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BUT WHAT IF I DON'T WANT A PUPPY?
Many older puppies and adult dogs find
themselves homeless through no fault of their own. There
are many people in WS/WGSD rescue dedicated to finding
permanent and loving homes for these dogs.
Here's some more background about the "rescue" philosophy
and how rescue organizations work, written by Denise Tuttle
I have seen some posts recently about
rescue dogs & people who were concerned about health
issues. Naturally we can not guarantee hips, health, etc. on
these dogs but there are many purebreds with AKC papers that are
available through rescue. Many have OFA certifications in
their background.
Presently I am fostering a spay female purebred, born 5/31/01 with
AKC papers & 5 generation pedigree. I did get in contact
with the breeder, but sad to say, she was not willing to take this
dog into her home. I even suggested to her that she might
check to see if she could board this gal at her vet's office or
where ever until a home was found, but that was not an option for
her.
This dog was going to wind up in the dog pound if she was not
fostered. The breeder was fully aware of this but still
refused to take a dog of her own breeding in.
Meredith Rubar said it perfectly...."If you don't rescue,
please don't breed."
As most of you are aware, I have been a breeder of WGS for 30
yrs. One of my commitments of being a breeder is also being
involved with rescue. There are several other breeders
that are also involved with rescue, or at least take back dogs of
their breeding that need homes.
I am sure you will be able to find an excellent dog to add to your
family. We do screen each applicant thoroughly, by taking an
application, checking out their references, plus do a vet reference
to make sure that they have provided proper veterinary care for
their past animals & we also do a home visit. This might
sound "drastic" to some, who could just call (some)
breeder & reserve or purchase a pup with no questions asked, but
we need to make sure that each & every dog goes to a good home
as we want a permanent placement for each dog we foster.
Many people think that rescue dogs are a "free to good
home" dog. Each rescue group or person working in rescue
either asks for a donation or has a set fee for each dog adopted
out. This is not money in their pocket either, as all rescue
dogs need to be spay/neutered, plus getting Up To Date on
shots & making sure they are Heartworm negative. If we
take in a HW positive dog, it could cost well over 300.00 just for
the treatment & our out of pocket expenses are normally
exceeding the adoption fee we charge for the dog. If we
take in a dog that need minimal expenses, we are lucky & helps
us re-coup some of the expenses on a dog that we spent over 600.00
in vet bills to get the dog in good health.
In ending...please consider a rescue dog for your next addition to
your family. There are so many wonderful dogs out there
that are just waiting for a new home. You will be saving a
dogs life & also will receive many years of love from this dog.
Sincerely,
Denise Tuttle
WGS Rescue
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