In the United States, at the age of 18 you are legally an adult. You can vote, go to war, adopt a human child, donate blood, rent an apartment, get married, buy a house, buy a car, smoke cigarettes and more… but some animal rescues won’t let you give a dog that is in dire need of a new life, a loving home.
Why is it that some people in society make you feel guilty with all those sad doggy commercials or have #adoptdontshop campaigns, but when you actually try to rescue a pup it is next to impossible? It seems like these shelters would rather keep dogs in crowded cages or foster homes instead of giving them a new life. Nowadays, you have to go through and pass multiple steps in order to even be allowed to meet a dog in person. They check past vet history if you have had dogs in the past, they call all your references, they have to conduct multiple phone interviews, they call your landlord and HOA or don’t even call and find your HOA rules online and go with that; they schedule home visits and more, but you can’t even meet the dog until you pass all their criteria… is this too thorough? Is this too picky?
I have already been disqualified simply because I am not 25 years old yet. It doesn’t matter to them that I have my own home or that I make pretty decent money during the month or that I am a genuine loving and responsible human being. Age is just a number. But to some animal rescues, that is sadly all that they care about.
The next issue that disqualifies you is that if you live in a condo, apartment or you don’t have a backyard then they won’t let you rescue. It doesn’t matter to them that you are probably the most active person they have ever met and the dog will get more exercise than just walking around a backyard by themselves. They seem to have this stigma that dogs can’t adapt to other lifestyles while being cared for. They have this notion that only people with yards can have dogs. As long as the owner of the animal makes accommodations and the pupper isn’t stuck in a small apartment all day, then why can’t a person in a condo adopt and rescue a dog? These are all questions that should be asked in an interview instead of just reading an application and automatically disqualifying a person that could give that dog a better second chance.
At a lot of rescues you can only look online at animals available for adoption and then you have to schedule an appointment and still go through all the processes until you can even try to meet a dog and see if there is a connection at all.
These are just few ways to be unnecessarily disqualified from rescuing an animal. There are some other ways as well that I am sure other wannabe animal rescuers have come across. But it makes me angry because there are so many animals that need homes and yet rescues and shelters make it next to impossible to do so. It makes you want to give up and just buy a puppy from a breeder or online anyways.
This will be an unpopular opinion but when it comes to getting an animal, do what you have to do to get what you need. If you need a certain breed and you can’t rescue then do your research and make sure that you are getting the animal from a reputable breeder or shop that isn’t a mill. If you can rescue, then please, rescue or foster all the animals that you can. Some people just cannot take on responsibilities like that. In any way though, do what is best for you and for your lifestyle and needs. Research the true meaning behind the #adoptdontshop campaign and most likely you won’t agree with it because it is not exactly what you think it is.
Regardless of what your needs for an animal are, whether its for services, a pet, a family animal or a companion, do not get discouraged when rescues deny you the ability to save a furry four-legged life. Chances are, a puppy in a window, a breeders new litter or another shelter has the right pupper for you. And in time, you will find the perfect match.
