Rescuing an animal from a shelter or animal services can be a great act of kindness, and I've heard it can also be incredible fulfilling. However, I know it can also be incredibly frustrating and even heartbreaking at times.
Tim and I recently tried to adopt a rescue dog. As some of you may know, I have wanted a dog for about 6 months and have been trying to convince Tim of the same thing, but he has been far more rational than I am capable of and has wanted to wait.
Enter Buddy.
After showing him to Tim, we decided to actually call up and find out more about him.
The description from his foster mom sounded great, so we set up a time to meet him. We did, and totally fell in love. We stayed there for about an hour and just petted Buddy the whole time.
So, we filled out the adoption application online. And I let his foster mom know that we were going to apply, and she sounded pleased and hopeful. Waited all day Thursday and all night only to get an email this morning stating our application was denied.
Seriously?
I tell this story to illustrate a few bumps on the road to pet adoption.
2. The kind folks who work at shelters/rescues are not always right. Many folks feel that crating a dog is cruel or that not being able to be with a dog 24/7 is unfair to the dog. I, however, live in reality and know that it is a rarity that a family has one person that does not work full time. A friend of mine had to convince her dog's shelter "mom" that she was the right person to take the dog home. If you feel very strongly that you could give the dog a great home research the breed, research training and dog care and bring all of that passion and information with you and fight for the dog. You might just surprise the employees and volunteers.
3. Adopting from a shelter or rescue can still be fairly expensive for some people, but those costs are necessary for the organization to continue to provide food, a warm bed, and vet care for the animals they bring in. And it sure beats the $1000+ you'll pay at a breeder.
If some of these roadblocks get you down, don't give up on rescuing a dog. Re-evaluate the shelter you originally went to and try a different one.
Tim and I didn't give up. We went to Noah's Ark this weekend and found Lizzie. She is an absolute doll and will actually be a better fit for our family than Buddy would have. We get to bring her home tomorrow and we couldn't be happier that we gave rescue a second chance because at the end of the day, all animals deserve a second chance.
