# The myth of the rescue ?



## Aubrey (Nov 9, 2016)

I hope this won't ruffle anyone's fur the wrong way but ...I have been closely watching all the rescue sites I can find for well over 6 months and am left wondering why the conventional wisdom says "there are SO many Maltese looking for good homes". I am not saying anything against rescue. My last baby was a rescued senior with serious health problems and our other dog is a rescue with Lymangiectasia (a whole story in itself). And I know many of you have rescued wonderful pets of your own. But the fact is that for at least the past year, there are very few healthy malts in rescues and when they do appear, the organizations are literally flooded with applications. There are quite a few larger dogs who lookk like they might have a little malt in them (or Bichon, Havanese, Coton, or Bolognese) and a number of Maltese that have serious issues which require very special circumstances. But there are really not many healthy Maltese who simply need loving homes. 

So if all these backyard breeders and puppy mills are constantly producing scores of poorly bred Maltese and unscrupulously selling them to unqualified owners...where are they actually ending up? Because I can tell you, they are not in the rescues, on Petfinder, Petango, Adopt-a-Pet, RescueMe.org, or with the American Maltese Rescue (an excellent organization - but not overflowing with available dogs). And while I will continue to search these options, I certainly won't be casually advising people to find themselves a rescue Maltese as though it is easy to do.


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## mss (Mar 1, 2006)

A lot of them are in public shelters, that is, local animal control organizations. Private rescues might want to focus on the most needy dogs and are limited in how many they can rescue and place, because of funding and lack of available volunteers and foster homes. And if you are really interested in a rescue, contact the organizations directly to let them know, rather than waiting to see what dogs are listed on the internet sites.


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## mss (Mar 1, 2006)

Also, do you search of petharbor.com ? Many public shelters use petharbor.com to list their incoming animals and those made available for adoption. 

I see you live in Sacramento. So do I. I have been a volunteer with AMAR for a number of years, but I can't foster any more because two of my old dogs have health issues. But I have seen quite a few Maltese or Maltese mixes listed at the Contra Costa County shelters over the years.


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## Aubrey (Nov 9, 2016)

Thank you for the reminder about Petharbor. I have had an unproductive breed interest request registered with them (and many other individual rescues). Although it is not an easy site to use for larger geographic searches and provides almost no information about most of the animals, I just searched there again with a 200 mile radius and they do list just a few that do not appear on the other sites but not many and the same issues apply. Most are seniors, larger mixes, or significantly health compromised. 

No knocks to that avenue, these animals need and deserve good homes and I have taken on more than my share over the years. But my point still stands that there do not seem to be an abundance of specifically Maltese "hobby breeders" whose dogs are ending up homeless. 

In no way is this a defense of poor breeding practices or exploitation of dogs. I know birth is hard on these tiny creatures and I support any protections we can offer them. I would never knowingly provide profit to someone who did not love and protect the breed or their own animals. I'm just sayig that there do not seem to be as many homeless Maltese as is often assumed and the ones that are listed do generate a great deal of interest among potential adopters.

I will keep an eye out specifically for Contra Costa, thanks for the tip.


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## mss (Mar 1, 2006)

Here's a recent intake in Manteca. Maybe you could call and inquire about her status if going there isn't out of the question if and when she becomes available. I suspect the tan in her coat may come out with grooming, but she's really cute. www.PetHarbor.com pet:MANT.A011626


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## mss (Mar 1, 2006)

Here's a male that's adoptable from Fremont Animal Services. He's on petfinder,, too, but no info about his background and temperament is posted. Awfully cute. I think it is a small shelter, so they may be able to tell you about him. 
www.PetHarbor.com pet:FRMT.A142867


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## mss (Mar 1, 2006)

Also in Fremont, an adoptable older mix girl. Cute and I bet she'd be a lot whiter after grooming. Again, no info about her personality etc. but little older ones are kind of my kind of doggie if I had room! :wub: www.PetHarbor.com pet:FRMT.A141821


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## mss (Mar 1, 2006)

I think there are a lot more in southern California, if you can work with a rescue in that area. A lady who lives near me fell for one of AMARs SoCal. seniors and I did the homecheck and she flew down to get him!


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## Aubrey (Nov 9, 2016)

Thanks again, sincerely. Although these specific listings aren't really suitable for my needs, I would absolutely fly or drive to meet the right dog and bring her home. So if anyone has or knows of a little lady who might be retiring soon, I would love to talk with you.


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## Steph_L (Jul 20, 2015)

The rescue I work with has a few Maltese in their care now and they also post about dogs that are available at the local pound which they don't have the resources to care for. Just last week there were at least 4 Maltese. Most of them are young and great pets, people here just get them as cute puppies and don't realize they need care and training. When they become too much work they dump them at the pound. I'm in South Korea though. There are options for sending dogs but not everyone is into that. 

If you're interested you can follow their Facebook groups and contact the rescue group directly. The dogs at the pound are not always available as they are generally euthanized 10 days after they are brought in, if no one adopts them. It's best to contact them to see what's available and they can keep a look out for you. It's fairly easy to courier a dog to California or ship with an airline as the flight is shorter than say going to the East coast. 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/WendysLastMeals/
https://www.facebook.com/shindogs/?fref=ts


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## Aubrey (Nov 9, 2016)

I looked at this organization's video the last time it was suggested. The man making the video seemed wonderfully loving and familiar with the animals in his care. I also found their website's article on separation barking to be very insightful and helpful. 

While an overseas adoption is not feasible for a dog that will be a working therapy dog for anxious clients, the shelter's mission is very moving and I am happy to contribute to their cause.


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## Steph_L (Jul 20, 2015)

Aubrey said:


> I looked at this organization's video the last time it was suggested. The man making the video seemed wonderfully loving and familiar with the animals in his care. I also found their website's article on separation barking to be very insightful and helpful.
> 
> While an overseas adoption is not feasible for a dog that will be a working therapy dog for anxious clients, the shelter's mission is very moving and I am happy to contribute to their cause.


Sorry, I forgot that you had already posted about searching for a rescue dog and that you had mentioned it was for a therapy dog. I understand the difficulties with overseas adoptions. I didn't realize you were the same person posting again and I was just trying to get the word out. I thought this was a completely different post by a different person. I suppose I should pay better attention haha.


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## LOVE_BABY (May 5, 2015)

*I hear you ! You are not alone in your experience.*



Aubrey said:


> I hope this won't ruffle anyone's fur the wrong way but ...I have been closely watching all the rescue sites I can find for well over 6 months and am left wondering why the conventional wisdom says "there are SO many Maltese looking for good homes". I am not saying anything against rescue. My last baby was a rescued senior with serious health problems and our other dog is a rescue with Lymangiectasia (a whole story in itself). And I know many of you have rescued wonderful pets of your own. But the fact is that for at least the past year, there are very few healthy malts in rescues and when they do appear, the organizations are literally flooded with applications. There are quite a few larger dogs who lookk like they might have a little malt in them (or Bichon, Havanese, Coton, or Bolognese) and a number of Maltese that have serious issues which require very special circumstances. But there are really not many healthy Maltese who simply need loving homes.
> 
> So if all these backyard breeders and puppy mills are constantly producing scores of poorly bred Maltese and unscrupulously selling them to unqualified owners...where are they actually ending up? Because I can tell you, they are not in the rescues, on Petfinder, Petango, Adopt-a-Pet, RescueMe.org, or with the American Maltese Rescue (an excellent organization - but not overflowing with available dogs). And while I will continue to search these options, I certainly won't be casually advising people to find themselves a rescue Maltese as though it is easy to do.


Aubrey, 
You sound just like me before we 'bought' our dog. And let me tell you it was a last resort. My husband & I searched for about 2 years for a rescue small breed. At first we wanted a Maltese or Yorkie, but as we realized they are never available {never was our experience}, we also considered adopting Chihuahua, Poodle, Havaneese, ShihTzu, Brussles Griffon or a mix of these, virtually any small dog at all. After two years of signing up for multiple rescues and shelters, being approved with home checks, there was still not one dog to be had. We were so angry & disappointed :smcry: by the end of that time {I'm not proud to admit it}we payed a breeder & 'bought' our fur son, he is a full breed Maltese. Even though we did not aquire him in the manner we had wished, we wound up with the perfect dog for us. He couldn't be more perfect than if I had given birth to him myself lol :w00t:. 

There is one instance in particular that sticks in my mind from the time when we were trying to adopt. We went to an adoption event held by a rescue, & there a foster person with 3 Chihuahuas supposedly up for adoption had right away told us "No" when we walked up to her to inquire about adopting one of them. She hadn't even spoken at all even one word with us yet or we to her, we literally had just walked in the door just a second before & within seconds she just said "No." We are normal average looking people in our early 50's , very responsible with a great loving, safe forever home. That foster didn't even ask any of that about us & just right away told us no upon us walking in the door.

And on another occasion at a shelter, up for adoption advertised on Petfinder there was a so called 'Shorkie' {ShihTzu/Yorkie mix -even though I know that's not really an official breed} We waited about 1 year to adopt that dog before we gave up! They kept telling us he will be available in a few weeks, we heard that over & over again about that dog. They had a new excuse for why he wasn't ready to be adopted every time we inquired about him. I think they just kept that cute little guy at the shelter to lure people in the door, but never actually allowed him to be adopted. I even think he might have belonged to someone who worked at that shelter but I can't know for sure. It was those two experiences along with many others that finally wore out our patience & we were forced to 'purchase'.:mellow:


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## mss (Mar 1, 2006)

Not all rescue groups are equal! Some of them may be too picky, others not picky enough about who they adopt their dogs to. I think some potential adopters are looking for "the perfect dog" - young, beautiful, preferably purebred, completely healthy and housebroken with no personality issues -- but dogs are in part a product of the environment in which they are raised, so a shelter or rescue dog is unlikely to be quite so perfect. 

Mostly an adopter--or purchaser--of a dog has to ask questions and try to figure out if they are willing to do what other things it may take to make this imperfect dog into a good fit for their home and lifestyle. 

I know a lady in another part of the country who makes a living, in part, by taking puppies people have acquired and socializing and training them for six weeks or so (I think). If I didn't have such low standards (cute, small adult, not evil  I'd love to have someone do that for me!


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## Snowbody (Jan 3, 2009)

Aubrey - I'm sorry that you're having so much trouble finding a Maltese to adopt. Trust me, I'm a foster for and board member of AMAR, there are plenty out there but often the dogs that come into rescue and into shelters aren't the ones that look "picture perfect" for what some think of as a Maltese and set their minds on for rescue. I'm not quite sure what you're looking for. I saw that the suggestions posted did not meet your needs. What are your needs? Did you put in applications with the rescues? Many rescue dogs don't even make it on available pages because people who have been approved and are waiting to be next in line for dogs that fit the that person. We spend a lot of time trying to perfectly match the dog with the adoptive family.

We do have plenty of dogs out there who need to be adopted. I'd say at least a Maltese or two in NYC where I am every day or so. If they're healthy and young, the shelters adopt them out at their events. If they're older, have issues, we get a crack at them. But we can't rescue these dogs without fosters and we have a severe lack of them. Without more fosters,we have nowhere for these dogs or owner surrenders to go. And the other key is that without donations we don't have the money to take in more dogs because of what vet care costs these days (many come in with terrible teeth and need very costly dentals) And then there are permanent fosters, the ones too old or too ill to find an adoptive home though we try. We pay their bills the rest of their lives. It all takes money and if we don't have that, we have to stop or limit our intake.

Rescues like AMAR don't have a single paid employee. We're all volunteers spending countless hours inquiring about, fostering, worrying about and caring for these dogs and then finding them perfect placement. I'm spending most of this day going over an application, checking references, planning a home visit. Other days I'm talking to people about not giving up their dog if there's another way for them to keep the dog...training, networking for a home amongst family or friends. Other days I'm cross posting dogs we can't take in but want to help. And that's just part of what we do. I never realized this until I began volunteering. The satisfaction and joy of placing dogs is the best reward though and makes all the hard work worth it.

We're not a myth. We're a hard working devoted group of people with one purpose...doing what's right for the dogs who need our help. 
We get in some owners surrenders who come in because of financial hardship, new baby, moving, divorce, going to assisted living, etc. We often see them after people decide they have no use for them anymore. They are older, their health is deteriorated, their children taunted them and now they can't control them. Frankly if they look perfect and have perfect health they would probably still be with their owners. Or their owners sell them on CraigsList or other sites. 

We often get the diamonds in the rough who come to us looking rough around the edges and go out looking like finely cut gems. I really think it would help if people would broaden their perception of what a great Maltese is and look inside as well as out. I hope this may help you understand what we are doing and hope you find a Maltese.


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## mss (Mar 1, 2006)

Now I'm getting obsessed - 

Snow while mix newly listed -- as adoptable -- in Manteca! Must be an owner surrender to be available so soon.

www.PetHarbor.com pet:MANT.A002265


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## summergirl1973 (Oct 24, 2016)

Snowbody said:


> Aubrey - I'm sorry that you're having so much trouble finding a Maltese to adopt. Trust me, I'm a foster for and board member of AMAR, there are plenty out there but often the dogs that come into rescue and into shelters aren't the ones that look "picture perfect" for what some think of as a Maltese and set their minds on for rescue. I'm not quite sure what you're looking for. I saw that the suggestions posted did not meet your needs. What are your needs? Did you put in applications with the rescues? Many rescue dogs don't even make it on available pages because people who have been approved and are waiting to be next in line for dogs that fit the that person. We spend a lot of time trying to perfectly match the dog with the adoptive family.
> 
> We do have plenty of dogs out there who need to be adopted. I'd say at least a Maltese or two in NYC where I am every day or so. If they're healthy and young, the shelters adopt them out at their events. If they're older, have issues, we get a crack at them. But we can't rescue these dogs without fosters and we have a severe lack of them. Without more fosters,we have nowhere for these dogs or owner surrenders to go. And the other key is that without donations we don't have the money to take in more dogs because of what vet care costs these days (many come in with terrible teeth and need very costly dentals) And then there are permanent fosters, the ones too old or too ill to find an adoptive home though we try. We pay their bills the rest of their lives. It all takes money and if we don't have that, we have to stop or limit our intake.
> 
> ...




:goodpost:


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## mss (Mar 1, 2006)

Another specific suggestion is Stonecliffe Animal Rescue. It is based in Lemoore, which is farther down in the central valley and in not-so-prosperous an area. They also bring dogs up to a large pet store in Dublin, CA, for adoption events, twice a month I believe. I adopted a very cute dog from them about a year ago, but was not limiting my search to Maltese. Here's a link to their petfinder listings--they have some pretty nice looking other small breeds at the moment.  https://www.petfinder.com/pet-search?shelter_id=CA1005 Who knows, maybe they will have a Maltese in the future.


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## Aubrey (Nov 9, 2016)

Hello Snowbody, I totally agree with your post and please understand, I was not saying that the rescue organizations are a myth. My family used to run the Bay Area Arctic Breed Rescue. And trust me, I've paid for many the expensive dental procedure on our rescued dogs. My point was simply similar to yours, that Maltese in good condition tend to stay with their families, even the ones that are sold by backyard breeders or puppy mills with no screening of owners. The "Myth" I was referring to is the oft told tale that an abundance of puppy mill and pet store Maltese end up as adoptable rescues when abandoned by their owners. They simply don't. 

Yes, I am being picky about this particular dog. She has to be a working therapy dog as well as a family pet. I am a therapist and my Maltese did wonders for anxious adult patients and hard-to-reach children. As for what I am looking for, I don't insist on the postcard purebred but she has to have an appearance that will not be intimidating to timid kids. The absolutely "perfect" look of a dog for me would actually be AMAR's "Fawn". Sadly, she has been so abused that she will always be traumatized by meeting strangers. Otherwise, I would take her in a hot minute and just work with her gently until she felt more secure. The dog I need also has to be a female because of the nature of our other rescue who needs a female companion. And she has to be under 8 pounds because I have to be able to carry both dogs up the stairs safely.

Buying from a reputable breeder is most certainly not out of the question but a puppy isn't suitable for therapy work and available adult females are even more rare than rescue dogs that fit this description. I know my search will not be a short one, I have already been looking for 6 months because my 17 year old who just passed away hasn't been able to work in that time.

MSS - you are so sweet to help, I greatly appreciate it. I do check the websites twice a day. I have applied to quite a few but they seem to be always already placed. For example, just this morning, I heard back about Macy who was first posted on RescueMe.org two days ago and placed immediately.


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## mss (Mar 1, 2006)

Female under 8 pounds and not skittish around strangers. Got it.


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## Snowbody (Jan 3, 2009)

Aubrey said:


> Hello Snowbody, I totally agree with your post and please understand, I was not saying that the rescue organizations are a myth. My family used to run the Bay Area Arctic Breed Rescue. And trust me, I've paid for many the expensive dental procedure on our rescued dogs. My point was simply similar to yours, that Maltese in good condition tend to stay with their families, even the ones that are sold by backyard breeders or puppy mills with no screening of owners. The "Myth" I was referring to is the oft told tale that an abundance of puppy mill and pet store Maltese end up as adoptable rescues when abandoned by their owners. They simply don't.
> 
> Yes, I am being picky about this particular dog. She has to be a working therapy dog as well as a family pet. I am a therapist and my Maltese did wonders for anxious adult patients and hard-to-reach children. As for what I am looking for, I don't insist on the postcard purebred but she has to have an appearance that will not be intimidating to timid kids. The absolutely "perfect" look of a dog for me would actually be AMAR's "Fawn". Sadly, she has been so abused that she will always be traumatized by meeting strangers. Otherwise, I would take her in a hot minute and just work with her gently until she felt more secure. The dog I need also has to be a female because of the nature of our other rescue who needs a female companion. And she has to be under 8 pounds because I have to be able to carry both dogs up the stairs safely.
> 
> ...


I will keep your needs in mind and keep and let you know if we have any dogs that may fit the bill. I'm glad you shared what you're looking for and hope that we might be able to help. I recall on the east coast that we nearly got in a dog who had been a therapy dog and was 6 lbs. But the owner ended up placing her herself.


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## Aubrey (Nov 9, 2016)

Thanks very much. I do have a general application submitted with AMAR here in CA and have spoken with several local members who are keeping watch as well. In fact, I just helped with the adoption of "Jake" by a friend this weekend I would have taken 8 year old Jake myself if he had been a she but our other Maltese wouuld not have been okay with that-the barking would never have stopped. It was actually Jake who brought home the point that there are a high number of applications for each suitable dog, even with organizations like AMAR which have strict scrutiny of potential homes.


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## LOVE_BABY (May 5, 2015)

Snowbody,
I know there must be great rescues out there such as your AMAR because you are proof of it! My husband & I just couldn't find one at the time that we could adopt from. I was just venting my frustrations earlier when I was identifying with the other poster. Unfortunately I didn't know about AMAR or SM at the time that we were looking for our forever fur child, I wish I had.

Personally at the time when we were looking to adopt, we weren't looking for a perfect looking dog or an extremely young one, we were open to a middle aged dog or one who was not looking his best or one that might have some issues. In our particular case we weren't looking for perfection. Our one condition at the time is that we didn't want to start with a senior dog because although it would be my second dog, it would be my husbands very first dog. I didn't want my husbands very first experience as a dog parent to be loosing {the passing away} of his dog so soon after we adopted it. I wanted his first dog to be a positive experience so that he would want us to get another dog again someday.

But now that my husband has become a more seasoned dog parent after 4 years of having Baby, I think next time he might be ready for anything, possibly even an older senior dog if need be if my husband agrees to it. A mix was always something we would have considered. I would have tried adopting from you first.

But thankfully it all worked out OK for me in the end because I am absolutely in love with my fur child Baby who we had to purchase, & I am so glad he is part of my life. I wish I could have 'saved' a life though instead of purchasing. If someday I am lucky enough to have the opportunity to welcome another dog in my life, I will be sure to contact you at AMAR first. That will be an extremely bittersweet day though, because if I'm adopting another dog that would mean that my Baby has gone to the bridge & I don't even want to think about that! AMAR sounds like a wonderful rescue & all of you who volunteer for it are unsung heros :aktion033:, you deserve so much credit for what you do! :tender::dothewave:


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## Aubrey (Nov 9, 2016)

Hi Sandy, I also found that anywhere within 300 miles of California, AMAR doesn't have that many dogs available either. AMAR is fabulous at providing for the needs of the dogs they take and they are highly protective of them in terms of screening applicants but as Snowbody pointed out, that is very resource intensive and so not very many dogs can be lucky enough to be taken in by them.. And many other rescues insist that the adopters be local resdents even though I offer to travel to the dog and transport her with me myself. In the past week, I have applied for three dogs out of which two were spoken for within hours of listing and the other one was firm about only consideing local residents. I think this experience is more typical than is acknowledged which is why I posted. Honestly, I just got frustrated that when I contacted breeders about possible retirees, they were very kind but I kept being told to look at rescue as though it is an easy option. 

If rescue is going to be en effective mechanism for both the adopters and the less adoptable dogs, there needs to be a central listing site where we submit a single application that is accepted by all rescues. I am so tired of filling out these lengthy forms for each organization that has one or two Maltese and then finding the dogs are unavilable. When they won't even tell you whether the dog is available until you fill out the form, it feels intrusive and disrespectfu for them to demand so much personal information for no practical reason. And it is not so easy to keep describing the loss of a bonded dog over and over. Even private colleges use a "common app", all these tiny separate rescue sites should do that as well.


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## mss (Mar 1, 2006)

A rescue can operate only where it has volunteers. AMAR used to have volunteers in some other locations who unfortunately had to stop due to personal reasons. I myself have not been able to do so much in recent years because of cancer. I think I was the first AMAR volunteer in Sacramento. Fortunately now we have more in this immediate area, and there are a lot more people active on the East Coast now, too!  but I am saddened that more people are not able to help.


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## mss (Mar 1, 2006)

I can not speak for any rescue's procedures, but I know that in past years when I did independent rescue, I'd get a lot of "lookie lou" type email inquiries. But worse, insincere applicants-- one cute older dog had a lot of those. One couple who tried very hard to convince me that they wanted this cute old female who had had multiple mammary tumors removed but was doing great after many months ... I finally allowed the couple to pick the date and time to meet. They picked a date 4 days away. The day before, they excitedly called me and said they had gone all the way to Modesto and adopted a 3 month old male. Very unlike my dog which supposedly was just what they wanted. I have more stories like that. :/ That's why I decided to be a foster for an established rescue group and let our leaders do the screening.


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## Aubrey (Nov 9, 2016)

AMAR's application process is straightforward and thorough. I just wish the other organizations would use it as the standard and accept the same application so that when someone inquires about an animal, it would be easier to get the information about that dog to the potential adopter. It could work like the TSA precheck at the airport. You still go through the metal detector and get your bags x-rayed, but you don't have to unpack your laptop or take off your shoes.


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## MaltsGalore (Nov 11, 2012)

I'm not sure I'm adding anything useful here but a lot of the comments got to me. I did Maltese rescue nationally for several years and the number of dogs I placed was in triple-digits. Here's some things that most people don't think about:
- Dealing with unwanted dogs is very emotional and time consuming. 
- City shelters only have so many spots, yet they cannot refuse dogs. What would you do if you were put in that situation?
- Everybody wants small, young female dogs. I _hated_ dealing with puppies and younger females. I would get over 100 applications and dozens of calls on them. Most of the people who didn't get chosen took it personally and would call or email either to complain, ask what went wrong, or tell me off. But I would endure this because the adoption fees for a healthy young dog helped pay for vet bills for the sick ones. Meanwhile, dogs like my Jill would not get any calls. This is Jill:








I had her ads up on petfinder and other sites for *over a year* and got *2 calls*. She was 10-1/2 at the time and nobody wanted her. She was and still is a perfect little 5 lb dog at 17-1/2 years old. 
- Like most rescues, I would always take back dogs that people would return to the rescue. That is how I got Jill. I can't remember but she was originally adopted when she was around 4 years old and she was returned. I was very careful screening people. We had a 4 page application and I would call the vets and at least 3 references and have nice discussions with potential adopters and often home visits. Yet about 10% of the dogs I placed over the years were returned. Half of those dogs had some level of neglect. I know there was a percentage of people who instead of returning them gave them away, turned them in to animal control, or simply put them on the street when they no longer wanted them, but I have no idea what the percentage was. A couple were caught due to shelters calling when they scanned chips. One of those was Jill. What do you do? It's not illegal. You just pick up the dog from the shelter. 
- Despite what is written here, there are a lot of wonderful, healthy young Maltese available on any given day. Most don't get posted to the internet, or at least they didn't a few years ago when I was at the height of my activities in rescue. They would be taken home by people walking into the shelter, or a rescue might take them and send them to a home they had pre-chosen. When they do get posted, they may only be up for a couple of hours. You need to be diligent to find them, visiting the local shelters, calling immediately, and being flexible. If you're not willing to do that finding a young healthy female dog will require lots of luck.
- You find out how many dogs really come in to animal control facilities when you create relationships with the shelter managers. I would get calls every week from shelters across the country. I had a policy of never turning them down, but our rescue could not come close to taking them all. So I would end up on the phone to other rescues and I drove all over the eastern half of the country transporting dogs. It is a great way to make friends! 
- Some "well-respected" rescues would never take older or sick dogs. Never. Our rescue would always take them because otherwise they would get put down. So the majority of our dogs were older or special needs. All of us ended up with our own little doggie pack of dogs that nobody else wanted. I had 7-8 of my own dogs for years including a barker, a biter, and a blind and deaf dog. I loved them all. 
- I was the one that would take in a sick dog and nurse them back to health. I got up at 3 AM to drive hundreds of miles. I cut off the matted fur filled with fleas and feces while the dog in pain was nipping at me, I cared for the open sores, I hand fed them and gave them medication multiple times a day. So yes, I was particular about where they were going to go. Particularly when I would get 1 in 10 back. 
- People have all kind of ideas how to make rescues better or more effective. They can't believe rescues don't do them. I spent 35 hours a week doing rescue in addition to my 50 hour a week job. Those two things were all I did. I had no time to set up national application databases or weekly newsletters, and neither did the other volunteers. If you have a good idea, then volunteer and do it. Otherwise, your criticism will be ignored. Trust me.
- People often said to me that the toughest thing to deal with must have been the people turning in dogs. Not even close. The toughest thing I dealt with was some of the volunteers. Most were wonderful, but more than a few were not. Fosters were screened as carefully as adopters, yet many would just sign up intending to take the dogs on a "test drive" to see if they wanted them. If they "flunked" fostering and kept the dogs and then stopped fostering, that was perfectly fine. But others would take in a foster, then want me to move the dog quickly when it wasn't what they wanted. I had one person call me at 2 AM asking me to take the dog from them that they picked up that afternoon because the dog was crying. I was 3 states away! I won't go into that conversation, but there were multiple times that I had to drive hundreds of miles on a few hours notice to pick up dogs from fosters. That's a huge downside to running a national rescue. I had over 130 foster homes across the country at my peak.

Look, this is not intended as a rant. I just want to give some insight to people that will visit this thread as to why rescues are the way they are. Rescues and shelters develop the rules they have based on their collective experiences.


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## mss (Mar 1, 2006)

:grouphug:
Back in the days when I was doing independent rescue, I had one adorable older guy returned to me after a year ... going on 3 legs. I took him to my vet, the senior vet and owner of the practice, who said he had a torn cruciate ligament. The former adopter doubted the diagnosis and said I should get a 2nd opinion. (She did not offer to pay for it, nor did I ask.) Then I never heard from her again. I ended up keeping him for the rest of his too-short life.

This is a "much after" (as my own pampered boy) picture. :wub:


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## jane and addison (Nov 1, 2012)

Both of ours came out of our local shelter. Our shelter is the largest in Ohio and has far more Pit bull mixes then little dogs. Guess we were lucky but it does happen.


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## LOVE_BABY (May 5, 2015)

*Aubrey*



Aubrey said:


> Hi Sandy, I also found that anywhere within 300 miles of California, AMAR doesn't have that many dogs available either. AMAR is fabulous at providing for the needs of the dogs they take and they are highly protective of them in terms of screening applicants but as Snowbody pointed out, that is very resource intensive and so not very many dogs can be lucky enough to be taken in by them.. And many other rescues insist that the adopters be local resdents even though I offer to travel to the dog and transport her with me myself. In the past week, I have applied for three dogs out of which two were spoken for within hours of listing and the other one was firm about only consideing local residents. I think this experience is more typical than is acknowledged which is why I posted. Honestly, I just got frustrated that when I contacted breeders about possible retirees, they were very kind but I kept being told to look at rescue as though it is an easy option.
> 
> If rescue is going to be en effective mechanism for both the adopters and the less adoptable dogs, there needs to be a central listing site where we submit a single application that is accepted by all rescues. I am so tired of filling out these lengthy forms for each organization that has one or two Maltese and then finding the dogs are unavilable. When they won't even tell you whether the dog is available until you fill out the form, it feels intrusive and disrespectfu for them to demand so much personal information for no practical reason. And it is not so easy to keep describing the loss of a bonded dog over and over. Even private colleges use a "common app", all these tiny separate rescue sites should do that as well.[/QUOTE
> 
> ...


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## LOVE_BABY (May 5, 2015)

*Maltsgalore*



MaltsGalore said:


> I'm not sure I'm adding anything useful here but a lot of the comments got to me. I did Maltese rescue nationally for several years and the number of dogs I placed was in triple-digits. Here's some things that most people don't think about:
> - Dealing with unwanted dogs is very emotional and time consuming.
> - City shelters only have so many spots, yet they cannot refuse dogs. What would you do if you were put in that situation?
> - Everybody wants small, young female dogs. I _hated_ dealing with puppies and younger females. I would get over 100 applications and dozens of calls on them. Most of the people who didn't get chosen took it personally and would call or email either to complain, ask what went wrong, or tell me off. But I would endure this because the adoption fees for a healthy young dog helped pay for vet bills for the sick ones. Meanwhile, dogs like my Jill would not get any calls. This is Jill:
> ...


Maltsgalore,

:ThankYou:Thanks so much for writing your enlightening post about the inner workings of a rescue and I'm so glad you took the time to post about it. Your post has helped me understand a bit more about why no one gets back to you when one is a good potential adopter. I can't believe no one wanted your Jill & only two people interested in her. I'm sure I would have taken her in a heartbeat if she had been available to me:Cute Malt::tender:. {By 'available' I also mean 'attainable' through a rescue at the time when I was trying to adopt for over two years.:smilie_tischkante:} I'm glad she is in a good home now & God bless that beautiful little senior puppy! She doesn't look a day over 1 year. I'm praying to be so lucky to have my own little malty boy have such a long life!! God bless you as well for working so hard and helping many dogs! :aktion033:


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