Given the current economic collapse, companion animals have become the silent economic victims. They are everywhere, and nowhere.
This diary is a bit long out of necessity, and I apologize. But for those in need, given an eviction, foreclosure, etc., this information may help them place their companion animal properly and/or save the life of their beloved companion animal.
Shelters across the nation--many of which still kill animals by extraordinarily cruel and inhumane methods such as gassing (read pulling oxygen out)--are stuffed and overcrowded. The cruelty will increasingly take its toll as ever higher numbers enter shelters.
Even the best shelters are having great difficulties with the incoming numbers given, in many cases, unstable staffing numbers and limited room. Donations are are also down and likely to plunge.
More over the fold.
Animal rescues across the nation, likewise, are seeing a tremendous downturn in adoptions and many (like mine) have been "full" for a year with very limited incoming space given fewer are moving out. Nonetheless, the heartfelt e-mails come, and I do what I can. The persistent get my attention. Many fosters are having to stop their vital tasks through job layoffs, eviction or relocation.
The term "rescue" applies to groups that take in, care for, vet and place animals of virtually all species from spiders and snakes to cats, dogs and bunnies and everything in between and more. Some, naturally, are better than others, and some are non-profits and some are not, though generally, this is a matter of size, not profitability. There is never a profit in rescue if done correctly. More likely, discretionary income is given to the rescue in untold and sometimes huge amounts.
If you find yourself potentially in the position of having to re-home a family companion animal of ANY sort, please read below. It may save the life of the animal and save you from a life haunted by questions, suspicions, doubts and fears.
If you find yourself in any sort of financial crunch, or see one coming at you, don't wait to see the light at the front of the train. When it comes to finding a great home or rescue, by then it is generally too late to do the right thing.
The purpose of this diary is to persuade you to plan early and act appropriately.
Sizing Up Your Situation
The economy has placed many families and individuals in serious situations. That family, often, includes one or more animals of varying species.
Loss of employment may mean an immediate and crushing downsizing in spending on everything. Only you know how you have planned ahead, how much money you have saved or have quick access to, and how much money you need to meet basic necessities for shelter, transportation, food, education, water and utility increases... and more predicted increases in same. This, while credit card companies not only increase your interest rates, but may immediately downsize your credit limits.
Things can change drastically and quickly. Plan ahead, PLEASE!
If you are in a position to have to move or are losing your home, the second you suspect this or know this, plan for the animals (advice below). They will be the biggest problem you have, I guarantee, and if you love your animals, the most emotional. This is NOT easy to do right, so start NOW.
I cannot possibly underline this enough. DO IT EARLY. Rescues are, somehow, apparently supposed to have unlimited capacity. Not only has that never been true, it is less true now. We are maxed. We have no magic fairy wands. We have no limitless capacity. We most certainly don't have some magic money tree and, like you, no one bails us out, either.
In California, state law requires that Shelters guarantee an admitted animal 72 hours and no more (though shelters run by police departments are differently covered and these are a problem. There is little to no legal opinion on this matter). After 72 hours, your animal can be legally euthanized in California, and in some states, way before that even directly upon impoundment.
In fact, in California, it remains illegal for the shelter to euthanize an animal upon impoundment (unless for humane/medical reasons), but in most US states, this is not true. KNOW your local laws about holding times and HOW an animal is euthanized in THAT shelter. If you fail to take other successful steps, your animal may suffer a terrible death.
Assessing Your Animal Correctly and Honestly
Unless you legally live within the municipal borders of a no-kill shelter (and there are very few of these, nationally), the shelter is the absolute last stop. Know that almost all animals entering a shelter will be killed, and in some areas, and particularly with cats, less than 3% are ever adopted. YOUR CAT IS NOT SPECIAL.
In the case of dogs, the best most shelters get to in CA, on the average, is about 70% adopted, but those rates have plummeted as holding space is nil as adoptions decline in the face of increased admissions. Many CA shelters, for instance, have k9 euthanasia rates well above 80%, especially in rural areas where spay/neuter clinics are unavailable.
Depending on your area and shelter and their funding and outreach, shelter integrity can vary DRASTICALLY. In some cases, counties in California still euthanize almost 85% of K9 intakes, and almost 98% of cats. Those numbers will only get worse, not better.
This said, you have to find other means... if you care. And you should. You took on the responsibility.
Here is a short checklist to for sizing up your dog/cat and a list of things to have, find or get from your vet(s):
- Age documentation (shelter aging is often wildly off. Ask your vet).
- Veterinary medical history. Everything. Is your companion animal spayed/neutered (if appropriate)? Get a list and times of vaccinations. Get the complete hand-written files from your vet. You may not be able to read all the dashes and dots, but another vet can. Get it.
- Microchip records (if you cannot find them, contact the chip company. If you did not register the chip (shame on you!), go to a vet and get the animal scanned, they will scan for free), then call the company with the number. You need to know the legal disposition of the chip--who it is currently registered to, if anyone, and the number needs to be part of the files. It is not expensive to register most chips.
- Breed. If you have a registered (e.g. AKC) dog, find the papers or get duplicates. You may need them to get into a breed rescue. Don't get me wrong, I have almost no respect for AKC and absolutely NO respect for some others (many are just faux shills for puppy mill dogs. They hold no contesting events EVER). But, just in case, get them.
If your dog is a mutt, get a proper assessment from your vet and other knowledgeable people. DO NOT RELY on the owners of the dog's/cat's parents EVEN if they owned both alleged dogs/cats (mom and dad). Every puppy in a litter can have a different sire, likewise with cats.
The breed is important because certain breeds are, despite the perverse legal, ethical and fact-based inappropriateness of this, often prohibited in rentals of all kinds and often refused by insurance companies.
Don't lie about the breed. A good rescue will see right through you.
- Training, socialization and behavior. Well, is or isn't your dog trained? Will they stay, sit and walk well on a leash? ARE they housebroken? Are they crate trained?
Socialization. This means to other dogs of all kinds and sizes and people and to other animals, as well.
If you take your dog to a dog park, you know the problem with unsocialized dogs; an unsocialized dog can kill or severely injure another. Or if you are walking your well behaved dog on a leash and a dog comes up off leash, you also know the problem. How does YOUR dog respond to these? Is your dog okay with large dogs, but not small? Has your dog NEVER been inside a house or is your dog largely a house dog? Is your dog great with other dogs, some dogs, all dogs, no dogs? Is your dog okay with cats (and not just yours!)? Has your dog ever injured or cornered or threatened another animal (the reason doesn't matter!)? Has your dog ever bitten or nipped a human (and I don't care about WHY, have they?)? Have you ever been cited for a biting, barking, annoying or threatening dog? Why?
Is your dog great with kids, pensive, bad? Is your dog afraid of women, men, kids, people in uniforms, etc.? Is your dog nervous and reactive? Is your dog easily stressed, or fearful of new things or reactive to loud or new sounds? Is your dog destructive? Is your dog afraid, reactive, or destructive when you leave or when you are out of their sight? Is your dog compulsive (circles, eats poop, etc.)? How does your dog deal with wind, 'bumping' storms with lightning and how does your dog deal with fireworks? How is your dog with a crowd of company? What has your dog done when a gate is left open: stay home, slowly wander or run for the hills? What is the WORST thing your dog has ever done? Does your dog chew, dig, bark at birds... what?
Will your dog retrieve, do tricks, are they good with new ideas, are they course trained or very mentally active? How are they in the car? How are they in new surroundings? Do you have an actively working dog (herder, etc.)? What are they herding (or working), and how are they with people and how finely are they trained? AND where? Don't ever assume a dog in southern California, for instance, can move to the extreme cold of Montana in the winter.
The point is this: If you manage, somehow, to lie and offload a bad dog on a rescue, you are not only being irresponsible (and, in fact may remain legally liable), you are AGAIN putting that dog in jeopardy and the rescue likewise and anyone coming into contact with that dog at risk as well. You MUST be honest. Not only for your ethical and moral sake, but for those willing to help you and for the dog's sake, as well.
You need to be honest about the dog's training, upbringing and socialization.
I have a dog here, (from another rescue) that never saw humans or anything else. The family (according to the neighbors) literally threw food outside their back door, then slammed it. The dog is fabulous with me, extremely gentle and submissive, sensitive and kind and wonderful with other dogs and cats. But he is terrified of human beings. He is undergoing socialization training. We'll see.
Likewise with a cat or other animal. Some cats are just, well, snotty. The rescue needs to know that. BLACK cats are the most frequently euthanized and the least frequently adopted. If you have a black cat, start RIGHT THIS MINUTE (and NEVER ever adopt out from early October through mid November). Black dogs don't fare much better, BTW.
Finding Options
The first option is according to species of the animal (dog, cat, snake etc.).
The second is according to breed if a dog/cat/bunny/barnyard animal etc.
IF you have a purebred dog or cat:
DOs
- The first thing you do is contact the breeder. This, of course, assumes you bought from a reputable breeder and not a backyard breeder. All reputable breeders will take their dogs back. Period. If they won't, you didn't buy from a reputable breeder.
If you signed a contract for the dog from a breeder or rescue, LOOK at the terms of the contract. My contract as a rescue, for instance, REQUIRES our rescue dogs be returned to us, no matter when, no matter why. No questions asked. Just let me know, and back they come, no matter WHERE you live now. Please, don't put we rescues in a last minute situation. Let us know four weeks or more early so we can arrange transport and boarding, if necessary. Money matters to us given we work on a very limited budget just like you.
If you have a purebred dog/cat but NOT from a rescue with a return contract or reputable breeder, you can go to the K9 AKC website and look for help here or if a cat, here.
Contact EVERY SINGLE person/contact, despite state. Many breed rescues work state-to-state or will pass your information along. If a RARE breed dog/cat (and believe me, many faux breeders call their dogs/cats "rare", but there are, actually, many legitimately rare breeds), breed rescues are usually pretty darned good though they are swamped, too. If you get no response from anyone on the AKC or purebred cat list, try a second, third and fourth time. Keep trying while you are pursuing other things. Often the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Keep good notes of who you have contacted and when. NEVER relinquish an unspayed dog/cat to a rescue without recommendations to that "rescue". Anyone can "claim" they are a rescue... more later on this.
- Look on Google for breed rescues. Contact EVERY one of them regardless of location. Contact them frequently. Be sure to cross check the breed rescues. Contact the shelter in their area. See if they have problems, complaints, clear licenses or permits. DO YOUR HOMEWORK! If they are not on petfinder.com or 1800SaveAPet, be wary. ANYONE can "call" themselves a rescue.
- Look on petfinder.com, 1800saveapet.com etc. for those rescuing your breed OR if you have a high-mixed breed (one known not to be pure, but very high-breed "like the breed" in body and behavior), those that take them. Also look for groups that will do a courtesy listing for your pet on their site. Courtesy list, but don't rely on this. Keep working.
DONT's
Don't list your companion animal in the local paper, or weekly rag or on craigslist... UNLESS YOU HAVE HELP or are well versed (with paperwork!) to know how to do it yourself. These kinds of places are where all the bad guys get their animals.
Many beloved family dogs/cats end up annually with their vocal chords cut, probes in their heads or have chemicals forced into their stomachs or eyes by medical research facilities. This happens because your beloved dog/cat ended up in the grips of a buncher or unscrupulous person that sells either to labs or brokers. AND PLEASE NOTE THAT SOME SHELTERS SELL DOGS FOR THIS SAME PURPOSE.Yes, this can happen--and DOES happen--to family pets. The animals, in many cases, are driven across state lines. For the buncher or broker, this is about profit. They don't care about pain and suffering.
You must care. I hope you do.
The other horrible option is dog fighting bait. Fighting dogs are always trained on animals. Those animals come from, um, where? Free adds, animals in front of grocery stores, stolen pets, free roaming dogs/cats etc.
Nothing about you makes you special enough to escape the above except proper research and action on your part.
IF you have a mixed breed dog or cat:
First, talk to friends who have adopted dogs/cats. Get the name of the rescue THEY have adopted from and ask THEM to write a letter of recommendation on your dog/cat. Contact that rescue, make your plea, include the letter of recommendation and GOOD photos. Sometimes it is WHO you know.
Second, go to petfinder.com and 1800SaveAPet.com. At these sites, you can put in your zip code and find every rescue on their sites within certain distances from your home. Work within the first 50 miles, first, then move upwards. GET A LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION ON YOUR DOG/CAT FROM YOUR VET OR TRAINER OR BOTH. Contact every single rescue, including the letter(s) of recommendation and veterinary history. Send as much information on the socialization, training and behavior as you can. Take GOOD photos of the front and body of the dogs with something relative in size, preferably a cuddly human. Bad photos won't help you. You can sign up for Picasa or other free photo shop sites on the net and crop, relight and otherwise tweak your photos. Do it. KEEP good notes on who you contact, and constantly recontact them.
At petfinder.com, they require either the 501 information of the rescue or a letter from their veterinarian. I believe 1800SaveAPet.com does likewise. This will not positively assure that the rescue is good. Your job is to make sure they are. Ask what shelters they adopt from. Many shelters have rescue coordinators that will know this rescue. If they have rescue facilities (kennels), ask to see them. Many rescues work from their homes and all their dogs are otherwise fostered. In these cases, and usually for safety reasons, they do not allow people into their homes.
Third, make an "adopt-me" vest and if your dog goes to the dog park, let everyone there know you are looking for a home for your dog. Walk your dog with the vest on. I have adopted out a number of dogs through contacts at dog parks. If you see dog events locally (fund raisers) where there will be parades or marches with dogs, go and take your dog with its vest on. People in these environments tend to be very pro-dog.
Fourth, contact showing rescues (go to ANY Petsmart and Petco and ask who their canine dog partners are, get their numbers). These partners may be able to help you by taking the dog in or giving you recommendations etc. Many will allow you to take your dog/cat on the weekends to their adoption events. The dog will stay with you, and is your responsibility, but many nice rescues will give you all the help they can particularly if they see you are really willing to work hard to place your dog correctly.
Also, with cats, EVERY Petsmart (and many Petcos) have cat adoption partners. Find out when the group leadership is there and go speak with them personally. Go to them directly with a flyer on your cat, including a good pic, and talk your cat up with them. Many may require you to do a felv/fiv test for your cat (about $35.00) prior to them taking the cat or require other veterinary work. If they TELL you they are willing to take your cat if you do this, GET IT DONE right away. Solidify the plans with them up front. Ask everything you need to do and get a DEFINITE date of when they can take the cat in and exactly what paperwork they require. Having operated two catteries at Petsmart simultaneously for several years, I can tell you we tried so VERY hard never to turn a cat away. Those were better times but I do not recall us EVER turning a cat away.
Do It Yourself Placement
Now, how to get do-it-yourself help. There are a few rescues that will help in screening, but not many. I am one that will, and I use my own application and do home visits just like I would my own (So. Cal. only). I also use my own contract. No, I don't charge. I just ask for the gas money for the home visit once they have passed all the other hurtles (this is the very last thing we do). I require that, if a dog: They be spayed/neutered, current on the core vaccines, microchipped and have a health exam just prior to showing of the animal. If a long haired dog, the dog MUST be properly groomed. I want to meet the dog. If trained, I want to see what the dog can/cannot do. I want a complete history on the dog.
When placing a dog, I require a complete application. I contact the person's vet, their groomer, and their references. I contact their trainer, in many cases. I do a home visit. If a renter, I contact the landlord or apartment/condo manager to be sure they CAN have a dog/cat. I check (what rescues call) private DNA (do not adopt) lists and pet abuse lists. If everything checks out and this home is a good home for the animal in need, they then sign MY contract which includes the same return language as for any of MY rescues. The dog/cat would be returned to us.
Many groups will allow you to use a blank of their app (their name removed) if you want to do it yourself (I do). I also have a home visit check list, and a list of how to do reference checks.
If a cat, be SURE, if it needs to be an indoor cat that, there are no small children in the house. Kids... doors. Nuff said.
A bit more about bunchers/brokers. The buncher or broker-bound-seller can come across like Ma and Pa Kettle, or like the visually perfect family (think Sarah Palin), a business person in dress (think Bush and his badly socialized doggie who bit the reporter), or come across as a slug.
This is NOT about what 'they' look like, it is what 'they' DO and who 'they' ARE. So don't assume anything on visual. It's all about the app, the interview, the research and the home visit.
YOU can do this. And YOU can do it right.
Last Option
Realize, please, that there are last options, and they are not pleasant. But they are certainly kinder and more thoughtful than a shelter in a state that euthanizes by gas or is uncaring and/or unscrupulous on adoptions, or a state that does not spay/neuter (if a female dog, this is really important. Many puppy millers get unspayed females from shelters. Your sweet dog could end up in a cage producing puppies until they are either dead, or until the puppy miller shoots them, or takes them for gassing, or puts them on the auction block etc.) prior to adoption. No puppy miller will want a spayed/neutered dog, obviously.
These last options, especially for some companions, is the best thing you can do for them.
This last option, if you cannot afford behavior training for difficult dogs or after months of trying, is euthanizing at your vet. It is a terrible thing to have to consider, but when the family is packed, and the dog/cat has no place to go, and the shelter is jammed and they gas their dogs/cats, it is the kindest thing you can do. There ARE worse things than death, and abuse and/or neglect are just two of them. Euthanasia by gas is abuse, plain and simple.
Dropping your animal into the local rural area is a death sentence. Not only is abandonment illegal, it is incredibly cruel. Domestic animals stand no chance on open roads or against wildlife. They CANNOT (cats included) fend for themselves or find water or food.
Legally speaking, if you leave the animal in your home and drive away, it is abandonment. A lot of animals are dying this way because no one knows they are there. Furthermore, at least in CA, the animals cannot be taken from the property by animal control as they are considered "private property" and therefore, they end up under the care of whomever now "owns" the house... the mortgage company, etc.
Often, in these cases, the new owners just open the door and let the dog or cat go. Some have been purported to have poisoned the animals. They really couldn't care less, in general. I have taken a few of these animals from local realtors. After, I believe, 14 days, the shelter can then take in the animal, but realize by then the animal could be decomposing. Mileage may vary by state. DO NOT leave an animal behind. You took on the responsibility, now do the right thing.
I welcome other ideas and thoughts for how people can find good homes and I know many of you on Kos also rescue or foster. Please feel free to expand my diary with other great ideas!
Please, NEVER give an animal away. Even a fee of $75.00 for a fully vetted dog is at least some insurance against brokers, bunchers and fighters.
Finally, a word about "mandatory entry fees". An entry fee is a fee paid to the rescue to take the animal in. I hate them. Yes, if you can, please donate to the rescue. We all struggle and many animals have obvious or underlying illness/injury that is very expensive to correct. But there are some groups, now, that will only take healthy animals in with this fee, and I have heard of incredibly high fees. Frankly, I think that is unconscionable and I won't do it. But if the only place you can find is one of these "rescues", and they are otherwise legitimate, you may need to do it, if you can, to save your animal.