 |
Rescue Watchdogs(TM)People and Rescues working together for the betterment of Rescue |
In the News
Sick Animals from Rescue Raise Concerns
A shelter that calls itself a rescue has people worried
|
Anytime
we hear rescues talking about the huge numbers of animals they save and
using that as an excuse for cutting corners, red flags go up around
here. All too often this is an early warning sign of problems. There is
no excuse for a rescue to place sick animals, especially without
informing the adopter. Sure you may have the occasional animal that
appears healthy and isn't, but that should be a very rare instance.
When a supposed rescue is telling people that they can not be
responsible for the condition of the animals they are adopting out,
there is something wrong. Seeing to the health of their animals before
they put them up for adoption, is a major part of a rescue's job. It's
one of the major differences between a rescue and a shelter or animal
control. Rescues do not have to take in animals, they do not have to
hold strays, they do not have to constantly be moving animals through
their system to make room for more strays. Rescues are supposed to take
the time and find out about their animals' health, to see to it that
they are healthy before
they even make them available for adoption.
They are also supposed to ensure they are spayed/neutered before
placement. There is no excuse for a rescue to be placing intact
animals, not for any reason. And there is no excuse for a rescue
placing dogs that are sick on a regular basis.
Because of what we've read in the following newspaper article, we have serious concerns about the following "rescue" and urge potential adopters to be very careful when dealing with this organization. If you do adopt from Adirondack Save-A-Stray, please do not assume the dogs are healthy. Take them directly to your vet and have them thoroughly checked out. If you own other animals, do not introduce your new Save-A-Stray animal to them until after a 2 week quarantine period. The new Save-A-Stray animal should not be allowed to share space, bedding, yards, or eating implements with your other animals for at least 2 weeks. This is standard quarantine protocol that most rescues follow when taking dogs from shelters or animal controls where the condition and health of the animals is not known. Given how Adirondack Save-A-Stray apparently operates, and their attitude about the health of their animals, we feel it is imperative that adopters treat any animals coming from Save-A-Stray follow this quarantine protocol. Even if "just" 2% of the dogs placed by Save-A-Stray are sick, that's still 60 families a year that will be needlessly put through the pain and expense of unexpectedly taking on a sick animal. And some of them are going to lose the pets they already had, unless they implement strict quarantine procedures with their new Save-A-Stray animals.  |
Home | Rescue Practices | In The News | Contact Us | Documents | Adopters Tales | Rescues | Tiergan's Roar
"Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this website, unless directly quoted, are opinions of the author and are not meant to constitute advice."
Website and all original artwork © Copyright RESCUE WATCHDOGS (TM), 2005-2007
contact Webmaster for more info