getting knocked down, etc. Cats are a huge issue right now as we have oly TWO fosters with cats that will test them out. There is SO much more to placing dogs than people think. NO ONE wants us to call and say "well we have a dog for your family but we have NO IDEA if it will eat your cat, knock down your kids, fight with your dog, but HEY why don't you try it out for us and see!"

E-mail us, if it's Boxer Luv. I will personally tell you exactly where we are with your application.

Thank you for your response.

I suppose my main frustration is that I feel like I’m just not getting a straight answer from anyone. Nobody likes to get their hopes up only to have them squished. On Dec. 15th I was told that one of two people would contact me that night and so far I haven’t received a call nor have I gotten any returns from the 4-5 e-mails I’ve sent. “10-14 days” usually turns out to be a twice that. I’m fine with waiting as long as someone lets me know I will be waiting. Also, to let you know I have sent an e-mail to your main e-mail address a few days ago as well as my main correspondent and haven’t received anything back.

I totally appreciate that I’m not having the wrong dog thrown at me, I really do. That is one thing I was consistently told was that they were trying to match me to the right dog. Yes, I do have 5 year old and a 4mo old and live in an apartment. Though a “Having children and an apartment usually makes things take longer” would have been nice.

I hope this doesn't come across negatively. I do not mean it that way and am still excited to hear from you guys.