I am appalled.
 

Sorry about the multiple posts today guys but I feel like I need some back-up here.

Another member on YT recently adopted a female Yorkie from a local rescue. I've been looking for a playmate for Franklin so I contacted her and asked her for information. There was one little girl left: http://search.petfinder.com/petnote/...petid=10309376

The description said she was 8 years old and needed lots of TLC. Well, I assumed that just meant someone who loved her and would treat her well, instead of trying to make a profit off of her. Plus, 8 is NOT that old for a Yorkie, so I figured she'd make a calm pet that could still play. It's not like she's injured or badly (physically) abused, aside from coming from a puppy mill.

I decided I was interested and e-mailed them, letting them know my situation and that I could possibly provide a loving home for her. Here's what I got in response:

"I do not think Donnetta needs a 4 month old puppy, she is 8 yrs old and needs a quiet slow existence not to be bugged by a pppy wanting to play all th time, she has served her puppy time. Thanks"

Maybe I'm just sensitive, but that came off completely rude and impolite. I understand maybe she wouldn't be the best match for us, but he/she could have stated that in a much more polite way, especially when dealing with (essentially) a client! I am simply trying to do a good thing by giving a dog in need a home. It's not like I'm trying to get a free Yorkie!

I was irked and let my anger get the best of me and I e-mailed them back, saying that the rudeness was uncalled for and that they should think about being more professional in the future. This is what I got back:

"I do not think I was rude??? Simply telling you she did not need to be bugged by a puppy all the time, it clearly states she needs a quiet adult home?? Don't be so sensitive."

EXCUSE ME?! :eek:

Am I being overly emotional or is this a rational response?

I will think twice before contacting this rescue again. I am disappointed.

I agree, I think it was rude. She could have said it in a gentler way if she really felt that way but I don't get it. I'm always hearing how there are all these dogs in shelters that need homes yet I'm also constantly hearing about people turned down by rescues for reasons like yours or that they don't have a fenced in yard or some other little thing. I don't get it....:confused:

"Don't be so sensitive."???? :mad:

I would be offended also. I understand she wanted her to go to a home without a puppy, but she could've said that in much more civil way than what she actually said. :thumbdown :thumbdown :thumbdown

I really don't understand why some of these people that are rehoming a dog think they're doing YOU a favor by "letting" you have the dog and try to make the most profit rather than trying their best to find a good loving home. :(

Yes Very Rude. You were being a good person, trying to help with a rescue dog. And to get a response like that was uncalled for.

Very rude! I'm sorry you had to deal with that. :(

As one who has been there, let me ask you this...
Do you think the responder's intention was to be rude? If you do, then for what reason could they possibly have?

Should you still feel they could have better worded their response, then maybe you could come up with one and pass it on to them. I'm absolutely sure they would appreciate it.

Apparently, one has to be VERY careful how such things are worded, else one is perceived as rude and/or insensitive. My, but that makes writing so exhaustive!

that was a bit rude...i would be feeling the same way you are right now...

wow im so sad that you couldnt get her she looks from the pic she needs a good home.did they shave her or what?? yes that was very rude to bad someone like that has her:(

"customer service" is definitely lacking this day in age. its sad but ive come to expect it now. im sorry you had to deal with this rude person while trying to do a good thing!!!

NO I think her response was rude. I would have felt the same way reading her response. To me when you say a quiet adult home that means no children...not other pets. At worst she could have said that she didn't think she would do well with another pet in the house or something to that effect.

Honestly some of these rescues (had a very similar and nasty situation with a siamese rescue) are a bit much in my opinion. They rather the animal stay in the shelter instead of being in a good home. Just frustrates the beejebus out of me. That honestly is why sometimes people rather just spend their money and go buy a pet. That was the outcome for me when I wanted a cat. I was so disgusted with the way the rescue responded to me.

So sorry she/he took an honorable action on your part and made it seem so crappy.

I do not think the intention of the initial response was meant to be rude, but it was and I have pointed that out to her. Only after that do I feel she meant to be rude.

I'm not really sure what you're getting at, but yes.. I feel a person should put a lot of thought into what they say. Especially when they are typing it over a computer when a person's feelings and tone of voice cannot properly be understood. I know I do.

Like I said, I was simply trying to do a good thing. A simple "I'm sorry but we feel like Donetta would be better suited in a home without other animals" would have been sufficient. I'm not a child, and I should not be treated as one. I'm a potential CUSTOMER (if you will) and should be treated with the utmost respect, considering I'm doing HER a favor by taking an animal off her hands. She is not a breeder, she runs a rescue. Let me emphasize RESCUE. As the saying goes, beggars can't be choosers, and I think that applies here. I could give that dog a better life here with my "playful puppy" than she could at that rescue.

Yes they had to shave her, I'm not really sure why. She does look like she needs a good home, doesn't she? :( I'm sure someone will come along and save her though.

Not to highjack:
 

But I would have been a little put off by the remark also. But I have to tell you that the Yorkie rescues have left a BAD TASTE IN MY MOUTH!! (Not a jabe at anyone here that I know of!!..just a general impression I got while in contact with the three in my general area):(

I think it was brief and to the point.

Who is to say the dog wouldnt have liked a playful companion? Just because she came from a puppymill doesnt mean she doesnt need appropriate socialization. That puppy is not going to be a puppy forever.

I think you are right-both answers were totally unprofessional-They need to work on their public relations- which a animal shelter that is trying to find new homes- should be very skilled in this! And that is what I would return in a reply to them!And not to this person- but to the board of directors!!!
Rude, is not what you be to someone trying to provide a good home, rude is something you be to someone that has treated the animal in such a way- it needs a new home! And that is just IMO!!!

i would have been a little put off too ... that response did seem a little "abrupt" ... :(

not that it makes it right but you never know what the other person is going through ... or maybe in her head it sounded okay? i know lots of people who say things (or type things in email) and have no clue how it potentially could come across to the other person .. perhaps just poor "people skills" :(

I think it just lacked some tact. I don't think it was meant to be rude, but it could have been written a bit differently.

I think it was very rude

I agree that it did come off rude, but I also think that we all need to grow thicker skin. I know I can be sensitive at times, but I try to remember that not all people are brought up the same way. Some people really are kind, but lack tact and things come out the wrong way, especially through email or letters because you can't really see their body language of facial expression.

:thumbup: :thumbup:
I totally agree!

what's funny to me though is i'm the one who got the other puppymill rescue and i HAVE a puppy.. she's 6 months old.. but this is what's even better.. my rescue, Lily, is the most attached to STAR! the puppy!!!!! she follows her everywhere!! and if she cries.. lily runs to her.. if the other ones cry she just looks at them..

i think as you do that it wasnt intended to be rude until after you replied to her, perhaps you could contact them and tell them the benefits of your home to that yorkie, try to speak to someone else instead of her, is there a phone number or something you can try?

My impression of rescue contacts
 

Having just tried to find a rescue that would take in an abandoned dog in my neighborhood, I have to say that I was more than a little disappointed in the responses, which included: "We don't take intact males", "We are full", "I don't have enough money to take him in", and "You get him to the vet, neuter him, get all shots and a checkup, and I MIGHT consider it...if you bring him to me."
MAN!
What I have found is that, SEEMINGLY, the rescues I contacted were individuals taking in lots of pets, or a loose network of people taking in animals. And this is not a bad thing at all. God bless 'em for doing it. But at the same time, doing this does not elevate one to a higher plane of existence. I have definitely sensed a "martyr complex" in some of my dealings with these folks. A few were kind, refusing and wishing me well. But the others... almost an attitude of "I am overburdened, overworked, under appreciated, and a SAINT. I cannot deal with one more thing" (placement request). So I did my own "rescue" and found Bam-Bam a loving home, which seems to be working out great for him.
Yet you do have to jump through hoops to not just surrender a pet to them, but to adopt one as well. It is as if they know "what's best" for the animal, and have lost sight of objectivity. For me, my animals are part of my family, but not substitutes for people.
Maybe I am loosing my objectivity. But I worked briefly with a "trap and spay/neuter" organization in New Orleans for feral cats. I liked the work, but found the attitudes of some of the volunteers to be just obnoxious. Treating the general populace like they were ignorant jerks- rather than using them as resources to locate colonies.
Again, IMHO- persons do this for a reason, and should know what they are getting into. No one forced them to begin a rescue.
My final beef is that the "professional appearance" of a website for a rescue is NOT indicative of the level of "professionalism" when contact is made. Websites should be updated frequently, and a large notice should be displayed with the basic "ground rules", and especially if they are full, and temporarily not taking in any more animals. They should note this clearly, and shift the focus to adoptions.
I just talked with my neighbor, who was denied a dog because she did not have a fenced in yard. She has two other dogs she treats like gold...but since we rent here, a fence is a costly proposition to just leave behind when one moves. So yes, some of the "rules" are a bit much at times. Others are there to weed out the bad apples.
If I had gone to a rescue to try and adopt Stanford, I would have most likely been turned down. I don't have fenced yard. I have a larger dog. I have two cats.
I guess the point is: If rescues are overworked and overwhelmed, then focus on being ADAPTABLE and looking at all aspects of a potential family's life. If not, then do not complain about the situation... and go get more volunteers to spread the work out.
Again, I am sure not all rescues are like the ones in this thread, or the ones I have experienced. So no offense meant if the brush stroke seems a bit wide.
Thanks all for letting me rant.
Back to your regularly scheduled programming.:rolleyes:

I think a 4 month old puppy is just what she needs. I have an 8 year old male yorkie (Rickles) and six months ago I got an 8 week old yorkie puppy (Gleason) and he gave new life to Rickles. They play all the time and Rickles loves him and Gleason follows Rickles around all the time. I feel I have added years on to Rickles life because he has become more active and when I take them on walks Rickles enjoys them more because of Gleason. I don't understand that at all unless there is some reason she didn't share why the dog didn't need to be around a puppy.
Joyce Ann

You have every right to feel annoyed buy this person's response.
I would have felt the same way.
I believe it was the "She dosent' need to be bugged by your puppy"
that made it rude! I'd say there was an attitude there for sure.
I do hope the little one, I think she looks older than 8yrs IMO,
finds a quiet home if that's what is needed.
Sorry you were dissapointed. Good luck in finding another.

I also think it was rude. Stating something like this would have been more appropriate:

I'm sorry, but I feel that Donnetta needs to be in a home with older dogs or as an only child. Thanks for your inquiry, though!

First, it was rude. Yes, not everyone has the same social skills, but when going into a field of work that would benefit from some, I hope people at least try. Funny that the same conversation routinely revolves around responses to threads here on YT. ;)

Matthew, you are so right! My first and only dealing with a Rescue was positive, enlightening, and educational. They went far and above - having lots of contact and creating a 3-legged journey out of me, the foster mom, and volunteers. I naively thought that's how all rescues were. Since joining YT, I've learned that sadly there are so many of these "loosely" titled rescue operations.

Not trying to hijac the thread, but how does someone become a "rescue". Is that an official title that is appointed, are there inspections, paperwork, etc.? Or can I just take in a couple strays and suddenly call myself a rescue?

When I agreed to take Cassie the shih tzu rescue was so nice! They made me feel like I was really doing a great thing and that Cassie was very lucky, Ditto for the Beagle, Collie and Bassett hound I rescued in the past. I have applied to one yorkie rescue and never got a response to my application. So in one way it was good that they let you know but she certainly was rude about it. I have found that if a person says "I don't think I was rude" or I didn't mean to be rude" the were indeed RUDE. Both of her correspondence were uncalled for. A simple apology would have done wonders and perhaps brought you back in the future.