An Awful Adoption Experience

Originally Posted by SilverRaichu

She literally argued with him on how terrible he was

She has no class and no clue. Really, these people are programmed with canned answers. Her security comes from quacking the company quack. How sad.

Originally Posted by Shadera

Put it this way. We were trying to adopt a cat several years ago. We jumped through the hoops with several rescues. Our main reference, Shawn's boss at the time, has adopted three children from a foreign country. He looked at our adoption application, and said he didn't have to answer questions like that to adopt humans, and couldn't believe we were going through that for a cat.

Eventually, we did find our kitty. A local breeder gave him to us free of charge and without answering a single question on paper, because he was 9 years old and she thought we were good people from meeting us once prior. We've had 4 perfect years together so far. I hope that anyone looking to bring in a homeless critter can find their perfect match so easily.

I agree Lucille, I think some folks do have the power trip thing going on. It's so sad that so many more animals would have solid homes if it weren't for them. People want to do the right thing and adopt, but some of those questions and process are intimidating. Around here, they even want to talk to your neighbors about you.

Maybe we should start a thread in hell to further discuss rescue issues?

OMG I want to smooch his little nose! <3 What a beauty!

Originally Posted by Lucille

She has no class and no clue. Really, these people are programmed with canned answers. Her security comes from quacking the company quack. How sad.

Seems like it. I once got the "speech" from a rescue who comes to my job often, because I. Told them my kitten came from a friend who's cat had kittens.
She said "oh you better let your friend know he needs to get that cat fixed" repopulation etc.. diseases, shots needed, spay nueter etc etc

Ugh. I got turned down from adopting a cat because at one point in time I had a cat that went outdoors. And I don't let my cats outdoors anymore and explained that to them and they still turned me down. Instead I ended up getting my cats from a kill shelter.

Originally Posted by leaveittoweaver

Ugh. I got turned down from adopting a cat because at one point in time I had a cat that went outdoors. And I don't let my cats outdoors anymore and explained that to them and they still turned me down. Instead I ended up getting my cats from a kill shelter.

That is a wonderful choice. Those cats you got were faced with euthanasia, and now they have a great life with you.
Kill shelters have some of the best deals anywhere. Here where I live, some of them run 'specials' where the critter only costs $20-$30 to adopt. That includes heartworm test, immunizations, spay/neuter, and often a little gift pack of food samples provided by dog food companies.
Some dogs are 'pulled' by rescues from those very shelters, and then usually the cost rises and there are more hoops to jump through.

Originally Posted by SilverRaichu

Told them my kitten came from a friend who's cat had kittens. She said "oh you better let your friend know he needs to get that cat fixed" repopulation etc.. diseases, shots needed, spay nueter etc etc

well.. that is some good advice.

A while back I wanted a sphynx cat and planned to go through a rescue instead of a breeder, there are some very 'self important' rescuers out there, that's for sure!

2 of my cats are strays I took in and the 3rd I rescued from a kill shelter. Lucille is right about the 'specials', when I got my boy from the Oakland shelter they were running 50% off, I think I paid $30 for my special fuzzy guy. Some rescues will go through shelters to pull out the 'best' ones but there are some really wonderful animals at kill shelters that deserve a loving home and get overlooked, especially the older ones.

*steps off soapbox*

I agree 100% that it's good advice. But for a rescue person to expect potential adopters to have lived a saintly life according to their rulebook is some mighty high expectation. "I see here you poked your brother in the eye with a stick when you were five. No dog for you!"

I wonder how many of those rescue folks would pass their own evaluations?

The absolute best rescue experience I had was with the New Mexico Siberian Husky Rescue.

I got a dog named Zeke from them some years back. His foster mother, Tracey, had kept the dog pretty much his entire life up until the point I got him. He had been found as a fourth month old after being hit by a car and lived with her until he was three and a half years old. As happy as I was to get him, it tore me up to see her crying as I loaded him up in my truck and headed back to the town we lived in. We drove six hours round trip to meet and get him.

The application process was simple, but what stuck out most to me was that Tracey sat on the phone with me for about three hours talking about this dog with me. That's how she gauged if I was an acceptable applicant to take him. When we went to meet him, we spent another few hours talking and interacting with him.

A year and a half later, Zeke had to be euthanized because of some major mental issues that presented suddenly (likely from nerve damage associated with brain swelling as a puppy).

Anyway, about two months after Zeke was put to sleep, I got a call from Tracey. Another dog we had looked at the same day as Zeke named Luka had managed to find his way back to the rescue when the family that took him in moved and dumped him in a shelter. Tracey, knowing that my husband and I lived in Florida at the time, offered to attach Luka to a "On The Road Again" trip that was bringing another dog to Mobile, Alabama which was only about two and a half hours away. She said that she knew we would care for Luka and would allow us to adopt him without charging us a fee (their fee for dogs that are three and over is 150.00) and without charging us to have him delivered.

I was so touched by the gesture and was beyond myself. I had never had a rescue offer something like that before or go out of their way to maintain contact with me after the death of an animal. However, a week prior, we had adopted Bruce so I had to decline, but to this day that gesture means a lot to me and I still talk to Tracey from time to time.

Luka also finally found his true forever home, for any who wonder.

If I went to a rescue again, I'd gladly go through them, but it was a rare experience for me with a rescue.

I was nearly declined to adopt a cat because my cats were former indoor outdoor cats. My cats were up to dates on shots, and I was younger so I didn't know any better either, they're all indoor now, though I have built an out door enclosure so they can hang out side for a while when the weather is nice, though has yet to be "approved" by
Overly protective cat people.

Originally Posted by AbsoluteApril

well.. that is some good advice.

A while back I wanted a sphynx cat and planned to go through a rescue instead of a breeder, there are some very 'self important' rescuers out there, that's for sure!

2 of my cats are strays I took in and the 3rd I rescued from a kill shelter. Lucille is right about the 'specials', when I got my boy from the Oakland shelter they were running 50% off, I think I paid $30 for my special fuzzy guy. Some rescues will go through shelters to pull out the 'best' ones but there are some really wonderful animals at kill shelters that deserve a loving home and get overlooked, especially the older ones.

*steps off soapbox*

It is good advice, but it just seems anything I do is wrong in their eyes. But of course I am still on edge because of the fall through with the NC adoption.

Originally Posted by ShadowAceD

The absolute best rescue experience I had was with the New Mexico Siberian Husky Rescue.

I got a dog named Zeke from them some years back. His foster mother, Tracey, had kept the dog pretty much his entire life up until the point I got him. He had been found as a fourth month old after being hit by a car and lived with her until he was three and a half years old. As happy as I was to get him, it tore me up to see her crying as I loaded him up in my truck and headed back to the town we lived in. We drove six hours round trip to meet and get him.

The application process was simple, but what stuck out most to me was that Tracey sat on the phone with me for about three hours talking about this dog with me. That's how she gauged if I was an acceptable applicant to take him. When we went to meet him, we spent another few hours talking and interacting with him.

A year and a half later, Zeke had to be euthanized because of some major mental issues that presented suddenly (likely from nerve damage associated with brain swelling as a puppy).

Anyway, about two months after Zeke was put to sleep, I got a call from Tracey. Another dog we had looked at the same day as Zeke named Luka had managed to find his way back to the rescue when the family that took him in moved and dumped him in a shelter. Tracey, knowing that my husband and I lived in Florida at the time, offered to attach Luka to a "On The Road Again" trip that was bringing another dog to Mobile, Alabama which was only about two and a half hours away. She said that she knew we would care for Luka and would allow us to adopt him without charging us a fee (their fee for dogs that are three and over is 150.00) and without charging us to have him delivered.

I was so touched by the gesture and was beyond myself. I had never had a rescue offer something like that before or go out of their way to maintain contact with me after the death of an animal. However, a week prior, we had adopted Bruce so I had to decline, but to this day that gesture means a lot to me and I still talk to Tracey from time to time.

Luka also finally found his true forever home, for any who wonder.

If I went to a rescue again, I'd gladly go through them, but it was a rare experience for me with a rescue.

This is how all rescue should be. Rescue should be more personal. You can't get to know someone by reading a 3 page form they were required to fill out. This is what I wanted to do with the NC rescue, they sent me an email saying "will call you tomorrow" my phone was glued to me, I was going to have a conversation and just be completely honest. I was adopting a border collie, a dog I have the most experience in.
I they didn't even give me the decentcy to call/email saying "we changed our minds we're not adopting him to you" or maybe they adopted him to someone else.
I wish I knew someone in east NC who could adopt him for me & id pick him up.
Because of that dog and a dog I had liked before him, I set the bar to high for myself and now I really can't find another dog out there I like.

As a person who works in a rescue, i do disagree with some of these requirements for adoption ive read. However, be aware adopters, that as a rescue, it is their responsibility to ensure these animals are going to good homes, therefore they will not trust anyone until they have proof that they will take good care of potential adopted animals. Some of the requirements i do agree with when asking a potential adopter would be.
1. the food you will feed them
2. previous animals owned
3. veterinarian records of the previous animals owned.
4. where you live and if you rent or own your own property.
5. Home inspection (this depends on the species of animal being adopted).
6. If the animal is a small mammal or reptile, what their enclosure will be.
7. Personal information about you (I.E. phone number, address, etc....)
8. Why you want to adopt this animal.