McLeod, Obedience Champion... turned in to
Rescue for being "unmanageable" |
The
Golden Retriever Rescue FAQ
RagTag
Golden Retriever Rescue has been working to rehabilitate and rehome
abused, neglected, or simply unwanted or misplaced, Golden Retrievers
since 1995. This FAQ represents our policies and opinions. It may
or may not conform to the policies of other Rescue organizations,
and should not be taken as the last word on the subject!
Why
would anyone give up their golden retriever?
Probably
the most common question we're asked by families who are delighted
with their new family member is "how could anyone give up this
dog?" Dogs find themselves homeless for any number of reasons.
Lives do change, and the dog can't come along for the ride. Rescue
is here to make sure the dogs are neutered to remove any commercial
value, then rehomed into homes where their personality matches that
of their new family's.
Absolutely
THE most common reasons for discarding a young golden who was purchased
as a family pet is a lack of time for the dog and a recognition
that it isn't fair to the dog, or that "he's too much to handle"
which usually means the family hasn't had enough time to exercise
or train the dog. Even families who are cordially sick of the
dog and want it to go away as soon as possible should be given credit
for making the effort to get the dog into Rescue instead of abandoning
it in a shelter, or putting it down. In the case of older
(6+) dogs the most common reason for giving the dog us
is divorce... or retirement. The dog doesn't fit into the new lifestyle.
(Yes, don't get me started.)
What
is a Rescue Golden?
A
Rescue Golden is a purebred golden retriever, or golden mix with
golden predominating, that needs a home. Not long ago these dogs
were found in local shelters or humane societies. Today, your best
bet for getting a Rescue Golden Retriever is working with an established
Rescue organization.
What
kind of Golden Retrievers are available?
First,
we need to define "available." Frankly, in the east, we've
"won the war" so to speak. There simply are not enough
Rescue Goldens available to meet the overwhelming demand for nice,
mellow, good with children and cats, mature, golden retrievers.
Most Rescues we work with have waiting lists of between 35 and 50
excellent families, all waiting for the nice golden to land in the
program. While nice dogs do land in the program, dogs who
find themselves needing a new home because of a divorce, a change
in housing, the birth of a baby (and overwhelmed new mother)...
these dogs are relatively speaking rare, in comparison to the demand
we have for them. For every one of these dogs that come into the
program, we could place 10 more. Which is not to discourage you
from applying for one, but to give you an idea of how important
it will be for your household to stand out in the pile of applications.
We're
more likely to see a dog who needs "work" before it will
make a good family pet. This dog has health problems, obedience
issues, has been abused, or neglected. Generally we don't get telephone
calls from people saying "I want a dog who has been starved,
contracted mange, and has never been in a house so isn't housebroken!"
Would be nice... but doesn't happen. Because while there are dogs
with all these challenges, more often than not the dogs only have
one or two issues. But they are not "bandbox perfect"
right from the get-go.
And
lastly, we get the dogs that may not make it. Dogs that were so
poorly bred, socialized or handled as puppies that they may or may
not be able to adjust to living a normal life. Ragtag Golden Retriever
Rescue has a zero-bite policy. One bite, you're out. So while we
may accept a dog into the program who has a bite on its record,
that dog will never be re-homed into the community.
My
family just wants a nice adult golden retriever who needs a home,
how do we get one?
The
first thing you need to do is to fill out an application. Since
you live in Vermont, it is very likely your dog will be coming
from a rescue outside of the state of Vermont, so here are some
tips for filling out an application so you stand out in the crowd:
Everyone
you are dealing with is a volunteer
with another life; a job, children, spouse, bills to pay and obligations
to meet. It is not their job to
find you a dog. They, for whatever reason, have decided to make
the world a better place by matching temporarily homeless dogs with
new families.
Since
you are dealing with volunteers you may find your phone calls are
not returned as promptly as you might like. The phone calls are
going to be paid for by the person making them... and they aren't
going to be reimbursed. Every dime they spend chatting with you
is a dime they can't spend on a vet bill. So your phone call may
not be returned. Try to conduct as much business as you can by email.
And don't get snippy with the volunteers. It seems fairly obvious
but if you treat the Rescue people like "hired help" I
guarantee you will be blacklisted.
How
you present yourself will make the difference between getting a
dog, and not. So:
Step off on the right
foot, make it easy for us to know who you are, where you are, and
what you want. In any communication with
any rescue you are dealing with include in the SUBJECT
line of your email the following:
Your
name: Your town, Your State: The Name of the Rescue WITH the dog:
the name of the dog you're interested in
In
the BODY of the email, first line, if you are contacting ANOTHER
rescue about this dog... why are you contacting them? Do you need
a home visit? Do you need them to act as the Return Agency? Do
you want a second opinion about this dog?
You should NOT depend
on one rescue to forward your application to another. If you are
involved in a long distance adoption you should make sure to forward
your application from one rescue to the other. In some cases,
rescues have applications which don't bear a whole lot of resemblance
to each other. In this case, fill out each rescues application,
and post it to the appropriate rescue.
Please
people. We see 10 requests a day. That is 70 requests a week.
That... if you're doing the math, is an average of 2,100 a MONTH.
It simply isn't possible to keep track of this many applicants
unless you cooperate and help us out. And I've reached the point
where if you can't help us out... I throw you out. Period. I'm
not staying up until 3 am trying to sort through 100 emails to
figure out who you are, where you are, and which rescue "Phoebe"
is in.
Getting
a dog has a lot to do with how you present yourself (see above!)
and how you market yourself. So in that vein:
Vermonters
do not want dogs. Vermonters have lovely yards and outdoor
lifestyles they want to share with their new family member.
In the world of Rescue, when you're dealing with overwhelmed volunteers
who in many cases are not fielding too many dogs but too
many applicants the applicant who does not want but
instead is offering to share is much more attractive.
Vermonters
are generous to a fault, and very grateful for any assistance.
In short, say Thank You loudly, often, and with small gifts. In
the years we've been doing this the road to adoptions has been paved
by a lavish application of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Coffee,
maple syrup, Cabot Cheese... and chocolate. Lots of chocolate. If
someone in Kentucky is helping you to get a dog, send them a thank
you note and a small gift. They are going way out of their
way for you. A token of your appreciation will keep them motivated...
and smooth the way for the family behind you... just as the family
before you smoothed your path.
Vermonters
rarely have fenced yards. Be prepared to offer an exercise
plan to the Rescue. Almost all Rescues with dogs available are in
suburban or urban areas, where keeping a dog without a fenced yard
is out of the question. Be prepared to send pictures if you have
to, to show the "yard" and lack of neighbors.
Be
Patient but not Passive. I call this my "Tail of
Two Families."
The
first family filled out their application. On paper, they are a
nice home. They visited with us to meet our dogs and discussed what
they wanted in a Rescue Golden. Nice family, who want and expect
a nice dog. Then they went home. Every once in a while they send
me email saying "what do you have for us?" Unless a miracle
occurs, it is highly unlikely they will ever get a dog.
The
second household was a single retired man who called looking for
"a new best friend." Didn't care what the dog looked like.
Didn't care if it came with 4 paws, or 3. Didn't care if it needed
training, or vet care, was old, young, red, blonde, male, female,
big or small. Just wanted a new friend... was there anyone who needed
him? As it happened there was a beautiful 14 month old male who'd
been turned in because he was "unmanageable on a leash."
The dog was 6 hours away in another state, but I suggested he call
and ask about it. Truthfully, I didn't have any realistic hope the
man would get the dog, such dogs are snatched up in a heartbeat.
I really gave him the number to give him something to do.
He
had a lovely chat with the shelter director and she agreed that
he sounded like the perfect home for this dog. "Could I meet
him?" he asked. "Well, you're so far away..." the
volunteer demurred. "No problem, I'll be there tomorrow!"
he told her. And was. Left Vermont at 4:30 in the morning with a
bunch of maple syrup and was standing at the door when the shelter
opened at 11:00. Guess who got the beautiful young dog?
Almost
every Rescue will ask for references. Take your references seriously,
because there is a good chance they will be contacted. In a case
where there are several families all trying for the same nice dog,
your references can tip the scales in your favor. One couple's reference
wrote "if they love this dog half as much as they love each
other, the dog will have a wonderful home." It tipped the scales
enough so we held the dog back until they could meet it... and it
was beautiful match. Would the dog have been equally happy in another
home? Quite possibly. But Rescue is looking for not just any home,
but the best home. And that kind of enthusiasm from a friend
is a real plus.
You
simply must be willing to drive some distance, put in some effort,
make some phone calls, be polite, grateful, and generous... or you
will be just another name on the waiting list. And you will wait.
Because there are families out there who are seriously motivated
and will go the extra mile to get a dog.
You
will find an online application here.
To fill it out, highlight the entire page (<ctrl> A) then
copy the page, and paste it into your email program. Using your
arrow keys, page through the application and fill it out. Brevity
is NOT the soul of wit here. Provide as much information as
you can, because it is very likely you're going to be involved with
a blind adoption. Send a copy to: thefarm@morrisoncorner.com
Ok,
I filled out an application, now what?
Most
Rescue organizations would then insist on a home visit. During
a home visit, a volunteer comes to your home to meet with you, discuss
what you are looking for in a dog, your dog ownership history, and
take a look at where the dog will be living. When we applied for
our first Rescue, a nice woman came to visit us.
Now,
at the time we lived in a house which actually appeared on the town
tax roles as "a substandard dwelling unit." You can imagine
in Vermont what kind of a house gets listed as "substandard."
So this nice woman from suburban Burlington shows up in her little
car, during mud season, and tried to pick her way through the muck
which passed for our yard at the time. She was a very nice woman!
But she wasn't very comfortable. And we weren't very comfortable
either.
So
we don't do home visits the way other Rescues do.
We
do insist that if you are within a reasonable distance of Exit 10
on I-89 you come and visit us. We want you to see what
you can expect in a Rescue (some of these dogs are very poorly bred
and bear only a passing resemblance to the dogs in the calendars).
We want to meet your family, and see which dogs you best interact
with. On several occasions we've had people decide that upon reflection...maybe
a Rescue wasn't the way they wanted to go. We've also had people
leave so fired up they had a dog from Far Away in less than 3 weeks.
But to be fair to yourself, or any dog you want, you need to come
up and meet our dogs, hear their histories, and then decide if this
is really the route you want to go.
So
we visit you... then what?
Then
you start looking for your dog. Golden
Retrievers In Cyberspace offers a database of every Golden Retriever
Rescue in the country. We've had dogs brought in from Florida, Texas,
Kentucky, Pennsylvania, New York... with New York probably being
our largest supplier and Pennsylvania not far behind. If you find
a dog you're interested in, we'd be happy to help you evaluate it
for suitability, talk to the foster home, and act as a reference
for you.
If
we find a dog in another state we like, what do we do?
First
you contact that Rescue directly, letting them know you have a lovely
home to share with... and asking if the dog is still available.
If the dog is available, you send the Rescue a copy of your application,
and let them know Ragtag Golden Retriever Rescue has vetted you
as a good home. The originating rescue will contact us to make sure
the dog is appropriate for you. If it is, then you are going to
be involved in a blind adoption.
A
blind adoption is an adoption which takes place across vast
distances where the receiving family has never met the dog before
it arrives.
A
couple of questions... how does the dog get here?
The
dog may be flown, driven in legs by volunteers in many different
organizations (called a CUR, or Canine Underground Rail, run), driven
by one driver, passed through several Rescues... or you may decide
to just go get the dog. If for example, you are going to be vacationing
in New Orleans this spring, you might consider taking a good look
at the dogs available through New Orleans Rescue.
What
if I don't like the dog when it gets here?
If
you are adopting with Ragtag Golden Retriever Rescue as your backup,
we will take the dog. We will NOT however, take a dog we haven't
approved of. If you want a dog we can't accept into our
program, you will need to make arrangements to return the dog to
the originating Rescue. Which is one reason why working with NY
is so popular. You can accept a dog we couldn't take into our program
because it is too young and athletic (and will go after the chickens)
and if it doesn't work out, it is a short drive to return the dog.
But
generally you will have had so many conversations with the foster
home and originating Rescue that you'll feel like you're meeting
an old friend. You'll know if dog likes to dig up rosebushes, or
sleeps under the bed instead of next to it, what food he's been
eating, and what commands he does (or does not) know. A failure
in a blind adoption does happen, but if you are honest, and listen
to what the volunteers are saying, (instead of hearing only what
you want to hear), most long distance adoptions are terrific success
stories.
What
is this all going to cost me?
Filing
applications runs between $0 and $10. Budget between $30 and $50
for gifts for those volunteers in Kentucky, New York, wherever your
dog is coming from. You will want to make up a packet for the foster
home which includes a small gift for them, a gift for the dog (toy,
blanket, etc) AND a disposable camera that can be used to take pictures
of him with his foster family, and go along so pictures can be taken
of his "trip." You'll want to be sure to share those images,
either via a web site, email, or by mailing copies back, with the
foster family and the originating Rescue.
The
Adoption Fees for Rescue Goldens vary by organization but run between
$125 for an older dog to $250 for a pristine and perfect young dog
or puppy. Ragtag tends to charge on the high end of the scale, Peppertree
on the lower... everyone else in between.
Transporting
the dog from a distance away is either done by flying the dog point
to point (Memphis dogs are being flown into Boston). The crate and
shipping cost for these dogs runs to the $200 range (but you get
to keep the crate) plus any expenses associated with your travel
to Boston. During the summer CUR runs are occasionally organized
to move several dogs at once. Your costs would be a share of the
overhead associated with that run. Or, as mentioned above, you can
simply go get the dog, or arrange to have it picked up during your
regular vacation or business travel.
Can
you recommend a good breeder?
We
can advise you as to what to look for in a breeder (the short answer:
Anyone who is willing to let you meet the puppies and take one home
in the same day is suspect... they may be a reputable breeder, but
I'd ask a lot of questions). We do have the name of one of America's
top breeders... but there is a two year or longer waiting list for
one of her pups. We advise you to purchase a breed magazine, look
for dogs with characteristics you like and contact the breeder directly.
Puppies can turn out, even in the most well meaning households,
to have been a serious mistake... read
Penny's story.
Oh,
no, I just want a pet!
Yes,
well, we hear this quite often. People don't want to spend $900-1200
to purchase a well bred, well socialized puppy when they can get
something from the pet shop for $800, or better, something out of
the paper for $350.
I
can give you chapter and verse as to why a well bred dog is worth
every dime, in reduced vet bills, in temperament, in the sheer joy
you get out of watching them move. After meeting our pack, everyone
wants the "real" golden, because she is simply gorgeous,
with a perfect golden personality. The other dogs are "goldens"
and I'm sure they were cute puppies, but 2 of them are dysplastic
and in constant pain. A poorly bred, poorly socialized, puppy is
very cute. They just don't grow up to be what you'd expect in a
Golden Retriever.
You
get what you pay for. |
