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Not wanting to hijack the thread of a guy in lllinois looking to "rescue" a Boxer, I'd like to share my experience with the local breed-specific "rescues." And before I go into my story I want to say that I really do understand that the people involved in finding new homes for homeless dogs have every reason in the world to be as picky as resources allow them to be.
What happened with us: My daughter, who has been ... um... shall we say "challenging" (in the freakin' extreme) told me last summer that she really, really wanted a dog; that she would love this dog, feed it, pay for its vet bills and take it EVERYwhere with her. She was almost 17 at the time, and I believed her and really thought it might be GOOD for her. (OMG, what kind of idiot am I?) Her number one breed choice was Rottweiler. I googled "Rottweiler," saw that they can reach 150 pounds, and told her "no freakin' way!" Her next choice was a pit bull. I researched the breed, calmed my fears about them and told her "okay, let's meet a few." We met ONE, a rescue, and because I told the foster mother that, while I was the one applying for ownership, my daughter would be the actual "mama" we were refused for consideration.
When we left that foster home, my daughter realized that maybe a pit wasn't for her after all. (It was VERY laid back/indifferent to her, and she wanted a puppy who showered her with kisses and loved her above all others.)
Her third choice was Boxers. I had done a ton of research on both boxers and pit bulls and had absolutely fallen in love with Boxers to the point that, if my daughter didn't adopt one, I definitely would.
Long story short - when we went to the Boxer Rescue, the pit bull rescue had apparently been in touch with them (or perhaps they share a database and the name came up) and they pretty much blew us off as well.
And honestly, this pisses me off ROYALLY! I am a VERY dedicated pet owner. I did re-home a toy poodle when my first marriage ended in divorce (at the age of 20) but I'm now 50 years old and cared for a beloved mutt for 16 years and absolutely abhor people who adopt pets and then think "oh, it's too much trouble." I would never, ever do that again. I didn't want another dog. OMG, did I ever NOT want another dog! But Atticus is here and he stole my heart and he will be here until he dies a hopefully peaceful death in his very-old-age.
AnnA
What happened with us: My daughter, who has been ... um... shall we say "challenging" (in the freakin' extreme) told me last summer that she really, really wanted a dog; that she would love this dog, feed it, pay for its vet bills and take it EVERYwhere with her. She was almost 17 at the time, and I believed her and really thought it might be GOOD for her. (OMG, what kind of idiot am I?) Her number one breed choice was Rottweiler. I googled "Rottweiler," saw that they can reach 150 pounds, and told her "no freakin' way!" Her next choice was a pit bull. I researched the breed, calmed my fears about them and told her "okay, let's meet a few." We met ONE, a rescue, and because I told the foster mother that, while I was the one applying for ownership, my daughter would be the actual "mama" we were refused for consideration.
When we left that foster home, my daughter realized that maybe a pit wasn't for her after all. (It was VERY laid back/indifferent to her, and she wanted a puppy who showered her with kisses and loved her above all others.)
Her third choice was Boxers. I had done a ton of research on both boxers and pit bulls and had absolutely fallen in love with Boxers to the point that, if my daughter didn't adopt one, I definitely would.
Long story short - when we went to the Boxer Rescue, the pit bull rescue had apparently been in touch with them (or perhaps they share a database and the name came up) and they pretty much blew us off as well.
And honestly, this pisses me off ROYALLY! I am a VERY dedicated pet owner. I did re-home a toy poodle when my first marriage ended in divorce (at the age of 20) but I'm now 50 years old and cared for a beloved mutt for 16 years and absolutely abhor people who adopt pets and then think "oh, it's too much trouble." I would never, ever do that again. I didn't want another dog. OMG, did I ever NOT want another dog! But Atticus is here and he stole my heart and he will be here until he dies a hopefully peaceful death in his very-old-age.
AnnA
