WSGDRA
is dedicated to keeping the standard of rescue high, so people can
adopt from member rescues with every confidence that the dog they are
getting has had basic medical care, socialization, etc., and that the
rescues are matching personalities and lifestyles and offering only
those Danes that would be an appropriate dog for the adopter and their
situation. Not all homes are appropriate for all dogs. The goal of
rescue must always be to find the right home for each dog.
To join the WSGDRA you must first be in our geographical area. Currently we serve the following states:
| California |
Oregon |
Washington |
Idaho |
Utah |
Nevada |
| Arizona |
New Mexico |
West Texas
|
Colorado
|
Wyoming |
Montana
|
If you are located in, or serve, one of these states, you are eligible
for membership. We are currently working on an online application. For
now you will have to call our toll free number, 1-888-269-4094 to apply.
Your rescue will have to meet our basic minimum standards criteria. Here are the current criteria.
All rescue groups
have different philosophies, different goals, different numbers of
foster homes available, operate in different climates and
cultures, etc. Because of this, all rescues operate somewhat
differently. We are cognizant of this, and we have worked together to create a list of
standards of care that we expect all members to provide for the
Danes in their care or possession:
- Animals will be housed indoors
while in the care of rescue. Animals will be kept in a supervised home environment. If rescue utilizes indoor
kennels, Animals will receive a minimum of one hour of personal
attention outside of the kennel daily, being cared for by
staff or volunteers. Animals will not be housed in an
outdoor kennel. Animals will be adopted under a contract
requiring them to be housed indoors.
- Living
environments for all animals in the rescue will be clean and of a
reasonable size for the animal(s). Fresh, clean water will be available at
all times to all animals unless otherwise directed via written instructions
from a licensed veterinarian. Except for brief periods, as part of a specific event or action, animals will not be tied or chained up.
- Animals will be provided with adequate quantities of food on a regular basis. A fixed feeding schedule is preferred.
- Animals will be scanned and microchipped upon arrival and the microchip number will be used as a unique identifier for that animal from that point forward.
- A file will be started on each animal upon arrival
and will include; microchip documentation, and a signed release form
transferring the dog to the rescue from the previous owner, or the
agency the dog was received from. If stray, or if the agency does not
supply paperwork, a notation of when, where, how, and by whom the dog
was acquired, and signed by an authorized representative of the rescue,
will suffice. A signed release of medical records or copies of the
animal's previous medical records should be obtained and added to the
file, whenever possible. This file will be permanent. Copies of the
contents may be given to the adopters or agency the animal is
transferred to, but the original file must remain with the rescue.
- Rescue must have a clear and defensible right of ownership for all dogs in their possession. Accordingly;
- Rescue will document that
they complied with all regulations regarding the handling of stray dogs
and will not place any dog until they are the legal owners
- Rescue will document that
they confirmed with the appropriate registries that microchipped dogs
coming into the rescue are not listed as stolen.
- Each animal's temperament will be
evaluated prior to adoption by a professional trainer or behaviorist,
or a volunteer with supervised experience evaluating temperament. It is
preferred that the evaluation be documented and retained in Rescue's
records. This evaluation is to be used in part, to match the animal's
personality and behaviors to the lifestyle and home environment of the
potential adopters.
- Animal will be altered prior to
adoption, unless a qualified medical condition precludes it,
on the written advice of a veterinarian. No spay/neuter contracts will
be considered, even for young puppies. A veterinarian will
evaluate each Animal's health, and records shall be kept and
transferred to adopter. All health conditions identified by a
veterinarian will be treated, or for chronic conditions,
treatment will begin prior to adoption, at the advice of at
least one veterinarian. Animal will be up-to-date on relevant
area vaccinations prior to adoption, unless this goes against
a veterinarian's advice based on health. Adoption contract
will require that the Animal be kept up-to-date on
vaccinations (see above), and free of parasites including
heartworms (including preventative where this is a problem).
If Rescue permits adopters to use holistic preventatives, etc.,
in place of conventional vaccinations and treatments, Animal
must be under the care of a qualified holistic veterinarian.
- Rescue
will fully inform adopters about any known or suspected health or
behavioral problems. It is the job of rescue to know what health or
behavioral problems each animal has and to at least begin to treat
those problems before adoption. If for some reason they do not complete
treatment prior to adoption, they must inform the adopters of the
problems, and the current ongoing treatment plans, and they must be
available to assist the adopters after placement. They must also
continue to monitor the animal's progress after placement, ensuring
that the problems are resolved.
- A home visit will be done prior to adoption. WSGDRA may be able to provide volunteers for home visits
for out-of-area adoptions. Rescue will require and verify
references for any potential adopter, including one or more
veterinarian reference.
- For
out-of-area adoptions, Rescue will contact the same-breed rescue in the
state of the potential adoption, to ensure adopter is not on a
"do-not-adopt" list. Rescue will make arrangements prior to adoption, to recover Animal if
adoption were to fail. Rescue should also check the DNA lists on the
internet. WSGDRA can provide info on joining these lists if the rescue
is not already a member.
- Rescue will inform adopter of
the unique nutritional, medical, and behavioral requirements
of the breed, including Bloat and Torsion, growth issues such
as HOD, OCD, and Pano, etc. An adoption packet with articles
listing such things is strongly recommended. Rescue will
always be available for any questions from the adopter, for
the life of the Animal.
- Adoption contract will stipulate
that if the adoption were to fail, the Animal will be returned
to the Rescue, and never be sold, given away, abandoned, or
released to an animal shelter.
- Animal
will receive some basic training while in the care of Rescue,
concentrating on positive reinforcement techniques. Rescue will require
adopters to continue with basic training, and will emphasize the
importance of training with breeds like the Great Dane. A requirement
of formal obedience classes in the contract is strongly recommended,
especially for
puppies.
If you would like to join the WSGDRA, please give us a call at 1-888-269-4094 to apply.
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