One of the main differences between animal shelters and (reputable) rescue groups is that animal shelters operate on space strategies (making more space) while rescue groups are more focused on wellbeing principles (saving more lives). Let’s say someone you know wants to adopt a puppy. You know they are far from being an animal lover because they always return older dogs in order to adopt a new puppy. Individuals like that prefer shelters over rescue groups. This is why.
Animal shelters don’t ask for references in their applications- if they do that would be just a formal procedure. That means anyone, including people charged with animal cruelty can adopt, abuse, and return a pet in a horrible condition. And not only that. They can also attach the following note to a dog: Owner Surrender-Euthanasia Request.
Animal shelters don’t want to know your current situation (e.g., if you have kids, if your landlord allows pets on property, if you have experience handling a specific breed, etc.). Again, if they do, that’s just a formality.
Some animal shelters will let you adopt “free of charge” if a particular animal is occupying their space for a long time. In many cases long time is considered over 30 days and animals marked as “owner surrenders” are considered unnecessary ‘residents’ from the day one.
You can surrender your “old” pet and adopt a new one from the same shelters over and over again. Who cares . . . right?
Animal shelters are operated by people who get paid for their job. Their pay doesn’t include showing compassion towards animals (of course, volunteers and foster don’t fell into this category). Majority of them focus on a notion that every dog can bite rather than on a notion that every dog can love.
There are shelters that don’t even give names to animals. They assign to them numbers only--so many new numbers to create, so many old numbers to wipe off. Precious lives are lost every day.
So next time when someone wants to adopt a pet from rescue group watch how that particular group handles this process (again, stories like this are just a click away). If the rescue group is reputable (check their references, follow their social media interactions, foster for them to get more familiar with their work, etc.), its members may require a visit to a potential adopter’s home, or/and ask for his/her professional, usually an animal clinic / veterinarian’s reference. Most importantly, the rescue group will give people an option to return animal to them if things don’t work out, and they will focus of rehabilitation and rehoming instead of putting them down.
Of course, there are some animal shelters that save more lives than rescue groups. On the other hand, there are some rescue groups that revolve around donations rather than good cause. Also, since many shelters have a 72-hour-hold policy, meaning strays, if not claimed within three days by their owner, can be euthanized, unless a rescue group steps in and "pulls out" the animal. On the other hand, rescue groups can do this only if a local foster is willing to help and enough people pledge for the anima's boarding and other expenses. That said, both, animal shelters and rescue groups need more people, and more help. Those beautiful animals that are sitting in cages and waiting to be saved deserve that.
One thing that I learned from animals is that every time we help them, we help themselves. Every time we rescue one, they rescue us back. Giving an animal second chance at life doesn’t mean we have to bring one home. In our “social media era” we can simply share their stories with the world. When a story reaches the right person, animal can be saved. Some pages that you may want to follow are “Volunteers for Barc’s Urgent Pets”, “Houston & Harris County Animal Volunteers”, “San Antonio Doggie Fosters”, and “Dogvengers Assemble” on Facebook, and “PitBullsLivesMatter” on Instagram. They are run by amazing volunteers who try to be voice for voiceless. Remember, by helping animals, we help ourselves.
