In your opinion would the blame fall more on the resuce group for misrepresenting the animal or the adopter for not thoroughly checking the animal out before bringing it home? By checking it out I mean requiring proof of the animal being put thru testing to see how it handles different situations like being overly-protective of it's food bowl, and reactions towards children etc.

I couldn't even fathom bringing a rescue dog(especially a big breed like a Rottie)home to children without THOROUGHLY checking it out.

This may sound like an idiot question but humor me...
Do people actually just go on someone's word that a dog is gentle and "good with kids"??

And how is a Rescue group that behaves so irresponsibily able to continue to operate? Are there no checks and balances?? <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

VERY scary stuff, hopefully not overly common (???) IMHO, one answer to your question is that there are a few dangerous "do-gooders" involved with some rescue organizations, who are in denial & downright delusional about animal behavior, canine temperament evaluation, risk management, ethical priorities & their own legal responsibilities <:-O

Good Lord. I volunteer for I.M.P.S. which stands for Internet Miniature Pinscher Service. We rescue and adopt out small dogs and we do extensive (and I do mean EXTENSIVE) temperament testing and training on the dogs we rescue (we have wonderful fostering volunteers) and our group would never adopt out a biter, especially not to a home with children. We have had a few dogs become permanent fosters simply because they are not suitable for inexperienced owners, but can be handled properly by our experienced foster parents and trainers and volunteers. Miniature Pinschers are great little dogs with tons of personality, but they have a lot of terrier to them and can be pretty tough, if not down right nasty, dogs if they don't have a lot of training and discipline. I just am flabbergasted by what you are saying.
<img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />
If we have a dog that has a very bad temperament issue and we are unable to help them, we will have them euthanized, but we try very hard not to have to do this. Sometimes the poor dog has just had such a bad life and is so fearful and aggressive there is no other alternative.
I can't imagine what this rescue group is thinking. <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />
Unless they are just afraid that they will lose their insurance...that's possible, I guess, but no excuse.
Most people who work in rescue are not paid for it, either. I know none of our people are, we are all volunteers.

Actually, if they ARE trying to lose their insurance AND expose themselves to legal liability, they're doing all the "right" things NOT vice versa, unfortunately <:-(

 Quote:

..............to make the point that the majority of us do it for the love of the animals, and to post a thread using the word "many" is a broad stroke indeed that we don't need to be painted with because of a small, crappy minority.

Not only the majority -- the *vast* majority. There is no other reason I can think of for doing it. As someone who spent years in public accounting specializing partly in 501s, and who also does some volunteer shelter work, I can say I too had to laugh at the idea of a breed rescue making enough money to pay salaries. I imagine they exist (anything is possible), but I sure never saw one.

As in just about everything, the misguided or unethical (or just plain idiotic) minority garners the attention.

I have never worked for a rescue, but would like to foster GSDs when I retire and have the time. But I have adopted three dogs from shelters. Two were very good, and had a very good idea of the dog's temperment and suitability for my family. One was a County SPCA, and they let us take a worm-ridden, half-starved GSD into a house with three young kids. It was a bad fit, the dog was far too dominant and aggressive for us, but we made it work. All shelters beg for money on their web sites, as well as ask for adoption fees to cover expenses.