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Old 03-23-2010, 09:13 PM   #11
QuickSilver
Thor's Human
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Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: San Francisco, CA
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Well, let's keep in mind that not all rescues have been traumatized. I remember a recent ad from the ASPCA that featured a talking dog who had just been abandoned (loosely quoting): "I'm not neurotic or sick. That's a stereotype. I just belonged to a total loser."

I think different rescues can have different goals and different placement criteria. The rescue I volunteer at does not have particularly stringent criteria, but it still has an excellent permanent placement rate. I believe this is (1) because they have the right criteria, and (2) because generally, while they will take dogs with severe physical problems if they are fixable, the most of the dogs have good temperment.

I agree that dogs that have emotionally scarred need careful placement. I also believe that it's relatively easy to assess this if the dog is in good physical health.

There are multiple sides to this issue. Of course the dog's wellbeing is the most important thing. I think that can be acknowledged while also acknowledging that a lot of rescues are not professionally run, and do turn people off to what can be a very positive experience (not pointing any fingers here).

I've seen other people get put through the wringer for rescues. When I first joined here, I was thinking about getting Thor a sister, and I emailed a rescue explaining that I wanted a female yorkie that was smaller and younger than Thor so they'd have the best chance of getting along. I'm sure I sounded dumb, and like a million other people looking for tiny female yorkie puppies, but the person I emailed took it upon herself to inform me that as a small yorkie, Thor would die young. I did not in any way ask for her opinion on this matter - it was just her way of discouraging me from looking for a teeny.

Again, I am all for rescues. I know that I personally will ONLY get a "pre-owned" pet. However, I think it's really important that everyone in animal care understand where they can do better. Nobody and nothing is above criticism. Why would a rescue not want to learn where they can do better, and why would they not consider whether their screening process could be improved?

Two key words in "my" rescue's motto are Respect and Humility. I think this is so important. This doesn't mean that staff members have not gotten nasty Yelp! reviews from disapointed adopters, because they have. In any situation where people are rejected, there are going to be hurt feelings. I think it's even more important because of that to be gracious, conscientious, and fair.

Also, just to be fair, Thor falls into that 9 out of 10 statistic, because I am his second owner. However, I would not characterize him as being "tossed around".

Last edited by QuickSilver; 03-23-2010 at 09:16 PM.
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