Australian Working Dog Rescue: Dog Bites Child

[koalathebear]

Relieved that there's finally some scrutiny. This was the Today Tonight segment. Low quality version unfortunately.

This is what happened to poor Jane's son five year old son Matthew:

As many people know, I am in rescue myself and very pro-rescue dogs and I volunteer for a few groups. I fostered for this group for a few years. The dogs I fostered were wonderful and I made some great friends, but I had to leave because I was appalled (and continue to be appalled) at the way this organisation behaves. It makes it hard for all rescues and rescue dogs ...

Edited December 14, 2016 by koalathebear

[mowgliandme]

Wow no words... i'm just horrified at that guys response

[tdierikx]

Jeebus! Beggars belief... the response by the rescue owner is beyond the pale.

T.

[Lhok]

Not only the response from the rescue director but there is a comment on the facebook post about how the family is doing it for personal gain and setting people against rescue at christmas time too. They also went with the whole "Dogs bite" as an excuse.

I really hope some investigation into rescue comes about soon.

--Lhok

[Two Best Dogs!]

I saw that comment too lhok. I would think if anything an article warning against adopting dogs that had not yet been assessed and cautioning people from spontaneous rescue adoptions would be a good thing.

Awareness raising on how to find a good rescue etc. if a puppymill was exposed on the news today I would hope people wouldn't call airing it an attack on breeders anymore than airing a rescue that hands out unassessed dogs to inappropriate families?

I hope the new family got the dog was made aware of the assessment family number 1 did. I'd worry we will be looking at another face bite down the track.

I've no words for the directors responses. :/

[Kavik]

That is awful

[koalathebear]

Dogs are unpredictable. Things like this happen. It's how you handle things after they happen that really counts and the various rescue groups that I help out would have handled things differently. I don't know anyone who would threaten the adopter with legal action if she wanted to share threatening emails with her lawyers, who would threaten to notify child services ... There's even a post floating around by members of this very same organisation who say THEY would have handled things differently. I believe very passionately in rescue and the value of second chances. All of my dogs have gone to wonderful homes and I'm still in touch with the adopters - you can see my posts in the rescue subforum. I still help out with queries post-adoption because I care about both the dogs and the adopters. As far as I can see, the story here was not child vs dog. It was family/child & dog vs rescue group that wanted to wash its hands of the whole thing... Jane's a lovely person - she is not at fault here. She's a loving mum who thought she was doing the righ thing by adopting a dog from a high profile rescue organisation and probably thought that that gave her a measure of comfort/assurance.

Also in the same way that most purebred dogs aren't necessarily given formal behavioural assessments prior to adoption, rescues don't either. My experience is that we keep dogs in care long enough to observe as much as possible. I only bring in a behaviourist if I think there is an issue that I need help addressing. For instance, we usually pay for a professional behaviourist to help with introductions to a resident cat or a resident cranky dog. Before going on trial, adopters usually are the handlers of my foster at obedience class under my supervision and they usually continue those classes at least through the trial adoption and I am always contactable and I also put them in contact with the trainer.

[Sheridan]

I thought AWDRI (?) was a fairly decent rescue with a good reputation. Seems not?

[Lhok]

There was a red flag before if I read it all the posts correctly before the full on face bite though and the rescue didn't want to help and/or said they hadn't observed that behaviour while in foster.

--Lhok

[RuralPug]

AWDRI do have some awesome volunteers, but unfortunately the family that started and who still control that rescue are not good representatives of the rescue world.

Not a group that I ever ever work with again.

[Maddy]

I thought AWDRI (?) was a fairly decent rescue with a good reputation. Seems not?

They've done a thorough job of bullying their victims into silence.

https://www.facebook.com/awdrioutcasts/?fref=ts

[Simply Grand]

That is absolutely appalling! Just disgusting.

And what a load of crap, "you own the dog and it's your responsibility, nothing to do with us anymore BUT you can't return it to us and you have no right to surrender it to anyone else or euthanise it". No way would an "adoption contract" that says that be enforceable.

[juice]

They are nothing to do with the "farmer" are they? he seems to have the same approach to bullying anyone who dares say anything bad about him.

[Lhok]

Feel really sorry for the family, they have gotten all sort of comments like " What was the kid doing to the dog?" "How come they weren't supervising?" "Dogs aren't born bad they are made bad" "This will hurt rescue"

Very few comments I have read have been about how awful it has been for the family or for the little boy.

--Lhok

[Kirislin]

Relieved that there's finally some scrutiny. This was the Today Tonight segment. Low quality version unfortunately.

This is what happened to poor Jane's son five year old son Matthew:

As many people know, I am in rescue myself and very pro-rescue dogs and I volunteer for a few groups. I fostered for this group for a few years. The dogs I fostered were wonderful and I made some great friends, but I had to leave because I was appalled (and continue to be appalled) at the way this organisation behaves. It makes it hard for all rescues and rescue dogs ...

I had a friend who left them for the exact same reason!

[Rozzie]

How can they blatantly state that that is not a dog bite?

[t a i l s.]

Whilst working in a veterinary clinic that frequently assisted rescues, AWDRI being one, I found them to be utterly unorganised and often very ignorant, I can only speak for the handful of their rescue volunteers that I spoke with, but on many, many occasions we would have dogs come in with the incorrect paper work, we've had them bring dogs in for speys when on heat (and insist they be done rather than wait in foster care or temporary care for a couple more weeks) and even booked in under wrong names and sexes. Males for speys, etc... They've pulled them from pounds unseen or temperament tested, I've had run in's with dogs in their care that are most definitely too aggressive to be rehomed. Finding that 1/100 home suitable for dogs with those dispositions that are capable of handling a dog with fear biting tendencies is slim.

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

I'd be interested to know if anyone posting here has received any threatening messages from the founder as that's the style.... :laugh:

[RuralPug]

Have you seen Shel's blog on this? Absolutely brilliant.

Makes the point that rescue is the real loser in this case.

Edited December 16, 2016 by RuralPug

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

Have you seen Shel's blog on this? Absolutely brilliant.

Makes the point that rescue is the real loser in this case.

Thank you, yes very well written commentary on this topic. The behaviour by AWDRI's founder is appalling, utterly disgusting.