Outside Looking In

[*kirty*]

It is their right, and it's my right to think that it's crazy. :)

[Cam & Cam]

Appears that the experiences expressed have opened a few cans of worms.

Task at hand now is to help our new addition settled and to know and feel safe again. We have a fair bit of work to do, but we knew that this would more than likely be the case. Taking it all in our stride. He has issues, but we work with him to overcome them.

I hope that some time in the future, rescue groups can come together to form a common goal, being the best home for the animal, be it a cat dog rodent fish bird ..

In the meantime, we will do what we can to support our local rescue groups.

[koalathebear]

I struggle with the desexing issue greatly. I don't like early desexing because we generally foster Kelpies who will frequently go to performance homes so sometime I try to foster older dogs or if I foster a pup, i try to hold onto it for as long as I can so that it's not desexed too young because my current group will not adopt out if the dog is not desexed (and I understand their viewpoint). Desexing contracts are difficult to enforce and I have seen instances of adopters ignoring such contracts. If I have a dog in care who has been desexed before 12 months, I am upfront with the adopters who may wish to use the dog for performance sports.

I see both sides of it but I think that the backlash that rescue would suffer if they didn't desex would be huge - and also it would be so diametrically opposed to the purpose of rescue ... if rescue allowed oops litters because it didn''t desex, then it would would be adding to the problem rather than alleviating. Can you imagine how much condemnation for being unethical a rescue would receive if it did not desex?

ETA: our group that also has a policy that if they take on a litter, the mama dog must be desexed and our group pays for the desexing. The last time we took on a dog, the owners were very sweet. Even though we offered to pay, they paid off the desexing fee in instalments because they were so grateful we arranged for a discounted rate and they were also grateful we rehomed the pups.

Edited May 21, 2015 by koalathebear

[Isabel964]

KittyKat, I am wondering if you did find a dog to rescue. I'd love to know. Or did you find a puppy?

9 years ago I went with my husband to a proper organisation, the Australian Animal Protection society - out Keysborough way in Melbourne. We brought our current kelpie with us to meet her potential sibling. We wanted to give a home to a dog in need. There were so many dogs there - and many kelpies. All in concrete large pens. all desperate for a home. The lady that took us around, clearly disapproved my husband's and my business attire, clearly disapproved that we worked, and clearly made her mind up about us that we would not be taking home a dog. We explained we do work form home some days, that we had a a child at undoing different hours, had a house of 2 dogs and two cats, but one dog had gone to the rainbow bridge. We had a huge yard with a huge fence. The dogs had heated beds in our bedrooms, we only went on holidays with our dogs etc. it was not a good experience, and out of 40-60 beautiful dogs in that place, I'm sure one of them would have loved to join our family.

While I understand some people who work in rescue take it very seriously, there needs to be a balance because I have heard too any stories where wonderful responsible experience pet lovers are unsuccessful in getting a rescue,

I ended up getting a purebred Westie puppy from a DOLer, and she is so special.

Our current Kelpie is nearing 15 years of age and when she goes to the rainbow bridge our Westie will be in desperate need of a companion. We would love to rescue a dog.

However I don't like our chances.

We have cats so it needs to be cat friendly.

I am an active aunty so needs to be toddler friendly.

Needs to be toilet trained.

We have a large home and the dogs have free access to inside and outside, we have very little "yard" - however we live in front a massive park with a lake and a pond and a walking track and oddly of grassed areas which gets a visit morning and night, and we have someone home all day as well.

Our furs sleep in our bedroom with us.

When the time comes, I'll see if the stars align and someone already big joins our family or whether we choose a suitable breed and bing home a baby from a breeder.

[KittyKat]

Well we finally have a new little rescue dog... thank you guys for all the discussion. I was trying to express the difficulty of obtaining a rescue dog when organisations would not contact you. With rescue organisations full to overflowing with dogs and dogs being left in the pound due to no capacity, I personally would of thought that inquiries to have a rescue dog would of been met with more enthusiasm.

I have now got a beautiful little rescue dog after Canberra Pooch Rescue responded to me promptly and we matched the new dog with my current dog (jewels removed :laugh: ).

I was looking for a dog (not a specific breed) that would fit our family, our current pup and our lifestyle for over a period of 6 months and was met constantly with frustration of not receiving responses to even notify me that the dog had been rehomed and was very close to getting a dog from a breeder and forgetting the rescue arena.

New little Scruff is very much part of our family now and loving life to the fullest. Thank you Keetamouse and the wonderful foster carers at Canberra Pooch Rescue.

[Little Gifts]

Looks like a mini old English! Very cute! I believe strongly in fate and the delays just meant the right dog wasn't ready for you yet! Everything happens for a reason!

Edited June 6, 2015 by Little Gifts

[Stressmagnet]

Very VERY cute.

[Dame Aussie]

What a cutie! Very happy for you both :)