1. What is breed rescue?
2. Why does breed rescue exist?
3. Can the general public obtain breed rescue animals?
4. Do breed rescue groups screen adopters?
5. Do breed rescue groups have adoption contracts?
6. Where do breed rescue groups keep their animals awaiting adoption?
7. How does breed rescue assess animals?
8. Why does the shelter have to hold some rescue animals for a short period before they can be picked up?
9. Why does it cost more to adopt a purebred animal from rescue than from the shelter?
10. How does breed rescue benefit purebred animals?
11. How does breed rescue benefit mixed breed animals?
12. Why do shelters want to cooperate with rescue groups?
1. What is breed rescue?
Breed rescue is a group of volunteers committed to finding permanent, adoptive homes for a specific breed. Their animals, many of whom require extensive rehabilitation before being suitable for adoption, are mostly obtained from shelters and as owner surrenders. Many groups have absolutely no funding, and individual volunteers often contribute thousands of dollars of their own money to help their breed annually. In all cases, rescues are volunteer operated, and members do not receive any type of financial compensation for their many hours of dedication or associated expenses. Most breed rescue participants have full time jobs and commit their remaining schedule and resources to the animals. Some breed rescues are run by a single individual, while others are larger 501c(3) non-profit organizations with membership spanning several states. The majority are intermediate in size and managed by from 3 to 10 core members, with a variable amount of additional foster volunteers.
2. Why does breed rescue exist?
Many individuals are very fond of and devoted to one particular breed. Since millions of animals are euthanized yearly in shelters, there is no shortage of animals worth saving. Rescue not only directly saves the animal removed from the shelter but also spares the life of another animal who gains the resulting vacant cage space. Individuals involved in rescue are experts on their breed and, thus, do a wonderful job of matching animals to new owners as well as educating others on their breed. Breed education is one of the biggest responsibilities that rescuers take on. Not only does education encourage potential adopters to chose the right animal for the right home; it also prevents future animal relinquishes to the shelter in cases where an inappropriate breed was chosen.
3. Can the general public obtain breed rescue animals?
Yes. Animals obtained from the shelter are available for adoption through rescue and thus, can be adopted directly by the general public once the animal's health and temperament are deemed suitable. In fact, anyone interested only in obtaining one particular breed should be referred on to rescue. Since rescue often has multiple animals of the same breed available at any given time, the most suitable match to the adopter's lifestyle can be made. Additionally, since rescues work with fewer animals, they have the time and knowledge to thoroughly educate the new owners on the breed. Rescues make animals available through adoption events, such as those held at Petsmart, as well as by appointment at volunteers' homes. Many also host web pages detailing animals available through their programs.
4. Do breed rescue groups screen adopters?
Yes. In fact, rescue groups have the ability to screen adopters much more thoroughly than shelters. Their screening often includes multiple interviews, a home visit, and veterinary, landlord, and reference checks. The rescue volunteers spend many hours interacting with potential adopters to understand their situations and needs in a companion animal. Rescues ensure that the potential adoptive home is in every way suitable for the breed, and if not, will decline the applicant and refer them to a more compatible organization, if appropriate. Additionally, they do periodic adoption follow-up interviews to ensure that the placement is indeed working out. Many of these follow-up processes span months, even years. All groups have screening procedures that are comparable and, in many cases surpass, those used by the shelter.
5. Do breed rescue groups have adoption contracts?
Yes. Every rescue group cooperating with the shelter uses a very similar adoption contract, and all of the group's adoption policies must coincide with the shelter's. Additionally, groups often stipulate breed specific requirements as part of the contract. In all cases, the groups insist that the animals are to be immediately returned to the rescue should problems arise. The rescuers take on the responsibility of finding a new home should the animal's original placement be deemed unsuitable. It is noteworthy that due to extensive pre-adoption screening, the number of animals returned for "rehoming" is minimal and for several groups, non-existent.
6. Where do breed rescue groups keep their animals awaiting adoption?
All breed rescue groups have foster volunteers who keep these animals in their homes, with their families and pets, for the duration of the pre-adoption period. A few have funds to pay for a run in a boarding kennel on a short-term basis, or have agreements with veterinarians to board in their facilities. During the pre-adoption time, the foster volunteer generally pays for all normal care-related expenses and thoroughly evaluates the animal. If the animal is boarded, the group's volunteers assume responsibility for all incurred fees.
7. How does breed rescue assess animals?
Rescue organizations have a minimum foster period during which the animal's temperament and characteristics are thoroughly evaluated by a breed expert, who is usually the foster parent. If necessary, behaviorists and trainers are also consulted. Additionally, rescue animals are brought to the group's own veterinarian for a health assessment during this period and have services rendered that are breed specific. Many rescues have the animals screened for genetic diseases that can occur in the breed. Also, many groups have aligned themselves with veterinary specialists specifically trained to treat breed-related conditions. All of the compiled information is then used to determine the animal's placement needs and is taken into consideration when matching the animal to its adoptive home.
8. Why does the shelter have to hold some rescue animals for a short period before they can be picked up?
Since breed rescues do not have facilities like shelters do to hold their animals, they rely on space in private volunteer foster homes. As is true with the shelter's foster program, foster homes for animals with particular needs may not always be readily available. Animals with communicable diseases and behavior problems, as well as those that are aggressive with others, are a challenge to place in foster care. Also, many towns have animal limits that the foster volunteers must abide by. The level of attention that breed rescue foster animals require for proper evaluation restricts the number of animals that any particular individual can care for, as well. Thus, many times there is a short wait until the rescue has an appropriate space for the incoming animal. Additionally, since there is an abundance of homeless animals, there are always many animals awaiting admission into a rescue program. This is particularly true of the very popular breeds.
In order to ensure that an animal has rehabilitation potential and is acceptable in terms of temperament, physical attributes, etc., a rescue volunteer may need to schedule multiple evaluation trips and/or seek the opinion of more experienced group members.
Sometimes, breed rescue groups are not always located nearby. Several of the rescues are in surrounding states, including Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan. Nationally organized groups are often based even farther away. Thus, coordinating animal transport requires time and patience. This is compounded by the fact that most breed rescue volunteers work full-time jobs, and the shelter's hours of operation do not always mesh with the volunteer's available time. In cases where the group is located a long distance away, the breed rescue volunteers often try to coordinate the pick-up of several nearby homeless animals to eliminate the need for multiple trips. Accordingly, this requires planning and thus, time.
Groups that rely on boarding facilities to hold some of their animals, particularly those that are aggressive with others and thus unsuitable for multiple-animal foster homes, have limited funds to use for this. These runs are generally obtained at reduced rates, so when boarding is in demand by vacationing customers willing to pay a premium rate, such as during the holidays, the breed rescues often lose their space. Also, boarding facilities will not accept animals with communicable diseases, and unfortunately, many of the shelter's animals going to rescue are ill, thus requiring a foster home equipped to separate and care for the animal.
9. Why does it cost more to adopt a purebred animal from rescue than from the shelter?
Breed rescues provide the same basic, veterinary services to their animals that the shelter does, including spay/neuter, shots, microchips, and laboratory services. Additionally, they also provide their animals with breed-appropriate veterinary care. Unlike the shelter, rescues must purchase all of their veterinary care from private practices. Accordingly, these services are much more expensive to the rescue groups than they are to the shelter. Thus, this cost is reflected in the adoption price, particularly with animals acquired though other means, such as owner surrenders that have had minimal vetting done prior to rescue acquisition.
While a few rescue groups receive partial financial support through their national breed clubs, almost all groups are supported entirely by the rescue volunteers. The expenses associated with rehabilitating animals can be exorbitant, particularly if the animal must be treated for heartworm, needs hip replacement, etc. Additionally, many animals being serviced by rescue do have underlying health or behavioral conditions, requiring an investment of time and resources before the animal is suitable for adoption. Even though many rescue groups charge adoption fees slightly higher than those at the shelter, in most cases the volunteers do not even come close to breaking even, but take a large financial loss to help the breed that they love.
Unlike the shelter, rescue groups generally have a sliding adoption fee that decreases with the age of the animal. In fact, many of the groups offer older, fully vetted animals for a lot less than the shelter does. By charging higher fees for the younger animals that are generally healthier and easier to place, the rescues are able to build resources to care for the old, ill, and debilitated animals.
10. How does breed rescue benefit purebred animals?
Through breed rescue, purebred animals that would have otherwise been euthanized, such as those that are too ill or old to be considered for adoption, have an opportunity to be rehabilitated and placed into a loving home. Many of the animals entering breed rescue have behavioral or health problems remedied by the group before adoption. Several rescue groups provide obedience training to all animals in their program and continue this service with the new adoptive owners. Additionally, the rescue volunteers are there to provide continued advice and assistance to the adoptive families to ensure a smooth transition into the new home.
Perhaps one of the largest benefits of breed rescue is placement of its animals into stable, permanent situations. Bouncing from home to home is very stressful on animals. Many of the shelter's purebreds have faced multiple returns, which may ultimately lead to the animal's demise through no fault of its own. Unfortunately, some shelter patrons are ill informed on a breed's requirements and attributes and adopt a purebred animal on impulse, resulting in a mismatch and eventual return. Many shelter adoption volunteers and employees can cite several examples where a purebred animal was chosen just because it costs a lot of money in the pet store or because it was a good dog in a movie, rather than with careful consideration of the breed's characteristics and suitability for a given lifestyle. Since there are so many breeds available with so many distinct attributes, it is almost impossible for any one person to know the needs of them all; thus, the needs of the purebreds can be best met by groups who specialize in and are dedicated to a single breed.
All too often, individuals seeking a purebred animal purchase an ill-bred animal from the classified ads or a pet store. In these environments, the animals are treated like merchandise and little consideration is given to the quality of the new home. Consequently, buyers are not educated on critical issues such as spay/neuter and responsible pet ownership. Through breed rescue, there is an opportunity to meet the needs of individuals desiring only a particular breed while ensuring that they will be educated on issues pertinent to responsible pet ownership and controlling the animal population. Since all animals available through rescue are spayed or neutered prior to placement, rescues, like the shelter, are helping to control pet overpopulation.
11. How does breed rescue benefit mixed breed animals?
Some rescues, as space allows, will also take mixes demonstrating their breed's characteristics, particularly those groups dedicated to rare breeds that are not encountered often in rescue situations. However, most mixed breeds benefit from the indirect result of rescue cooperation, that is, the conservation of resources. When purebreds are sent to rescue, cage space is conserved, giving more time to animals that might otherwise be prematurely euthanized for overcrowded conditions. The only animals that can be adopted are those in view of the general public in the adoption areas. By reducing the purebred shelter population through rescue, the mixed breed animals have more cage space, particularly in adoption areas and thus, more opportunities to get adopted. Additionally, if there is more adoption cage space available, the transit time from holding to adoption should decline, thus reducing the chances of the animals becoming ill. When the animal number is reduced, so is the burden on animal care and veterinary staff.
When the purebred animals are sent to rescue, the mixed breeds no longer have to compete with them for adoptive homes. Those individuals set on acquiring a very specific breed will most likely not settle for another and should be encouraged to contact the appropriate rescue. However, many individuals visiting the shelter can have their needs in a companion animal met by a mixed breed. It is unfortunate that many people put a higher value on the life of a purebred animal simply because of its expensive price tag as a puppy and may be swayed to chose an animal for that reason. The life of a mixed breed is no less valuable and its ability to serve as a wonderful companion is no less likely than its purebred counterpart. By placing the purebreds into an environment better suited to their needs, the shelter's mixed breeds also get the second chance at life that they deserve.
12. Why do shelters want to cooperate with rescue groups?
Here are just a few of the many benefits shelter receive by cooperating with rescues:
- More adoptable animals can be saved and placed.
Not only can purebreds be placed in thoroughly screened, suitable homes by rescue, but the space freed by their removal allows other animals more time to be adopted, particularly when the shelter is overcrowded and animals are being euthanized for space.
- Resources are conserved.
Purebred animals needing fostering can be immediately sent to rescue and, thus, kept from occupying the shelter's foster homes. Some of the more difficult breeds that repeatedly return can be better matched to a prospective home by the rescue group that is most specialized in dealing with them. The animal number will be reduced, easing the burden on the animal care and veterinary staff.
- The needs of those seeking purebreds will be met.
All too often, individuals seeking a purebred dog turn to the local pet store or newspaper and purchase an animal and will not receive education on critical issues such as spay/neuter and responsible pet ownership. Many members of the general public are unaware that breed rescue exists and that it is a viable alternative to purchasing an animal. By having a listing of approved breed rescues available, the shelter can provide its patrons with even more adoption options.
- Animal placement, particularly for more difficult breeds, can be ensured.
Rescue groups are very stringent in screening potential adopters, and carefully match animals to adopters. Since they deal with only one breed, they can perform follow-ups and monitor the adoption outcome for months, even years after the animal has been placed in its permanent home. Breed rescue groups also have the same clause in their adoption policies stipulating that the animal must be relinquished to them should it lose its placement, and that ownership is non-transferable.
Please note that this material may not be copied, duplicated, or used in any part without the express written consent of the author. © 1999 Tatiana
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