How Do You Check Out A Rescue Group To Give A Dog To Make Sure It Is Legit?

422 Views 5 Replies 4 Participants Last post by storyist, Jun 4, 2020

JHS

Discussion Starter · Jun 3, 2020

I came up to visit my sister a year ago intending to spend two weeks and I'm still here. Seems she has run into a bunch of physical problems, including difficulty walking, as well as depression and hoarding. She has a cat and two rescue dogs which of course she can't take care of.

I've never owned a dog. The small one, a purebred Corgi, is well housetrained but follows people around looking to get pet perpetually. She gets in my sister's way as Sis struggles to regain the ability to walk. However, she is the lesser problem. The big problem is a 120 lb Great Pyrenee / Alsatian Shepard mix, (looks more like a Eurasian Shepard) who is way too big for a small house, doesn't move when you tell it to, and has daily accidents. He's the one I'm trying to get rid of.

Despite these qualities, he's actually a friendly dog and I want to re-home him to a more experienced owner if I can instead of a no-kill shelter. Maybe an owner on a farm or a situation where his accidents might not be such an issue. I checked out the Dog Whisperer's website who recommended taking a dog to a rescue group who will give him a foster owner. I found a website in the area where a woman says she runs such a place and has foster owners available. The website alo aid they have accommodations for special needs dogs. Seems ideal, but I remember stories as a kid growing up in NYC about people who took in dogs and cats only to sell them for animal experimentation. It was a long time ago, but I still wonder if that goes on. I'd hate to see him killed or harmed even though he drives me nuts.

Any ideas on how to go about checking out this place to make sure it's legit?

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LeoRose

· #2 · Jun 3, 2020

A breed specific rescue might be the better option than a general rescue. They will typically keep their dogs in foster homes, and evaluate them for temperament and health issues.

One thing to address, though, is why he is having accidents inside the house. Does he have a medical condition, like a urinary tract infection, or is he simply not housebroken?

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storyist

· #3 · Jun 3, 2020

LeoRose said:
A breed specific rescue might be the better option than a general rescue.

It never hurts to inquire, but the problem with breed specific rescues may be finding one that will take a Great Pyrenees / Alsatian Shepard mix. Generally, people who apply to breed rescues do so because they want that particular breed of dog and so breed rescues have trouble getting mixes adopted unless they strongly resemble that breed.

As to checking out a rescue, you could try any of the below. If the group gets indignant about efforts to reassure yourself about them, figure there's a reason for that and look elsewhere.

- Ask to see the group's adoption application and adoption contract.

- Ask the group for references from foster homes and adopters.

- Ask the group which vet or vets they use and talk to them.

- If your state or county has regulations that apply to rescues (annual inspections, for instance), check to see if the group is complying.

- Ask animal control in the group's jurisdiction if they've ever heard of the group, had complaints about them, or worked with them, and what their impression is.

- If there's an umbrella organization for rescues in the area, see if this group belongs. For instance, here in Colorado there is an umbrella group call All Breed Rescue. Many smaller rescue groups are affiliated and get support from that group. A rescue has to meet certain standards for affiliation.

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jmsmith

· #4 · Jun 3, 2020

Check out the local Humane Society.
j

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JHS

Discussion Starter · #5 · Jun 4, 2020

Thank you all for your suggestions. As for his accidents, a vet made a visit and said he was an old dog and there is nothing you can do about it. The house has a hardwood floor all over, and getting up was an increasing problem for him until I put down carpet runners. I hoped that having good traction would help to firm up his back legs and maybe help on the accidents, and maybe it did a little, but he still lots of them. I should have mentioned that the rescue farm my sister got the dog from said the original owner kept him outside tied up all day, so maybe the dog has never been really completely housebroken.

Even if he didn't have accidents he's still too big and gets in the way of my sisters recovery, but I would housebreak him if I knew there was a way before I gave him over, for the new owner or foster owner.

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storyist

· #6 · Jun 4, 2020

Just so you know - finding a home for an old dog that has trouble getting up and that's either not fully housebroken or has incontinence issues is extremely unlikely (you could try dog diapers). And believe it or not, there aren't a bunch of farmers just dying to have such a one. Maybe the kind thing to do would be find a way to manage the situation so he isn't in your sister's way. Doesn't sound like she's up on her feet that much either, so there ought to be a way to separate their paths, or suck it up and have him euthanized yourself instead of trying to dump that on someone else. An old dog isn't going to be in anyone's way for years and years.

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