[alaskayorkie]

Originally Posted by Rhanna

I used to be involved in rescue work for dogs and cats. I got involved when these horrible people were going to give 3 day old pups antifreeze. So I took the pups and handfed them. One of the pups got sick so it can be expensive. When you are adopting out you have to screen people very carefully. I adopted to people who had vet references. Usually their pet had past away and they had used the same vet for many years. It is a lot of hard work but it is very rewarding. It is very emotional. It can drain your finances. It can interfere with your own pets. There are so many things involved in rescue work.

This sounds terrific, Rhanna!

As for advice, I can tell you what NOT to do. I just got Yorkie rescue from a lady who works with animal control in my town. She has a "glowing reputation," according to animal control. But not only did she not "screen" me in any way, she hid important information about the dog that came from a vet check: He had a bad leg, he was missing most of his teeth, he had a degenerative eye condition that indicated he was older than advertised. She had a one-week "return" policy on the dog, and he had been returned at least once by someone who discovered all those problems themselves by talking to rescue lady's vet. Her inquiry was actually in the vet's notes. But when I asked why the person returned the dog, the rescue lady said they decided they couldn't spend as much time with him as they thought.

So my advice would be to be as honest as possible with the prospective owners. These dogs don't need to be passed around from new owner to new owner when people discover problems with them. Be honest, and hope you get someone who can truly love the dog.