There is a disturbing new trend emerging in North American animal rescue. Private “rescue agencies” are popping up all over the continent.
I’m not talking about the type of rescues we are all used to working with, I am talking about “rescue for profit,” rescue operations set up for the sole purpose of making money. “No” you are thinking. “No one would do that!” However if you think that, you’d be wrong. There is a definite climb in the number of groups calling themselves rescues. A number are legitimate and do good work, but more and more we are seeing groups set up to “rescue” animals only to be found selling them to anyone with the money to pay the purchase price.
These groups import death row dogs from high-kill shelters in the states just south of the border. They pick out small breed purebreds that have been picked up as strays or surrendered by their owners. They then sell them for ridiculous sums of money to unwary adopters. Adopters think they are getting a rescue that has been vetted and proven healthy, truth is these agencies do no vetting of the animals they bring in, they do not pay for shots or medical exams. They simply pick out the most desirable dogs, pull them from the shelter and sell them for profit.
“But what is wrong with them finding dogs homes?” you ask me, a puzzled look on your face. “Isn’t that what they are supposed to be doing?” Yes, a rescue agency is usually set up to rehome unwanted animals, and for the most part they all do, but most rescues don’t pick and choose the animals they work with based on their adoptability. Most of us take in whatever animal that comes along and needs our help, we don’t worry about breed, size, age, or ability to procreate. (as a matter of fact our first order of business is usually to remove the ability to procreate by spaying or neutering the animal.) In many cases, legitimate agencies charge only a token adoption fee, or as in the case of Let’s Adopt, no rehoming fee at all. Why? Because our sole mission is to find the animal the right forever home, not just one that can pay a ridiculous fee. We have long ago proven that the ability to dole out large amounts of money for the privilege of owning a pet, does not ensure that pet will be properly treated. To some money means nothing.
These new money making rescues don’t care who buys the dog, as long as they can pay the price. There is no screening process, first come, first to pay gets the animal. These animals are subjected to conditions similar to those found in puppy mills or back yard breeding operations, and in some cases, are underground breeding operations. Many dogs “rescued” from death row are intact and capable of breeding. These so called rescuers will breed the dogs after “rescue” and pass the puppies off as having been saved from euthanasia along with their mother. They will charge three to four hundred dollars a pup, in many cases without vetting the animal before its adoption.
Is there a place in your neighborhood that calls itself a rescue? Do they consistently have an influx of small breed purebreds they call “rescues”? Do they always have puppies available for adoption? If so chances are you have a bogus rescue operation in your own back yard. Don’t panic or run to the phone, you have to be SURE! Talk to these people, find out what it takes to adopt a dog from them, be observant of the conditions in which they keep the dogs. If you still feel strongly that they are just a money making operation, bring it to other people’s attention, see what they think. Do not take any action unless you are 100% sure that what you think is really what is going on.
Above all, check out a rescue group before adopting an animal from them. Are they legit? How long have they been in business? Can they provide the proper paperwork to back up their claims of vetting and shots? In other words be diligent. Don’t support the continued exploitation of rescue pets!
Until Tomorrow Remember
BE THE CHANGE YOU SEEK!
Janette
17 Comments to “For Some, Rescue is BIG Business”
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Diane Cartwright says:
Just a note – in my experience, the dogs cannot cross State borders or the Canadian border without Health Certificate and rabies shot.
This is a very dismaying trend. Not surprised, given our major humane society has revamped to look like the Hilton and it’s fundraiser pulls in nearly $200,000 per year, and they are a charity for animals. Why isn’t $60,000 enough for a rewarding job raising money for animals with the rest going to help animals live instead of die.
Janette Hamilton says:
That is true of people transporting their own pets, but people transporting animals as belonging to a rescue group are not checked as thoroughly, and they are not matched to their paperwork. The only thing customs checks with these people is the NUMBER of dogs crossing the border and whether or not the number crossing matches the number on the manifest.. They figure every rescue knows the law (true) and none wold try to circumvent it (false) for their own ends.
Kathi Newell-Nicholson says:
When we have space, and noone is waiting in the local pounds we look after, then I offer pull the medium to larger dogs from kill shelters that noone else is clammering to help. At rescue events people ask me all the time why i do not have as many small dogs
- i explain that they are more likely to get offers to help – so i chose to help the bigger dogs that are less desirable to other adoptees or rescue groups.
I appreciate that we get in some dogs you would not get locally as this helps draw attention to our entire group of homeless pets when someone looks on our site.
We have seen an increase in foster homes due to the variance in breeds available.
This means more lives are saved.
The rescue relays I work with follow very strict guidelines about which rescues they work with, and ensure that they fix their pets, screen for homes, and have decent measures in place to ensure the dog is in the proper home.
I personally prefer to heartworm test, fecal test and treat, vaccinate, and neuter/spay – before – they come, but with time restraints it is not always possible.
I know for a fact the border officials check the vaccination dates at the border and the health certificate.
I don’t know how an animal would get across the border unvetted.
It is a shame there are so many low lifes trying to profit off of dogs.
The point in life is to help make these dogs lives better.
They should be spayed/neutered, vaccinated, heartworm tested, dewormed and treated for other parasites as needed, and rechecked in 4 weeks for booster and reworm. They should have i.d. tags on and be microchipped. They should be assessed in foster care to see what home suits them. The applicant should be a good match for them on paper and at the viewing. The applicant should not be getting a dog on a whim and a good way to aovid this is if a seperate day is required to be set up for the adoption – to ensure the home is prepared for the dog, that the owner has secured a municipal tag, and a personalized i.d. tag with the dogs name and their address and phone number on it.
The rescue should have a return policy in place to ensure they get the dog back if the owner is unable to keep. These dogs should not be passed on anywhere else by the adoptive home.
People criticize rescues because we screen.
They want what they want when they want it – these people are the reason puppy mills/pet stores thrive. They are the reason that the pounds are full of these same pups t hat were bought that the owner discovered did not suit them and discarded at their convenience.
Pets should not be available in pet stores and people should be ashamed of themselves for supporting puppy mills – as they are creating demand for the mill.
People will say “well i could not leave the dog there” – but they aren’t thinking about the hundreds of others that are there- – laying in their own feces and urine, covered in lice or mange or fleas, not ever having been vaccinated, dewormed or treated for parasites. Some have never seen light or touched the grass.
If you are truly a pet lover then you will take the time to adopt from a reputable rescue.
You will make sure you are not the reason yet another dog is stuck in a mill, breeding as many times a year as she can, until she can’t produce, until she stops breeding – at which time she is killed, and i don’t mean by euthanasia, as she is no longer of value to the breeder.
There is no excuse for supporting mills. People that are too lazy to bother to go thru the proper screening a rescue requires will try to justify it by saying rescues are hard to deal with. I wonder if they would change their tune if they were the ones suffering?
I wonder if they were the ones that were euthanized (when they were turned in to a pound because the pound was full) because of owners that took the easy way out – maybe then they would understand why rescues care what happens to their pets?
Janette Hamilton says:
Yes they do check for vaccinations at the border, but those verifications are easy to obtain if you know the “right” (or should that be “wrong”) vet. I agree with everything you have said, and in theory that is of course how things should go, and do in a legitimate rescue operation. This post was not meant to trash private rescues but rather to ensure that people make sure that is what they are dealing with when adopting a dog.
Vin Campbell says:
Thanks for the info! Hope that we do not see this type of rescue in our parts of the world.
Some people really are just simply without a regard for anything or anyone. Don’t worry,,, I’ll be watching!
Chris says:
Such “rescue” retailers need to be put out of business & no further charity status allowed.
There is other unethical behaviour; some “rescue” groups are declawing cats to make them more marketable. This inhumane practice needs to stop. Rescue groups that keep data note that declawing often leads to behaviour that results in cats being abused, relinquished, abandoned or killed:
“Through the years, we have seen many declawed cats surrendered to our shelter for behaviour issues that can be related to being declawed. Over the past two years, 75% of the declawed cats that were surrendered to us had behavioural problems. In that same time frame, only 4% of clawed cats were surrendered to us for the same behavioural reasons. I think those statistics speak for themselves. Studies show that declawing is a very painful procedure that can lead to long term issues …. both physical and emotional.
Reference:
http://www.declawing.com – by Veterinarian, Dr. Christianne Schelling
Veterinary Journal: Vet Surg 1994 Jul-Aug;23(4):274-80
The Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights (AVAR)”
http://www.catsanonymous.ca/Newsletter%20-%20May%2015%202010.pdf
More info: “Declawing and Science”, Jean Hofve, DVM, http://www.littlebigcat.com/health/declawing-and-science/
Janette Hamilton says:
I wasn’t aware of the declawing thing, I deal more with dogs than I do with cats. That is horrible, thank you for letting us know!
Tracey says:
These rescues save dogs and cats lives. Bless them! And if they can make a few bucks doing it then so be it…They care for the animal and I would say 99% of them are registered. They will spay and neuter, vaccinate and care for the animal until a responsible pet owner is found. There is an organization STORMS ANIMAL ALLIANCE that is actually trying to make it a by-law, that pet owners must pass a PET OWNERSHIP one day course to be allowed to adopt. I think this is a fabulous idea and will ensure the dog or cat does not go to a bad home and up up mistreated or back to the pound for destruction! GO RESCUES GO
Colleen says:
Wel since I have had to provide references to volunteer, any legitimate rescue would be ( or perhaps I should say should be) willing to provide references of people who have adopted from them.
The two transportation runs I have been on, have had the vetting papers and have needed them to be able to cross the border. I haven’t been the one to cross the border with the dogs.
this is indeed a distrubing trend. the two rescues I currently volunteer with, you have to fill out a form to be able to foster, provide references and have a home visit. For adoption, there is a pre adoption form, as well as the references and home visit and also a probationary period for adoption.
I will let people know that if “rescues” are not doing proper checks, they are not a legitimate rescue. I will and would, especially now, do a proper check of any agency I would adopt or foster for, etc.
Janette Hamilton says:
That is precisely my point, check them out first! I am pretty sure the two you mentioned are above board from the sounds of your description, but those are exactly the things you look for.
Terri Bergan says:
As someone who has co-run an all breed rescue with many of the dogs coming from the US, I find your lumping of rescues a bit disturbing. I am familar with many if not most of the small Ontario rescues and offhand, I can think of 2 that I am not comfortable with their practices. As for coming into Canada, as someone who has crossed the border many times with dogs and has waited on transports, I can say the vetwork is usually complete and the border does inspect and at times has held dogs up for things such as extensive flea bites…..yes! Most of the dogs that come up from the US have been fully vetted including spay or neuter. The transport organizers will only transport for their select groups that do the vetwork. They do not want a sick dog on their transports. In addition, the idea that the increase in heartworm is due to rescue dogs is ridiculous. The increase in heartworm in an emerging trend due to movement up through the states via mosquitoes. I live in what has been the hotbed for heartoworm in Ontario for many years. Warmer, wetter, longer summers will just add to the effect. Ohio, right smack over the border has huge issues with heartworm.
Terri Bergan
Lil Haven Rescue
Janette Hamilton says:
Actually I did not lump all rescues together, I clearly stated that there are many good ones and asked people NOT to lump them all in the same category but to do their homework. It is also a proven fact that dogs have been brought over the border with bogus verification records, I personally know of at least three people who adopted dogs from one of these organizations, and were told they had been vetted and spayed or neutered. In subsequent examinations by the adopters vet it was proven no surgery had ever been done, therefore it can be assumed the animal was never vetted before being transported.
While most rescues that do cross border rescue are legitimate and above board, the number that are not is increasing exponentially. Also this post did not only address cross border rescues but those that use rescue animals as breeders for their own financial gain. The point is that there are many groups out there (more every day) that are only in the business of rescue to make money. I’m also here to tell that while you may THINK you are familiar with most Ontario rescues that is not the case. There may be only two you consider shady, but I am currently investigating allegations against four of these operations in my area alone. I can almost guarantee that they are four YOU have never heard of. You may have been active in rescue for a while, but I have been doing this for over twenty years, and I still do not know every rescue operating in Ontario. This post also does not only pertain to Ontario. I may live in the province of Ontario but it is my job to monitor these types of situations across the country. This is a nationwide problem!
Colleen says:
Yes, I realise that was your point Janette, there are MANY GREAT RESCUES out there, but if you are going to deal with one, or volunteer with one, then you should CHECK THEM OUT ! Exactly and I agree with you ! One hundred percent. Sad that people are trying to pass themselves off as legitimate rescur orgs and making some people leary of rescues.
David Brickert says:
Right you are, Diane! Puppy Mills have been subsidizing “rescues” in order to move inventory. These organizations give legitimate Rescue groups and Shelters a black eye. Fortunately, in our State of Wisconsin, there’s new legislation to license Rescues and enforce quality operation standards.
Diane brings up a good point. Rabies vaccinations and Health documentation ARE required but there is little enforcement or oversight. Northern US states and Canada have seen a very large increase of Heartworm due to Southern US dogs being transported north which are HW positive and lacking distemper and rabies vaccination.
US demographic seems to indicate US southern states as having a disproportionate number of Puppy Mills, high rate kill-shelters and “pure-breed rescues” compared to Northern states and Canada. It’s a dangerous and troubling trend.
David Brickert says:
“Right you are, Diane!” Should have read…”"Right you are, Janette!”
Yes it’s true. Men just can’t seem to get names right in the morning.
SleepyDavid
Janette Hamilton says:
As long as you get your wife’s name right when you get up in the morning you’ll survive! The rest of us can overlook the mistakes until you’ve had your coffee! LOL
South Bay Purebred Rescue in San Jose, CA says:
Yes, there are some shady rescues out there. That said, even among the good rescues, there are varying standards and guidelines for adoption. That’s why there are so many “groups” with only 1 or 2 people in them; it’s because it seems that no two groups can agree exactly how things should be done. For instance, we’ve been around for 12 years and were fostering before this group formed. As a rule we don’t do home checks because we aren’t going to follow people around and pre-approve any future residence they may move to. The animals in shelters also can’t afford to wait while it takes weeks to do an adoption. We have a very low return rate (around 2%) and have a very high re-adoption rate as people come back to us for their second and third dogs.
An absolute for any legitimate rescue (at least in California) is that ALL animals are altered before they leave us. ALL animals have been dewormed and vaccinated before they leave us. ALL animals have been groomed and treated for any external parasites before they leave us. Heck all that is done before they’re even put up as available for adoption. It’s a law here that all rescues spay/neuter before adoption.
So yes, I would absolutely worry about a group that tries to send animals out on a spay/neuter deposit or contract. I would absolutely worry about a group that sent animals out with external parasites or with matted hair. The dogs don’t have to look like they just stepped off the grooming table, but they ought not have fleas or have poop hanging from their butts.
The screening varies from group to group. I’ve been thanked by many people for not having so much ‘red tape’ to go through to get a dog from us. I’m pretty sure we grill the heck out of folks before we even let them pet the dog, but there are some groups that are downright militant. That is their right – we’re all rescuing animals and doing the best we can to place them in appropriate forever homes.
@Janette: that last comment was cute
Sara