| | Genna's story: The love of a rescueJanuary 7, 2009 - Amy Jo HannaMy friend Paul recently asked me about breed-specific rescues for a friend of his who is looking to adopt a Golden. She has a son and works full time so she would rather not start out with a puppy. That was how I got into adopting all my ‘senior girls’. If you are not a breeder/designer dog snob like my mom and a couple of my close friends (and I say that with love) and are open to the idea of a rescue dog, you may be in for one of the most fulfilling experiences of your life. There are animal rescues out there for EVERY breed of dog you can think of. They are operated by volunteers who devote much time and love to finding homes for displaced dogs. I work with several Golden Retriever rescues, and like most rescues, you can pretty much let them know what you’re interested in adopting. (ie, male/female, puppy/young/adult/senior, high energy/ low energy, ones with medical conditions that need special care (if you’re able to provide it), ones that like children/ones that do best in homes without children, ones that eat cats/ones that don't eat cats….) There is a dog out there for you. In fact there is a pet (you name it) out there for you and you don’t have to pay thousands to a breeder. Petfinder.com is a great way to start your search and narrow down your selection. Most every humane society/SPCA is registered with the site so once you input your location, all pets found within 'x' radius will be listed for you. Granted, it takes a special kinda person to want to take a chance with a rescue dog (pet). I do realize that. You have to be a little more open-minded and prepared for potential issues that may come along with your pet's past (but then again you have to do that with any pet or spouse...). I’ve had several Goldens now who never learned to play with toys. Keetie was scared to death of a brush. It took me weeks to show her I was not going to harm her. She ended up (after several months of repititious attempts) loving the soothing feeling of being groomed; but , some dogs come with a history and you will never know the abuse they endured. Providing a loving, safe home is sometimes the greatest gift you can give one of these creatures. I promise you that the unconditional love you receive in return will be priceless. Animal rescues usually charge an adoption fee (depending on pet age) to help cover operational costs (boarding, vet care, shots, spay/neuter).  (left: Chloe): Welcome to Chloe, the new fur-baby addition to my classmate, Tony's family. She's an SPCA girl!And, here my friend Cheryl's story on how she found her girl, Genna (pictured below with her Christmas beauty makeover!): "After I lost Sydney, I decided that I wanted to adopt a pound puppy, so I started searching Petfinder.com. My first "find" was a little dog up in Williamsport, but when I went to visit her, she was literally "off the wall". Unfortunately, she was too much of a challenge for me, so I decided to keep looking. Then I came across Genna and sent an e-mail to inquire about her. I got a response back that they already had two applications on her and were not  accepting any more. They did note that they had a 3 month old male Havanese puppy, if I was interested in him. I really wanted a female, but was willing to consider a male, too. In the meantime, I also found another pound puppy (bearded collie mix - Dixie) that was located in WV. When I called about Dixie, I found out that she was 3.5 years old and not house broken. This concerned me a little, because I didn't know if her former owners just didn't try or if there was some medical problem. Anyway, I was trying to coordinate the two visits when the original rescue group informed me that Genna was available again if I was still interested in her. The person who wanted her evidently had another female dog who was dominant so the rescue lady wouldn't let her have Genna. At that point, I came to the conclusion that I was more interested in the Havanese so I worked out a date and time to see her. The first date/time was Oct 6, but that didn't work out because the lady had Genna down in Charleston, WV and there was no way I could drive 5 hours down and 5 hours back in one day to get her. So we worked it out where she would have Genna come back up to Follansbee, WV with her husband and I would go visit. I went over to Pittsburgh and stayed with a good friend and she went with me on the next morning to visit Genna. The rest is history....I still had to pay quite a bit for her because I guess they had to buy her from the breeder (they are trying to put this person out of business), but only about 1/4 of what I would've paid for her breed under normal circumstances. But, she is already spayed and has had all her shots, so it really wasn't too bad. The name of the group is Friends-4-Life Rescue. They do rescue other breeds, too - not just Havanese." Open your heart to a rescue and I promise your return will be ten-fold. Article Comments(6)betsychilcoteJan-09-09 1:20 PM I just read about the GS rescue. When I was looking for a Sheltie the Humane Society gave me the number of a Sheltie rescue they work with. That surprises me that they would not work with this rescue. betsychilcoteJan-09-09 1:17 PM I recently adopted a beautiful Sheltie from the Humane Society in Altoona. When she came to the shelter she couldn't even stand on her own and was less than half of the weight she should have been. I went to the shelter quite often looking for a Sheltie or Border Collie or mix because the Sheltie/Border we adopted from the shelter before had died from a batch of bad dog food. We missed Buddy so much and the Humane Society put me on a waiting list. When they called about the dog I was thrilled. Molly has adjusted very well to her new home and her new family. She has a mom and dad who love her very much, two human "sisters" and a human "brother" she also has her "little" Toy Fox Terrier brother Gilmour our and her feline "brother" Donnie. Things get crazy but the love she has given back is worth it. ahannaJan-08-09 10:27 AM to ilovescudda: sorry about your bad experience with petfinder. i didn't mean to imply such an endorsement for them but rather a good place to start a search since it has so many adoption organizations that list with them - it helps combine search efforts to an extent. Most importantly I always hope to endorse adopting pets from rescues or situations, etc. rather than breeders - which you all did and in turn seems to be a decision with which you are all very happy! That's the most important thing, happy-loved pups, happy-loved owners! Congratulations on your newest fur-baby addition! - Amy PetBlogFriendsJan-08-09 10:18 AM Amy, I got Sheppie from Roxie's Fund (they were specifically for German Shepherds when I got Shep, but they seem to have fanned out across other breeds - which is great!). They were great to work with and I'd use them again if need be. The only issue they (and I'll assume other rescue organizations) had was with some shelters - I informed them at one point of a GS at the CPHumane Society and asked if they could intervene - They said that they have been refused by CPHS numerous times. Why? I asked would a shelter not get involved with rescue organizations - the lady at RF couldn't give me an answer and said they run across this all the time. Roxy's heavily screens people wanting these 'killer dogs' as most classify GS's, so why won't the HS let the rescue do what the rescues do best - RESCUE them from a shelter and place them in qualified homes - such as they did with me (since I had a GS before). JackAshZigJan-08-09 9:45 AM I've actually had the complete opposite experience with Petfinder. If nothing else, it is an excellent tool for locating breed-specific rescues. And if you find one on their website that you think you may be interested in and he/she has already been adopted? That's fantastic - one less homeless pet who has found a loving home! With all the homeless pets in need of a committed, caring home with lots of love and attention, there are unfortunately an abundance of animals to choose from. I also like the fact that Petfinder allows you to link to the rescue organization - so you can contact them directly regarding an animal you might be interested in adopting and get all the details on your potential new "baby". Trust me - it's how a found the latest "love of my life" - Ziggy Kitty Cat!!! IlovescuddaJan-08-09 8:19 AM Petfinder**** was one of the worst experiences I've had trying to find a dog. They are all volunteers, which is to be commended, but that also is used as the excuse why no one ever gets back to you regarding applications you may have submitted. It isn't updated regularly enough either. I'm willing to bet a lot of the dogs listed are already taken. It was so frustrating, we resorted to the classifieds and ended up with a Lab/Shepard puppy from a guy whose dog had puppies with the neighbor dog. Love it! Post a Comment | |
