They are taking my dog!

[mhailey]

When we moved into our new home, with a great big backyard, we decided we were going to get a dog. we did not want to go to a pet store, when so many dogs need good homes, so we went to Golden Retriever Freedom Rescue, and adopted Jake in April of this year, and he is a great dog. We ended up adopting another dog from them, but the second dog was not a good fit, as it was nipping and jumpping up on my two daughters, ages 5 and 3. I called the rescue to say that they needed to take the second dog back, and they started asking us some question about the dogs. One question was how often they are outside. I said that when my wife and I were at work, and when the weather was nice, (ie above 45 degrees), they go outside and play for 4 to 5 hours, tops, and then my wife is home.

They flipped out. they accused us of neglecting the dog, of abusing the dogs, becasue they were outside when we were not home. Nevermind the fact that these dogs have a bed in front of the fireplace, which is on every night. they sleep on the couch, and get regualr, great, exercise. No, they are taking the dogs, or they are going to do unscheduled, supervised vitists, to make sure that we are taking care of the dogs, and if they knock on the door, and no one answers, and the dogs are outside, then they take the dogs. I feel like they are treating us like child abusers.

I am dealing with complete nut jobs, fanatics. I am taking them to court, and forcing them to hire an attorney, and incurr the expenses of it. My legal fees are free. However, even if I win, I will still have this nut job outfit in my life.

I will not be subject to Big Brother looking over my shoulder. These dogs are the most spoiled dogs in existence, and my dad, a veterinarian of 40 years, agrees with that. I AM ****ED OFF!!!!

Matt

[NCRadioMan]

Did you have to sign anything when you adopted them. If so, look at it closely to see if there is a clause about this situation. If not, get a lawyer and call the local tv news station and tell them about it and write to the editor in your local paper.

[piperman]

My dogs are outside the whole time while the wife and I are at work, they get allot more exercise out side than they do inside. Put a lock on your gate and if they break it to get the dogs call the cops for breaking and entering. That is BS it is making me mad thinking about it.

[mrreindeer]

Originally Posted by piperman

My dogs are outside the whole time while the wife and I are at work, they get allot more exercise out side than they do inside. Put a lock on your gate and if they break it to get the dogs call the cops for breaking and entering. That is BS it is making me mad thinking about it.

I'm with Randy; that's freakin' nuts.

[itsme_timd]

Heck, I think my dog WISHES I'd leave her outside more. If the weather is nice she'd much rather be outside than in. Sorry to hear of your troubles.

[Puro_Angler]

I totally agree with you; Some of these people are nut jobs. I just adopted a 7 month old boxer pup that was previously neglected (tied up to a tree without food/water). The folks at the shelter gave me a very hard time about my wanting to keep him outside during daylight hours. Keep in mind that the coldest it will ever get here is about 45 deg and that is rare. No matter that I have a huge backyard surrounded by cedar fence, these people denied my application right in front of me. It took a lot of negotiating before I finally took him home. Now I have to keep him in a kennel while we're at work. The dog hates the kennel and would be much more pleased outside where he is able to run and play with all his toys, but that was the agreement. Adopting a dog from a shelter can be so discouraging that it makes you wonder who's best interest these people have in mind.

[ucla695]

That’s ridiculous. Do they also require a certain number of minimum visits to a doggie spa each month? Do you have to cook your dog dinner too? WTF?! They are animals and not people! They should be treated well, but aren’t necessarily entitled to the same treatment as humans. What gets me is that some people treat their pets better than they do other people. I guess it’s a matter of perspective.

[Kayak_Rat]

That seems a tad......well stupid. Our shelter was just thrilled we were interested instead of buying a bred dog. I really cant imagine them actually doing anything, but like NC said, double check your paper work.

FWIW, our two dogs have been outside in rain, snow, wind and sun. They are animals afterall. They stay outside while we are gone. whther its 20 minutes or 20 hours.

[DonWeb]

A dog is better inside? in one of those doggie pens?

I think not!

Have at em - I say.

[Cigary]

Originally Posted by NCRadioMan

Did you have to sign anything when you adopted them. If so, look at it closely to see if there is a clause about this situation. If not, get a lawyer and call the local tv news station and tell them about it and write to the editor in your local paper.

Good idea,,,let the public at large know what these jokers are trying to pull. Maybe try one more time to let these yoyos know what you will do and it they want bad publicity then they have to deal with the fallout. They are straining at a nat and swallowing a camel as they say. Good luck to you.

[wolfman]

Well guys I am not going to get into this and start a big argument, but we do dog rescue and You may not see the whole picture. Most of these people have spent their own money and time to get these dogs out of quite often terrible situations. I have driven 8 to 10 hours to take a dog to a safe location. nursed dogs back to health that were due to be put to sleep by the shelter and spent 100's of dollars of my own money to help a dog find the right home. So they are dedicated but not nut jobs. I am pretty sure if you read your contracts you will find that the clause is going to be spelled out about leaving unattended dogs alone. It should also say in your contract that you give the organization permission to enter your property and remove a dog if it is not being cared for in the manner that was agreed to in the contract. The problem with having dogs out while you are gone is that all kinds of things can happen. I saw a dog who was left unattended get something wrapped around his tail and nearly rip it off. The dog was hurt and bleeding for 6 hrs before the owner finally came home, and his tail had to be amputated. Things can get into the yard while you are gone. I have seen dogs get bit by rattlesnakes attacked by rabid raccoons and foxes and also seen them poisoned by neighbors and taunted by kids. You have to understand that as rescuers our main concern is the dog, we have invested a considerable amount of time, energy, love and money into these animals and we don't want them to be put into situations where they may be hurt again.

[Kayak_Rat]

Originally Posted by wolfman

Well guys I am not going to get into this and start a big argument, but we do dog rescue and You may not see the whole picture. Most of these people have spent their own money and time to get these dogs out of quite often terrible situations. I have driven 8 to 10 hours to take a dog to a safe location. nursed dogs back to health that were due to be put to sleep by the shelter and spent 100's of dollars of my own money to help a dog find the right home. So they are dedicated but not nut jobs. I am pretty sure if you read your contracts you will find that the clause is going to be spelled out about leaving unattended dogs alone. It should also say in your contract that you give the organization permission to enter your property and remove a dog if it is not being cared for in the manner that was agreed to in the contract. The problem with having dogs out while you are gone is that all kinds of things can happen. I saw a dog who was left unattended get something wrapped around his tail and nearly rip it off. The dog was hurt and bleeding for 6 hrs before the owner finally came home, and his tail had to be amputated. Things can get into the yard while you are gone. I have seen dogs get bit by rattlesnakes attacked by rabid raccoons and foxes and also seen them poisoned by neighbors and taunted by kids. You have to understand that as rescuers our main concern is the dog, we have invested a considerable amount of time, energy, love and money into these animals and we don't want them to be put into situations where they may be hurt again.

I 100% honor your point and for the most part agree. The issue I have with this is there is just as much to fear from leaving a dog inside as outside. Chemicals, soaps, cleaners, clothes, etc. I have rescued a few dogs myself and understand the idea of making sure they are cared for, I just dont see a place to draw the line either way.

[rolokatz]

equal arguments from both sides of the fence. Due to the legaleze attached to the adoption forms at several of the local shelters, and that they MUST (and I do know it's for their efforts in rescuing the dog and getting it healthy again) use their own definition of a 'safe' environment, I simply won't approach those shelters should I be interested in getting another dog.

My dogs are both happy and healthy. I don't have a fence, so they don't get to run around as much as they'd like (or that i'd like them to). They are mostly obedient, and they are friendly. And i'm sure that there is more than a few times each month that I've 'violated' the adoption agreement for my one 'rescued' pup (but definately not for the store-bought one, since they had almost no requirements at all when I got her)...

our last few animals (cats) were from homes where they animal would have gone to a shelter/put down if someone hadn't decided to 'adopt' them. It's a different type of rescue, and I find it a whole bunch more friendly and equally satisfying...

[Theophilus]

Originally Posted by Kayak_Rat

I 100% honor your point and for the most part agree. The issue I have with this is there is just as much to fear from leaving a dog inside as outside. Chemicals, soaps, cleaners, clothes, etc. I have rescued a few dogs myself and understand the idea of making sure they are cared for, I just dont see a place to draw the line either way.

Where do you draw the line?

[Little General]

A nice statement from your vet may help. If they are willing maybe even a quick on-site check-up may be even better.