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I have worked with numerous puppy mill dogs and, believe me, they do not have a monopoly of excessive fear. One fo the most fearful dogs I have worked with was/is an owner surrender (due to health issues). This dog came to me extremely well cared for but due to the number of dogs these people had and health issues they had been very poorly socialized. Within a couple of weeks of getting this dog I also got a mill momma who had spent her whole life up to that point in a cage and, interestingly enough, was within months of being the same age. She was far more successful in recovering from her fear that he has been.
Part of the issue her is probably the age. How old when she was separated from her mother? That should never be done before 8 weeks and with some breeds older. From what I have read puppies taken from their mother too soon miss a critical part of their development and have a more difficult time becoming pets. I have not worked with puppies from this type of situation so I can’t say that from personal experience but have found reputable sources for that information including my own vet.Contact the rescue organization themselves and ask for references as well as any and all questions you might have.
I would urge any rescue to exercise EXTREME caution in administrating any kind of vaccination or prescription level medication to an animal. In the vast majority if not all states you can be prosecuted for practicing veterinary medicine without a license. Your better bet is to find a rescue friendly vet.
I have been part of 2 rescue groups for 2 years and have seen plenty of conflict. You have to make sure that everyone is asking themselves Why am I doing this? If the answer isn’t For the dogs then that person needs to be encouraged to find another way to help. The other issue is that EVERYONE needs to be accountable to the group. I had a foster dog that was killed (accidentally) literally within hours of placement in an adopter’s home because of an adoption pushed through by one board member. It still haunts me that even as a new member I didn’t stand up to that person more but I thought, Well, this is after all a board member and I’m new to rescue so…The rescues I work with use Petfinder very sucessfully. I would encourage you to contact a rescue group (breed specific might be best). Many of them will do a courtesy posting for you. I do know that before any dog is adopted from either of my rescues they do reference checks – personal and vet, a home visit and interview with the potential adopter and both have travel restrictions as to how and how far a dog can travel. Rescues are also good at networking and doing homevisits for each other as well as transporting for each other. Find a sympathetic rescue person and "pick their brain". Good luck! It sounds like Angel is lucky to have found you!!
I have done foster care for 2 years for dogs and I think I can answer your questions.
1) You do not get paid in cash – you get paid in love, loyalty and puppy kisses!
2) I don’t know of a reputable rescue that doesn’t pay for vet care.
3) You do not need a college degree, just understanding and love for the animals you want to care for.
4) Most rescues have an application you can fill out online.
5) How many animals you can have depends on local regulations where you live and how many you feel you can comfortably handle. I got a hobby kennel license from my city so that I could have more than the city’s 3 personal pets as allowed by city ordinance.
As far as how hard it is to give up the animal, yet it can be very painful because you put so much of yourself into them. My response when asked how I can do it (and I have adopted some) is that if the potential adopter can give the animal AT LEAST as good a home as I can that is my reward – that and it gives me room to help another one to a new life.You may find more dogs who have had problems in rescues but to say they have problem dogs is inaccurate. The problems have either been dealt with or they will let you know up front what the problem(s) is/are and exactly where the level of progress is. They will also be there (or at least the good ones will be) for you if problems arise for however long you want. A good rescue will be upfront and be available to support the adoption for as long as you want because they don’t want you or the dog to fail. In most cases these animals have been through enough and the rescue doesn’t want to see any more negatives happen.
Rescues usually use foster homes and can tell you the dog’s personality, issues and whether or not it will be a good fit for your family. I have a dog that came to me as a foster who had 5 potential adoptions fall through and there is absolutely nothing wrong with the dog. In one case the potential adopter lived in a very warm climate and wanted the dog to be an outdoor dog. This breed is bred to be a house dog and is very intollerent of extreme temperatures so the rescue said no. Another potential adopter for this same dog did not have a fenced yard (this particular dog LOVES to run!!), had some fairly unreasonable expectations for the breed type and most of the family was totally indifferent to the idea of having a dog so the rescue encouraged them to look at a different dog. I ended up adopting him myself and I can’t tell you how much he adds to my life!As someone who works with rescue and has purchased a dog from a breeder I can tell you that the rescue dogs I have adopted were a steal compared to getting one from a breeder not to mention that if I were to get the same breed(s) from a breeder the purchase price for the ones I work with would far exceed the adoption fee I paid. The one breed (they are purebred) I work with primarily usually has an adoption fee from $250-400 depending on the age but if I were to get that same breed from a breeder it would be $400-1,500. After that I would have to pay for spay/neuter, well puppy/dog check, heartworm & lymes tests and all the shots and on and on and on…
When a dog that I have fostered gets adopted I am available to answer any questions and I know that dog’s personality inside and out. I recently heard from an adopter of one of my fosters who was having some housebreaking issues but was letting the dog get by with the behavior out of sympathy (retired mill dog). They had had the dog for almost a year. I was able to tell him that she did not do that at my house and that she was playing him like a fiddle! I told him how I handled her and let him know that I would always be available for anything I could help with.I foster for two rescue groups and I guarantee you will not regret the decision to adopt. I have adopted the maximum I am allowed to have and still be able to foster but each one adds their own special touch to my life. Most of the dogs I have worked with are puppy mill rescues and the rewards are tenfold what I give to them. It is truly a rewarding and humbling experience to see these dogs go from frightened, skinny and unsocialized creatures to wonderful, loving pets. My heart is especially with the mill dogs because they have been through so much but I’ve never seen an animal that appreciate everything you do for them more than these special babies. My "charter member" and mother hen came from a good breeder but, while I lover her dearly doesn’t have nearly the appreciation that my fosters do.
Maybe there IS some differences between stores because I foster for two rescues and the Patsmarts we deal with have been quite generous with discounts, etc. You have to remember though that there probably is a corporate policy in this regard and that if a store donates they are not necessarily able to write off the full amount on taxes where if they throw it out they can write off the full retail price. That’s a problem with tax laws.
Rescues are NOT limited to purebred only! I foster for 2 rescue groups which, while they are specifically set up for set breeds, will take mixes of those breeds or even dogs of other breeds. Rescues are great at networking and will help you find a group for a stray/abandoned animal even if they can’t take it themselves. Recently I heard of a litter of 8 puppies in danger of being euthanized and, while they were not a breed I work with, I put out the word to my contacts and within a week I was able to hand them over to a rescue. That rescue had placements for all 8 within 3 weeks.
In a recent study on aggression in small breed dogs the daschund came out #4 (the jack russell terrier came out on top). I believe which may have more to do with your father’s dog’s behavior than food.
While I am very leary of aggression in dogs (since I was grabbed by the throat by a german shepherd who had been friendly all day as a child) I agree that many of those tests are biased and are done far too soon for the animal to have a chance to adjust. A high percentage of small dogs fail this so called behavior test simply because they can’t handle the stress of being in a shelter situation and the barking of the larger dogs.
