Dog Rescue-Is there a single one that is actually on top

seanaway

Hi Guys

We've been looking for a dog for ages. We've contacted rescue centres from south, north, east and west.

The thing is they just don't seem to be either able or bothered to find dogs good homes.I know that is a sweeping statement but we've even done a2 hour round trip this week to look at a pup in Kilkenny. The woman said she'd hold it until lunch for us. We arrived about 11am to find another couple handing over cash and walking away with the dog we'd come to see.

Another centre has received umpteen calls/emails/personal visits. Always the same. No answer to the query, no reply about specific dog. One says call so-and-so the other says she will call back.

I know there are many dedicated people out there doing a wonderful job saving animals; however, I now wonder how many people just give up on rescue centres and spca's and go to the dreaded puppy farms!

Has anyone else had this experience or is it just bad luck here????

ISDW

seanaway wrote: »

Hi Guys

We've been looking for a dog for ages. We've contacted rescue centres from south, north, east and west.

The thing is they just don't seem to be either able or bothered to find dogs good homes.I know that is a sweeping statement but we've even done a2 hour round trip this week to look at a pup in Kilkenny. The woman said she'd hold it until lunch for us. We arrived about 11am to find another couple handing over cash and walking away with the dog we'd come to see.

Another centre has received umpteen calls/emails/personal visits. Always the same. No answer to the query, no reply about specific dog. One says call so-and-so the other says she will call back.

I know there are many dedicated people out there doing a wonderful job saving animals; however, I now wonder how many people just give up on rescue centres and spca's and go to the dreaded puppy farms!

Has anyone else had this experience or is it just bad luck here????

I hope I'm not breaking any board rules here, but I would steer clear of a rescue that allows you to turn up, hand over money and walk away with a dog. Have you had a homevisit from any of the ones you've approached?

Is there a specific breed or type of dog that you are looking for?

Where are you based?

lily4

<snip>

seanaway

Hi

The rescue that handed over is one that's been around a long time. I wasn't too impressed with the place when I saw it and said so at the time. Won't be going back either.

I had a check done once before and it was ok'd by the spca. Got a dog with my ex. She moved & she got the dog as she was the one who got it.

I.m in the south east. It's a heck of a long way to Dublin <snip>. Is there anyone there with experience of a centre spca or otherwise that didn't mess you around?

Last year I did a trip to the north west after being told a muppet story about a dog I collected via an spca. Turned out the poor thing was injured and had a BIG problem with other male dogs. That sort of thing does NO good for dogs-let alone owners. Had to spend 7 hours in the car doing a 600km round trip to bring him back.

Looking for a small medium dog. Cross maybe between gun dog/collie. Need small medium for space and a good temperament. Can't have a yapper.

Cherry Blossom

lily4 wrote: »

<snip>

Recommendations of rescues are no longer allowed on this forum, for the exact reason that it is difficult establish if they are genuine or not. You have just recommend one that 'seems' good. This gives me the impression that you have no personal experience with them.

For the record, the one you recommended does not rehome outside of Dublin.

If anyone has first-hand, personal experience of a rescue they found reputable within a reasonable distance of the OP they can pass on their thoughts by PM.

This thread can continue as long as no specific organisations are named.

seanaway

Hi


Apologies if my post prompted people to name. I've just checked the centre lily4 mentioned and they say nothing about not rehoming outside Dublin.

It's too far anyway for me.

If anyone does know of a place would it be ok for them to PM me?

angelfire9

I don't know if Clare is too far for the OP but I PM'd him details of a rescue that 3 of my friends have used (My hubby doesn't want a dog (yet))

DBB

Like ISDW, I'd steer clear of a rescue where you just turn up and choose your dog. This model is not particularly successful because there is no matching done between the adopter and the suitability of the dog for that adopter.
The dog is selected primarily on aesthetic grounds under this model, and it is all too easy to impulsively screen out information you're given about the dog about his temperament, because it's too late, the potential adopter has fallen for the dog, and will promise to work around or ignore the fact that the dog just isn't suitable for them. Hence, the return rate is very high, as too big a gamble is taken.
The home-check system protects the dog, the adopter and the rescue to a much greater extent, and though some might consider it a nuisance, at the end of the day it has a far higher success rate at pairing the right dog to the right home. Furthermore, once the home visit is done and a face is put to the adopter's name, it is far easier for a rescue to earmark a particular dog for a particular home so once the dog has your name on it, it's unlikely to be handed over to another party.
A rescue who does home visits is making itself and the adopter-to-be more accountable, which can only be a good thing for everyone, most of all the dog.
There are good rescues in the southeast (though if you go to a rescue who home checks, and get matched up with one or a few dogs via this system, you'd be well-advised to be prepared to travel... If you are pretty sure one of the selected dogs is going to suit, a bit of a journey should not get in the way), as far as I can tell we can post up names of rescues if we have first-hand experience with them, and on that basis you might try a rescue in Wexford whose details i'll pm to you.

Edited: apologies mods, I thought it was ok to name rescues as long as we've personal experience of them, but as you've clarified that it must be done by pm whilst I was posting, I've amended my post.

seanaway

Hi DBB

Thanks. I TOTALLY agree on the home visit. As I mentioned - I had one done here about 18 months ago. Passed and no problems. The dog was happy out here and was a member of teh family from day one.

My reason for posting here is I can't even get that far with the centres I've been contacting. There seems to be so much activity and not a lot of action on the rehoming front. It is in fact something I think centres need to look at. I really do believe puppy farms are minting it because people just give up on trying this.

Travel isn't a real issue - unless it's a waste of our time - which to date it has been.

Thanks for the PM.

niallers1

I'm sorry all but what do you think a dog rescue shelter is. Most often than not it is a couple of people trying to do their best to look after an animal without funds or resources from their own home. Many people who "work" in rescue homes are using their own money to keep the animal fed and vaccined. And more often than not are not being paid a penny for their time.

The alternative for the animal is to be put down. You seem to think that all rescue homes are ran as a business with people constantly manning the phones and doing home visits. In an ideal world this would happen but the resources are just not there.
They're taking a chance by not vetting you fully but what is the alternative. If a person has made the effort to call out and see the animal then there is a very good chance that that animal will be wanted and loved.

Stay away from the puppy farms if possible. There are enough animals without homes out there as it is.
If the dog you choose turns out to be unsuitable the rescue home will take it back.

Ailishcrehan

The most important thing is to research the rescue you are looking into adopting from. They should be obliging, should carry out a home check and the dogs should be vaccinated, wormed, neutered and microchipped (not all rescues microchip but many do). Any rescue that is in receipt of a grant from the Department of Agriculture should have their animals neutered as under the terms of the grants, animals being rehomed are to be neutered to help control the over population in Ireland of cats and dogs.

When visiting any rescue, they should be clean, not over-run, the animals should be in good condition and if there are any issues with an animal, there should be documentation/vet records as to why an animal is in bad shape - for example, an animal could be getting treatment for injury or illness. The animals should be bright eyed and confident - any good rescue will not be up a dog for adoption until they are rehabilitated so if they are nervous, they aren't ready for their new homes (having said that, there are always exceptions to the rules!)

Most rescues charge an adoption fee, usually minimum €50 but could be alot more depending on what has been done - there could be additional charges for chipping etc. Some rescues will charge as much as €150 to cover their costs, but anything higher than in my opinion would raise alarm bells. A rescue will not promote or sell a 'pedigree' dog so if a rescue is charging higher than the 'normal' rate for adopting a dog then I would stay clear.

There is a listing of rescues in Ireland on a page on Facebook, but I am not sure if I can post the link here....

Gloomtastic!

We had our home approved by a Dublin rescue centre but they then refused to talk to us after the dog we wanted was deemed unsuitable. We eventually got one from a centre on the other side of the country where I just turned up and paid the cash.

IMHO dog rescues can be just fiefdoms of mad ladies who like to get their own way!

seanaway

"I'm sorry all but what do you think a dog rescue shelter is. Most often than not it is a couple of people trying to do their best to look after an animal without funds or resources from their own home. Many people who "work" in rescue homes are using their own money to keep the animal fed and vaccined. And more often than not are not being paid a penny for their time."

I know this -and said so in my earlier post. The problem is that some are indeed doing it more out of a need for themselves and less about the dog. I have no issue with people doing this once the dog is kept at the centre of things. Alas even spca's I have dealt with sometimes seem to lose site of this.


Let me give a quick example:

Websites. Not 1 website I have visited is up to date. This is the first point of contact these days for most people. It is wasting everyone's time if teh info is out of date.What's the point of a site with bad info? Would you shop with Tesco/Superquinn if every time you went into the shop the staff told you the food you came to buy was bought two days ago and there's no more????

Someone needs to wake up and start at the beginning. i.e. The dog!

Cherry Blossom

OP - most rescues now have Facebook pages set up where it is much easier for them to keep the info up to date. Websites often require the help of someone else from outside the rescue to maintain them. Try searching for them on facebook and you will get a very good feel of how they run their operations from that more so than 'official' websites.

DBB

The alternative for the animal is to be put down. You seem to think that all rescue homes are ran as a business with people constantly manning the phones and doing home visits. In an ideal world this would happen but the resources are just not there.

To be brutally honest, and just so you know, I run a rescue, the best rescues are run like a business. We do man the phones, we do arrange the home visits through a network of volunteers, as well as driving miles to get the dogs in, get them to the vet for neutering, get them to their new homes, getting the paperwork and admin done, keep the website updated etc. The only difference between running a normal business and my rescue is that I don't get paid!
And when I say "we", I mean "me and my long-suffering partner". It doesn't have to be a factory full of people.
The money might not be there, but if the will is there to do it properly, it can be done, and done well.

They're taking a chance by not vetting you fully but what is the alternative.

Yes, any rescue that doesn't "vet" people fully are taking a BIG risk. The alternative is as I've already mentioned above.
I'll explain one of the biggest time-wasting exercises in rescue. It's dogs coming back in. I cannot tell you what a pain this is. The dog's place has probably already been taken by another in the rescue, arrangements have to be made to get the dog back off the adopter, and worst of all, the dog can be that bit more traumatised by the needless moving about. We take dogs back in a heartbeat even if it means a lot of inconvenience, but it takes up a lot of precious time that I'd rather spend doing something more positive.
The percentage of dogs coming back in from establishments that don't home check etc can be as high as 70% (and that's from the better of such places), whereas with the home-check system as I've described, it generally stays down somewhere between 5-10%. It's simple maths: by putting the bit of effort at the beginning, a rescue is saving itself a whole heap of trouble down the road. As well as saving the dog a lot of upset.

If a person has made the effort to call out and see the animal then there is a very good chance that that animal will be wanted and loved.

I'm afraid I can't even begin to tell you how inaccurate this statement is, in reality. I think anyone involved in rescue will tell you how many horror stories they've had when relying on the above philosophy.

If the dog you choose turns out to be unsuitable the rescue home will take it back.

A good one will, yes. But as per my above statements, it shouldn't come to this in most cases, if done properly.

niallers1

OP - Alot of rescue shelters will be a couple of people tryng to do their best at keeping the dog in a reasonable condition until it can be fostered or given a permanent home. The people looking after the dog will more often than not barely have enough time to look after the dog never mind keeping a website up to date.

In an ideal world there would be enough resources and volunteers to do this but in reality what you are looking for can only be managed by a small number of rescue homes with a steady stream of money coming in.

Try to imagine yourself working full time and then coming home to 15 dogs/cats that need feeding and for the dog pens to be cleaned, phonecalls and messages to be answered and vet appointments to be kept. Walking the dogs would be a totally luxury. Now, try to meet people and update the website after all of this.

Only a very few rescue homes can afford to pay 1 full time person. I would be surprised if any shelter could afford to hire more than 2 people full time. Most do it by getting volunteers who in some cases give up all their free time for this cause.

Go easy on these people. They really do deserve more credit.

Wolflikeme

Personally, rescue centre or not, I don't care; what I do care about is the dog, not where they came from. It's not the dog's fault they are where they are. They just need a home at the end of the day.

That's my (naive?) view!

Cherry Blossom

Wolflikeme wrote: »

Personally, rescue centre or not, I don't care; what I do care about is the dog, not where they came from. It's not the dog's fault they are where they are. They just need a home at the end of the day.

That's my (naive?) view!

Yes, I do think that's a very naive view, do you only care about that one dog? What about the rest of the dogs from that source, whether that's a puppy farm or an animal hoarder masquerading as a rescue? Are you happy enough to support and fund them in continuing to inflict untold cruelty on other animals? That is exactly what someone does by taking a dog from a source like this. That one dog that you care about that might be disease ridden, malnourished and otherwise neglected would never have gotten like that if previous people had not supported where it came from. There are things worse than death in this world, much worse!

seanaway

"OP - most rescues now have Facebook pages set up where it is much easier for them to keep the info up to date. Websites often require the help of someone else from outside the rescue to maintain them. Try searching for them on facebook and you will get a very good feel of how they run their operations from that more so than 'official' websites."

This is the very point I was making. Why are they shooting off to facebook when they have a site? Facebook should be an additional resource NOT a substitute for a website. How can I donate through facebook? What if I haven't got a Facebook account? What about all the people who don't trust social media sites?????

Here's another question. How many times do we all here the cry of 'We need Donations?'

Now look at the websites out there. How many centres have actually taken the time to stop and think before setting up the website?

What % have a 'Donate' button for visitors to donate via PAyPal?
What % have Pay per click ads to the side?
How many have taken time to become affiliates to pet shops/suppliers?
How many have thought about getting local shops to sponsor their site in return for a nicely placed ad/banner heading/link to their website...?????

I go back to my first point. Too many people are confusing a flurry of activity with effective action.
Stop-Think-Plan-Act

Centres would raise more money, have more time for themselves and the dogs, and be able to focus more on placing the little woofers in homes.

Websites are as easy if not easier to use than facebook. I can build a site in 2 hours - facebook still addles me when I use it.

lily4

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

Recommendations of rescues are no longer allowed on this forum, for the exact reason that it is difficult establish if they are genuine or not. You have just recommend one that 'seems' good. This gives me the impression that you have no personal experience with them.

For the record, the one you recommended does not rehome outside of Dublin.

If anyone has first-hand, personal experience of a rescue they found reputable within a reasonable distance of the OP they can pass on their thoughts by PM.

This thread can continue as long as no specific organisations are named.

Sorry

DBB

seanaway wrote: »

Websites are as easy if not easier to use than facebook. I can build a site in 2 hours - facebook still addles me when I use it.

Here's an idea so!
Why not volunteer for one or two of your local rescues to build or redesign their non-existent or inefficient websites?;)

Cherry Blossom

seanaway wrote: »

This is the very point I was making. Why are they shooting off to facebook when they have a site? Facebook should be an additional resource NOT a substitute for a website. How can I donate through facebook? What if I haven't got a Facebook account? What about all the people who don't trust social media sites?????

I'm not sure what your gripe is here, but if I am unhappy with a provider of any sort of service, I look at another. I can assure you that many rescues are making contact with the masses, for the first time I might add, via facebook pages. I don't have any association with any animal rescue so if you have a problem with one or more in regards to how they administer their affairs you might be better off offering to pay a business consultant on their behalf if its so important to you or just don't avail of their service. Either way, directing your anger at random people on an internet forum isn't a very effective way of administering your opinion of it either.

Tranceypoo

niallers1 wrote: »

I'm sorry all but what do you think a dog rescue shelter is. Most often than not it is a couple of people trying to do their best to look after an animal without funds or resources from their own home. Many people who "work" in rescue homes are using their own money to keep the animal fed and vaccined. And more often than not are not being paid a penny for their time.

The alternative for the animal is to be put down. You seem to think that all rescue homes are ran as a business with people constantly manning the phones and doing home visits. In an ideal world this would happen but the resources are just not there.
They're taking a chance by not vetting you fully but what is the alternative. If a person has made the effort to call out and see the animal then there is a very good chance that that animal will be wanted and loved.

Stay away from the puppy farms if possible. There are enough animals without homes out there as it is.
If the dog you choose turns out to be unsuitable the rescue home will take it back.

I think a rescue SHOULD be run like a business, obviously most rescues are very short on funds and any funds they do have spending them on the dogs come first, but look at how successful a certain large UK rescue that's recently set up over here are, look at their marketing it's spot on, their ads are very postive whilst still getting the message across that's it better to adopt, they've now got a well known girl band doing a co-op ad for them tied in with those computer game things (oh what are they called?? I'm too old and my brain doesn't work!) so they're appealing to exactly the right audience kids/teenagers/young people who are the dog owners of today and tomorrow and will tell their parents 'no let's go to (name of shelter) to get a dog', I know they have way way more funds than most of the rescues here but I really really think that advertising, marketing is the way forward, so many people are still so unbelievably ignorant to the day to day plight of stray dogs in this country it never fails to shock me.

TooManyDogs

seanaway wrote: »

This is the very point I was making. Why are they shooting off to facebook when they have a site? Facebook should be an additional resource NOT a substitute for a website. How can I donate through facebook? What if I haven't got a Facebook account? What about all the people who don't trust social media sites?????

Here's another question. How many times do we all here the cry of 'We need Donations?'

Now look at the websites out there. How many centres have actually taken the time to stop and think before setting up the website?

Websites are as easy if not easier to use than facebook. I can build a site in 2 hours - facebook still addles me when I use it.

I run the website and facebook for the rescue I volunteer for and it simply is easier to update the facebook page than it is the website. I got my hubby to get me a really easy website system but I've been showing others how to use it and it baffles them where as they are on facebook and can easily do updates on that.

Our website is updated at least once a week. You have to understand that most rescues are run by a network of volunteers and that there isn't permenant access to a computer to update a website. Most of the time it works by -new dog comign in - volunteer takes photo - when they get home they email photo and details to other volunteer/webmaster - wait for webmaster to get home from work - update website. That can unfortunately take a couple of hours to a couple of days depending on the time the volunteers free time. Very few people understand that running a rescue involves very little time in front of a computer and 90% of the time is spent outside cleaning/feeding/walking/training the dogs. As other people pointed out, most rescues are run by volunteers who normally have a full time job and a life and are trying to fit in rescue responsibilities on top of that.

I answer the emails and you'd be astonished by the number of people who want to 'shop' for a dog online, and aren't prepared to pick up the phone to find more out about the dog or want 10 plus photos rather than go out and meet the dog. I'm expecting one of these days for someone to ask me to attach the dog to an email and send it to them.

Tranceypoo wrote: »

I think a rescue SHOULD be run like a business, obviously most rescues are very short on funds and any funds they do have spending them on the dogs come first, but look at how successful a certain large UK rescue that's recently set up over here are, look at their marketing it's spot on, their ads are very postive whilst still getting the message across that's it better to adopt, they've now got a well known girl band doing a co-op

I know they have way way more funds than most of the rescues here but I really really think that advertising, marketing is the way forward, so many people are still so unbelievably ignorant to the day to day plight of stray dogs in this country it never fails to shock me.

I agree it would be ideal if a rescue was run like a business but it simply isn't practical. The rescue you're mention doesn't just have 'way more funds', it's simply operating on another level altogether. They had 10 million to come here and build a state of the art facility and hire staff, and that money is only a drop of what they have. Key difference. They can hire a fulltime PR person, pay for tv ads and marketing and never have to worry about where to get the funds to pay the vet bill or food bill, and worry that one of the kennel areas needs new fencing/roof and how to juggle the money to get it fixed.

That charity also was started 100 years ago so has had plenty of time to get over the small stage and build up savings, never mind that they are a 'rehoming centre' and not a rescue/sanctuary and that's a major difference

So while I can understand your frustration OP I think rescues need to be given a break because they're being run as best they can by people who are not business/marketing/webdesign people but by animal lovers hoping to make a difference

Discodog

seanaway wrote: »

Can't have a yapper.

I would not be surprised if any rescue viewed you as unsuitable if you use phrases like this. If you mean a dog that won't bark then you are expecting a lot. Whether the dog barks or not will depend on how well you fulfil it's needs & relate to it.

You also need to decide if you want to totally choose your dog or whether you are prepared to listen to the advice of the rescue. There are organisations that will tailor a dog to you & provide full back up but they will be selective in who they rehome to.

Delancey

Tranceypoo wrote: »

I think a rescue SHOULD be run like a business, obviously most rescues are very short on funds and any funds they do have spending them on the dogs come first, but look at how successful a certain large UK rescue that's recently set up over here are, look at their marketing it's spot on, their ads are very postive whilst still getting the message across that's it better to adopt, they've now got a well known girl band doing a co-op ad for them tied in with those computer game things (oh what are they called?? I'm too old and my brain doesn't work!) so they're appealing to exactly the right audience kids/teenagers/young people who are the dog owners of today and tomorrow and will tell their parents 'no let's go to (name of shelter) to get a dog', I know they have way way more funds than most of the rescues here but I really really think that advertising, marketing is the way forward, so many people are still so unbelievably ignorant to the day to day plight of stray dogs in this country it never fails to shock me.

The rescue referred to in the text I've highlighted has , to my knowledge , an annual income in the region of 20 Million Pounds Sterling.
To compare them to the many small rescues in Ireland is really a bit like comparing Ireland's military capability with that of the USA.

Merch

seanaway wrote: »

Hi Guys

We've been looking for a dog for ages. We've contacted rescue centres from south, north, east and west.

The thing is they just don't seem to be either able or bothered to find dogs good homes.

Another centre has received umpteen calls/emails/personal visits. Always the same. No answer to the query, no reply about specific dog. One says call so-and-so the other says she will call back.

I know there are many dedicated people out there doing a wonderful job saving animals; however, I now wonder how many people just give up on rescue centres and spca's and go to the dreaded puppy farms!

Has anyone else had this experience or is it just bad luck here????

In a nutshell, yes. I got totally pi$$ed off with them, I was looking for a dog looking for rehoming, this may seem like a sweeping statement itself, but having visited a few places, only came across one that gave really good advice, some of the people came across in these places, I'm unsuprised they work with animals, as for some of them, their people skills leave a lot to be desired. After all I ended up doing what I was trying to avoid doing and went and bought a dog off a well known site, while it was off a family down the country, for all i know it could have been a disguised farm, vet says the dog is healthy and she seems happy here now.

tracysylvia

Hi try a rescue I help them out and they are good!! A lot of our dogs in rescues go to england! U could try the a pound! If not I have a lovely 5yr old collie here well mannered looking for the right home loves a run with his ball or frisbee gentle with kids and quiet in the house to is crate trained!

seanaway

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

I'm not sure what your gripe is here, but if I am unhappy with a provider of any sort of service, I look at another. I can assure you that many rescues are making contact with the masses, for the first time I might add, via facebook pages. I don't have any association with any animal rescue so if you have a problem with one or more in regards to how they administer their affairs you might be better off offering to pay a business consultant on their behalf if its so important to you or just don't avail of their service. Either way, directing your anger at random people on an internet forum isn't a very effective way of administering your opinion of it either.

Again,making contact 'with the masses' is of NO use if you can't follow through on this. This is the old chestnut of confusing activity for action. I'm not 'directing my anger at random people'. I am highlighting my frustration at a targeted audience.

To DBB- nice idea about offering my services to an organisation. I had in fact planned to do just that as a thank you to the centre that finally helped us find the right dog. As it has turned out we found one in the west from a family that had a few pups too many.

Thanks to everyone for contributing.

TooManyDogs

seanaway wrote: »

To DBB- nice idea about offering my services to an organisation. I had in fact planned to do just that as a thank you to the centre that finally helped us find the right dog. As it has turned out we found one in the west from a family that had a few pups too many.

So does that mean you're not going to offer your services to an organisation now?

seanaway

No, not necessarily. I'm just not going to offer to any we've had contact with trying to find a dog. You may think that unfair but our experience has been that the dogs are for a lot of the time not the focus of these places. Yes, yes, I know, everyone's a volunteer etc... My point, I think, has been proven by the posts from those who run centres.

We run here, run there, rescue dog, take calls, can't get this and that done ant the same time .......................

Stop and read these comments. If it was a business someone would eventually realise the customers are not happy with service, and profits are being eaten up by ineffectual practice.

For customer read dog seeking person/s. For profits read dog welfare.

I in NO way want to put down the people who do such a wonderful job saving so many poor animals - not in the slightest. My reason again for raising this is to ask those running centres to PLEASE stop and take stock of HOW your time is spent.

Grabbing dogs off the street is no use if you are too short of time to find new owners.
J