Rescue is rescue right?
I called a Persian rescue center yesterday morning, to ask about a 12 mnth lilac smoke spayed girl needing a home. We are set up for another Persian puss as we already have a 7yr old rescue called Lulu, whose undersized and runt like due to her very bad start, but never the less, adored by my 21 yr old daughter who always puts Lulu first. If it wasn't for her love and dedication all those years ago when we first brought her home, all scraggy and bones, I'm sure Lulu would of been toast. Antway, the rescue center promised to call me back, but there wasn't a call. When I called them, they said the message had not been passed on and they had just let the cat go to another couple! And sorry. Ok it happens I thought, then this morning there was a call from the rescue. "We have a 3 yr old cream boy, we are charging £140.00" A bit suprised, taken unawares, and remembering my huge persian cream boy from years ago, I asked in one sentance, "He's older than I would of liked....is he a big guy? I ask because we have a very small Lulu" Immediatley, the lady took offence and snapped back, that I was being far to fussy and slammed down the phone. Funnily enough she then called back, thinking I was another number, "Yes" I said, "I am the lady you just spoke to" She growled back in discust and slammed down the phone on me again! It's a good job that I have met a lot of mad animal people in my time or I could of been quite offended myself. Why are a lot of rescue people like this, when it's these type of people who emphasise that as a new owner you should ask this and that etc before buying a puppy or kitten. That you should never take the resposibility lightly. I find this quite often when we are researching and asking the relivance questions, both from breeders, but mostly rescue. Some people seem to appear offended that you have the cheek to ask. OK, I don't mess and I always ask before I make that journey, why waste their time, by saying no on the doorstep?  As it is now, I won't bother with the recue centers and I will take my cash and buy, which is a shame as we are experienced with rescue both dog and cat, and come to think of it goat too! I'm just fed up with these people and their snotty attitude. I'm intrested though, is it just me, or what experiences have you all had?

To be honest, if someone on the phone said to me "is he a big guy? I ask because we have a very small Lulu" I'd think I was speaking to a pervert and it was turning into an obscene phone call!

Yes I seem to remember Jade Goodie using that phrase :o :D :D

Whooops,....what r you like???

All my cats are rescue but the cats have always found us! the only time I have rung them is to make sure no one has reported loosing them before they 'moved in' and have found them reasonably friendly.

Maybe its the fact that they see such neglect. Very sad.

We have a new visitor at the moment not sure if it is a stray ..hanging around our house day-night for the last week or so decided to give it (not sure of sex) some food last night as sitting out in the pouring rain aaahhh wont let us get too close but ate all the food.
Already have 4 cats cant really take another one (I'll be getting nicknamed 'cat woman' ) might think about ringing them there.. rescues to see if anyone has reported it missing!!

Hope you find a friend for LULU

Roni

Well personally my first thought would have been the caller wanted to BREED! Hence the query about the boy's size.THAT could very well have been the misunderstanding! I also have a sneaky suspiscion I know which rescue this is, and it would NOT be their normal way UNLESS they believed the caller was after something else -it happens all the time to them, people thinking they can get a rescue cheaply to breed from.

Uh, she already said he was done and I have never bred.

Well it was just a thought.

A friend of mine has done dog rescue for years, and if you phone her she answers in an abrupt manner.Now I know her so I laugh, but I think she has ended up this way because of the amount of people wanting to get rid of their dogs. I think it has ground her down to be honest.
She wont do home checks without anyone else with her now, as she made a 'mistake' a few years back, and has lost her self-confidence.
Still no excuse though, and if you have lost the will to deal with the public then maybe its time to let someone else do it.
I think its great that you raised your concerns, and least you were making sure that the cat and yourself had every chance of a lifetime home together.
Maybe you could speak to her again, after all if its a great home that you can offer, then it would be a shame for the cat to miss out.
Maybe she was having an off day, I know my friend does all the time, with other stuff going on in her life.
Good luck.

As it is now, I won't bother with the recue centers and I will take my cash and buy,

I don't want to put anyone off getting a rescued Persian, but also bear in mind Viv that if you get a rescue when it is a PERSIAN you take 50/50 chance at least of that cat having PKD and only living for a short while (anywhere between 12 months and 7 years normally), whereas with a breeder you insist on getting copies of both parents negative test results and play safe.

Thanks Goldmali, I remember that and do a bit more researching and searching, though I'll have to be very very carefull about what  ask.

Perhaps if you'd mentioned that for you this is a life-long commitment, the rescue people wouldn't mind you then grilling them ;)  I did this when we got our first Bedlington as a pup (from the breeder) I apologised for all the questions and for taking my time over the decision but it was a 16 year decision I was making ;)  we got the pup :D :D

Perhaps if the rescue people took their time to remember that the caller may be nervous, and listened to the caller before making a judgement it would help. I feel sorry for people in genuine circumstances that have to give up their dog/cat or whatever when they are treated badly on the phone when they ring a rescue center to find a new home for their animal. After all, if you look on the rescue dogs websites, they make it sound as if you are doing exactly the right thing to go to them if you need to rehome your dog, the responsible thing to do, and they will welcome them with open arms. Likewise, they want new owners to come forward to give these dogs a new home. Vetting is a two way thing, and both should be treated with respect. Even if someone is getting rid of the dog just because they don't want it any more, so what? At the end of the day it's the dogs welfare that should come first, not a personal view of the person taking the call. rescue centers are charities, to which people donate money thinking that the dog of their breed should it need a new home will be catered for, so a home should be offered without critising the person ringing in. Otherwise, I would ask if the advertising given out by rescue centers is accurate? What is someone to do if the attitude makes them turn away from rescue? is it another dog left to roam on some moorland, or sold/ given away on a website or free paper?

Yes, I understand that it is heart breaking to have dogs handed in that are no longer wanted, and it must stress out the rescue people that handle the calls, but they must remember that the options for the dog/cat/whatever, could be dire if the owner cannot find a home.

Likewise, those looking to offer a home should be treated with respect also. They should be listened to, and not just cut off if the animal offered is not exactly what they are looking for. After all, would it be a good idea for someone to give a home to an animal just because its there at the moment, regardless of wether it actually suits what the owner is actually looking for? Surely it would be best to keep this person 'on the books' in case the next one that turns up fits the bill? With a bit if chat, it may well be that the person looking to offer a home may well give consideration to something a little older, or younger, etc given the choice and by talking.

It seems a shame to me that anyone should be turned away because of lack of communication.

I think it's probably more a case of some people having appalling people skills than rescue centres in general being rude.

I, personally would not accept being spoken to in this way (or being hung up on) and would take it further - I would certainly point out to the rescue centre that due to the telephone calls you feel that purchasing from a breeder would be a better option.

Perhaps if the rescue people took their time to remember that the caller may be nervous, and listened to the caller before making a judgement it would help. I feel sorry for people in genuine circumstances that have to give up their dog/cat or whatever when they are treated badly on the phone when they ring a rescue center to find a new home for their animal.

However ideal this is I think you might never have been actively involved in rescue

A lot of owners contacting me recently wanting rid of their dogs start the conversation like this

"Is that the Alsatian place"
"We are the fund raising part of GSD rescue"
"I've got a XX year old dog you have to rehome"
"You need to contact our kennels"
"So when are you coming to pick it up"
"You will need to contact our kennels to see if there is room & they cannot collect dogs unless they are in the XXXX area"
"You've no need to sapeak to me like that you HAVE to collect this dog now"
"We only raise the money for the rescue you will need to contact the kennels I'll gove you the number"
"You aren't listening to me YOU HAVE TO GET THIS DOG NOW"
"I'm sorry we only raise funds for the rescue, you'll have to speak to Mrs XXXX, she has the kennels & knows if there is room"
"Some BL**DY RESCUE I'll have it put down then"phone slams down

Trouble is a lot of people don't think about the dog before buying it & when they have a totally out of control(& often aggressive)badly bred dog they want to offload their mistake asap & it is them who do not listen.

The latest popular reason is the dog isn't theirs & belongs to a relative who has just died, not one call with this reason but 7 this week

There are the stock reasons of course being allergic, emigrating tomorrow, house being repossessed, being pregnant & not able to cope(the latest was a 7 month pregnant woman with a 5 month old puppy ???? why get a puppy knowing you are pregnant ???) etc etc etc

One lady rang up obnviously distressed, her home was being repossessed & she had an 8 year old bitch No she didn't want to "get rid"but was looking for a possible long term boarding at a reduced rate as the cheapest she had found wanted £100 a week. after 15 calls from dubious owners this was genuine & yes her dog is the boarding part of our rescue ladies kennels at a lot less that £100 a week & the bitch is a "love"according to the kennel help

Call number 4 today is just coming in now !!

I don't envy anyone actively involved in taking rescue calls, to be honest! Only I've heard plenty of bizarre stories from breeders and these are presumably from people attempting to prove their suitability to have pups. Not people who are attempting to offload them!!

I also think that whilst, in an ideal world, everyone would be courteous at all times, we don't live in an ideal world and certainly, without the many unpaid hours that volunteers give to rescue centres they'd wind up altogether. So yes, you might come across someone whose "people" skills don't come up to perfect scratch but it's worth remembering what they have to put up with too!

Yes, well regarding the 'Alsation' call, that was one that would have been difficult for anyone, because if the caller won't listen, what can you do to help. I don't think the reason for wanting to rehome should come into it though. No matter that the lady is pregnant (and was so , providing she knew, when she purchased the puppy) or that the owner has decided the child is allergic, no matter what sorry excuses there are, at the end of the day that dog needs a new home, and hard as it may be I think that the owners need to be spoken to civily, and the most important thing-the dog-is taken in and looked after.

Do rescue center take dogs that have a difficult nature? Bitten, hyper-active etc or only the dogs without problems? If someone has a problem with their dog, and rescue won't take it, why not and what do the rescue centers advise the owner to do?

No, I havn't taken calls for a rescue center, but i worked for 9 years in circumstances where a good phone manner was essential regardless of how stressed out it made you feel.

Ive taken rescue calls for many years, and yes  I am always courteous.I dont care why someone wants to part with their dog.If they have got to the point of making the telephone call ,then the  dog needs assistance.
However in this case, it wasnt an animal being rung in, it was a potential home being offered. Being rude to this person was not helping the cat.If this cat wasnt suitable then maybe another one was.
I know it can be quite stressful doing rescue, but I think if you get to this point of rudeness its best to take time out and let someone else field the calls for a while.

I think that the owners need to be spoken to civily, and the most important thing-the dog-is taken in and looked after.

Sadly most phone calls are from people who just want rid & they think if they give an excuse it will be immediately rehomed as of course rescues have queues of people just waiting for their dog & vast kennels laying empty plus money to excess. Our breed rescue doesn't we are allowed 13 dogs in the kennels, lots of people in fact the vast majority of people want young dogs/puppies with no hang ups & money er no only what we beg, borrow or have donated probably less than a couple of thousand a year to look after & pay for vets bills for maybe 300+ dogs a year that go through the kennels

Do rescue center take dogs that have a difficult nature? Bitten, hyper-active etc or only the dogs without problems? If someone has a problem with their dog, and rescue won't take it, why not and what do the rescue centers advise the owner to do?

We cannot legally take any dog that has bitten because if is rehomed & bites again our rescue would be open to being sued(happened to another GSD rescue) Problems by the score cruelty, neglect health problems, behavioural problems(other than biting)yes. Our rescue lady has a "white"GSD that hates other dogs so he lives in the house & her own dogs in her private kennels, it isn't possible for him to be rehomed. We spend hours giving advice & open reason so many are unwanted is the owners have never bothered to train them or go to a training club even for basic training. They never contact the breeder because the rescue should take any & all dogs in because it is their job

No, I havn't taken calls for a rescue center, but i worked for 9 years in circumstances where a good phone manner was essential regardless of how stressed out it made you feel.

Tell me about that I worked for 30+ years for the DWP(in all it's previous guises)& had to take verbal, mental & even physical abuse without the right to reply or defend oneself. I've been swore at, racially abused, had people attempt to stab/slash me & been rendered unconcious & in order to keep my job had to remain silent & not offered any defence. Stress by the bucketful & the best thing they did was sack me for being medically inefficient due to an RIS they caused but do not recognise in their employees. Try answering the phone every single day for 8 hours to have people screaming abuse because they have been caught breaking the law-now that is stressful

As to the call I had yesterday re the "Alsatian" it is typical of people wanting rid of their dogs-rehoming is a word the callers rarely use Getting rid/shot of/dispose of is much more the norm

Snap Moonmaiden.  Had to be driven home once from work after a disgruntled person who came in to claim that day expecting a counter payment, and would stb me for not ensuring he got it.

It was not long after I left London for good

Perhaps, then, the wording on the websites needs to be such that it states it may not be possible to take all dogs, rather then leaving it open to say they will, and make it quite plain why. What advice is given to someone who has a 'bitey' dog? What do you tell them to do with it? I can understand the fury that must be felt if someone just wants to 'dump' the dog, but for most I would think its a difficult decision to make, and they may sound weepy or even agressive with the first phone call, a calm polite answer may take the sting out of it all. At the end of the day, the dog is suffering here, the owners attitude should be secondary.I must say, from what i have read both in print and on websites, it reads that the sensible and responsible thing to do is to take the unwanted dog to rescue, and they will be more than willing to take it. recalling the link regarding the GS puppy, that was jumping up and nipping the young daughter and the owner wanted his money back after 4 days, it was suggested that if he didnt want to give it back to the breeder the responsible thing to do was to take it to rescue.This is an opinion held by many, if there is a problem rescue are the correct people to help. Obviously, the breeder should be the first port of call, but if they refuse to take the offer the breeder makes, or the breeder cant take the dog back, what then?

if someone is offering a home, would it not be best to be polite, and maybe visit the home offered, to establish why the person wants a certain size/age etc? if homes are so difficult to find, holding onto an offered one must be a good idea. I personally know of a few people who have dogs, that would have given a rescue dog a good home but, because they were promised forms that never arrived, and their phone calls were never returned, and in one instance a lady was asked quite impolitley,why she wanted another dog when she had 3 already (she had a large property, plenty of ground, kids left home, lots of time and experience with dogs, and loves dogs, of which she now has 5 happy, contented dogs of all ages) because of all this they have either purchased a puppy, or an older dog advertised in the local paper, or gone to a dogs home. It seems a shame when there are obviously animals in kennels wanting homes yet because of lack of phone communication they remain there. Not everyone is good at explaining themselves on the phone, and it seems a shame homes are lost through this, and in turn rescue gets a bad name.

i too have taken calls and personally dealt with people that only wish to abuse me, it is difficult, to say the least, and exceptionally stressful. But, if this is the chosen career, then that is part and parcel of it. i would say that if someone finds thenselves unable to cope with the calls from rescue perhaps a break or less hours would be called for.

I think you will find that 99% of the time rescue people are polite & helpful

As to the websites stating that not all dogs can be accepted then it would need a list of reasons why of course. I'm honest with people when they ring up as is our lady who runs the rescue We have 13 kennels & ergo only 13 dogs can be in the kennels at one time & there is always a waiting list for dogs to came in but not always a waiting list for a suitable dog.

As for people wanting dogs how about this call
"Do you you do Great Dane Rescue?"
Friend who does rescue"Yes"
" Oh good I'd like to rescue a dane"
"OK, are you interested in a dog or bitch ?"
"Oh a bitch, has to be a show marked Harlequin aged between 1 1/2 & 2 & with a nice pedigree"
"I would like a bitch like that too, you do realize all our rescue bitches are spayed"
phone slams down at the callers end!!

I'll say no more

I've not had with dog rescue calls but did work in a call centre for nearly 11 years (for my sins I think).

The problem with dealing with the public on the phone is that it doesn't matter how polite you are if they don't like what you are saying they get frustrated and angry and quite often then just plain downright obnoxious.  I have been verbally abused on many many occasions in the course of my job inthe call centre and I can say with hand on heart I was polite even while being abused (well maybe there were a handful of calls where I nearly lost it).  Sometimes these particular callers will call back and complain about the person taking the call and it's gobsmacking to hear the lies they say in order to achieve some sort of sick retaliation.

Oh yes, just to add - people don't listen.  You say something and end up saying the same thing re-phrased a number of times until in the end you just end up repeating the same thing over and over

Oh yes, just to add - people don't listen.

That is so very true they hear what they want to hear

I've had cause recently to ring a good few organisations(including my ex employers )as a customer & you can hear the relief in their voices when the person on the other end of the phones realizes thast I know where they are coming from & am listening to what they are saying !

"if someone is offering a home, would it not be best to be polite, and maybe visit the home offered, to establish why the person wants a certain size/age etc?"

I'd say nice in theory but not always feasible.  I run a Boxer rescue and cannot tell you the amount of awful phone calls and terrible applications that we get.  Just because a home is offered does not mean it is right for a particular breed, or any dog for that matter, and to waste my time doing a home visit wouldn't make sense.

The goal of rescue, typically, is to place the animal into it's 'forever' home.  Not a temporary, semi-permanent, or week long home.  If the application, which is the first step, is terrible, it goes no further.  I have 3 people, including myself, right now, that cover my whole state.  If an application is good, but not right for the particular dog(s) we have, we let the people know to keep checking the website and that we will keep them in file.  If something comes along that is better suited to their family, we will continue with the adoption process.

I, personally, don't mind if people are picky.  In fact, on our application, it asks what their preferences are.  I would rather they got something as close in age as they were looking in order to make the adoption a good, lasting one. 

We've had quite a few people call that want to turn in their Boxer because he's bitten their child...but he's just the best dog EVER!!  :rolleyes:  What we do is continue to talk to the people and usually end up getting more to the story than the one bite.  They are then advised that we cannot take on a known biter/aggressive dog due to the legal liability.  We suggest a trip to the vet and a behaviorist.  If it's a case of the child provoking the dog, we also advise that a child needs to be taught respect right along with the animal.

I have no problem dealing with phone calls from the public.  However, it is a 'treat me like you want to be treated' type situation.  I will not be cursed at, threatened or otherwise abused by someone that EXPECTS me to take their dog because I'm a rescue.  I am more than happy to talk to someone on the phone and discuss their options, yet I will not be screamed at.  We get several phone calls a day, especially right now because we have puppies.  I've only had a handful of people that have the phone manners of 3 year olds. 

Behaviour Breeds Behaviour
Funny how we Know that in our dogs but we cant seem to use it in our own lives!!?? :rolleyes:

And one reason I hate the telephone so much at times, Imagine if dogs (who have about 30 different calming/ appeasement signals alone in their body language repetiore) had to
rely on that kind of communication!!
:D