Reputable Dog Rescues

Too often, we concentrate almost exclusively on what to look for in a breeder.  We neglect to concentrate on what to look for in a rescue.

There are relatively few regulations around dog rescues. On the one hand, this can be a good thing as it removes some of the red tape, but at the same time, it makes it easier to abuse the system. Just as there are puppy mills and bad breeders, there are also bad rescues. For every “bad” rescue that is eventually caught there are several more that are acting with impunity.

To our knowledge, there is no organization that truly vets dog rescues. We would all hope that large companies such as Petco, PetSmart, etc. would fully vet the organizations that they partner with, but we should by no means assume that they or other large companies conduct thorough checks of the rescues.

Organizations such as Charity Navigator or Guide Star can be helpful tools in evaluating a charitable organization. However, a large portion of dog rescues won't be rated by Charity Navigator for various reasons. You could also look at the IRS Form 990 or Form 990EZ, but that doesn't paint the full picture, as it only looks at the financial aspect, not how they are sourcing the dogs or what kind of conditions they are housed in or whether they are receiving adequate medical care or training.

Rescues often tell a sad story about the origins of a given dog. While sometimes those stories are true, other times they might not, but after you have heard the story about a dog, your mind is generally already made up.

Every dog deserves to have a forever home, but at the same time, when we enable these organizations, we just perpetuate the status quo, which allows many of the "bad rescues" to thrive and prey on people's emotions.

Dog Auctions

While there is a significant issue of overcrowding in shelters, the number of rescue dogs has actually shrunk due to the success of the rescue movement. The demand for rescue animals, however, has stayed the same. Resulting in some rescues going to the auction houses, which are regulated by the USDA. Despite many shelters being overwhelmed at the same time.

Some rescues are flush with cash, while others are struggling. Some rescues will attempt to outbid others simply so they can get popular breeds to sell.

While the average is $465 according to one investigation. One King Cavalier Charles Spaniel ended up being sold for 10K. This is obviously an outrageous sum and is a waste of the money that was donated in good faith to these organizations.

These auction houses, and the rescues involved also allow for "bad" breeders, to dump the dogs they don't sell. Which ends up only perpetuating the cycle. These rescues often end up just relabeling them as rescues when they in fact purchased them from the auction house. Some rescues end up actually turning a profit. This is ultimately highly deceptive and destroys the work of other rescue organizations.

At the end of the day, some rescues end up just being a retail pet store selling animals, while being glorified instead of vilified.

This also doesn't deal with the actual housing conditions of the dogs under the care of a rescue. While the federal government technically regulates conditions for commercial breeding, and research, the federal law does not regulate shelters or rescues, and they should at least be held to the same standards as a research facility.

There are probably many rescues out there that house their dogs in conditions no better than the local shelters, and we all know that our local animal shelters are underfunded, overcrowded, and understaffed. There is a reason so many dogs become completely shut down when they are in a shelter.

Importing dogs from other Countries, and the Dog Meat Trade

This is a highly complex issue. On the one hand, we all want to eliminate the dog meat trade. It Is, however, essential that you make sure they are actually rescuing dogs from the meat trade, because just as there are rescues indirectly supporting commercial breeders and backyard breeders in the US, if we are just rescuing dogs from other countries, we can inadvertently support commercial and backyard breeders in other countries. This is ultimately a lose-lose for dogs.

In the event of a disaster like the earthquake in Haiti, it is oftentimes more beneficial to concentrate donations toward those organizations that were already on the ground prior to the disaster than to organizations jumping in to help.

It needs to be stated that not all rescues importing dogs from overseas follow all of the rules, which has consequences.

Due to the irresponsibility or negligence of some rescues, the CDC has begun cracking down on the import of dogs from overseas. They are making it more difficult and expensive for rescues that are following all of the proper steps. The CDC has even completely shut down the import process for rescues bringing in dogs from many countries.

This hasn't just impacted rescues, but also owners who traveled overseas with their dogs just for their dog not to be allowed back into the country; Leaving them only with the option of staying overseas or leaving their dog overseas.

The one exception is if they received the rabies vaccine and had a titer test demonstrating immunity against rabies. This, however, has to be done at a CDC-approved Serology Laboratory, which isn't a long list, and many countries do not have an approved lab. Then there is also the long wait for the import license and the government has never been known for speed or efficiency.

If you are interested in learning more, here are a couple of articles

CBS4 Investigation: Some Colorado Pet Rescues Bring In Tens Of Millions Of Dollars In Revenue Trafficking Puppies – CBS Denver (cbslocal.com)

Dog auctioneers say their business is a healthy and humane way to acquire pets - The Washington Post

Time to Rescue the Rescue Dog Industry? | The Regulatory Review (theregreview.org)

How some rescue dogs come from breeders at commercial auctions - Washington Post

CharityNavigator.org

Guidestar.org

Rescue Red flags

• They only have or primarily have puppies
• They often have exotic breeds, or dogs i.e. a fluffy French Bull Dogs
• Are unwilling to take the dog back
• Not willing to help support you during the transition
• They glorify the founder of the rescue, multiple family members are employees of the rescue
• They are constantly rescuing dogs that gain social media attention, due to medical issues allowing them to raise money
• While it’s still common practice for rescues to spay and neuter dogs before adopting, ideally, they should allow you to sign a contract to spay or neuter at a later date due to the evidence that early spay and neuter can be detrimental.
• They don’t allow you to see how the dogs are housed

• Slow Turnover
• A slow turnover can result from the rescue having unrealistic demands of adopters. The caveat being  where prior experience with the breed is necessary, or ideal. It could also mean they rescue dogs with medical or behavioral issues that need to be addressed before they are adopted, and some dogs are just not always easy to adopt out. This is less of a concern where the rescue utilizes fosters instead of being kenneled.
• Fast Turnover
• A fast turnover may result from them simply concentrating on easy-to-adopt dogs, but it can also mean they aren't being diligent in where they are placing dogs. History has shown us time and again, whether it was Dalmatians, after 101 Dalmatians, Huskys after Game of Thrones, and Belgian Malinois after the breed was recognized at the White House, that not every dog breed is for everyone. This is part of the reason there are many breed-specific rescues.
• If the rescue has a facility and doesn't primarily utilize fosters, are they willing to show you around the facility to see how the animals are housed. Is the facility open only for appointments? 
• The health of the Animals
• Do the dogs appear to be generally healthy? Do they have Up To Date medical records for the dogs?
• You shouldn't feel rushed at all when meeting the dogs. They should be willing to provide information about the dog's temperament, energy requirements, history.
• They don't conduct a home check and ask thorough questions about you and the type of dog you are looking for, i.e., checking to make sure the dog you are looking for is the right fit for you and your lifestyle.
• Openness about the breed sets up the adopter and the dog for success not failure. If the adopter thinks they are getting a lab mix and it turns out to be a German shepherd mix this is very different, and the owner might not be the right fit for the German Shepherd mix. This sets the dog up to be returned to either the rescue or the shelter. It can be very difficult many times to tell what the breed or breed mix may be, but this is where it is better to err on the side of caution.

• The rescues also shouldn't be setting you up to get in trouble or put you in a difficult situation if they suspect the dog is part of a breed that is commonly banned by housing communities.