Please don't get me wrong. I'm exceedingly glad there are rescue groups out there that tirelessly campaign to save lives. My question is not meant to be insulting; it's just that I'm so confused as to why I keep getting turned down.

Since Poppet's death, I've been miserable. Boo's been having loose stools and is jittery most of the time. I can't tell if he's mourning or just picking up on my anxiety, but though it's really, really soon, I want to get another dog within the next month or so. My house feel empty, I feel empty, and I miss coming home to life.

So I looked on Petfinder.com and found a couple of chihuahuas that were in rescue groups, only I can't seem to get approved. All of these groups keep saying that they need to find homes for these lovely dogs, but then they turn people away for reasons like "you work too much." I work an eight hour shift five days a week. I have no problems with training to use an indoor litter box if need be. Heck, I've thought of switching Boo over to an indoor system anyways. Another one wouldn't adopt out to me because I don't have a fenced in yard. Apparently you can't be a dog owner without a fenced in yard. The last one never called back or responded in any way.

This isn't the first time I've tried through rescue groups. The last time was in my early twenties when I was told that they don't adopt out to college students. No interview, no asking for references...they just don't adopt to college students...end of story.

I have good references from my vets...one of which I've been with for ten years. I have no children. I own a home in my hometown and rent here in a house that allows dogs. I have a history of pet ownership. My last dog was a shelter dog. I just don't understand what the problem is?

I know that they want to get a good home for these pets, but I'm not a bad person. I love my animals, take good care of them, don't abuse or neglect them, but I can't seem to catch a break here. We don't have a shelter in the county I live in and a lot of the other county shelters won't adopt out to non-county residents, so I'll probably have to go to a breeder.

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I'm going to have to agree with you on that one. I've had 4 cats and 1 dog other than Venus, and all but 1 cat came from a free ad from someone moving, and almost not even getting the 1 kitten I DID get from the shelter. They didn't like that we lived on the 3rd floor of an apartment building, then they didn't like that I had 2 other cats, and then my little Gir passed on and I got a kitten from the shelter where I was living.
Then out where we are now, we tried getting a dog from the shelter before going to a breeder, but they basically told us that they didn't want to adopt out to someone so young.... Hubby is 25 and I'm almost 23. We're not exactly children, so I just didn't understand, so I gave up. It seems like they want to get all these animals adopted out into good homes, but if you aren't their idea of perfect they would rather keep them in a cage alone then give them to someone who is in fact perfectly capable of taking care of an animal. It is very frustrating.

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-Samantha

yes they are

i wanted to foster/adopt a dane i was turned down becuase of my sister is arouns /lives with me.

i wanted to adopt a chi turned down because chis' "arent" good with kids

yet all the people on here have kids and the chis are fine, while chis that could have had homes are still in the shelter

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This is difficult because I can see both sides of the argument.

I don't like to see any rescue having a "blanket ban" on anyone, or any type of home or conditions...within reason.
But, as someone who spent a lot of years in active animal rescue, fostering, re-homing, home checking, I do think you have to be careful , really careful when placing animals.

I'll be honest and say that I think 8 hours is too long to leave ANY dog alone.

The right dog, say a quiet middle aged one might be happy left all day if someone comes in for an hour or so at lunchtime to walk them or let them out. But even so, 5 days on the trot of that isn't ideal. I PERSONALLY don't think it's fair to leave a the average Chihuahua that long on a regular basis.
Certainly not a youngish one and with no visit to break up the day.
This is my opinion only of course.

A fenced yard or garden is ideal and really most owners need one to keep their dogs safe. That said I lived in a flat with a shared garden when I had my terrier cross and so had to walk her EVERY time she needed to toilet...even if that meant getting up at 2 am.
Someone without a fenced yard would have to do the same and not many people would do it. You can't just open your back door and let them out.

Again, and just my thoughts...

I can understand rescues being "picky" and that is their prerogative. If they have cared for or nursed a dog back to health, of course they are going to want the best home. Whatever "best" means to them.

I used to get some people that I turned down get quite stroppy, but my attitude was "That's the way it is, I make my decisions based on what I believe an animal needs and they are all different.

Years ago I contacted Chihuahua Rescue in the UK and the lady I spoke to went on and on about the fact that we had cats and that they might scratch a Chi's delicate eyes. Her fear was very real, despite my assuring her that my cats were fine with dogs. I doubt very much she would have considered me as a good home...but I respected that...her decision.

So basically blanket rules aren't usually good and each home should be judged on it's own merits in view of the dogs waiting.

This is always going to be an emotive subject, so I'll stress, these are all general comments and just my thoughts on the matter.
Generally in my experience rescues have pretty good reasons for the decisions they make regarding re-homing.

Maybe they don't always get it right...but who does???

Barbara x

I say yes and no. Yes, because they do turn down very qualified people for some very stupid reasons. IE, blanket bans on households with kids, cats, other larger dogs...or fenced in yards... (That one gets me. Why??) ..or people who have to work..

No, because there are morons out there who will let their moron children roughly 'play' with their pets...and punish the dog when it nips out of self defense. There are some cats that shouldn't be around small dogs... I used to have one. I still don't get the fenced in yard thing. I just have a long tie out and take her out on that... I stay on the porch to watch, she does her thing...but maybe there are people too lazy/moronic to do that?? It's not like these tiny dogs are known for their need to run! LOL, sheesh... I understand 'fenced in yard' MAYBE with a large working breed.... but a 2-6 pound companion-bred TOY???

This all being said, when I do find employment I will have to leave Kali alone. I hope to be able to get her a friend of some sort... she used to love my ex-roommates kitten.. or maybe another small dog. I prefer to rescue from a shelter myself, but if I must, there is always Craigslist 'free to good home' types. For me, a breeder is almost out of the question. But, who knows, a breeder rehome might be fine... (with my own personal set of values, nothing else. :P)

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This is a touchy, highly emotional topic. I do understand more about rescue now that I am volunteering for the dachshund rescue. Personally, I will not try to rescue an animal. I tried also and was turned down because we had kids and cats. I wasn't really offended but there are people that are so "pro" rescue and almost make you feel bad for going to a breeder, but most of us have no choice in that matter. I see both sides of this coin. A lot of rescue dogs have been abused, starved and put through hell. It takes tons of love, time, money and effort to try to make them whole again. I can totally see spending lots of time finding them the "perfect" home. They can't be alone all day. They can't have a lot of action like cats, kids, etc. They can't deal with the stimulation. They are products of their crappy past and they need extra "everything". However, there are plenty of rescue dogs that their owners simply moved, got tired of them, couldn't afford them, didn't want them or didn't train them properly and thought they had bad dogs. Those dogs are much easier to place. They are often lovable, been around kids, been alone during the day while people worked, don't mind stimulation, etc. That's where I get frustrated with rescue. Those animals would love a home with kids and other animals. They often could get placed faster than they are. It's just hard. Remember, we don't get paid. We are volunteers. We have to follow the rules that are given to us. I had a 20 page application, two home visits, and a four month internship before I was approved to volunteer for them. Most of the volunteers really just want the best for the animal but we are required to follow the protocol. It's frustrating, isn't it? We'd rather give an animal a home that needs one. I go back and forth if I can continue doing this. It's very gratifying but heart wrenching and sometimes I don't have the stomach for it. It's also hard dealing with people who think animals are disposable and the animal just got too big and they'd rather have a puppy. You have to bite your tongue. At least I do. I've been on both ends of this topic and I totally understand your frustration. I felt we could offer an animal a better home than 95% of people but I still couldn't get one. AAGGHH!

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I can understand why eight hours alone all day can be seen as "not ideal." But that's one reason I had two chihuahuas...so they wouldn't go stir crazy everyday. It's also why I've tried in the past (so far unsuccessfully) to indoor potty train...so they won't have to suffer from not being able to go when they need to. That being said, I don't know many people who don't work a forty hour week. I teach, so I'm not allowed off school grounds for lunch or during my planning period without permission from the principal, and he's not going to give it to me to go home and let the dog out on a daily basis. I don't have a husband, so no spouse to run home during their lunch break either.

I could see if I worked extra long hours, but it's your typical work week for the United States. To disqualify based on an average work week is just ludicrous in my opinion. On top of everything else, if they're going to be this stringent on their application process, then they should cut back on the "we have no room" and "we're at capacity" boo-hooing in order to ask for donations. I'm sorry, but let me see how this works again? [this somewhat mean bit and what comes after is directed at the shelters and not you Rosiesmum]

The money I earn from my full-time job is good enough but not me personally?

And yeah, I wish I had the option of a dog walker/sitter, but I live in a town of 2,000. We were over-the-moon just to get a McDonald's a few years ago. I have to outsource for everything . The nearest Walmart is 30 miles away. Dogwalker? Please. We don't even have a dog shelter. Half the animals in this town will spend their entire lives on a chain. Everyone thought I was crazy for cremating Poppet's body. A kid who actually uses Advantage instead of wiping his dog down with rubbing alcohol or whatever other "home" remedy they use around here is considered to be spoiling his pet. We're three miles past boondocks around here.

And I do understand what you mean when you say we need to be careful about who to place with. I don't want animals placed with uncaring or neglectful owners either, but this is getting out of hand. Even the New York Times did an article on the difficulty in adopting from rescue groups. Petfinder.org just posted a survey asking about rescue groups and shelters, and most of their questions dealt with the frustrations mentioned both in the article and with our own experiences: do shelters have unrealistic demands, have you ever not had a call returned, etc...

There's obviously something wrong here, and it's starting to get noticed. Btw, I tried to keep the tone light with the icon...it's not meant to be spiteful (except for that bit aimed at the shelters which turned me down then said I was free to donate). It's just so hard to convey the right tone using only typed out words

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I think part of the issue may be the rescue system people... they are so used to seeing bad stuff happen that they forget that people who are willing to go the extra mile through them are generally the good sort. Now, when it comes time for me to get another pet, they will be my first choice. If I am turned down... I will seek other opportunities...and I will tell them so.

Have any of you guys tried actual shelters? Like ASPCA types or the local non-profit? I got my rescued Siamese from one of them. They were just happy to have found an adult aloof cat a home. (He was being a typical nervous Siamese...takes them a long time to bond and they on average they are a one/two people cat.) A copy of my lease (to prove I could have pets) and 50 dollars cash toward his neuter and he was mine. Dogs were about the same, small ones where 50, big ones 75. A couple had picked out a dog while I was picking him out.... it really was the simple.

Oh, I was 22, in college and had two roommates, another cat, two rats and no vet paperwork for any of them. The cat had been vetted...I just had lost his paperwork.

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