That is one bizzare story. I can't imagine a rescue wanting to assume the liability that would go along with a dog with a bite history.

I volunteer for a local rescue. If any of our dogs exibited that type of behavior the dog would be put down.

Unfortunately, rescue groups are only as good as the people that run them. Some are great and others are not so great.

Sounds like you acted in a very responsible way by trying to warn the new adopter.

i do some volunteer work for rescue, and i guess i'm just lucky that the groups i've helped are very ethical and very careful about who they adopt to and the dogs they adopt out.

if i had to guess what the problem is, i'd guess that most rescue organizations are run by breeders, and that ethical breeders who do what is best for the dogs and their owners are not in the majority. the demographics of rescue are probably not unlike the demographics of breeders. lots of them put on the pretense of being knowledgeable and putting the dogs' best interests first, but there is very little follow through in reality.

 Quote: alice oliver

i do some volunteer work for rescue, and i guess i'm just lucky that the groups i've helped are very ethical and very careful about who they adopt to and the dogs they adopt out.

if i had to guess what the problem is, i'd guess that most rescue organizations are run by breeders, and that ethical breeders who do what is best for the dogs and their owners are not in the majority. the demographics of rescue are probably not unlike the demographics of breeders. lots of them put on the pretense of being knowledgeable and putting the dogs' best interests first, but there is very little follow through in reality.

IMO, you would be guessing wrong. I have worked with quite a few rescues and none were run by breeders. What I see is several problems: rescues run by people who know very little about dog behavior, too much focus on saving a dogs life with little thought as to the dogs temperament or if the potential new family can actually handle the dog. I know of one person who I am told started a rescue to make money. This person can't handle their own dogs, and has taken in dogs that aren't adoptable and adopted them out anyway. Rescues need to have a good screening process in place to make sure the dogs go to proper homes as well as follow up once the dog has been adopted and unfortunately many don't. A rescue is only as good as the volunteers that run it and unfortunately there is very little good screening of volunteers.

jeanne,
thanks for sharing your perspective, a different experience than my own. i had no idea so many rescues were run by non-breeders. if so, then yes, i imagine ignorance has much to do with the problems.

are we talking about breed rescues? why would non-breeders be working to save dogs from a particular breed? i would think that a "lay" rescue person would want to rescue all dogs, of whatever parentage, and wouldn't have an interest in a particular breed.

 Quote: alice oliver

jeanne,
are we talking about breed rescues? why would non-breeders be working to save dogs from a particular breed? i would think that a "lay" rescue person would want to rescue all dogs, of whatever parentage, and wouldn't have an interest in a particular breed.

I find it very odd that you would think that only breeders would work in breed rescue. I have mainly worked with GSD rescues and never encountered any breeders although I know there are some that help out with rescue. Basically people have a love for a certain breed so that is what they choose to rescue. There are more dogs that need to be rescued than can be rescued so whether someone puts there focus on one breed or another on the whole won't make any difference. My interest was GSDs when I became involved in rescue so that was where my focus was. Why not put my focus where I have the most knowledge? I can go on a home check and speak with confidence about living with a GSD, but there are many other breeds that I would have no idea what it's like to have. I have done a little with Lab rescue and I have a friend starting an all breed rescue that I said I would help with, but I'm sure as each breed comes up that I'm not familiar with I will have to do research which isn't as good as having actual experience.

IMO, breeders would be good sources for referals to rescues but wouldn't have the time to do it themselves!

guess it's just different life experiences, and what you've been exposed to. every breed rescue i've got experience with are run by breeders. other rescues, i haven't really investigated who runs them. there is a class of breeders out there who don't believe you should be a breeder unless you also do rescue. in our regional club, the breeders take turns being responsible for rescue.

interesting discussion.

I think that some rescue people are just true fanatics. Like the PETA people who free lobsters from restaurants and throw red paint on people who wear fur. It's like they have no balance. They want to save dogs, so they try to save EVERY dog, even ones who should be put down or adopted to very specific and hard to find people. They just have a screw loose.

Interesting story and to me, completely believable. I have not trusted shelters and adoption agencies for many years.

I used to volunteer for a shelter here in the Valley many years ago. I recall a purebred chocolate lab come in, had registration papers and all the accessories, a crate, lots of toys, a million collars, a full bag of food, bowls, etc etc. It was a traditonal Brittish style lab, short and stocky and a very reddish tint to his glossy chocolate coat.

A new girl was feeding the dogs. She claimed he growled and snapped at her. I was in the day after that and it was quite a buzz let me tell you (Viscious dog!!!)

I came in for my scheduled volunteer shift 2 weeks later - he wasn't there. I figured he was adopted - a very handsome dog, happy-go-lucky tail wagging lab, very calm.

Nope. What lab? Oh, did I mean that red pit bull dog that bit Jessica? He had been put down.

Ah.. he was not a pit bull. And he had not bitten anybody.

Fast Forward.. I was in Wisconsin, I decided to go to the local shelter and have a gander at their critters. I did that from time to time when I knew someone that was looking for a dog and was unsure how to select a dog for their needs.

Came across this female american bulldog that was labeled as a white boxer, and this adorable AmStaff male. He was super friendly, laid back, who gives a crap dog. I asked to see him, walked him around in their little designated area, he was a great dog, not dog aggressive, not anything aggressive, he just wanted a good scratch, and a nap. Behaved well, heeled on lead, sit, down, stay, shake, roll over etc. His chart said "Very dog aggressive." ....

Ah next row. Beautiful young male lab mix (looked like alab/chow). Lunged at me and bit at the chain link as soon as I got within 3 feet of the kennel. I continued down the line, and the next dog was an older female golden, she came over to the corner and stuck her nose through with a wagging tail and kind eye - that 2" where that young lab mix could see her head past the concrete divider between the kennels, he went NUTS! Snarling, pawing, spinning, jumping, snapping, barking. Deep, menacing barks. His chart said "friendly, good with kids and other animals"...

Who knows, maybe I caught those two dogs on a fluke. Likely not, as they had more dogs mislabeled per breed, one female was labeled a male, and on my future visits I noticed every pitbull looking dog (they had 4 at that time vs just the one) was labeled as a special adoption, one pet home, dog aggressive animal.

There is taking a precaution, and then there is just being stupid. I never went back and advised people I knew to get the opinion of an outside trainer before every adopting from them. (they had a "resident trainer" that came in once a week for 4 hours to "rehabilitate" the dogs)

I tread carefully with shelters and rescues, I think the idea of it is grand, it is a great thing, but for the most part they don't know what they are doing, that is why you get dogs being returned to shelters and rescues 3, 4, 5 times - they are not being matched with proper homes and handlers or properly evaluated from the start.

Ah. My 2 cents.