Puppies are cute and hard to resist. Which is why nearly 6 million dogs, most young and many purebred, die at Shelters, Pounds, and Humane Societies every year. It is very easy to get a puppy, but it not always easy to get the puppy that will become the dog you really want. Puppies take a lot of time, training is often trickier than it looks, and the best intentions often get lost along the way. Yet humans and dogs just seem to go together. Rescue is a way for people who are really committed to owning and caring for a dog to find the right dog for their life.
Some people think rescue means reject. But dogs end up in rescue (and shelters) for many many reasons, most of them having nothing at all to do with the dogs temperament or trainability. Divorce, relocation, allergies, new decor (yeah, seriously!), new jobs, and unrealistic expectations are all typical reasons a perfectly fine dog might suddenly find itself homeless.
So here are some things to consider when you are trying to make some decisions about your new companion.
Top 10 Reasons to Adopt a Rescue Dog (pdf)
Some ES Rescue Stories: Bob, Abby, Shep, Princess
A Forever Home For Him
by Sue Kozoyed
My ES-List Digest, often times has a link,
that makes me feel queasy and makes my heart sink.
'Petfinder' has thousands of dogs on it's pages,
awaiting their fate, behind awful shelter cages.
I pretty much peek --and just keep on the go,
for many have stories -- I can't bear to know.
Not sure why this time, I offered to foster
a plain black & tan mix on the ES roster.
He's not what I wanted my next dog to be
yet, somehow, this pup --He is "growing" on me
BUT
He's a male; Yikes! a male! And a male I can't own!
Males do the kind of things that I just can't condone.
He's scrawny and scruffy with dew claws, no less.
His odd wavy coat is a "nappy-butt mess!"
He GOBBLES down food and gulps water by the jug;
He's up counters, in garbage, and PEES on my rug.
He digs holes in the yard and chews "any & all"
When he rolls in the possum poop, it's eau'de rural.
The shelter had warned --that he's killed a cat.
Worse; he's wary of children who just want to "pat."
BUT
Who could resist his cute, gentle face?
His tulip ear-set and kind eyes make his case.
He is soft and responsive and willing to learn.
It's almost as if you can see his wheels turn.
He WANTS to be good and works hard to fit-in;
no doubt, an "in-progress" Lassie/Rin-Tin-
Tin.
He's touched me somewhere down deep in my soul,
I guess I've been smitten and must change my goal.
I only intended to help find a good home;
and promised him --he'll ne'er again have to roam.
BUT
Part of me knows what my friends say is true
"Forget a new home, Sue. His home is with You!"
"He blends in so well here, and so it should be!"
"Give this guy a new chance; you can always have three!"
So I think it to death' weighing this side and that.
Meanwhile, we're ALL falling in love with HIM
---DRATT!!
So alas, my long "longed-for" tri-color must wait.
For my perfect ES female, I'll set a new date.
For Fate played a role in this --right from the start.
Who could have predicted this affair-of-the heart?
Other Rescue Groups
Rescue Groups for other Herding Breeds
Other Rescues
