1) All shelter dogs have problems.
False. This can not be further from the truth. All dogs have their issues, as do we. If you ask a person who fosters a lot they can tell you that they have encountered some of the sweetest most obedient dogs. It’s not their fault they were in the shelter, you see, a person…a human being let THEM down. Do not assume that the dog was “bad” so then dropped off at the pound. This could not be further from the truth. I know plenty of dogs bought from a breeder that have horrible horrible behavioral issues. So please, don’t judge a dog because of where it’s been, judge them individually.
2) Someone else will help/volunteer. The shelters and rescues they don’t need me.
False. We need you! Even if you just volunteer one day a month to walk dogs at the shelter THAT is helping. You can also get creative. Say you or your family really wants and loves dogs but for whatever reason can’t adopt a dog for the time being, you can always borrow a foster pup for the day and take it on one of your hiking trips. We have plenty of fosters that need to burn off some energy. Let’s be honest, hiking with a dog is so much better. If all you can do is something you consider small, know this, it’s not something small to us.
3) People who volunteer in rescue don’t have jobs. Rescue is all they do.
False. Most people who volunteer in rescue have full time jobs. Not only that, a lot of us are then full time moms or dads. We do rescue along with our very full lives. Rescue is what we are passionate about so we make time for it. So please be patient if you have filled out an application for a pet or waiting for a question to be answered. We do our best to get information and contact you in a timely matter:).
4) High kill shelters have horrible employees and volunteers that have no problem killing animals.
False. Some of the most amazing, caring, hard working, life giving people I know work/volunteer at high kill shelters. They work so hard at getting the animals into loving homes. MOST of the time their resources are limited and they are working against all odds. They take on solving the problems that occur because of the irresponsible dog/cat owners in their community. Tears shed by these workers/volunteers are often. They feed, walk, and love of these animals that sadly have to be put down because the shelter gets full. If someone tells you they volunteer at a high kill shelter know that they are a freakin warrior, and although it will be awkward, hug the crap out of them. They do what I do not have the courage to do.
5) It’s just a dog/cat. There are bigger problems in this world that need to be solved.
False. Say this to those of us who have poured our lives into rescue and you might get hurt. If you have said these words, chances are, we have cleaned up your mess at some point or another.
6) Why should I pay to rescue a dog/cat? They are homeless, I should get the animal for free.
False. These are not second class animals because they ended up homeless. If anything they earned some stripes for what they have been through. We at CVRR have two main reasons we do not just give our dogs/cats away. The first and foremost is because we want to know that the adopters are serious about owning a dog/cat and that they have the funds to continue to care for the animal. The second reason is to cover our cost. CVRR does not have a facility. We are volunteer based. All our animals have been rescued from a shelter and are in foster care until they are adopted. While in foster care we not only feed them, we treat them for any health issues they may have (some issues costing us thousands of dollars), give them all their vaccines, test them for certain diseases, and spay or neuter them. In the end, honestly, we are in the hole. We don’t make money. That’s why we ask for donations when we have an animal who needs extra medical care.
7) There are no pure breeds in shelters.
False. I myself have fostered a pug, cocker spaniel and a springer spaniel. I have a pure rottie that I adopted from a rescue. There are plenty of pure breeds that need to be adopted. But we LOVE our mutts just as much!!!! If you are looking for a specific breed we don’t have we can probably point you in the right direction.
There are so many other misconceptions about rescues. But these are just a few I wanted to touch on. I hope this helps answer some questions you might have about us and what we are about. If you have questions never be afraid to ask. We love to educate people. I truly believe that with much knowledge comes much responsibility. So as you learn more about the rescue world look to see you can make a difference.
-Wendolyn
