Bad Dog Rescues

Last month, I used this space to tell the story of my former neighbors, who bought a puppy from a puppy mill; despite my warnings to them, they didn’t really “get” that they were buying from a puppy mill until they received an underaged, very ill puppy who is clearly not the breed she was purported to be. I used the story to implore readers to take their time when looking for their next dog, never buy a dog sight unseen from the Internet, and to adopt from shelters and rescue groups.

Three days before I sent this issue to press, I received the following note, containing very good advice, from a subscriber:

“What a terrible experience your neighbors had with their Poodle puppy. Sad to say, they could have had the same experience with a Petfinder adoption. Adopting a dog over the Internet can have unintended results: dogs who are sick, aggressive, or misrepresented (age, temperament, even breed). Not all organizations presenting themselves as “rescues” on Petfinder are nonprofit (yes, some are puppy mills) and not all obey state laws about health certificates. Some circumvent these laws by having adopters meet the transport vehicle in a parking lot just over the state line.

“Please advise your readers to work with a local rescue organization, where they can meet the dog before adoption. A good local rescue will take back the dog, for any reason, for the life of the dog.”

In a bizarre coincidence, later that very day, I got a boots-on-the-ground lesson about exactly what the letter writer had described: “rescue” groups who promote “adoptions” of dogs on Petfinder.com, but turn out to be warehousing dogs and selling them, perhaps at a profit.

I happened to visit a shelter that was housing over 100 small dogs that had been seized days before in a raid on a so-called “private rescue” organization. All the dogs were small and very cute. They were also were infested with fleas, as well as every type of worm that exists. Almost every long-haired dog was matted down to the skin and had to be shaved. The shelter was free-feeding the dogs because every time they refilled a bowl, the dogs would reflexively rush for the food and fight. A dozen or so dogs were skin and bones –clearly, the ones who couldn’t or wouldn’t fight for their share.

There were also a few dogs with injuries and others with severe skin problems.

There were also three litters of puppies, and many intact dogs. The “rescue” charged $250 to $350 per dog; according to the Petfinder.com description of this “rescue” facility, the “adoption fee” helped pay for “neuter/rabies/dhlp [sic]/bordatella [sic]/worming/frontline, microchip, grooming, and heartgard.” If those things were done at all, they must have been done just after a dog was paid for.

The shelter, in contrast, actually does all those things before a dog is adopted. And it charges $80 for most dogs – small or large, cute or not. There are exceptions: the director frequently waives fees if it helps place a dog in a qualified home.

I’ll write more about this subject in the December issue. I’ll pass along information from experts on how to determine if a “rescue” is truly rescuing dogs, or profiting from their misery. For example, the owner/operator of the “rescue” conducted monthly adoption events at WalMart and Petco; in fact, potential adopters were always met elsewhere, not at the “rescue” facility. That should have been a warning sign right there.

Finally, I’ll ask Petfinder.com what, if anything, it can do to weed out losers like this one. And not just Petfinder; I’ve been told there are equally bad actors among the “breed rescues” listed on the American Kennel Club’s website.