I've adopted both of my dogs from local shelters. I'd been frequenting my local shelter looking for my second dog just short of a year ago. Of course I had to bring in my first dog to see if they would get along, which I know was not gonna go well based upon the stress of the situation.

They made a flat out decision and said "NO" I went back a few days later to see if I could take the dog out of the shelter to exercise her for a bit, then do a more controlled "meeting" I just wanted to walk them together with a second person on neutral ground....to get possibly a better assessment. Again, they said NO. This dog had been in the shelter for 4mos, with no applications.

I emailed their Animal Advocate, I was quite pissed off at the time considering the alternative for this dog...euthansia when they run out of room.

Long story short, he said, that all I needed to do was adopt the dog and if it was problem, to bring her back. I brought her home when I had a stretch of 5 days off from work. I researched thu this site about bringing a second dog into the house. Followed it to the "T" and we are living happily ever after!!

It seemed that the folks behind the desk making decisions were curt, rude and extremely unhelpful and unable to think a little outside the box. I was very frustrated/angry knowing this wonderful prospect could have had her life snuffed out..whoa!!

Linda

They are not all bad. I spend part of each year in Montana, where our local shelter is excellent. I have sucessfully adopted from them twice and also done fostering and evaluation for them - I don't agree with every decision they make, but the staff goes to some trouble to explain to me where they are coming from, and I do know they deal with some grim situations. They get a lot of herding breeds and mixes (this is ranch country) and if they think a dog has working potential they try to place it in a working home.

I adopted my current GSD three years ago from a different Montana shelter a couple of hundred miles away - they posted his picture and information online in an effort to find him the right home. When I called they gave me an assessment of the dog that has turned out to be right on. I still e-mail them occasional photos and updates on how he's doing.

Thank you Sarah your post is right on. I seem to have set off a (fireworks of emotion with my post) lol!! very seasonal!

Jennifer,
Let me start with you.....my bad....I don't mean the shelter eval of a dog but that of a prospective adopter coming into the shelter and seeing this non stop motion of a dog and interpretating it as high energy being equal to drive. I wish people came even close in your ability to read a dog and their drive levels but the reality is: they don't, which is where the confusion lies.

Also, this is not my criteria but what I have learned from shelter workers who are for the most part "AWESOME" we all know they are not doing it for the money. I work with GSD breed rescue and the local shelters are very involved in saving as many dogs as they can. They are in the unfortunate situation of being tied to budget constraints etc... and as ugly as the truth is; it is less expensive to euthanize than it is to bring a dog back through the system. Do I agree with this; ABSOLUTELY NOT!

I guess my point is; the decisions which are made regarding what is required to adopt a dog forever are not arbitrary and thoughtless. I took offense to the tone of rhe thread. It became a shelter bash. These folks live in the trenches and have limited resources in what they can do. I truly feel they do the best that they can and deserve the respect that goes with that.

Ah, OK then. Yes I fully agree that most people walking into a shelter do not know how to read a dog's behavior or have no idea that behavior in a shelter is different from behavior they will see at home. I would like to think that most people looking for a working dog that decide to go to a shelter would have some knowledge of dog behavior but I won't attempt to say they do.

Maybe I have just had really bad experiences but I have yet to encounter a shelter personally that did not have an agenda where at least some animals suffered. Many people that work in shelters are good intentioned but have no more knowledge than the people coming in to adopt the dogs.

Depending on the shelter and who you happen to be talking to, yes there are volunteers but the people that do the evaluating and the paperwork and deciding what dogs go, what dogs stay, etc. are paid possitions. I have volunteered and considered actual employent at shelters and animal control facilities. Some of these jobs, especially the county jobs, can pay quite well (twice minimum wage..)

Locally there is a problem with our AC not being honest with owners of lost pets, among other things. The shelters here and the shelters in Wisconsin I went to often are still governed by politics and in the end, the dogs and other animals are the ones that lose. It is the lack of experience required that creates so many of these problems, the people making the decisions are people that don't have the knowledge to be making them.

OK, This was NOT meant in any way to be a session of shelter bashing. I am still an advocate of adoption and always will be.

My problem with this situation is that several things went wrong and the best interests of the DOG were not considered.

This person went to see the dog several times. He took it for a walk outside the shelter. He KNEW what he was looking for and this dog was it. When the Board member told the staff member that the dog should be adopted, the staff member still said no.

This is what is insane to me. The staff member is not a trainer in any way. The board member is a VET. The person looking to adopt has trained ACD before to work cows and knows what he is doing.

I am sure the staff member will be talked to and may lose her job. Meanwhile, the dog still sits in a cage....

This is a NO KILL shelter, but when they are full, they have to turn dogs down.. it is what happens to those dogs that concerns me...

I am sorry if I offended anyone... this is a very sensitive issue for me as well... I have had rescue dogs (currently have one now). I have fostered dogs. To refuse this dog a loving home because ONE person does not think it should work cows is just wrong.

I think for the most part shelter workers do what is best for the dogs... in this case they failed and the dog suffered for it.


--Kelly

Bashing rescue orgs. isn't really my intent. But only trying to point out the fallacy of the notion; that once the dog is rescued it's life there after is to be controled by that org., is in the best interest of the dog. Seems to me if they want to keep control over what (admitedly) is now their animal, fine let them keep them. However, if they want me to adopt one of those animals, it will be a dog of my choosing, for training as I see fit. Not the other way around.
I looked into my regional GSD rescue org. a few years ago. I received a 3 page form in return to fill out that wanted my entire life history down to my mothers maiden name. After I got over my shock and awe from their audacity, I mailed back the form with the pertinent: My name and contact info, the name and contact info of my long time vet, that was all as anything else beyond how the dog would be cared for is NOT in within their purview.......I guess I can't be trusted with a dog, I never heard back from them.
Fine it's their dog/s they can do with them as they see fit. They want to dictate what I want to train, not going to happen, keep the dog and train it themselves. Or not, and put the dog down. It's out of my hands once I'm not allowed the dog because of what I want to train or what not to train as the case may be.
So far in this thread it looks like my experience isn't an isolated instance. For my part, I think the emotional blackmail the rescues employ on one hand, and the dictatorial stances taken on the other are, if not outright disingenuous, at best make them a bunch of selfserving do gooders.
If the op can't get some straight answers on why the dog has been refused access to what appears to be a good home, then I'd advise she remember it vividly the next time the appeal comes round for support for that org. and adjust said support accordingly.

Randy

 Quote: Kelly At Leerburg

I think for the most part shelter workers do what is best for the dogs... in this case they failed and the dog suffered for it.

And it sounds from your post it was a decision based on the shelter worker's ego.... please post if you get any more info or what her response is to the board. If she does get fired because she is a control freak; you've done good for the dogs, Kelly.

The whole system needs to be overhauled! That is for sure! And many people have had horrible experiences but like everything else there is another side of the coin and wonderful experiences and truly dedicated people work and do what they can to improve the lives of the animals in their care.

Randy,
Did you ever ask the organization what purpose all the personal information they wanted served? The rescue I work with also asks a lot of questions generally things which would affect a placement...history of dog ownership, number of people in the family, ages of children, experience with training, etc. Not only does more info help to make a match but it also uncovers inconsistancies on people's applications. Because some people lie; hard to believe I know but they do.

Also, Randy, have you ever worked in rescue or considered it? Change can come from within and I think you would be a terrific advocate for the animals and would roll right over the bureaucrats (to loud cheering I might add)

Free time is difficult to come up with and you definitely don't have the patience for the work but that is what would make you a force to be reckoned with.......just planting a seed for future consideration

Sheila,
Do you mean patience for the work on dogs or for BSing people? If you mean people, then yes you're right, I give them pretty short shift. In my mind, people should have the critical facilities to know better. And if reasoning doesn't do it, then in my experience there is little I can do to dissuade them from whatever misguided notion they may have. There is nothing I can do with the world at large, I can only do in my small corner of the world.
As to working within a rescue. I'd never be able to deal with it emotionally. I'd be a wreck by the end of a week having to leave the dogs I worked with behind each day my time was up (I applaud those that can). And even if that weren't the case, just one instance up close similar to the op's would end my tenure in that org. as I would make somebody's life miserable until something changed. So seeing how I don't stroke and cultivate for friendship, politics seemingly always win no matter what the stakes.
I have little patience for BS, it's best if I stay away from rescues all around and just play cheerleader or general malcontent as the occasion calls.........And, every now and then donate some coin.

Randy

Randy

I am one of those people that has potential adopters fill out 3 page forms for the rescue I foster for. These forms are not fool proof, but their job is to allow us to get to know the folks that want to adopt my dog.

In most instances the foster home has had the dog for a while, it has been assessed and worked with and we have a pretty good handle on what kind of dog it is and what kind of home is best suited.

A form with only a name on it would not get a call back from me either.

For example, our form asks what kind of fence is in the back yard. I have two fosters now, one climbs chain link fence (fast) and the other can slip underneath. A home with chain link fence or worse yet, no fence would not be appropriate for these two. The first dog WILL climb the fence to hunt the neighbors cat or urban wildlife and WILL fight with other dogs if he spots them coming. Even if he is supervised, he is so fast you will not catch him. My fix, I keep him on leash 100% and if the adopters agree to that fine. But he has to get his exercise some how and most (most) people, are not willing to keep a dog leashed all the time and walk him 3-4 times a day. Best solution for this dog (not the only one I'd be willing to consider, but best) would be a wooden privacy fence - these do contain him.

Another example question - who lives in the house. If I get an application from a family with 3 kids under 5, they will be recommended another dog - not mine. He is very rude when off leash and bangs into people at 100 miles an hour, and always knocks kids down. This dog would last 5 minutes in a home like that. Most people are not going to adopt a dog then keep it separate from their kids.

Another question - what happened to your last dog. A good answer is it died from disease. A bad answer is he was running off leash and got run over. Yes it happens and I always go by a case by case basis, but if the person has a farm, no fences, doesnt use long lines and their dog got run over... hmm. I want my boy to be safe.

That being said, I have adopted big dogs out to apartment dwellers who have no yard at all, and families with kids. But all those times I felt the dog and the people were the right match.

We in rescue put a lot of our hard earned money, time, blood sweat and tears into these dogs and they are not going to go to someone who only put their name on the form and doesn't want to be bothered getting to know us. We don't sell dogs. As in, we don't just exchange money for a product like pet stores who sell puppies to anyone with a VISA card. Even reputable breeders will interview you and do their best to place you with the appropriate puppy. In rescue we want the placement to be successful and the only way to help that happen is by interviews and yes we do have to turn people down sometimes.

That said, if I thought I had a dog suitable for working and someone was experienced with the breed, I would certainly consider it. I don't think what happened to the OP's friend was appropriate at all.

Ah yes the forms to fill out.
Well to start, if the org. had called the reference to the vet they would have found everything that should interest them enre to my caretaking of dogs (three lives worth).
As to finding the dog that is a good 'fit' for me, I never asked them for that service. And I'd never before nor have I since taken a dog into my care that I personally didn't pick. They're mine responsiblity for life, come good or bad, and I'm not inclined to abdicate the first step in that life to some outsider.
I've always been a firm believer that everybody gets the dog they deserve in the end. It doesn't matter the temperment or disposition of the dog, one works with what they have. If the commitment can't be made, then don't get a dog. And I surely don't expect someone else to fill a hole in the jig saw puzzle of some strangers life on the strenght of a few questions. Thats passing the buck, and taking no responsiblity as a very first step, in what hopefully will be a long life together.

It's not an end product thats so important to me, it's the trip. And it's always a grand one.
Randy