PomChi – Free to Good Home

[sillygrrl]

Adorable Butterscotch 6 month old PomChi, rescued from breeder/abusive owner. Weighs 15lbs, friendly but a bit hesitant at first, does not bight and no major barking episodes. Needs love, NOW! In-home interview required. Please call Heidi at 206-799-3921

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[hammerhead]

Please don’t give it away for free. While I think everyone on the blog are decent people there needs to be some responsibility. Even if it is only 50.00. Is it fixed? if not you can get it fixed at south seattle vet for about 80.00 under my account.

FCAT

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[JoB]

hammrhead..

the dog i got from the rescue organization and the one i got for free have both cost us well over $2000 each in unexpected medical and behavioral costs.

Paying a hefty fee for one dog.. the one with undisclosed medical problems including a broken pelvis… didn’t affect our decision to pay for her care one way or another.

I disagree strongly that people only feel responsibility for a dog they paid a pretty penny for or show responsibility only by paying.

those who will step up do..

whether they paid good dollars or not.

Those who won’t..

will hesitate even more to put good money after bad.

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[breanna43]

Thumbs up JoB.

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[JoB]

i have to add…

that i couldn’t agree more with hammerhead about making sure the dog is fixed before passing her on to new owners…

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[justcuz]

I’d say $50 is a very reasonable fee to request, token at best. There are plenty of folks who will – and do – balk at even a standard adoption fee. While it might be completely understandable (tight finances, etc.), it should make both sides think. “If the fee is a struggle right now, what will I/you do if I/you have a big vet bill or need to provide a special diet?” It can be tough to separate heart from head, but it could mean that it isn’t the right time to bring a forever pet home. The OP didn’t say if she is spayed yet, but her surgery could always be the adoption fee too.

–

As mentioned, probably not in this case so much (requiring a home visit, WSB community), but we all know the argument for using a fee with places like Craigslist, want ads, etc…doesn’t have to be too high to make it a bad business deal for lab and/or fighting low-lifes.

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[sillygrrl]

Hey ya’ll, I understand that a fee could stop someone, but at the same time this is why we are requiring an “in-home” interview. If we cannot find someone, the cute little puppy will go to PAWS. Unfortunately my dog (LAB) who has cost thousands (shelter puppy) is not super fond of smaller dogs. Instead of coming up with reasons why not to give him away free, help us find him a good home, please…. Thank you.

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[JoB]

justcuz…

a fee doesn’t weed out those without loving hearts…

tho i agree it may weed out those who want lab and/or fighting dogs.

this idea that a fee is always in the animal’s best interest.. troubles me at best.

I know a lot of pet owners who would have a difficult time with a fee for a pet…

but would eat ramen for the month to make sure their loved pet was well cared for…

or would go homeless.. living in their cars.. before they would give up the pet that made housing difficult to come by.

a good home should always be the bottom line.. and the OPs insistence on a home visit will go much further towards guaranteeing that than any fee.

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[ALS]

Take her to a shelter where they will have the resources to adequately screen the new owners. Small dogs are adopted quickly at shelters. She will have a much higher chance of finding a FOREVER home that way than if you try to do it yourself, where chances are she will just be dumped again in the future when the next owner decides she’s no longer convenient.

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[JoB]

ALS..

again. i disagree..

why take up a shelter space for a dog when you can responsibly and effectively rehome them yourselves?

the key words there are responsibly and effectively.

I would like you to show me the data that shows that shelters and rescues do such a better job of rehoming animals and then would ask just how they collected that data from private individuals.

our little white shiba had been through 5 homes before we got her.. all through the same rescue organization…

i am suspecting that if they had told the full truth about her dog aggressiveness and her medical issues that she wouldn’t have had so many homes. she is a sweetheart.

It really doesn’t matter how we achieve our goals does it? As long as pets find forever homes and unwanted offspring are limited…

something like people…

wish we did a better job with kids too.

Assuming the worst from people usually gets the worst back.

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[karen]

I have to agree that requiring a fee doesn’t always guarantee a good home. Our rescue cats did require a fee but once it was paid the cats were ours. No home visit, no follow up, nothing. Within two months both cats needed surgery to correct teeth problems. The small adoption fee we paid in no way would have guaranteed that we would be willing or able to spend several hundred dollars on these animals.

We also tried to adopt a dog some time ago. We had an in home visit, the dog seemed fine and we agreed to an adoption. However, when the owner left the dog became aggressive, urinated on everything and tried to bite my children. We called the owner and he came back to get the dog. Had we not had that option, the dog would have ended up at a shelter. Through no fault of it’s own, ours or the owners. However, the owner was committed to finding the right home for the dog.

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[ALS]

JoB, there is no such thing as responsably rehoming, in my opinion, because being responsible would mean keeping the animal in the first place.

And the reason shelters do a better job than individuals is because they have a screening process. They make you fill out an application. They call your landlord or check your insurance policy. In some cases they even visit your home. And they make you sign a contract stating that if at any point in that animal’s life you decide you can’t keep it, you must return it to them, so they are able to track the permanency of their placements over time and adjust their screening processes if they determine certain situations are repeatedly not working out. Again, they are doing this day in and day out. Individual owners are not.

You have been quick to bash the rescue you got your dogs from on numerous occasions here, stating how they deceived you into taking a problem dog. While that’s unfortunate, that is NOT THE NORM. Don’t paint all rescues and shelters with that broad brush, because MOST are much more interested in finding the RIGHT match for their animals.

And just because you rehome an animal yourself does not mean you are avoiding taking the place of a shelter animal, because you’re still taking away a home that could have gotten their dog from a shelter. It’s all about supply and demand, and no matter which way you cut it, everytime someone ditches their pet, they’re adding to the supply and taking away from the demand, hence contributing to the pet overpopulation.

And while I 100% agree that a fee doesn’t guarantee a good home, at least it weeds out some of the really bad ones.

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[wilson]

I would love to talk to you about adopting your dog.

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[JoB]

ALS…

has nothing ever happened in your life that created enough of an upheaval that you had no choice but to re-home your pets?

it certainly has in mine. I am not the least bit ashamed to say that two times in my life i responsibly found new homes for loved pets… forever homes.

I know that because i got pics and updates until they died.

if i get sick enough.. i would have no other choice but to rehome the two i have now…

with Yuki that would be our only choice since the local rescues won’t take him and the local shelter would put him down for being people aggressive.

As for being “quick to bash” the rescue i got one of my shibas from… that is an interesting characterization of what i have reported.

The shelter i got my shiba from neglected to pass along information..

about dog aggressiveness even when they knew she was going to a home with another dog… resulting in a vet bill for yuki,

a fractured pelvis.. they put the adoption off long enough for it to heal enough to be undetectable on a routine vet exam…

and luxating patellas on both back knees… both identified when they did x-rays after she was injured.

all problems they were aware of… as i was able to verify by phone..

the shelter foster mother told me the truth when she realized i was no longer in Minnesota and couldn’t bring the dog back…

she thought i might not take the dog if i knew the truth but that i wouldn’t bring her back when i discovered it..

she was right… i wouldn’t have taken her back..

but she was also wrong.. i probably would have taken her anyway.

Mochi suffered for over a year before an injury caused us to identify and begin to correct her medical issues.

I am sure that the rescue worker thought she was doing the “right” thing for this dog.. but clearly she was simply doing everything she could to place a dog…

The simple fact is that often shelters and rescues don’t do as well as individuals when it comes to home visitations and screening when rehoming pets.

They don’t have the time.. whereas a concerned owner will make the time.

I too have worked with rescues and have worked in shelters and have seen the good work they often do… they are an incredible resource when you have run out of other options…

but they are not the only answer.

I know how easy it is when you work with neglected and abused animals every day to begin to think of all pet owners as irresponsible…

but that just isn’t the case…

Surprisingly.. a huge number of pets manage to find and keep forever homes without requiring the expertise or assistance of animal shelters, breeders or rescue organizations.

And that’s a good thing.. because there are still too many animals who would perish without those organizations.

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[sillygrrl]

THANKS for all of your interest and advice. The dog has been placed into a LOVING & SAFE home.

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[MrJT]

Good for you sillygirl. Sorry you had to put up with all of the soapboxing regulars that have a PhD in everything brought up in these forums.

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[BBGuest]

Could somebody please tell me what a “lab and/or fighting dogs” means? Thanks

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[me on 28th Ave SW]

I think the poster was referring to people who will pose as “adopters” and then either sell the dog to a lab needing dogs for medical research, or use the dog as “bait” for other dogs being trained to fight. : (

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[JoB]

happy ending:)))

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[BBGuest]

Thanks Me on 28th Ave SW.

I was thinking lab as it retriever and couldn’t quite picture them as fighting dogs~

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[justcuz]

Yes, thanks, I meant test and bait animals – rather than those vicious fighting retrievers ;) And no, the fee isn’t a standalone method, just one tool. Congrats on finding a her a good home!

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[Author]

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