Prince Edward Island, the smallest province of Canada, is famous for Anne of Green Gables. Well, Anne and potatoes, but Anne brings in more tourists.
That beloved children’s book was written in 1908. In it, someone in Avonlea is going into Charlottetown, the provincial capital, to pick out an orphan to bring back with them to help with the work on the farm. Matthew Cuthbert asks that a boy be brought back for his farm as well. They get a girl instead, and the rest is fictional history.
Apparently, in 1908, all you had to do to be entrusted with the care and feeding of a child was to drop by the orphanage and pick one up. “Honey, when you’re in town, could you get a loaf of bread, some milk, and oh yeah, an orphan?”
It used to be that way with homeless dogs and cats too. When we decided to get a dog from the Ottawa Humane Society in the mid 1990’s, our son and I went into the shelter, asked for whatever dog had been there the longest, and/or was having the most difficulty finding a home. They showed us Mac in a cage, we collected him, paid the fee and skedaddled on home.
Times have changed.
Screening of potential adopters has become standard both for what I’ll call ‘official shelters’ run by a Humane Society or Society for the Protection of Animals (SPCA) and smaller, volunteer rescue groups.
The aim is to decrease as far as possible the chance that the dogs and cats adopted from the shelter or rescue will end up being returned there.
A study done for the American Humane Society in 2013, found that within six months of adoption from an official shelter, 10% of dogs and cats were no longer in the home they had been adopted to. 42% of these had been returned to the shelter. The rest were lost, died or given away to someone else. Although the parameter of the study was six months after adoption, in fact two-thirds of the animals were no longer with the adoptive home within two months of adoption, and a quarter of them had been disposed of within two weeks of adoption.
A 10% failure rate may not seem like much, until you realise that some 3.2 millions dogs and cats are adopted from official shelters in the U.S. That’s over 300,000 dog and cat adoptions that are not successful. Those numbers make you appreciate the efforts the shelters and rescues make to try to get a successful match.
They will try not just to eliminate the people who obviously shouldn’t be caring for a pet, but to make sure the fit is a good one. The dog with the energetic personality and athletic build should go home with the guy who is looking forward to taking her for a run on the beach every day.
The lethargic, older Pug is perfect for the sedentary person with air conditioning who just wants a quiet, loving companion, and who knows that this breed of dog is prone to heat stroke. If the cat is a Siamese who tries to kill you when he’s stressed, look for an adopter who is wise in the ways of Siamese cats.
Screening is a very good thing, when done sensibly.
But controversy has arisen. Does your home really have to be inspected? Is the lack of a fenced yard a fatal obstacle to adopting any dog?
Some rescues have applied frankly ridiculous standards for adoption. Anecdotal evidence of refusing to allow a Border Collie to be adopted by someone with a farm, because the dog is required to be kept always on lead, or refusing to let someone adopt a cat because they are 60 years old, leaves one scratching their head.
One such controversy is whether people should be allowed to adopt a cat if they intend to let their cat outside. When we first moved to the country, we adopted three cats from our local Humane Society. When we eventually ended up with ten cats we started letting them outside. Our cats were healthy, received regular veterinary check ups, and all their shots were kept up to date. We lived on 100 acres, set well back from the road.
Some time later, I came across an article in the local paper. The Humane Society was now refusing to let anyone adopt a cat if they didn’t agree to keep the cat indoors at all times. The article included an interview with a man who lived on a farm, in circumstances very similar to ours. He had been refused permission to adopt a cat because he intended to let the cat roam on his acreage.
At the time they refused to let a cat go to this home, this no-kill shelter had some 150 cats in two pretty small rooms. Some of those cats had been there for years; some for their entire lives. I found it difficult to understand how a cat’s quality of life could be judged to be better in the cramped quarters of the shelter, with little human contact, than if they were roaming around a farm, owned and cared for by willing and loving owners.
I could go on at great length about the fine line between caring for animals and becoming obsessed to the point of believing no one but you knows what’s bets for them, or can give a cat or dog the life they deserve. It is a genuine problem among rescuers. The Slate article in the link above, quotes a Senior Vice President of the ASPCA as saying that about 25% of 6,000 reported animal hoarding cases were ‘rescuers’.
This at least partially explains why there seem to be some many rescues aside from the official shelters.
Ottawa’s Humane Society has a big new state of the art facility. Yet there are easily a half dozen small rescue groups operating in the area as well.
Some specialise by breed, or by age, or take in special needs dogs and cats. Some take care of feral cats in the outdoors. Some fill the gap when the official shelter runs out of room.
But my experience has been that a large number of small rescues get started because of philosophical differences with the local official shelter, especially when it come to “no kill” policies.
What circumstances warrant a dog or cat being euthanized for behavioural or health problems? What behaviours justify labelling a cat or dog as ‘unadoptable’, or too dangerous to be adopted safely? Balancing the very limited resources available for dog and cat rescue, against the huge populations of homeless animals, how far should one go trying to rehabilitate a dog or cat, before the difficult decision is made to put them down?
All shelters have limited space. How do you justify turning away a sweet natured little dog with no health problems who has lost his home because his owner died, because one of your very limited number of enclosures has been occupied for eight years by an aggressive dog, who can’t seemingly be rehabiliatated no matter how much money has been put into expert help?
The Western Arizona Humane Society has a good explanation of the hard realities, citing the brutal statistics. In the U.S., 64% of all animals in shelters are killed – 56% of dogs and a staggering 71% of cats.
In Canada the situation is much better, but still heartbreaking. In 2015, ‘only’ 21% of cats in Humane Society and SPCA shelters were put down, compared to 54% in 2008. About 10% of dogs were put down. But part of that appears to be because the Humane Societies and SPCAs have started taking cats in only by appointment, only when they have room.
That debate could fill a book.
Aside from assessing a person’s personal suitability to adopt, the issue of finances arises.
A question that seems to be frequently asked is why people have to pay anything for a rescued animal, let alone the often substantial fee being charged by the shelter or rescue group. It’s not unusual to see fees in the range of $175 to $450.
Most reputable shelters and rescues will have already spayed and neutered the dog and cat that is up for adoption. A spay or neuter will cost in the vicinity of $200 to $400, depending on where you live and what clinic you go to. If you are adopting a puppy or kitten too young to be spayed and neutered, you will probably have to sign an undertaking to have it done, and get some sort of certificate towards the cost included in the adoption fee.
I was on the Board of Directors of the Ottawa Humane Society back in the 1990s when it was decided not to let any animal leave the shelter unless it was spayed or neutered, or a spay/neuter fee had been paid and a certificate to have it done had been issued. There was much debate and discussion, with some people worrying that higher fees would discourage adoption. But an unspayed cat allowed to roam outdoors can have two to three litters a year, of two to five kittens each. There is a very good chance those kittens will either end up feral or be surrendered to a shelter. Letting unspayed or unfettered animals leave the shelter just compounds the problem of homeless dogs and cats.
Since you should be having your pet spayed or neutered anyway, it makes sense to include that in the adoption fee.
Add to that the cost of the microchip that will probably be already implanted and the up-to-date vaccinations that will have been done, and your rescue dog or cat is undoubtedly a bargain.
You also have to bear in mind that the shelter or rescue has expenses for the shelter building, staff, food, kitty litter, equipment and so on. Many animals who come to shelters and rescues are sick or injured. Veterinary bills can be astronomical.
Sometimes prices are discounted for special needs dogs or cats, or because the shelter is overcrowded, or for two or more dogs or cats who must be adopted together because they have bonded.
Aside from the hard costs, the fee is a way of showing you’re serious in your commitment to this animal.
Pet costs money. One study suggests the lifetime cost of keeping a dog is between $27,000 and $42,500. Assuming an average life expectancy of twelve years, that would be between $187 and $295 per month. For cats, based on an average life expectancy of 15 years, the comparable costs per month would between $152 and $172.
Lack of sufficient economic resources to care for a dog or cat is one of the top four reasons dogs and cats get surrendered to shelters in the first place.
Letting someone adopt a dog or cat for free only to have it returned to the shelter is literally worse than useless. Every time that animal leaves the shelter for a new home and gets returned, any behavioural issues they already had, like separation anxiety, will get exponentially worse. Their chances of finding a good home diminish further with each unsuccessful adoption.
Let’s say you manage to qualify to adopt a rescue cat or dog. Should you go forward with it? Are there greater problems with a rescue than with an animal bought from a breeder?
A study done by Yasemin Salgirli Demirbas and others from Ankara University in 2014, looked at how the street dogs of Turkey fit into their adoptive homes. The dogs came from shelters, vets or were just picked up from the street. When the dogs first arrived, 75% of them displayed fear and anxiety over things like loud noises or sudden movements. But 69% showed positive changes in their behaviour post-adoption.
The most commonly reported problems were ‘hyperattachment to the owners” (58.7%) on the one hand, and escaping on the other (32%). Interestingly, a 2008 study of pet dogs, rescued or not,, showed that 65% of them followed the owner around the house. It seems that this is not unique to rescue dogs. Some people are actually fine with their dogs wanting to be where they are.
Why, some of us might even suggest that is a desirable characteristic, not a problem.
Some 12% of the rescued dogs in the Ankara study showed aggression, but most of it was towards cats or other dogs.
That study also reported that in 72% of the cases, there were no problems with housebreaking. Leash training was also problem free 65% of the time.
A 2011 study by Dogs Trust in the UK looked at how adult dogs who had been used as breeding stock in puppy mills fared when they were adopted. The study compared these dogs with others of the same breed, age and gender who had not come from puppy mills. The puppy mill dogs had been in their new homes for two years at the time of the study.
Puppy mill dogs had more health problems (23% of puppy mill dogs as opposed to 16% of non-puppy mill dogs) and more behavioural issues. Most of those behavioural problems were fear related. They were sensitive to touch, they were fearful of other dogs and of strangers, they were more prone to obsessive staring and had more housebreaking accidents.
However, many of those dogs were able to overcome their problems and become much loved and loving family pets.
The behaviour issues with rescues, aside from housebreaking and some guarding/aggression with food, beds and toys, tend to revolve around fear and behaviours related to that fearfulness.
Your instinct will be to shower your newly rescued dog with love and attention. But that may very well just freak her out. Give her her own space and let her take her time getting used to you. Don’t overstimulate her. Take her for walks where you can be together but she is not being asked to directly interact with you. Expose her to new situations, people and animals very gradually.
She’ll come to you eventually, once she feels safe.
Or not.
You’ll see a story about the rescue of a dog from horrible circumstances on a website. The dog is still very fearful, crying and running away whenever anyone approaches. You can’t look way. You are certain that if you just show that dog how much you’re in love with her, all her problems will disappear.
It doesn’t work like that. If you decide to take on such a rescued dog or cat, it is imperative that you accept the possibility that they may never show you affection or bond in any way.
Our Annie lived with us for eight years and was still nervous about being approached by The General, especially if he was carrying anything.
I was the only one she accepted as safe, and she would even run from me if I was wearing all black clothing.
Our semi-feral cat Domino would not scratch or bite us, but if we had to pick her up to take her to the vet or to be boarded, she would cringe and her cries would break your heart. At best, she might come and rub against your leg now and then. After ten or so years living with us, if you tried to pat her, she might allow two strokes.
That is something you should be prepared for.
The general consensus seems to be that there is a higher incidence of behavioural problems at least, and possibly health problems as well, in rescued dogs and cats.
But that is the statistical average. On a case by case basis, like Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates, you never really know what you’re getting. Our one and only purebred dog was a bitch to both housebreak and train. Of our four mixed breed shelter/rescue dogs, Taffy had to have both eyes removed due to glaucoma, had blood clotting problems and died young of kidney failure. The others were as healthy as dogs could be. Mac lived to be 16 and in all those years, was at the vet’s once, for pancreatitis, aside from his routine exams.
Some people prefer to buy purebred dogs because “You know what you’re getting”. But, even assuming that is true, is that necessarily a good thing?
First of all, “what you’re getting” with a purebred dog may well be a high risk of inbred health and behaviour problems. When your big dog from the shelter bloats, is it somehow worse than if it happened to your purebred Great Dane (forty times more likely to bloat than a mixed breed dog)? When your purebred Labrador Retriever bites someone, do you feel better because you bought him from a breeder after you’d already read that the highest number of personal injury claims from dog bites in the U.K. involves Labs?
The General was bitten in the face by a visiting Doberman who had just been adopted from a rescue group.The dog growled at him when he entered the interview room. The General left and came back with a homemade dog cookie. When he leaned over to give it to the dog, the Doberman jumped up and bit him near his eye. Fortunately, his glasses took the brunt of it.
Obviously, we declined to take the booking. The owner claimed that the rescue had said nothing about aggression.
We boarded dozens of Dobermans over the years, rescued and purchased from breeders, and this is the only one that showed aggression.
Most were lovable goofballs.
On the other hand, the worst bite The General ever got was from an indubitably purebred dog.
The bottom line is that problems can arise with any individual dog or cat, purebred, mutt or rescued purebred or mutt.
Secondly, if the shelter or rescue is doing their job, they should be able to give you lots of information about how this dog or cat behaves. They may not know its parentage or what problems, physical or otherwise, it’s had in the past. But especailly if it has been fostered for a while, an adult dog from a shelter or rescue may come with far more information about the dog’s personality that you will have acquiring a blank slate puppy or kitten from a breeder or a friend.
Should you adopt a rescued dog or cat?
As with the decision to take responsibility for any dog or cat, think it through. Ask what issues the dog or cat has displayed while with the shelter ore rescue and give very serious consideration to how you will cope them.
There are no guarantees in this adoption business. Anne of Green Gables being a boy was a shock to Matthew and Marilla, but look at how great that worked out. If you choose carefully, there is no reason why you shouldn’t have just as great a relationship with a rescued dog or cat.
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