Pet Adoption Choices: The Pound or the Rescue Group

Adopting a dog or a cat is a big decision. Deciding where you get your new pet from is a choice between the already saved or the ones left behind.

Animal rescue groups do a great service in their efforts to save dogs and cats (even rabbits, ferrets and farm animals) from kill shelters and animal control facilities. Rescue groups naturally either focus on particular breeds or animals they feel have more of a chance of being adopted or accepted into foster care. Many animals don't have the magnetic personality, aren't the right breed, or just aren't there at the right time to be rescued. Future great pets, companions and friends stay in the system - temporarily.

Instead of starting with already "rescued" animals that are in foster homes safe from being euthanized; start with shelters and local animal control facilities. The animals there haven't be so lucky.

Let me put this into a personal perspective.

We started looking for a dog months ago. We began by going to the local pet stores where rescue groups were showing dogs and it became a weekend ritual. Our intent was to keep an open heart and open mind for the right animal. Sure we had some caveats, minimum shedding, female and not over sixty pounds full grown. All reasonable.

At each event there were some fabulous dogs and we had fun playing with them. Puppies to adults to senior dogs. Lots of whippets, labs, shepherds, and little dogs of mixed and pure breed. There were some that grabbed at our hearts. We filled out adoption paperwork and winced at the near three hundred dollar fee that most groups required, only to be turned down. It could take up to two weeks to find out. The reason most often was, "Sorry, we gave her to a family." Two middle-aged adults didn't seem to constitute a family. Each time the volunteer would implore us to "come to our event next weekend."

Okay, so we'd get turned down. In one instance we had even picked a name for the dog. At least the dog was placed and the ones that weren't adopted were being fostered, not going back to a shelter.

Hours were spent on Petfinder.com. We'd find what could have been a suitable dog and call. The dogs could only be viewed at scheduled events and depending on the dog (breed and personality) there could be three or more adoption applications for it.

Hours were spent on craigslist.com but many postings were done by rescue groups and the others were charging varying "rehoming fees". The rule on craigslist is that pets cannot be sold but a nominal "rehoming fee" can be charged. "Rehoming fee" is the pet equivalent of a "shipping and handling fee" on craigslist. Reading through some threads it seems there is quite a few pet scams being perpetrated on the web.

Last weekend, mostly on a whim we went to the St. Louis Animal Control facility, the dreaded Pound. Expecting the worst we were surprised. Caring employees and volunteers, well maintained for a building erected in 1914 and meant to serve for two years housed a lot of animals. 2009 and still going.

We viewed dogs that had been abandoned at Animal Control, found wandering in neighborhoods and fields, and puppies that had been born at the facility. The volunteers were helpful and showed real compassion for all the animals.

We found our dog in kennel #54. She had been there a little over a month. We filled out a simple adoption form and got accepted as the dog's new owners right then and there. She had to be spayed before we could take her home but that was just a couple of days later. All for less than a hundred bucks, such a deal.

We now have a great new friend and companion named River (see the picture). She might have been eventually chosen by a rescue group, but maybe not. She may have languished in that kennel for a long time, or even worse.

Rescue groups do a wonderful service for animals but they may not be the wisest choice to start looking for a pet. Start where the animal has the least opportunity. You'll be glad you did. So will the animal.