I thought they needed homes?? Little long

[buddy'smom]

They do have a right to judge you, they are in fact making a lifetime commitment for a Boxer in Need and that boxer isn't able to voice their needs or make a judgment call. IMO this is a HUGE responsibility on the Volunteers shoulder, so yes they have that right. I do feel though that religion is going a bit too far
I am not a volunteer, I am a person who got on the Rollercoaster of Adopting a Rescue, had a few ups and downs emotionally, but I sit here today with my two precious Adopted Boxers, so perfect in fact I am in awe of how well my Rescue Organization made the matches.

I have no issue with a Volunteer coming into my home, looking at every nook and crannie as part of their inspection and just generally talking about our life as a family etc. Heck, if they didn't I would begin to wonder just how responsible the rescue was in placing their dogs in foster care. They have a right to contact my vet, as they need to know I am able to meet the needs of my furkids, and yes they have a right to talk to whomever can give them more of a background in regards to us and our history of dog ownership. I have no issue with their policies and guidelines and aiming to meet each and every one of them. They are in place for a reason, and that reason being In the Best Interest of the Dogs they want to place. Basically in both of our adoptions I made my life an open book to the Rescue, and very much enjoyed their visit. I am sure I talked their ears off with my past boxer experiences

In both of our adoptions, I allowed Rescue to make the choice for us, they did ask our preferences but with Kailee we only requested a female no other preferences put on our app. and they blessed us with a beautiful brindle girl full of the spirit I so love in a boxer. With Clyde, we were maybe a tad more specific, we requested a male, perferably fawn and once again they blessed our home, again finding that spirit I so look for in a boxer. (I LOVE tons of character and I got it :D )

If you think adopting means just offering a home without any strings attached, then IMO adoption isn't maybe your best choice. Most of these dogs have been through some very undesirable conditions, so they deserve the best they can get, and if that means someone, who is unpaid, comes into your home, asks a multitude of questions, and checks out you as a family, and what your home has to offer, then these dogs deserve it. We potential adopters may think we have the perfect home, but there may be one little thing we are overlooking that the Volunteer sees and is able to help us get it in check. Adopting through rescue isn't always a quick means to finding the right furbaby for your family, but if you wait it out, do as they ask then your reward is one of the best blessings you can get out of life. After all, these furbabies are already safe in a foster home, so it isn't like it has to happen for them overnite.
Patience does pay off, and unless you have been given an absolute refusal, then stay in touch with them, let them know when you have met the requirments, and keep reminding them, Hey I am still out here

Just my two cents
Jean

 

[rog1006]

Jean,

What a wonderful testimony! You are the kind of family we all hope and pray for.. Thank you for your encouragement and mostly thank you for rescuing!! If only there were more people like you.

Where do you live???!!?? Want to volunteer, foster, adopt 6 more?????


Christine
Boxer Luv Rescue

 

[VTbxrFan]

They struck me as holier than thou snobs whom, for some reason, were convinced that they had the 'right' to judge me, and my worthiness as a dog owner.

You gave them the right to make this judgement when you applied to adopt. If you did not want to be judged, you never should have applied. I'm a rescue volunteer who started as a rescue applicant. I was very aware when I applied that I might not be approved. I was willing to take that risk and went into the process thinking that if they didn't feel I was a good applicant at the time, I would listen to what they had to say and work on making changes in my life that might be necessary. I'll admit it was a little weird to go through the process of being "judged" and I try to keep that in mind when I do homevisits, but I knew I was agreeing to that by submitting an application!

If a rescuer had come to my house and presumed to question my religion, I'd have thrown em out, bought a puppy at the pet store, and dumped it at the pound on my way home, just for spite.

Wow. Now as I said before, I don't see how questions about religion are relevant or appropriate, but you just made a pretty sad statement about yourself in saying that you would harm a dog to spite a person. I'm glad you didn't go rescue, too.

 

[Paul Garvin]

Questions

"There was a question that the home interviewer asked me about our religious beliefs that I found a little odd and over the top (actually it was kind of funny and I told her so) - should I bring this to the rescues attention or let it go? It is kind of bugging me. Maybe she is holding the process??? I would hate to think so and I don't want to make a bigger deal out of it than it is."

It is completely inappropriate for any rescue home inspector to ask you any questions about your religious beliefs. I would contact the rescue director immediately.

There is no reason for an inspector, or anyone else for that matter, to question your religious beliefs FOR ANY REASON. They have an obligation to determine if you will provide a good home for a boxer, but this is still America, and your religious convictions are nobody's business but your own.

The home inspections are a very important part of the rescue process, and I have had two home inspections in the last year. But if anyone had asked about my religious beliefs they would have promptly been shown the door, and I likely would have immediately contacted my attorney. To ask someone about there religious beliefs is not only inappropriate, it is just plain stupid. It is a discrimination lawsuit waiting to happen.

The director of the rescue needs to make it very clear to their inspectors that questions about peoples religious beliefs are not only of no value to the adoption process, they are completely inappropriate in the context of the situation, and they are potentially disastrous to the rescue from a financial and litigation stand point.

Paul Garvin

 

[Claudia807]

I agree, some things are off limits. Rescue volunteers should not ask questions about religion, sexual orientation, or any other sensitive topics that really would have no bearing on the applicant's ability to care for the dog (unless maybe you were actively sacrificing a goat in your front yard when the volunteer pulled up and then maybe . . . ) I would agree that contacting the director of the rescue would be appropriate. I guess I would do it as an "FYI" sort of thing. "Hey, I just wanted to let you know that one of our volunteers asked me about religion and that made me feel uncomfortable." It could have been a new volunteer who just didn't know any better, but the rescue should be informed so that they can provide some additional training to that person.

I have to admit it does seem a little "over the top" to contact an attorney in my opinion, because it really could have been an innocent mistake. But a mistake that should be corrected next time that volunteer does a home check.

Claudia
Green Acres Boxer Rescue of WI

 

[buddy'smom]

Jean,

What a wonderful testimony! You are the kind of family we all hope and pray for.. Thank you for your encouragement and mostly thank you for rescuing!! If only there were more people like you.

Where do you live???!!?? Want to volunteer, foster, adopt 6 more?????


Christine
Boxer Luv Rescue

LOL I am in Ontario Canada, and have thought of volunteering at some point but right now, working and ensuring I have the needed time for my two is about all I can handle right now

Do I want to adopt 6 more?? LOL maybe someday, after I win the lottery and have an acreage I will always adopt from now on, the experience has been extremly fulfilling for both my husband and I and I pray even moreso for Kailee and Clyde lovicon Fostering is not an option for us right now, but maybe one day
And yes, I do expect the whole application and approval period to be the same for each future application I should ever make.

I tell you, when we got approved and got Kailee (our first adoption) I truly came out of it feeling GREAT and very proud that I had been given the Priviledge to adopt. Yes it is a priviledge not a right to adopt, and I always ensure that Rescue gets regular updates on my two with pictures. I feel they have a right to know how they are, where we are living now etc. When Kailee came to us, we did not have a Provincial Rescue, we just had the one Canadian Rescue organization, which meant applying out of Province. When accepted and offered Kailee, I was told after all the i's were dotted and the t's were crossed, that Kailee was the only boxer available in my Province for adoption at that time, so I knew in fact that we had truly been blessed. It made me see myself in a much better light I felt so great!!

Jean

 

[TDave]

hrm

"And we'll just all ignore T Dave because obviously this person doesn't have the first clue about dog ownership."


Nice mods here. Real poliet. Gotta love the personal attacks. Eesh. Andie, what exactly does not giving someone the right to judge me have to do with my clue about owning dogs? Obviously the post I made warning rescue types to make sure they come across the right way has been VERY misunderstood by the 'rightous here', enough so that mods have started personal insults already, so I'll take my leave. Obviously this is a holier than me site.

 

[rog1006]

I guess people don't understand that when you attack rescues it is very personal to all of us. We spend hours with these dogs...staying up long nights with them when they're sick and vomiting, waiting long hours in lines at the pound for a dog waaay past prime age, making trips back and forth to the vet for a dog on its last leg, clipping coupons for dog food and treats and beds and bowls and and collars, leashes, bathing and grooming dogs that have never seen a tub before, picking off hundreds and hundreds of ticks while getting licked non-stop, and sometimes rescuing a sweet baby only to hold him a few minutes later as you help the helpless little body to the bridge whispering the whole time that you love him so that in his last few seconds those big brown eyes are seeing and feeling the love that he's missed out on his whole life...

It's very real and it's hard many many days, but I wouldn't stop doing this for anything. In fact, most of the time, I feel very blessed to be a part of something so special. So it's very very personal...

Christine
Boxer Luv Rescue

 

[adeinert]

I'll never deal with a rescue org again, I'll sooner rescue one from a mill. Word to the wise for rescuers, and I hope you're getting this impression from the gist of this thread, but try not to come off as a snob. Remember, for 10 bucks cover, $40 of margaritas, and an evening in a pub, I can have a HUMAN baby a lot cheaper, easier, and faster. Perspective.

Acey,

If a rescuer had come to my house and presumed to question my religion, I'd have thrown em out, bought a puppy at the pet store, and dumped it at the pound on my way home, just for spite. No one has the right to ask you that for a dog. I'd definately talk to someone else at the rescue group, or cut ties with them all together. If that's a common thing for them, they go too far.

Glad I didn't go rescue !

d

Glad you didn't either. This is what DNA lists are for! What a sick comment to make even in jest, to support a puppy mill through a pet store, then dump it at a shelter. Do you know the emotional, mental, and physical torture a shelter is on an animal. Do you know that each night as most people drive home from work, dogs and cats are being PTS at the nation's animal controls and shelters?

This is why good dogs die. Idiot owners who would knowingly support the unethical treatment of animals and willingly let one be PTS. I hope our caring members don't let a bit of frustration stand between them and helping a worthy cause, adopting a boxer who deserves a second chance at life.

May everyone who reads this, take a lesson from Dave, this sort of attitude is ruining the lives of boxers everywhere.

Ashlie

 

[Vela]

Unfortunately an attitude that would allow someone to take an innocent living thing and intentinally do harm to it to get back at someone else is what's hurting everyone and everything, not just boxers =( Sad to see that someone would actualy say or do something like that.