Are All Rescues Created Equal?

This week’s newsletter might make you smile. This week’s newsletter might make you angry. This week's newsletter might do both and it also might just surprise you with information you didn’t know.

Today is National Rescue Dog Day. It’s a day that highlights the many dogs in animal shelters, awaiting forever homes. Giving a shelter dog a second chance at a good life is a lovely way to add a furry friend to your own life. There are people who advocate and practice responsible rescue, and sadly there are people who hide behind “rescue” as a way to separate caring hearts from their wallets. Aren’t there people like that in every aspect of life? Here are just a few of the tactics they use:

1. Some people will tell you that breeders are all terrible and that the right way to get a dog is to rescue one.
2. Some people will tell you to adopt, don’t shop.
3. Some people will pretend they’re part of a responsible rescue group when, in fact, they’re selling dogs they’ve sourced in less-than-noble ways: buying wholesale from aggregators, disguising their puppy mill operation as a loving home or a kennel club and only offering their dogs for “adoption” online, shipped to your doorstep, and even stealing dogs from their yards and homes to “adopt” them to people at hundreds or thousands of dollars in “adoption fees” plus even more for shipping and handling.

Let’s take these, one by one.

1. Rescuing a dog can be a very fulfilling choice to make for many people. While many people believe that those who choose to purchase a puppy are the ones filling up the shelters with unwanted dogs, that’s simply not the truth. It is dogs produced accidentally or by irresponsible people that fill up the shelters. There are responsible breeders who produce well-bred, temperamentally and physically sound dogs, and who screen the potential puppy buyers carefully before entrusting their puppies to them. Their contract is explicit – if the puppy buyer, for any reason and at any time in the dog’s life, can’t keep the puppy, the dog must be returned to the breeder. To find a breeder like that, Google “(your city) kennel club” and search their webpage for either a breeder referral directory or the list of officers – contact the Secretary and ask for referral to a responsible person who has the breed you’re looking for.
2. “Adopt, don’t shop.” Sure, it’s catchy and pithy. And it’s also coercive and untrue. Here's what people forget in their "adopt, don't shop" frenzy. When you go to a shelter or a rescue group to adopt a dog, you don’t take the very first one you see, right? You look for what you think will fit your lifestyle, energy level, and grooming needs and choose the dog you’ll adopt accordingly. News flash – that’s shopping, and it’s a GOOD thing! Shop for the dog you want, whether it comes from a good breeder or a responsible rescue.
3. Look at #3 carefully – there are many, many, many rescue groups and people who prey on your caring heart in these ways. Use caution! One of the best ways to ensure that you’re not dealing with a scam artist is to visit government-run animal control shelters in your area. Let them know what you’re looking for and ask that they keep your contact information on file in case something appropriate comes in. They are likely to know of the local reputable rescues and can put you in touch with those people. If you’re wanting to rescue a purebred dog, you can Google “American Kennel Club (breed name)” and scroll down on the breed information page to the National Breed Club and Rescue section, where you’ll find links to responsible, reputable rescue sources.

So far in this newsletter, maybe I’ve made you smile, maybe I’ve made you angry – now it’s time for me to surprise you with information you might not have known before now. The purebred dog community invented rescue.

In the 1970’s, people who loved their breed became appalled that so many of their beloved breed were at the pound, waiting to either be adopted or put to sleep because their owners didn’t want them or could no longer keep them. Those people started visiting their local shelters, adopting the breed they loved, and caring for the dogs until new owners could be found.

Rescue started with the most popular breeds, like Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, and German Shepherds, because they were the most common purebreds in the shelters, and over the years has become a standard part of nearly every breed club. That’s responsible people, taking on the results of the mistakes and misdeeds of irresponsible people in order to save the lives of the breed they love. Soon other responsible people began taking on other dogs – senior dog rescue, toy dog rescue, tripod dog rescue, etc. – saving non-purebreds and finding homes for them, too.

Dogs are wonderful additions to your life. Whether you’re thinking of adding a purebred or a mutt, whether you’re looking for a puppy or an older dog, there are responsible people with good dogs, and it’s worth doing a bit of research before you take home a dog. Reach out to your local government-run animal shelter to rescue a dog, or if you want a purebred, find the breed that fits your lifestyle and either adopt through that breed's parent club rescue group or buy from a responsible breeder.

Whether adopting or buying, there’s one question to ask before you take any dog into your home: will that person/group take the dog back if you ever have to give them up? If the answer is yes, get it in writing. If the answer is no, you're not dealing with someone who has the best interests of the dog at heart.

Today, whether your dog is a rescue or not, celebrate the bond you and your dog have, and celebrate the little life you’re responsible for. My dogs say it’s a great day for extra cookies and a bonus sniffy-walk. Your dog, too?

Wags,
Sandy Weaver
The Voice of Wagaliciousness

PS...want more? Subscribe to the Mind, Body, Soul Sessions podcast, a weekly mental spa treatment for your total self!