What Rescue IS and what it ISN'T – sent to us by a PPN reader, this article was found at Cold Nose Warm Heart Chihuahua Rescue. We have made a few changes to the text for easier reading. What Rescue IS and what it ISN'T (And How to Get the Best Results from Your Rescue Experience)
The following information may seem harsh, rude, and perhaps even ignorant. If you plan on pursuing adoption from a rescue, please continue to read no matter your opinion, as these are simple truths that we want you to be aware of. We will spell this information out as plainly and distinctly as we can, so that hopefully it cannot be misunderstood or read incorrectly. You may not agree with
some of the things said on this page, but please understand that these are the realities of our rescue, if not many rescues. You may have encountered rescues who didn't ever reply to your emails, never returned your call, never contacted you about your application, wouldn't let you adopt an animal, wouldn't let you foster an animal, or a rescue person who was impolite to the point of being rude. As you read the following page you will be given an insight to a rescuer's day/week/month, and perhaps you will begin to see why so many rescuers are hardened, snippy, crabby people who don't seem to be living in the same world as everyone else. When you are finished reading this you still may not agree with how they handle themselves (and even many rescuers feel this way) but hopefully you will at least understand a little better WHY they are like that. Our only goal is to help
educate you about rescue ... what it is and what it isn't. We'll start with the most important one for you to understand Rescue is not a service for YOU ... PERIOD. Not for you to find an animal, or to get rid of your animal. Rescue is a service for ANIMALS. We care about them. The animal is who we are here to help. Helping you is just a byproduct of helping them. Rescue is NOT a shelter that you can just stop by to visit, pick out an animal and take home whenever the mood strikes you. There is no place to drop by and window shop, no
business hours, and no certain times we are open. Rescue is a group of people that love animals. Those people open their homes and hearts to animals, give them a place to live, and love them until they find a loving home. We take applications, screen them, and then have the people come and visit with the animals in our homes ... not always a shelter involved. There may be a volunteer's
home on the end of the phone number you are given. Rescue is not Dial-An-Animal, Dial-A-Person that wants to hear about your troubles, Dial-A-Person to unload my animal on after I've had it for 10 years and it simply doesn't match the furniture anymore. Rescue is a phone number that
reaches right into the home of a volunteer who has little time to deal with your guilt trip over tossing "your one-time baby" out like last night's leftovers, and even less time to deal with you see-sawing back and forth between keeping the animal and giving it up. If you've taken the trouble to write an email or call, then 99% of the time you have already made up your mind on getting rid of the animal. Don't lie to us or to yourself. Simply tell us the reason you are giving the animal up, and answer the questions we ask. If we're going to help you, the least you can do is help us speed the process along by not crying on our shoulders. We've heard it all before ... from allergies, moving, housebreaking, money, new baby, too hyper, barking, sick, injured, nasty, uncontrollable,
landlord doesn't allow, parents said no, owner died and nobody wants, divorce, marriage, too many animals, doesn't like old animal, chases cars, chases cats, sheds, too much trouble, new job, wants attention, to it's cross-eyed, its ears don't stand up, it doesn't match the new couch, it looks at me funny, he told me he's not happy. We're not cold hearted. We simply have too many things to
do and not enough time to listen to how sorry you think you are about getting rid of your animal. Rescue should be one of your last resorts. Try obedience training, try crate training, try everything you can before you make the decision to give up your animal. When you've done all you can, then call us and let us know why you're giving up the animal in the least amount of words you can. We'll ask questions, you should answer honestly. Rescue is not a person sitting at the computer or phone all day, just waiting for you to call or email. We're also not running home daily, hoping we'll have lots of email and answering machine messages. We're not rushing to return your call or email. Rescue is a group of people who already have a life, a family, a
full time job, their own animals, foster animals, plenty requests give-up emails a day, not to mention processing applications and vet appointments. Oh yeah ... and God forbid we sleep, eat and have a life ... I almost forgot. Rescue is not a way for you to find a purebred animal for little or no money. Rescue is a safe haven for animals of a specific breed, with people that know and understand the quirks of that breed, and have the knowledge needed to handle that breed. Rescue is not a baby-sitting service for your animal, a kennel, or a place that will train your animal, especially for free. Rescue is a situation that animals that are homeless, or about to become homeless, come into where they will receive the medical attention, physical attention, and behavioral attention they need. Rescue is not a place you can pick up a "girlfriend" for Butch or "boyfriend" for Fifi so that you can irresponsibly mass produce, sell them to homes that very
well would want them for pit-bull bait, toys for the children, something for the kids to take responsibility for, something to neglect and later abandon. Rescue is responsible about the reproduction of their animal. In fact, rescues believe that the only breeding that should be done is by the few responsible breeders out there, and done only to improve the breed. Breeders are not those
folks you see with "Free Puppies" ads either Breeders are folks that care about their product and take pride in placing them in loving homes where they will be cared for. All rescue animals are spayed and neutered before adoption so that no "accidents" happen. You shouldn’t get an animal unaltered ... don't even bother to ask. Rescue is not a place that will take the most vicious, nasty, aggressive animals and keep them for the rest of their lives, living happily ever after in their owner's mind while the animal is miserable. Rescue is a place where the nasty animals that are not safe for anyone to own, handle, or be within five-feet of
are humanely put to sleep, where they will be happier and people will be safer. If you don't want to deal with your animal who you've loved for 6 years, that bites, what on earth makes you think that someone else would want it biting them and their family? We do work with every animal to see if they are just frightened or truly nasty when we have to. Those who are scared, we allow time to
adjust and overcome fear. Those who are nasty are put to sleep, period. Some people think us horrible because of this, and that's fine, but let me fill your house up with animals you can't sneeze around without getting bit, and let me see you live your life and still save the lives of 60 animals a year. Rescue is not a mail order service to find the animal of your dreams, the Chihuahua
that loves kids, cats, everyone, doesn't bark too much, is perfectly housebroken, is a 25-pounds, does tricks on command, and knows how to act in every situation. Rescue is the place that gets calls from shelters and owners who have an animal in need. Sure, we may come across an animal like the one described above, but chances are it will be adopted quickly and it will be a long time
before we see another one like it. We work with each animal to make them better pets than they were when they entered rescue, but we aren't miracle workers. Every animal has his own personality, and that is what matters. If you want an animal that fits a few certain realistic requirements, we might have your pet.
But trying to find one that matches perfection is not going to happen anytime soon, and if one comes in that is perfect, we have a line five-miles long of people waiting for it. The only thing this PPN Volunteer and animal lover would like to add is that the best way to help a rescue or shelter is to make sure you know that this is a life-time commitment. Changing your mind later
for whatever convenience one comes up with is not acceptable and overwhelms us with unwanted and abused animals. The best excuse isn’t a good excuse to a rescuer. The idea of owning a pet, who breathes, eats and feels pain, should be considered as a family member.
If you move, you would bring your entire family with you, wouldn’t you? You wouldn’t leave your infant in a sweltering car, would you? You wouldn’t try out a child for a four-year trial period, would you? Education plays a huge role here. We need to stop people from thinking that pets are throw-aways when they get to big or just simply don’t fit the owners’ lifestyle anymore. Easter chicks are a terrific example. Please help all rescues by making that commitment for a lifetime. And by all means, tell your friends. Let’s raise our children with empathy and not immediate gratification, especially when a life is involved.
| 
