? to rescues

[Baylee Golden]

I support the rescue organization in our area who is very active in rescuing ALL Goldens in need. They take in even the sickest goldens and attempt to nurse them back to health and then find suitable homes for their particular needs.
Recently, I noticed several cases where the pups suffered severe fractures and other injuries after being hit by a car and the owners could not afford the expensive surgeries and hospitalizations so sadly relinquished their pets to the vet. The vet, subsequently, called the rescue who took the injured Golden under their wing and then needed to find fosters to help with their recuperation.
My question is why don't rescue organizations come up with a fund to assist those who can't afford to pay the high prices that are needed to heal these lovely animals so that they can be returned to their owners (if it is a responsible owner)? That would save the need to attempt to find foster and adoptive placements.
Now I do realize that there may be a question of how responsible the owner might be if their dog was "allowed" to get injured and then couldn't afford it in the first place but accidents do happen and vet bills can be extremely taxing.
Why isn't there a greater attempt to assist the original owners so that the best interests of the pups are served? That way more effort can be spent on finding homes and fosters for those dogs that truly have no one to take them.
Just a thought....

[Soda]

I have two rescued dogs and in this area the rescue organization will usually will either find the golden at the shelter or had been called in by the shelter. The SPCA will sometimes help in the situation you described and provide education for the pet owners. Since they usually are the first responder to a potential abuse/neglect situation tat's the first step and they do try to keep the dog with the family if possible. They will also follow up to be sure the dog is safe and treated well. They do have a program that will help with medical bills if the treatment will lead to improved quality of life. We also have a low cost spay/neuter program. Sadly there are more times when the dog will be going back to an unsafe situation than there are times where the owner and dog are reunited successfully. I think it depends on the organization and how responsive/responsible the owner is to changing thier behavior.

Sometimes I think that people find it too easy to give the pet back and then they can shrug off the responsibility as well. Not always but many times. Certainly it's better for the dog to be rescued and find a home that it can be treated well and get the care and love it deserves.

[fourdogfarm]

Many thoughts going through my mind on this subject....

First of all, yes, it would be wonderful if such a program existed, but why through a rescue (which is a non-profit organization)? What about people buying pet insurance, like they do for themselves or their children, and being responsible pet owners...?

Rescues would also get into the issue of having to decide which cases to take and which ones to turn away. Not an easy thing to do, not to mention that you'd tick some people off who may be quite emotional at that time due to the seriousness of the situation. It could get really ugly then.

And how do you figure out who "allowed" the dog to run loose and get injured, and who didn't? What if they say the dog dug out of the back yard while they were at work? There are some who think leaving the dog out back unsupervised during the day is okay, and some who are strictly against it. How do you decide?

Example: Our rescue takes in many dogs that are HW+ because the owners cannot afford the $600-$700 for treatment. They know if the dog is not treated, it will die. If they had been responsible from the beginning, their cost to prevent heartworms would only have been $5 a month for Heartgard. Our cost through our rescue vet for HW treatment is approx $300, not to mention the time involved for the foster to run back and forth to the vet, gas, etc., which they don't get paid for. Do we give the dog back to the people and lose $300? Max we could adopt the dog for is $225 - so we lose a minimum of $75 there. Could you imagine the thousands of dollars surgeries would cost? Where would the rescues get this money?

It is a difficult situation all around. I would be uncomfortable paying $2000 for surgery on someone else's dog, only to give it back to them. Imagine doing that a minimum of 5 times a month. What rescue can afford $10k a month? I'd rather rescue a dog from Animal Control that doesn't have anyone to love him/her, take care of them, and find them a wonderful forever home.

It's all still a gamble, and there are never any guarantees something won't happen. I just wish when people made the commitment to get a dog, they would be responsible and take care of the dog for the rest of its life. They depend on humans for everything, and so many humans let them down.

[Brandy and Charlie's Mom]

Fourdogfarm -- very well said. While such a fund sounds like a noble concept, administering it would be a full time nightmare.

[Soda]

Very well put 4dogfarm!

[Tailer'sFolks]

Eloquent fourdogfarm.

Personal responsibility is one of my pet peeves...we all need to be responsible for our own actions.

What a world this would be if we all were...?

[doreen]

very well put fourdogfarm. :)

[Baylee Golden]

Fourdogfarm your thoughts are well put and well thought out. My curiosity about the situation came up due to the recent situations at our local GR rescue where 3 goldens and 1 10 week old lab (in separate incidents) were rescued from a vet due to owner inability (or possible unwillingness) to pay. Apparently, they had each suffered severe injuries as a result of being hit by cars. I am not sure how the rescue typically manages things as I am an outside observer and I do agree that we all need to take responsibility for the pets we choose.
Unfortunately this isn't always the case as were are sadly too aware.
There was a recent incident at this same rescue where a Golden was found wandering the streets with a note attached to a collar that read: "Hi, My name is Sandy. I need a loving home. I am fully housetrained, I know commands. I LOVE children, other dogs and cats. I never bark. Please give me a home."
How could someone supposedly "care" enough to write such a note then leave the dog to wander the streets?!
Ah well. I do appreciate all the hard and dedicated work of those who are commited to the rescue of these magnificant pups.
Thank-you!