I also (on the same web page where the contract was found) happened to accidentally get onto a page where pictures were shown what people did to precious sheltie-girls and boys who barked and annoyed their owners.

I will not ever be the same after seeing that page.

If that is what rescue workers deal with on an on-going basis, they will always have my prayers. Some probably have Post Traumatic Stess from dealing with cruelty like that.
Shelties do bark, but they are herding dogs. I loved my girl’s bark…..and I loved being herded by her.

Don’t know how severe this next rescue’s contract will be, but we’ll see.

I feel closer to getting my Sheltie boy or girl today than I did yesterday!

An actual co-ownership, huh? Rather than a takeback clause? I guess I’d find that a bit excessive, too. And I absolutely think it’s the right thing to do to examine a copy of the adoption (or purchase, if you end up buying from a Responsible Breeder) contract before making any sort of a commitment. And you DO sound like you’re offering your prospective new dog a wonderful home.

So keep at it. I will tell you that the breeder of my Papillon is one of the tops in the breed in the world. And yet, she frequently has a rescue dog or two in her home available for adoption. These are not dogs she has taken back, but dogs that have come into her care some other way (abandoned dogs left at her vet, dogs that someone “can’t keep” any longer and asks if she can help, etc.). And I know she places them with the same care that she places any dog of her own breeding, yet without being “over the top” about it.

So they’re out there. Keep at it. And {{{hugs}}} on the loss of your Sheltie-Girl. I still miss mine, too.

The third rescue said that I have been approved also. On paper. They are happy to mail me a copy of their contract in advance of the visit to their facility.

The second rescue lady did contact me today and said she just needed some time to herself and would get back with me tomorrow. I disclosed that I had, after withdrawing my app with her, applied to the third rescue. I really don’t want to step on toes, here.

I shared with her my concerns about the joint ownership thing and told her that in my humble opinion, the rescue people were heroes, all and that after seeing some of the pictures of harmed Shelties whose owners objected to their barking on another website, I really did understand their reluctance to let go of the dogs in their care. But that I still sort of needed to be THE mom of my new dog.

I think part of my frustration is that I am still grieving for the loss of my Sheltie-Girl and I apologize to all if I sounded like a witch on wheels in my earlier post!

At the first rescue group, we arrived only to find out that the dog we wanted was “promised” to their next appointment. We are 61 and 72 years old and I got the feeling that the rescue people thought that oldsters like us should adopt an older dog. I hate turning my back on an older, or ANY dog, but our present dog has Cushings Syndrome (so did the girl who died) and might need medical intervention and expensive testing in the future….therefore, I was hoping to throw the odds in my favor that the newly adopted dog might not need a lot of veterinary care. Of course, if he/she did — we would lovingly provide…we can afford to do this.

We never made it to the second rescue, but were at the invitation stage. We had been approved on paper. It was either that I had to cancel our appointment (within hours after we made it and days before it was scheduled) because of a car problem (it was a 200+ mile trip) or else it was because I indicated I wanted to change the dog’s name (someone else who adopted from them did this and they wrote a cute story about it) or else they took umbrage at my wanting a copy of their contract to review before we completed the adoption process. Take your pick! At any rate, after supplying the rescue people with every kind of reference imagineable (including our driver’s license numbers) this gal stopped answering my e-mail. I kept taking the high road and apologized over and over. I really wanted her 3-year old female Sheltie….I just withdrew my application this morning and have just applied to a third rescue organization.

If we have problems here at the third rescue, I will ask my husband to reconsider a good breeder. We were not looking for a “bargain:” sheltie, but were looking to provide a loving home for the Sheltie of our choice who needed a good home.

If my attitude is bad, then shelter adoptions might not be for me. We’ll see. I want the dog that I select, as long as he/she will get along with my dog. I want to name the dog what I want to name her/him. I want the dog that I adopt to be MY dog and not a jointly-owned dog with the rescue….(you have got to trust someone at some point in time, and our references are impeccable) we have had three beloved dogs in 20 years of our marriage and give them the best of everything. Best food, tjhey sleep in bed with us, have the run of the house, we are retired and home most of the time. We buy brand name food and I brush teeth daily. Been with the same vet for nearly 20 years.

I will wait to see what the nest rescue says, but I admit to being sort of put off by rescues in general because of what has happened to me.

i was actually very nice and explained all about responsible breeding, although I really wanted to let her have it. For my pains, she called me back to read me out again. Needless to say I hung up.

Damned if you do…..

(Note to self: Be nicer. Click. Treat.)

At an APDT conference about 12 years ago, I went outside for a break after Karen Pryor’s talk. There was a man there with the teensiest little Yorkie. He had his dog, a brand new clicker, treats, and Karen’s book. He was trying his very best, but of course as a new clicker convert, his timing was in need of improvement.

One of Karen’s assistant trainers came out, saw the man and his dog, and sized them up in an instant. She marched over to him, and proceeded to tell him everything he was doing wrong, in great detail. Then she marched off to rejoin the conference. The man sadly picked up his dog, left the clicker sitting there, and left.

Such an upsetting scene! I tried to catch up to the “trainer” to give her a big correction, but my timing was poor and I missed my opportunity.

If however breed is not important to a particular adopter, then there are certainly mixed breed puppies out there in shelter and all breed rescues, particularly medium and large breed pups. Where you look for your families companion is often therefore going to be directed, at least in part, by your families’ specific desires or needs.