Please be very
cautious about the people on CL and screen them thoroughly. Many of them are nut
cases.
A 20 minute
phone conversation where an applicant is telling you what you want to hear- true
or not- is no way to pick a forever home for a dog. The information, below,
should help you to go beyond that.
Please
consider posting on the nearest SPCA website, and veterinarian’s offices
(a place where responsible owners visit!) Craigslist is truly the bottom
of the barrel. That is why most rescues refuse to post
there.
Below is some
info. you will find helpful. The info. is organized under separate headings to
make it easy to access, as you scroll down. This is what I have learned in 20
years of rescue. Following the rehoming tips will make you much able to screen out homes that may
not work well in the long run for your dog.
- why Craigslist says you should ALWAYS charge a
fee for the safety of your pet.
-rehoming tips
you have not thought of.
-free help from nonprofit rescue groups may be
available. Why they can do an excellent job of screening homes and providing a
lifetime safety net for your dog.
How a rehoming fee protects your
pet:
Please don't
compromise on your rehoming fee since 'free to good home' ads are strongly
discouraged by the
1. get a dog on a whim. It is a serious
responsibility that spans 10-15 years or more. Charging at least $60 makes
people stop and think. Small purebreds should be at least $150 if they under age
7. Otherwise, they are subject to resale for more money- no matter what the
adopter tells you about giving them a forever
home.
2. get a dog even though they cannot afford vet
care, etc. Dogs are not cheap. If a family cannot write a check for $60 for a
new pet, they have no business getting a dog. What will happen when he gets an
ear infection, etc?
3.get free dogs and use them for pitbull
bait.
4. get free dogs and , when they get a bunch, sell
them for research. They are called bunchers.
5. are puppy mills and get unspayed purebreds
to live as breeders neglected in a cage for the rest of their
lives.
6. are people like
Lynne W. in Varina and Frederick Cooper in
She
calls herself Over the Rainbow Rescue.
That is not what reputable rescues do.
7. are
hoarders who think they are helping dogs but cannot care for them since
they have too many. They sound great when they talk to you since they truly love
animals -but a home visit will reveal the deplorable conditions of the dogs and
cats in their animal collections.
It's easy to keep
all of the above from your door- charge a fee.
The
following links are to articles that are extremely disturbing.
But they highlight the risks of placing your animals into homes that you
have not checked out. We all know times are tough, but please, at least do a
home inspection and make a phone call to the vet before adopting your animals to
just anyone. The previous owners of these dogs would probably be just devastated
to know how they ended up.
http://www.14wfie.com/story/15062470/sc-dog-found-with-teeth-sawed-off
http://www.wtov9.com/news/27148515/detail.html?sms_ss=twitter&at_xt=4d937b91af8fbfb5,0
Rehoming tips you have not thought
of:
Ask to see the
driver's license and copy down the address and name so you
know
who has your
dog.
To check for a
criminal record or animal cruelty convictions, go to
www.courts.state.va.us/caseinfo/home.html.
You need to see their driver's license to be sure they are who they say they
are.
Unless your dog is
very small, have the first question you ask (in a conversational way): " Do you
want an indoor or outdoor dog?" If the answer is outdoor, and you want your dog
to be an indoor/outdoor dog, then that should be a deal breaker. Don't let them
backtrack if they sense that their answer is not what you wanted to hear. They
told you the truth the first time. Dogs like dobies, bully breeds like
pits, etc., Great Danes, poodles have no undercoat and should not be out in
the cold for very long. Dogs with mushed faces like pugs and bulldogs should not
be out either in the heat or cold very long. Small dogs cannot generate
enough body heat to stay warm in the cold.
Once people express
an interest via email, email them to call you so you can hear their voice. Let
them leave a complete message and then call them back. You can tell a lot by the
way someone speaks.
Use a written
application to guide you in what to ask. I can send you one that our rescue uses
if you email me.
Lots of people
in your position are afraid to be too pushy in asking questions because you are
so happy that someone who seems half decent has called you about the dog. That's
a huge mistake. People who are really good homes will be happy to answer your
questions- and happy you care enough to ask! When people get defensive about
answering your questions, that should be a big red flag.
People who are
turned down by rescue groups turn to people like you to adopt because they know
you don't really know what to ask, so the reason others didn't think they would
be a good home will not be apparent to you. Below are some things to
ask.
Get a tag with
your phone number made for your dog and put it on her in case she gets away from
them in her new home and they have not yet put a tag on her. This is very
important.
Always get their
landlord’s number and contact them to be sure a pet is allowed. Many adopters
don’t bother to ask and then have to give up their pet! Several people have
given a friend as a landlord but going on Chesterfield.gov ( in
Renters move much
more than homeowners ,so your dog's situation is much less stable since a lot of
places do not allow dogs. I like to adopt to stable
situations.
Go visit home and
family with the pet BEFORE you adopt out. If it is seems
like it will be a good home & family, take the pet on the weekend
to get family and pet time to adjust to each other BEFORE the workdays
begin. If they don’t allow a home visit, beware.
Always deliver your pet to her new home. Otherwise, she is getting into a car with strangers and you don't know where she is going. People have actually lied to me about their address and when I went by to check on the dog later, there was no such place! Also, emotionally, your dog will feel better if she is delivered to her new place by someone she knows.
Please do not do
third party adoptions. No one wants to be surprised by a new dog or get a dog
that someone else picked out. These adoptions rarely work out. Also, you want to
speak to the person who will own the dog so you can ask questions and determine
whether they will be a good owner.
Dogs
need adequate exercise or many develop behavior problems and are returned to us.
Leash walking isn't enough exercise for many dogs, so a fenced yard is
best.
Get and check
vet if they have another dog. Are their pets up to date on shots? Are they
on heartworm pills? What are they using for
fleas?
Where
will the dog be all day while they are at work? Will the dog be overconfined in
a crate? Crating for more than 4 hours is a bad idea for active young dogs- or
even middle aged dogs.. Put yourself in the dog's
place.
Is the dog
well behaved enough to have the run of the house? If the dog will be outside, is
the neighborhood safe or will kids taunt it? Is there a fenced yard? Is the
fence at least 4ft. tall (lots of dogs are 4 ft. fence jumpers, so taller is
better)? Walk the fence line and be sure there are no places where she can
escape. Is there shade in the yard?
Will the dog
be an indoor outdoor dog or outside and in the garage all the time? That's not
okay since she will want to be a full member of the family. Backyard dogs are
often lonely and the heat and cold are
uncomfortable.
If there is no
fence, be cautious. A rope run does not give a dog enough exercise. A dog
pen doesn't either.
A dog
younger than age 5 needs a chance daily to 'run like the wind'. Also, people
without a fence don't always want to be bothered to leash walk every time a dog
has to pee. Si, if they are getting ready for work, they will let a dog out the
door, thinking she will come back. That works until the dog gets hit by a
car.
Also, even if
they live in the country and have a lot of acreage, a fence is still needed. No
one but Lassie stays around the house. Even with 500 acres and a quarter mile
from the road resulted in 2 of our foster dogs getting killed on the road. Rural
areas also have issues with hunters being a danger to unfenced
dogs.
If the
people have another dog, introduce them on the street, not on the dog's
property. Take a 5 minute walk together so the dogs meet that
way.
Does their dog get just dry food -or also canned? What quality food is being fed? It matters to the dogs and will give you some insight into the dog's quality of life. Cheap food results in medical conditions that people who cannot afford good quality dogfood also cannot afford to treat. www.dogfoodadvisor rates dogfoods.
Is the
home stable? Students and people in their early 20s are usually in transition.
They move around, get jobs in other cities, and have life changes so that making
a 15 year commitment to a dog and putting that dog's welfare first makes no
sense.
Lots of
kids bug their parents for a dog that the parents don't really want. But they
finally give in. They get a dog but the kids quickly tire of the dog. Now mom
has to do all the feeding and walking she didn't want to do in the first place.
They can't 'get rid of' the dog because the kids will be unhappy so they chain
it to a doghouse in the back of the yard where it is pretty much ignored. I have
seen this over and over, so be sure that the parent wants the dog. If a parent
says, "The kids want a dog", that is a huge red
flag!
Will the
dog have the run of the house or will her spot be only the utility room or
family room. This is a red flag!
Do ALL members
of the home want this dog. Many times the mom and kids do- but they had to talk
the dad into it. This is not a good scene for the dog- who will catch that
negative vibe. We make sure to talk to all family members when we do the home
visit.
What has
happened to ALL the pets the family has had in the last 5 years? Did they give
them away because they were moving? Did any of them get run over by a car or
just get lost? If so, what were the circumstances?
What methods
have they used to train or discipline dogs in the past? What is their
philosophy? This tells you a lot about them.
Also be
cautious of people who want a guard dog or a dog for protection. Where are they
living? What is their lifestyle?
Ask applicants
if their pet is on heartworm preventative. If so, ask them to tell you the name
of it. Don't let them tell you they don't recall the name. This is a
monthly preventative. Many people who use CL do not have their dog on
preventative- and if that dog is spending time outside and a mosquito carrying
heartworm can bite the dog- then that person either does not stay in regular
touch with a vet, is not as responsible an owner as he could be, or cannot
afford heartworm preventative. Since heartworms are a major killer of dogs, to
me this would be a huge red flag.
If you have puppies
to rehome, don't ever UNDERestimate the expected adult weight. So many people
are surprised at how big their pup grew and give the pup up because he 'grew too
big'. Even mixed puppies with smallish parents have recessive genes that can
make them grow much larger than expected.
Many insurance
companies do not want to insure homes if there is a certain breed of dog living
there. The breeds vary with each company but usually include pitbulls and
rottweillers- but may also include German Shepards and other breeds. It's best
to have people check before they adopt since this is a reason why people
give their dogs up once they find out they may have trouble with their
company or with finding a new company.
Please know that
being a hunting dog is not a good deal for most dogs who live in outdoor pens
year round, are kept hungry so that they hunt well, and are frequently abandoned
(or worse) if they don't hunt well.
Often, when the
average owner tries to select a home, they often give too much information to
applicants ( who them just tell owners what they want to hear), they cannot tell
when an applicant is telling the truth, and don't know what questions to ask. It
is hard to judge a person in a brief conversation and a brief visit. Once you
have a conversation with a person, no matter what he tells you, he does what he
wants with the dog once he drives off. You have absolutely no
recourse.
A rescue group will
not charge you to help, but they will also not pay for a dog. They will get a
written application from all interested adopters, they know what questions to
ask to assure that a home will work out in the long run. They'll call all
references, so an in depth interview, do a home visit, and adopt the dog with a
contract that gives them the legal right to visit the dog and get him
back if the contract is not followed. The contract also says that the dog must
be returned to the rescue if the dog is ever given up. This provides the dog
with a big lifetime safety net.
Purebred dog rescues will take in
close mixes. Find them by googling the breed name and your state ( yorkie rescue,
If you are near
Richmond: Henrico Humane Society,
AARF, Odessa, Angel Dogs, ADRATI, BARK, Richmond Animal League are all
reputable, local nonprofit rescues who are experienced screeners and can tell a
good long term home much better than the average person can. Their emails are:
info@barkva.org, foredogs@comcast.net, odessarescue@gmail.com, Pam@ral.org, angeldogs@helpangeldogs.org. Check out their websites.
If you email them, send a picture and all info. about your dog, including
how well they get along with dogs, cats, kids, and
strangers.
Say whether they
are up to date on rabies or distemper shots and have had a recent
heartworm test. None of these are deal breakers, but it helps each group to have
a complete picture.
They do get
a
lot of
requests for help and cannot
help everyone so the best way to get
their attention is to personally go to their weekly Saturday adoption stand with
your dog and his medical
records ( if you have any) and ask them to help you. Since rescue groups don't
have a lot of money and their foster homes are usually full with pound dogs they
are trying to save, they are much more likely to say YES to working with your
dog if it has all medicals done (has rabies and distemper shot, is spayed,
and has had a recent heartworm test showing it is heartworm
negative)
and you can foster
till adoption if they have no foster space at the
time.
Ask for help even if
the above is not true, but if all medicals are done and, more importantly, you
can foster till adoption and bring the dog to adoption stand- let them know that
up front!!!
They can let you show the dog at their weekly adoption stand, so the public can meet him/her and fall in love. They will also post for you on Petfinder.com- a place where nonprofits post and people expect to be carefully screened- unlike the people on Craigslist who hate for you to ask any questions and don't see the value to the dog of careful screening. They will also help you screen the home, do the home visit, and the dog will get adopted with their contract- and all the legal protections that come with it.
Good luck to you. Lots of people want dogs for the wrong reasons. The quality of this dog's life for the next years depends on you making smart and compassionate choices for him now.
Carolyn
Simpson
Animal Adoption and
Rescue Fdtn. (www.aarf.org)