Dog adoption application denied. Seriously?

I'm sitting here just flabbergasted.

About a month ago we lost our female pack member to old age. We have two male dogs who seem to miss the presence of a girl dog as much as I do. Through my grief and ready to take on a fresh challenge, I've been trolling Petfinder looking for potential 'applicants' for my open position. Now, the four preceding dogs we've adopted have been from local humane societies, but the current trend is many of their dogs wind up being taken by outside rescues. The 'inventory' at the societies is actually somewhat slim pickings, hence my Petfinder meandering. I found three dogs at one rescue that appeared to be likely candidates. I inquired if not having a fenced yard was a deal breaker and was assured it was not. So I filled out a very lengthy application, honestly, with everything they wanted including references. They require a home visit, which I fully expected to come shortly. This was Sunday. Today I got a form denial email. I was blown away. Something on that application must have shot me, but I will never know what it was. They tell you quite plainly on the app that, if denied, they do not explain why (and there are some good reasons for that). But I'm completely at a loss how my wife and I, experienced used dog adopters four time over who own our own house in the country, and whose veterinarian has said "If I die I want to come back as one of your dogs" was denied a dog adoption.

Another friend of mine, very dog experienced, had attempted to adopt a golden retriever from a rescue. He'd had a golden before. He described the 3 month, hurdle-filled process he had to endure while the rescue tried to decide if he was good enough for one of their dogs. He finally told them to shove it, went to another golden rescue, and had a dog within a week. Now, I know these rescues are doing what, in their minds, are assuring the safety of their charges...but this is getting out of hand. Some of these rescues are charging $300+ for an adult, mixed breed dog in addition to the scrutiny you're placed under. Meanwhile, I can select any dog from my local shelter for 1/3 that and be in/out in a couple hours. I don't think either extreme is necessarily correct, but really...isn't the goal to get more animals into homes?

Reach Out Rescue and Resources of Westminster, MD can go bleep themselves.

Yeah, that's pretty bad. My mom rescued an Akita. This is a breed (I'm sure you know, you sound quite edumacated) that not everybody should have. They just wanted to make sure she had a fenced yard, enough room to run, a good vet and experience with owning an Akita before. She met the criteria, they paid a home visit and she got her doggie.
Seriously, $300 to rescue a dog? At that point, many folks would go to the pound or buy a puppy from a craigslist ad.

I bet Brad and Angelina could adopt 50 dogs tomorrow

For whatever reason, it wasn't meant to be. There is another dog out there that needs your love more. Don't look at it as a denial, but rather an affirmation that you haven't come across the right adoption situation yet.

Good luck, I hope you have better luck with your next rescue.

Go to the pound.

Some of these dog people are getting nuts. We lost Duke to old age. Started looking for a replacement. Rhodesian Ridgebacks (African Lion Dog) are not exactly at every shelter or puppy mill. There's a few breeders around. We contacted them and it was like "you can submit an application to buy one of my puppies." You also had to promise to crate train them, that is, they had to sleep in the house, and the list of BS just went on and on. My wife asked one of them (phone): "You mean you took the toughest breed of dog in the world and turned it into a house dog that can't stay outside?" "Well, they prefer to sleep in the house." They should have been asking for pictures of your couch, as that's what the dog would be chewing in half. They're kinda known for it. Anyway, I looked at a thrifty nickle online site and there was a litter of 4 month old Ridgebacks about an hour from me. Went over there after work and they had the momma and daddy there and hunted hogs with them. I asked for some flea spray to knock a layer off as I wanted to keep the fleas out of the house. They replied (incredulously) "You're gonna let him in the house?!!" I said "just for tonight until he gets used to things..."

What Otto said.

Why jump through hoops for the 33% chance that one of those dogs is the "one"?

My wife and I work with doberman and great pyrenees rescue - the great pyrenees people demand a 6' high fence and have a long in-home interview. The dobe folks just care that you'll do right by the dog. The pyr people do about 15 placements a year. The dobe people do about 300.

I'll be honest, we foster dogs for an outside rescue group. We do have an interview process, but unless there is a red flag right off the bat with the application (i.e. gone 20 hours a day, use dogs for target practice, mad scientist) we usually visit with the person and come to their home to see their living situation. We want to get dogs into a home and get as many out of the kill shelters as possible. A lot of our dogs come with some emotional baggage too, so that can sometimes come into consideration.

I know there are some rescue groups that will not let you adopt if you don't have a fenced in yard or a house of a certain size or some BS. Our group is not like that.

There could be something for sure that shot you in the foot on your application, but it wasn't meant to be. Try again with another group.

Remember, the person losing out is the dog that isn't getting a good home.

In reply to Dr. Hess:

Breeders are berkeleying nuts to begin with. They get all crazy about purity and all they care about is $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

Too much inbreeding comes into purebred breeding too. NOT ALL, but a lot.

Its not just dog people, cat rescue is crazy to for some of the rarer breeds. I rescue Maine Coons, I have had a procession of them. I have even been invited to judge altered division at national shows and I have been turned down before.

Home owner, with long hair experience, heck I have a two national grand champions (Persion, Scottish Fold) from breeders who retired just chilling on my couch at home.

LOL.

Similar story here. My dog at the time was 11 and not much in the mood for catching a frizbie anymore. I figured if I got him a buddy it would keep him from having to entertain the kids and maybe get him some exercise.

I filled out an excruciatingly long app with my vet, references, etc. I had a healthy, happy older dog I raised from a pup to bring to meet other dogs to make sure everyone got along. I was denied. No reason given. From saving a dog. At a kill shelter. What sort of asshattery (love that word) goes on during an application process where I'm not suitable material for ownership of a doomed dog?

It is worse rejection than that time Mary Jane RottenCrotch wouldn't let me take her to the prom.

oldtin wrote: My wife and I work with doberman and great pyrenees rescue - the great pyrenees people demand a 6' high fence and have a long in-home interview. The dobe folks just care that you'll do right by the dog. The pyr people do about 15 placements a year. The dobe people do about 300.

I do know that as a fact too. Some large breeds dog rescues require tall fences.

In reply to Giant Purple Snorklewacker:

I sometimes wonder if they don't look at applications at all. I think they split the stack and have someone with a big rubber stamp that says "DENIED" stamp half of them.

With some groups the reasoning is specific. Great pyrenees are escape artists (we had one that opened the back door of the house, went to the fence gate, unlatched it and let himself out - we had a housepainter actually witness it). It takes a full 6 months for one of those to bond with a new owner and they are a tough, independent breed to train so the rescue group is a pita to deal with. Dobes are much faster to bond and easier to train so different standards.

SBF is right though - what rescue groups want is to place the dog in a good home. I can guarantee there's a dog out there that needs you. Keep looking.

SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: In reply to Dr. Hess: Breeders are berkeleying nuts to begin with. They get all crazy about purity and all they care about is $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. Too much inbreeding comes into purebred breeding too. NOT ALL, but a lot.

I like mutts...generally calmer animals

wearymicrobe wrote: Its not just dog people, cat rescue is crazy to for some of the rarer breeds. I rescue Maine Coons, I have had a procession of them. I have even been invited to judge altered division at national shows and I have been turned down before.

Truth. (Currently house 3 cats, all from Humane Society / Cat Rescues, had one other who passed, one we rescued, fostered for the cat rescue 3 times, and rescued and rehomed a stray; we're crazy ass cat people).

Also, you must post pics of your kitties. Our one that passed was part Maine Coon.

To the OP - You are 100% right, but it's okay. Somewhere out there the "right" dog is waiting for you.

Grtechguy wrote: I like mutts...generally calmer animals

I am a big fan of the mutt too. Certified and Pure Bred are words I associate with cost but not necessarily quality (but possibly inbred retardation and mutation).

Gimme a mix that can jump, run and catch and maybe not shed too much and better still if he came from the pound so all I need to do is make a donation and get rid of the fleas/worms.

Otto Maddox wrote: Go to the pound.

Oh, I'm all over that now. We've adopted four prior dogs from local shelters. You ask anyone who knows my wife and I and how we treat our dawgs, they'll be as shocked as I that we didn't get past the dopey application process. Heck, I was even on the fundraising committee at the one local shelter for a few years. I think I'm so pissed off because it's just insulting, and to me it's denying a dog a good home.

But, as someone suggested, it perhaps was not meant to be. I don't pick dogs from photos anyway, so there was no guarantee the three candidates would have been acceptable to me (I need to 'click' with a dog; I refused two at one shelter so far). I'm fitting a dog in with two others, so it's a little more complicated. We'll keep looking but 90% of the shelter dogs around here right now are pit bull/Amstaff mixes and I'm just not into those. Call me a dog racist, but that's not the kind I go for. We lean toward the other hard-to-adopt ones: adult or older black dogs of medium to large size. Mixed breeds, not purebreds. My recently deceased former death-row inmate girl: My last adoption; he came to us at age 10. He's now 11 and still truckin':

Devil's advocate; I can see having some requirements before purchasing/adopting a dog. How many people got knee deep in frustration after buying a Jack Russel after seeing one on Fraser? Or torturing a dog like a husky by keeping it in an apartment.

You are not this person. But too many people are.

The neighbors have a Jack Russel that somebody else didn't want. I love that dog.

I have a Shorkie. It is half E36 M3zu and half yorkie. Is that not bad assed? We go hunting. I don't even take a gun. Lucy just kills the deer with a swat or two.

Like that one, but grown now. This is what happens when your wife and two small daughters pick out the dog. My only requirement was that we get a rescue dog. Somehow they found this one that was picked up by the police at a puppy mill gone horribly wrong (dead dogs in a pile in the corner, closets full of stacked to the ceilings rabbit crates with dogs in them, etc.) Somehow, I've grown really attached to that little dog.

Appleseed wrote: How many people got knee deep in frustration after buying a Jack Russel after seeing one on Fraser?

Jacks rule. My recently deceased pooch was half-JR and that was the half that did all the rodent murderin', frisbie catching, and jogging with me for 12 out of the 14yrs he lived.

The other half just laid in front of the fire. That is why you get a mutt. Because sometimes... you need a few minutes rest.

Otto Maddox wrote: It is half E36 M3zu ...

That right there is funny.

Sorry to hear it did not work out. If you feel you have been wronged, counter with a letter of recommendation from the vets that you mentioned or such.
Or, just move on.
I highly recommend your local Craigslist in the top left section of "community" -> "pets"
After the passing of my pound puppy terrier that I had for 13yrs, we found a full bread and papered Cairn Terrier via CL. I am not one for paying for dogs and do not need full bread but the $300 we paid was a value for a 8 month dog who had full records and shots as well as had already been fixed. We would have spent more than that on a "free" dog in vet bills.
It was sort of a typical case of cute and really small puppy became larger and quite time consuming older puppy and owner #1 was not up to the task. Both the dog and us are blessed with a better situation and I speak for the dog when I say we both could not be happier.

I can actually make a pretty good guess as to why you got turned down. You're out of state. ROR and our the local animal shelter both (they work hand in hand) delight in taking back animals and pressing false abuse charges against the owners. Harder to do when the adoptee is out of state.

And, btw, no fence, no dog, no exceptions. That's with both ROR and the shelter.