considering all the flack over what i just wrote...

I agree with Carol that there are 2 types of rescue groups (I am know that most “dog” rescue groups are breed specific but I am going to throw in mixed breed into the mix too as I think we get the same 2 types here). I think I look at it a bit different than Carol though, I think the 1st group tries, when ever possible, to help a dog (old, medically challenged, behaviorally challenged) whenever they have the resources which includes having not only a foster home available but having the finances and the expertise (this is more for the behaviorally challenged) to handle a dog in need. I think the 2nd group has very specific guidelines about what dogs they will take into their care whether that is based on a temperament test, only taking puppies, only taking seniors, only taking dogs from shelters, only taking dogs from homes etc. (These are just made up examples on the spur of the moment – they do not apply to any particular rescue. I just wanted to give some examples) I do not have a problem with these rescues. They are upfront about what their mission is as there help is needed in a word where there are more dogs than are wanted (bad choice of words but to get my point across – excess surplus, not enough demand). We all know that there are some really good dogs that wouldn’t get help if it wasn’t for dog rescues so yeah!!! and good work. We all know that the hard to place dogs (seniors with medical issues and large breed mixed dogs and/or pure breed dogs that have any serious behaviour issues) are not generally wanted by the public no matter how much I would like that to change so these dogs are harder to adopt out.

Now my issues with dog rescues are not that they are group 1 or group 2. My issues are when a rescue publicly misrepresents itself on their own web site, on a message board, in an email, on the phone etc. They publicly say they will take on anything as long as they have the resources (and isn’t that a powerful tool to have – that word – resources). When it comes down to the crunch, the resources they don’t have available are for the very old/crippled, and very behaviorally challenged which often does include some kind of aggression in dogs. So yes everyone has the right to pick and choose which kind of animal you can take on but please be honest that you don’t really have the resources for the really hard to place/difficult ones. Honesty is always respected – misrepresentation of oneself just makes the public wary of you.

My opinion is based on my experience as a foster home for shelters and as a volunteer at a shelter where sometimes I have been involved in contacting rescues. It always disappoints me that a breed specific rescue comes back to me with negative comments about the dog I am fostering or when I don’t get any kind of response back at all or the worst is when they give you hope and when it comes down to the crunch and you send that all important email out, you just don’t hear back from them (this is for dogs who are at the shelter). I do, however appreciate the few breed rescues that have helped out by giving me invaluable information about the breed so I can understand and work with the dog in my home or at the shelter. I also appreciate the courtesy postings too as they have lead to a couple of adoptions.

sheila...indo-canadians aren't supposed to care about animals? you better quit helping dogs then. (except the boomers, and lukes, and butches, and lexie's, and that skinny little pain in the ass crippled dog who's name somehow escapes me because it is late and i am once again in a bad mood..)hah...you are disabled/defective snob...i bet you turn away all the sweet,healthy, happy, easy dogs too... reverse bias.

lets try not to be argumentative just for the sake of being argumentative esp when no one was attacking all breed specific rescues. re-read the posts, they have not changed...pure breed rescue was not lumped together as the bad guys. that did not happen.

lets make it simple so i will summarize:

two categories, right there in black and white...
those who help difficult dogs when they are able and those who do not help difficult dogs when they are able.

group one equals rescue (any reason to be offended over this?)
group two equals re-homing service. (altho i did admit in the next post that there might be valid reasons for not ever helping difficult dogs under certain circumstances too)

those two opinions are causing all of this trouble? wow.

I am posting from my perspective has a person who fosters only... I am not a rescue. We have fostered mixed breed dogs and breed specific. We have had some help from breed specific rescue and we have not had help from breed specific rescues. When we have asked for help (okay Leila has alway written all the emails etc)we are not asking for the breed rescue to take the dog or to pay any expenses. All we are asking for is assistance in placing the dogs since we are not the experts in the breeds. When we do get help and by this I mean a courtesy post or an email back that says "gee you know that dog is going to be really hard to place and we don't have requests for that kind of dog sorry" it is much appreciated because they are being honest and have enough respect for your email that they answer back. What Leila and I both appreciate alot is the very few times the breed rescue gives information in helping us understand the breed. In my experience I have had less breed rescues help rather than help.

What I find disconcerting, puzzling and slightly bewildering is when I read on various message boards that "we only take the hard ones". And I am wondering well you do... well you don't ever list them. And the one that really kills me is "how could we say no" but you said no to the 10 that came before this one. What I respect is a rescue that is very clear cut about what they will or will not deal with... we only take puppies, we only take one dog at a time, we only take adoptable dogs, we don't take dogs that take a year to rehabilitate ... What I don't respect is the one's who say one thing publically and do another thing privately. But you could take that last line and apply it almost any line of work or charity.

Finally I am East Indian (or should I say Indo Canadian)and it didn't take me long to find out that East Indians were not very highly thought of in the animal welfare world. You would be surprised what people will email you or say to you on the phone because they assume that because I don't speak with a funny accent and my name Sheila I must be white. If I took every comment I have heard in this world about East Indians then I would be offended until they day I die.

Sharon is VERY right, many breed rescues step up to the plate for their breed, that is why they are breed rescue! Nobody deserves to be lumped together, especially those that work very hard.

Carol, I didn't say it was always the case, those are your words. I said that my club steps up to the plate to the best of their ability when they find dogs of their breed in need. I wasn't speaking for all ckc clubs and never implied I was.

The last dog my club helped financially, recently, is very senior, and had vet/dental needs and the club stepped up the plate and paid. And this dog is now in an approved home, and very happy.

Don't lump all breed rescue groups together, o.k.?

i am glad your ckc club helps all dogs of their breed and not just a few. but the reality sharon is this is not always the case and it is not universal that every single breed specific rescue will help seniors and hard to place animals. just because some do, does not mean everyone does. this is not just my very own sole experience, deb from VAS stated below that they have experienced the same and many other shelter staff have told me they find it frustrating too. is it possible that the experience of some might differ from what others experience with your ckc club and others who stand by all of the dogs of their breed?

i would think if we were more open to discussing the differing standards, it might encourage some to re-think the needs of hard to place dogs and maybe look to see if they could help some of those too?

or we can just not talk about it at all and pretend it never happens, but will that help some of these dogs?

I am offended at your perspective on breed rescue groups. I am a member of a CKC registered club, and they do their best for all rescued dogs, especially seniors. Most of the members of this club are far too busy to check out blogs such as yours and defend themselves.

I hope I have worded this politely enough that you will post it on your blog.

SharonB

i will, hopefully later tonight, be posting more photos of boom boom aswell as the multipurpose room video and one of the americats so he can have more blog space.

well i was serious even tho i knew you were not...i felt guilty for pushing past boomer.

I have a very soft spot for shy, handsome black dogs. I will be passing along his info too.

Sheila was joking, sort of. :) Nobody's bad mood can come between her and a dog whose cause she is championing. Boomer will get a great home, I'm sure of that. He deserves it, and Sheila wills it. Bad moods be damned. :)

Thanks Carol for the co-workers neighbor plug. You shouldn't have answered back so seriously because now people who don't know me won't know that I was joking.
LOL

sorry boomer, i was in a selfish bad mood this morning (the selfishness is gone.. but the bad mood, not quite but it is no way directed at you)

sorry sheila, post his pic and a update every couple of days, flood him all over the place he takes great soulful pictures. i did print off his pic and his bio off the petfinder site...one of my co-oworkers neighbors is looking for an adult rescue family type dog....but i don't know anything about them so it was only a shot in the dark.

Ummm Carol... did you have to write something so contraversial when I wrote a Boomer Post. Now no one is going to look at Boo Boo and he needs a home.