Retired couple’s puppy adoption denied
Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and needing to know the truth lovers, (not to mention what I think)!
This headline has been causing a big sensation in Northern Kentucky……….
RETIRED COUPLE’S PUDDY ADOPTION DENIED
The article is not very long but very interesting. I have worked in rescue for about 15 years and I have seen a fair amount of situations like this one.
This couple tried to do the right thing by rescuing and they were denied. So, instead of dealing with the insanity of this rescue they went to a breeder and bought a dog. Now, the rescue puppy is still in it’s foster home. This story is getting all kinds of attention. Last night on the news, they interviewed Kathleen Winter at Dachshund Rescue of OH and she put the blame on the woman who runs the website out of IN. Kathleen went on to say that the woman in IN had made a previous recommendation that the cut off age for a puppy be 50! Then Kathleen went on to say that she would be dropping off all her puppy fosters to her. The IN woman backed down.
I think it is great that rescues have a protocol they follow, but some of them are just over the top. There has to be some room for flexibility. I have said it before and I will say it again, I was denied a basset hound from an area rescue about 17 years ago because I did not have a fenced in yard. That is just insane. I know why rescues want that box checked yes, but is there no compromise? I hear plea after plea for foster homes and how many dogs they have bursting at the seams everyone of them. All of the pounds in my area cannot place one basset hound in a rescue. Everyone of them is full.
But one bad check mark on an application and you never even get a reply back. I have been e-mailing a rescue out West for weeks and, nothing. Not even a peep. That is just rude!
Hey, I can rant and rave all I want because I work in rescue. I do rescue. I network for rescues and I do my part so I can point out what I don’t like. I am constantly pointing out what I do like.
I am appalled that this couple was denied a puppy. I am thrilled they are putting this under the media spotlight.
I was placing a basset hound recently who was on death row. The hound’s time was up. I had a place all set for the hound to go to and I got several e-mails from a rescue person who told me I was wrong to place this dog in a home where the person had some medical issues. That I was doing more harm than good for the hound. This e-mail person harassed me for days and days and tried to get others on board to tell me how bad I was. She was not able to accomplish that and I was able to block her e-mails. The pound told me she even called them to try and block me picking up the hound. They thought she was a crazy person.
OK – this is a perfect example of insanity. This person preferred that the hound be put down rather than be placed in a forever home. I am serious. This person is a part of a rescue group. I placed the hound with much success.
Another thing that gets in my crawl is the wording that are on some rescue sites about their adoption rules. Here is the wording on Dachshund Rescue of OH……..
“Who we are. We are a 501c3 non for profit rescue. We have been in rescue for over 20 years. All of our dogs are in private foster homes. We do not have a shelter / kennel. We require a physical fenced in yard with no exceptions. We may consider adopting to a family with children over 10 years of age. Please email for an adoption application. Adoption fees range from $150.00 to $250.00. wildwieneranch@hotmail.com “
Give me a break.
“We may consider adopting to a family with children over 10 years of age”?
Just utter nonsense. You have to have kids over 10 and they will only “consider” adopting. Kids love dogs!!!!! How much you want to bet that they would take a donation from families with infants? Believe you me they are out there begging for money right along with all of the other rescues. If you go to their petfinder page every single dog listed says NO KIDS! They should add no old fogies as well.
Don’t forget the no exceptions rules! Get off your high horse. Sounds like someone needs to retire herself. I wonder if she has any puppies and how old she is?
Anyway, I guess you can tell I am fired up over this topic.
I cannot stand rigid, uptight behaviour. Not everyone can check every box correctly. Dogs are being left in back yards tied to trees with no food and water. Pounds are inundated with these family members at the bottom of the totem pole and you have the gaul to refuse a perfectly sound adoption? Let’s see, no kids and no old people. If the woman in IN had it her way you would have to be between 18 and 50 to adopt from them, not to mention all of her other pristine requirements.
The rescue has removed the abrasive IN lady from her disapproving pedestal for the time being.
Geesh, it reminds me of my younger days waiting in line to get into a club that charged a 10.00 cover hoping our group would be selected by the omnipotent person behind the velvet rope!
So, to try and end on an up note, I am sure this group has done plenty of good for their homeless dogs. Probably one of the best things they have done is to remove the IN lady. I bet you anything if she was reviewing her own application she would be shot down. OK, sorry. I was trying to end on a good note.
More checking the boxes later…..Cat, Chaps and Emma
Comments(27)
Grrrrrrrrr! The director first blames the lady in Indiana. Then goes on to make the statement that people who are 70 CAN’T chase after a young dog. They CAN’T?! Wow, talk about ageism!!! Who is this woman to decide what a 70 year old person is capable of doing? She never met my mom, that’s for sure. My mom was 76 years old when I got married and we adopted Maxine (basset) as a puppy. I commuting 75 miles one way each day for work, and every morning I would drop Max off at my mom’s house (doggy day care). She also had her corgi and Max the puppy. It never dawned on me that she was too old to keep up with Max. If anything, the dogs kept her active and gave her purpose and lots of love all day long.
I know Kerry (OM) My Mom is going to be 79 this year and my Dad is 83! My Mom is just spent the last nine weeks rehabing Emma from back surgery. My Dad watched! LOL
I say if someone fills out an application for one of your rescues you darn well better do everything in your power to help that person adopt. Of course, you can weed out the crazies.
At least send an e-mail. If your rescue is too busy to answer e-mails then you are doing something wrong.
I run across it all of the time. People will call me and ask where they can buy a basset hound because no one will answer their e-mails or they were denied a rescue basset. I tell you what, Boone County Pound is not going to ask if you have a fenced in yard if you wanted the Father and Son that had no place to go. All the rescues were full.
We have a real problem in KY. There are only about 3 or 4 people who do basset rescue. A few are in Western KY and I am in Northern KY. I have been fortunate to find some really good all breed mutt rescues that help me out.
For the most part rescues will only stay in their state. That is why Outlaw is so great. They will work in their area which includes Northern KY.
Flexible! Yes! Off topic – sorry.
Cat
Hi Cat,
I have found there are some people in rescue who seem to have their own rules on what is to be done with animals. It smacks of the animal rights idea that only they can determine a pet’s fate. Sad and we need to watch out for this. Their power seems to be building.
Most rescue people have the good of the dog in mind and know that a loving home can be anyone – old, young, in good health or not so good. As you pointed out, adopting out a dog is a buyer’s market. The adopter had alot of choices and if they could be a good home for the dog, the rescue needs to use common sense, regardless of their age.
Years ago, I tried to adopt a Basset from the GABR in Illinois. After months of checking their website, the woman told me that I was not a good candidate for adoption; because I lived in a condo, did not have a fenced in yard, and mainly because I would be gone 10-12 hours every weekday. I proved to her that I would have a caregiver come every weekday at 3:00p.m. to take the dog out, but they still said no.
Fortunately, some people I know that compete in Basset competitions and work with rescues knew I was looking to adopt. They contacted me about a Basset that had been dumped/abandoned, and had been turned into the Sandwich Illinois Vet Clinic. I spoke with the vet over the telephone and came in to see the vet. The vet spent about an 1 1/2 hours with me. We talked, and I spent this time with the Basset as well. I even got to clean her ears. I told the vet that people thought I was being unfair and cruel because the dog would be alone for so much time each day. I didn’t want to do anything cruel, because I wouldn’t want to return the animal because I know that is hard on the animal. The vet thought she’d be fine, and suggested I leave the radio on for the dog while I was gone, and that the mid-day caregiver would work out fine.
Slinky was the best thing I ever did for myself. Slinky is in a loving home, has lots of friends, and enjoys life (even though children thinks she looks so sad and unhappy).
I know rescues have the best interest of the animal at heart, but they need think of all the loving wonderful homes that want pets and could help an animal and give it a good quality life.
I know exactly what you mean Maureen. Now a days if you are lucky you have a job that keeps you away that much of the day. People work and I never understood why it is a problem for dogs to be alone all day long. A 40 – 50 hour work week is a fact of most people’s life.
When I was denied by basset hound rescue I found it odd that they would not ask me what my plans were for getting a dog. They just did not care. When a person is turned down by a rescue do they think that the person who wants a dog will just think to themselves, “Oh well, maybe I’m not good enough to have a dog”, then go sit in the corner? Do they mentally take it to the next level and wonder what that person is going to do? I told the rescue person what I was going to do and offered her the 700 dollars that it would cost to buy Chloe. Still, DENIED! I know some of you know that I hung up the phone from that rescue and drove to a pet store and bought Chloe. Remember, that was 18 years ago and I had no idea what a puppy mill was. I had some smarts to go to rescue in the first place but not smart enough to connect the pet store dots. However, that experience taught me volumes. Like I said in the Lily book – Chloe taught me more than any University class I ever took.
People in rescue have to know their limits. I am still learning mine. I cannot foster and I will not be bullied into fostering.
Organizations have to be careful who they put in place as an adoption coordinator as well. This person has to have time to answer e-mails and evaluate on a case by case basis.
If an e-mail cannot even be returned the wrong person is in that role. If you are a one person band and you cannot answer an e-mail, then you have too many dogs to care for and no one wins.
You can send your 5 cents to me any time! LOL!
Cat
I think I told you before that I was denied a rescue basset because Lolly (our collie) and Maxine (our basset) died within less than 12 months of each other. I would have loved to rescued an older basset in need of love, but they wouldn’t let me, so I found an excellent breeder and that’s how we got Sophie as a puppy. We love the little hard-headed Sophie dog, but I still ache that I couldn’t rescue.
Well, I worked closely with the inner parts of rescue for a little while. Our rescue is much more fair about adopting out and doesn’t ask for age on the adoption application. It does ask if you have a fenced in yard but we will still adopt to condos, apts and other places if there is not a fence and arrangements can be made for the comfort and security of the pet. It all depends on the family and their arrangements. Every adoption is different and you have to take them case by case. The reason why rescues tend to be so strict is because you’d be surprised at how many hounds bounce back. And that’s not good when you have no foster homes to place them in and kennels are full. What do you do with the dog? So I think the bounce backs are what they’re trying to eliminate. If someone doesn’t have a fence and they get loose and end up in the pound again then what does the rescue do? Give the dog back to the family? Maybe. Maybe not. Depends on the story behind why the dog got loose. Then how many chances do you give a family in this case? If someone is older and not in good health, handicapped, or if they have too many kids are they going to be able to take care of the dog? And it depends on the dog. Some dogs don’t like kids. I’d NEVER adopt Jethro or Harriet out to a home with kids. Jethro doesn’t take much from kids and has bitten one of my nephews. Not bad but a bite is a bite. And I just wouldn’t trust Harriet because she’s been abused and will snap. I’m not so sure how far she will go and don’t want to find out. But that doesn’t mean there’s not another dog in rescue that’s good with kids. Ozzie would be a fabulous dog for kids and so would Rugs. That’s what foster homes are for. To evaluate what family the dogs would be good for. If a family with a bunch of kids wanted to adopt Harriet I’d have to say no to that application. But, they’d have the option to pick from a dog in the rescue that would fit in their family with kids. If an older person is real frail and walks with a cane then a puppy may not be good because what if the puppy trips the older person? We’ve adopted out to people that live in apts. We’ve adopted out to people that live in condos. We’ve adopted out to people who live in a trailer home with no fence. We’ve adopted out to the elderly and we’ve adopted to the handicapped. Some had good vet checks and some had never had an animal so you don’t know. Personally, the home visit is what tells the story. You bring a basset (your own basset that will not harm kids or other animals) to the home, let it loose and see what happens. If the kids scream bloody murder and the parents can’t calm them down and the dog runs for cover, that may not be a good home. If the kid beats on the dog and the parents don’t discipline the kid that may not be a good home. If the house isn’t fit for a human or animal to live in then that may not be a good home. If there is another dog involved that wants to tear the basset in two and the owners aren’t willing to work with the situation that wouldn’t be a good home. It just all depends. And unfortunately it ends up being the decision of the person doing the application and/or home visit. I can say that if the phone interview and vet check eliminates the fact that the family is “crazy”, we do a home visit. And no dog gets adopted out without a home visit. I didn’t read the article but from what you guys were saying I too think that the rescue was wrong in this situation. The rescues do have control and make the rules. That’s a good thing if you have some good level headed people running the show. If not, then that’s way too sad for the hounds because you are right, there’s too many dogs out there that need homes. I can say that BBR of TX has some very fine folks in their group and they’ve always given everyone a fair chance to adopt. I’ve gone on dozens of home visits and haven’t turned down anyone. I hope I never have to.
The application doesn’t ask for your age but it asks if you have kids and their ages. Forgot about that. But that’s just so they know what dog would be good for that family. And of course they wouldn’t adopt to a minor. There has to be an adult who would be the primary care giver. I just read a little of that article and I hope I live much longer than 69! That’s definitely not too old to adopt a puppy. Geez.
Hey Cindy – great comments. You hit the nail on the head. It has to be a case by case basis.
If the rescue that denied me were more like Basset Buddies I would have had a totally different (not better) outcome. Maureen would have had a different (not better) outcome as well. I think that is why smaller rescues turn up from time to time. They want to try it a different way.
I love BBR and they have always had my back. I agree with you on how that rescue is run. Totally! Are they fairly new or have they been around for a long time?
Cat
That article is big news in these here parts LOL! It was on the front page of the paper today.
If you notice on their petfinder page every dog they have up for adoption says no kids!
I had a friend growing up in grade school. She had a doxie named Brunhilda. That dog loved kids. We had the best time running and playing. She would sleep with us during slumber parties.
Good times!
Cat
Fairly new. Since March 2007. And those smaller rescues you talk about are most likely spin offs from larger rescues where the people did not agree with how they were being run.
Cindy – I thought I remembered them being fairly new. I started this website in 2006. I thought it was cool how they really used the internet to showcase their homeless hounds. BBR has a fantastic website and very good communication. They placed Gabe the hound that Audra found in TX. Gabe has a fantastic home.
Cat
Out of the 5 people who have commented on this blog posting 3 have been denied for adoption for a basset hound by a basset hound rescue. I find that odd.
Cat
Oh Cat, this makes me so sad! I, too, looked at rescue and found that fenced yard only rule. No exceptions. I found a beautiful basset puppy the first week in March and through some recent communication, I fear that I supported a puppy mill. If not directly than a front for a mill, but not a pet store. The previous bassets that owned my family were both from Petland stores. UGH! 3 bassets likely from mills. I am SO ashamed of myself. My heart aches for my pup and for her Mommy out there somewhere. My hope now is to work with a rescue to invite another basset into our home to own us with Mayzie.
Hi Lora – OK, now it is 4 out of 6 folks commenting that have been denied a basset hound from a basset hound rescue.
All four of us turned away for basically the same reason. No exceptions.
Chloe was a Petland puppy.
Then you have the Father and Son who would love to live anywhere but the pound they are in but the 2 rescues that were contacted were too full to take them.
Cat
Cat , Suncoast only asks that the dog be walked more if you don’t have a fenced in yard.Also , a Home Visit is a must with us,Only on Rare occasions do we Adopt out of State and then it is case by case and must be approved by the Board.
Hugs Ken
4 out of 7 with Ken’s comment.
Thanks Ken for your comment. I love hearing that Suncoast is so flexible. Great! Most large basset rescues do not adopt out of state or accept out of state bassets in pounds from what I can gather.
Cat
I need to do a blog posting about this at some point but would something like this ever work? Divide the USA into three regions and have west, central and east basset hound rescue. All of the money donated would be kept in a national fund and each division would have about 2-3 vets with facilities on staff. Is that crazy? Or could it work?
Call me crazy in KY????
Cat
BBR’s website is the most valuable tool. And the webmaster updates it often. Unfortunatly most in rescue have full time jobs so you can only do what you can do. But I have to say that the website has a wealth of information and you can look at the hounds, read their bio’s, apply for adoption or fostering and if you don’t want to adopt or foster you can even give information about yourself to help out with events. There’s pictures of past events and information on future meet up locations and dates. It’s really cool. I think most rescues have websites now and keeping those up with as much info as you can get on there can really enhance your ability to reach out and adopt out more hounds. I’m not sure about the adopting out of state. Most rescues will send you back to your nearest rescue in your state because it’s only right to help out your area. And it’s kind of difficult to do a home visit for someone who is 1000 miles away. Then transporting the dog is another issue. Even if they want to pick the dog up the home visit is difficult. So I think that’s the main reason rescues like to stay local. Then there’s the other issue where the adopter was deniled by other rescues. That has to be checked out. The other rescues are called to find out why. If the reason is not an issue with the rescue that you want to adopt from then they may adopt out. Again, case by case. And Cat, I think your idea is great! But it would be a full time job for more than one person. Give me a call when I retire. I’ll help out then!
Hey Cindy – I was thinking it could be like the BHCA only be called Basset Hound Rescue of America. It would take a full board of people to run the thing and there would be contact with every pound in the region. I was looking at what vets make per year and the average was 81,000 dollars. So, you need to make that time 3 and hire one vet per region to work full time for that region and also have a facility to house the hounds at the vet location. Each region would need about 3 or 4 part time drivers to pull the hounds and deliver them families. Home visits could be done via Skype or video.
I think I heard where one of the larger rescues had 60,000 in vet bills. That would be close to the amount to hire your own private vet for a region!
Then if you got really good you could have a facility in the central section that totally catered to dog events and make money to fund the operation for the three sections. It could be a really cool place that was totally run for people with dogs. I have a huge list of ideas.
A simple gal with a dream!!!!!!!!
hehehe
P.S., I know what we could call it. Bassethoundtown. It’s catchy and has a certain feel to it! LOL
OH MY! Lots of work. I don’t think I’ll retire. LOL!
this is something i feel strongly about too…i have some serious health issues both mental and physical…and i live in a condo (with a tiny albeit fenced in yard) that i rent. does that mean i am a bad dog owner?
no.
my guys spend more time at a dog park than any animal should ever do. they are more socialized than a classroom of teenagers. we go on hikes in parks etc.
as for kids…don’t have any.
have also been involved in rescue for about 5 years with 2 different breeds. i would be hesistant placing dogs in homes with very young children (toddlers). i would like homes with fences (real not electric) but those are my prefrences not the rescues.
some groups do go over the edge INMO in the name of protecting the dogs. just like in my opinion they take in every dog in order to save all of them and end up with them in kennels or overcrowded foster homes some of shich aren’t safe. maybe sometimes the better thing is to say no (i know this is difficult and not popular…but some dogs have been in these homes for years or worse yet kennels and have a history of aggression…i once ended up with a foster who attacked me and my dogs and every person who had a transport leg on his trek across the country. they were aware of his bite & aggression history thats why he was turned in….why was he put into rescue without warnings????)
rescue is one of those things that people feel strongly about and sometimes their emotions to protect get into the common sense and reason.
Fenced in yards are great but we got Gus and Bonnie when we did not have a fence. We since have put one up. I see a lot of dogs in fences that never leave the fences. They tend to give the lazy owners a reason not to walk their dogs which they need everyday, fence or no fence.
Kip, Gus, Bonnie and Charlie Bear
I know a couple who got a show basset in their early 70s. He’s now 6 and has been the best basset show hound in Sweden at one point. He’s always at the top shows; they have a handler who shows him and they treat him like royalty.
Age should not be a factor. It’s all about attitude.
I know how strongly folks feel about rescue and I often try to open up this topic on my blog. I have rescued many bassets and bought 2 (Chaps and Emma) from a show breeders. I like to discuss both sides.
My approach when rescuing is to basically trust in people. If they are willing to rescue then I am willing to give them a shot. Every block does not need to be checked and for that matter I have no check list. Sure, the hound could wind back up in the pound but that is a chance I am willing to take.
I deal with pound hounds and my situation is somewhat different. I cannot afford to pick and choose who has the desired set up.
I remember one old guy named Kooter that was at the pound who was in dire need of rescue. On his final day I went down to get him and the folks said, “He was adopted last night”. Yipeeeeeeeeeeee was my first reaction.
He was adopted by a lady with no fenced in yard who teaches art school to 15 pre-schoolers per day.
I thought it sounded perfect! I dropped by her home (after I called her) just to tell her thanks and here she came, walking Kooter down the street with the biggest bounce in his step. She invited me in and the kids started pouring in. Kooter took his place in an old easy chair by all the paint and crayons. The kids swarmed him as he went belly up.
The teacher called class to order. As the kids painted, the hound slept. It was very sweet.
I made a new friend and I read the Lily book to the kids on occasion. Chaps was the subject of an art project.
This woman was the perfect person to rescue a dog.
Case by Case. I rest mine…………
Cat
Jon – I got the best picture in my head when you said that hound was treated like royalty. When I read that I said out loud, “as it should be”! hehehehehehehe.
I also love
Age should not be a factor – it is all about attitude.
Well said friend!
Cat
Cat – I love the story about Kooter! That basset had it made! Now, that’s a rescue.