Application DENIED!

[Maryellen]

the rescue could have taken your email the wrong way. its harder to convey to someone how you feel by email then a phone call. rescues are tight on fosters, money, etc, so if they are highstrung already they could read your email and interpret it the wrong way:) i have sent emails to people and have had them take it the wrong way too, then i have to explain verbally what i mean. try another reputable rescue, put in an app for volunteering- go to events, donate your time to walk the dogs, donate money, crates, etc, get to know everyone and take it all slowly. some rescues will think that you have the wrong intentions if you get mad cause they wont let you foster right off the bat, and there is nothing wrong with that, even if you have the breed at heart, they just have to be careful for the dogs, as the dogs have no voice to speak like we do. it took me 5 months before i could foster, and the only reason rottie rescue approved me was that i was fostering for pit rescue and they saw how i fostered and how i worked w/ my dogs. now if poplin and my gsd jesse got together i am sure my gsd would go after your pit as soon as she saw him from a distance. but with constant training, i have her manageable now and know the signs to look for, like for example, if she is going to go after a dog she will open her mouth then shut it fast, then strike. i also took her to private then graduated to group obedience classes, worked with her in the park (and used a prong collar which she Loves, all i have to do is jingle it and she bounces around ) it took me almost 2 years to get her to be ok in public with other dogs, and to behave around them. its well worth the time and money i spent on her. take your time w/ poplin and do things gradually. there is nothing worse than a puppy killer in a dog. some dogs like pups, some dont. some dogs are fine w/ adult dogs, some arent. you just have to find out what makes poplin tick and the best way is thru training and socialization. thats the hardest part

[Diane Jessup]

Hey hyperjoga, I'll let Kirstan know about you. She is always looking for good foster homes! (Three Bulldog Rescue). She just found a home for Diva, the dog that was used as a research dog for a year!!!! Yeah, Kirstan!!!! She fosters dogs all the way down to Portland, no problem. YOu might want to drop her a line. I can't remember the email, but you can find her on petfinder.com under Three Bulldogs Rescue.

Jacq, thanks again for the offer to house Diva. It looks like she will be going to a great home soon. The lady scooters with her dog, and also does T-Touch and therapy work.

[dawgdays]

How bizarre, can any rescue folk help explain why they might not WANT help?

They prob want help, but might be too buried to organize it. So many rescues are one or two man shops with full time jobs, and dog dramas end up chewing up any and every bit of free time. (Hey, we don't go to school to learn how to be rescuers, so sometimes learning how to manage multi-dog responsibilities AND volunteers takes practice!)

Also, you do have to trust someone well enough to let them inside the circle. This breed can attract its own set of crazies, so smart rescuers have to screen and train volunteers to make sure they aren't going to do something crazy .. again, more work for the already overworked.

It'd be like some unknown dude calling you out of the blue, Jac, and saying "Hey, I looooove pit bulls and I hear you have three so and I'd like to come over to your house and take one of your dogs home for a few days. Can I start tomorrow?" ...

The best advice to anyone who wants to volunteer: Inquire politely, then expect that you may have to inquire another one or two times. Stay polite, and figure out what you can do to prove that you're for real (and responsible). Rescues want your help - seriously - but you may have to forgive the fact that they're usually better at managing dogs than they are at managing people. Just stay dialed in and eventually you'll find your niche in the org. Hec, maybe you can even become their Volunteer Coordinator.

[Spurby]

Very well said Donna!!

[Diane Jessup]

Yup, good post Donna.

Hyper, you don't have ANY yard? Where would a rescue dog stay during the day...?

[hyperbole]

Thanks for the info, Diane! I emailed Kirstan and told her I would be happy to help out however I can, and gave her my email addy & phone number.

No, I don't have a yard. I live in an art gallery in downtown Portland. Sure it's an oddball situation, but I'm a bit of an oddball character. During the day Poplin has free roam of my upstairs living space... He's gated off from the gallery downstairs. Our cat can pretty much go wherever he wants. If I were to foster another pup, I've got a vari-kennel crate, big enough for a pittie of Poplin's size.. (~56lbs) We would probably put that crate downstairs and also put a door on Poplin's dog house upstairs, so they would both be crated. There's a little park about a block away where Poplin goes potty. As far as exercise goes, I'm a very active guy. Poplin never, ever wants for exercise.

Donna - Yeah, I suppose coordination is a pain!! I sort of learned about it in a Trial by Fire method when I opened up this art gallery. I'm ~not~ as organized as I should be... hehe

[JaquelineC]

How bizarre, can any rescue folk help explain why they might not WANT help?

They prob want help, but might be too buried to organize it. So many rescues are one or two man shops with full time jobs, and dog dramas end up chewing up any and every bit of free time. (Hey, we don't go to school to learn how to be rescuers, so sometimes learning how to manage multi-dog responsibilities AND volunteers takes practice!)

Also, you do have to trust someone well enough to let them inside the circle. This breed can attract its own set of crazies, so smart rescuers have to screen and train volunteers to make sure they aren't going to do something crazy .. again, more work for the already overworked.

It'd be like some unknown dude calling you out of the blue, Jac, and saying "Hey, I looooove pit bulls and I hear you have three so and I'd like to come over to your house and take one of your dogs home for a few days. Can I start tomorrow?" ...

The best advice to anyone who wants to volunteer: Inquire politely, then expect that you may have to inquire another one or two times. Stay polite, and figure out what you can do to prove that you're for real (and responsible). Rescues want your help - seriously - but you may have to forgive the fact that they're usually better at managing dogs than they are at managing people. Just stay dialed in and eventually you'll find your niche in the org. Hec, maybe you can even become their Volunteer Coordinator.

Hey, thanks for the explanation Donna! I figured that there HAD to be some good reason, seeing as most rescues could use all the help that they can get. I can def. see your point, and why they would be cautious when choosing new fosters.

[Rumpley]

Man, I couldn't have said it better myself!

That's exactly how I feel with HugABully right now. Two of us started it, and we've been buried in work ever since. It pains me to not accept people's offers to help, but organizing the people always gets pushed to the back burner, as there is always a "dog crisis" going on somewhere sucking up our time.

I would suggest that perhaps offering fostering is not necessarily a good way to start, if one would like to become part of a small rescue group. I rarely trust people I don't know in some respect as either friend related or dog related, and would be very leery to hand them over one of the dogs for sure.

I've been approached by " save all dogs whackos" since we started the group, wanting to help, and quietly ignored them. These are the types that have 9 foster dogs living in their house. Also, I'm hesitant to just hand a dog over to someone who shoots me a mere e-mail either. I find a lot of those people are "empty" in their promises, and always cancel on you last minute, are too busy, not really serious about their offer at all to be relied upon.

However, doing stuff like transport, organizing supplies, doing vet visits during business hours, doing "day breaks" for exhausted fosters on their busy days certainly would establish your credibility quickly in my eyes! Just some hints..

[hyperbole]

Great news, guys!

I've been talking to Kirstan with BullsEye Dog Rescue and Three Bulldogs Rescue up in Washington, and I'm going to start working with her and her groups.

Short term fostering, home checks, vet appts, transport, etc. I think we're going to work on my idea for a bully breed art exhibition as well (crosses fingers), with all proceeds from works sold going to the rescue of course.

Muy bueno!

Thanks for the contact, Diane!

[GuardianAMBULL]

. ...and she pretty much just responded back and said, "Sorry. If you want me to keep your foster application on file I will." and she pretty much ignored my offer to help out in other ways.

What can ya do?

You can volunteer for us, thats what you can do! http://www.ebbrr.org

Email me (Guardianambull@aol.com) for an application if you are interested! We will put you right to work....hehe

[GuardianAMBULL]

How bizarre, can any rescue folk help explain why they might not WANT help?

They prob want help, but might be too buried to organize it. So many rescues are one or two man shops with full time jobs, and dog dramas end up chewing up any and every bit of free time. (Hey, we don't go to school to learn how to be rescuers, so sometimes learning how to manage multi-dog responsibilities AND volunteers takes practice!)

Right on! Our rescue needs major help, especially in the organization department! (errr....especially me!) I work a full time job, have three dogs of my own, and usually at a foster at my home. I have two dogs kenneled that I am working with, so I visit them every other day. ITs hard! I have a bunch of volunteer applications just sitting around waiting for me to get off at a reasonable time to call them! So I agree......with your post 100%

[JaquelineC]

GuardianAMBULL - Hyper's located in Oregon, I doubt you send your fosters that far away!

[Steph-n-Wolf]

There is a woman here in Eugene, Oregon that has a wonderful pit bull rescue that could use some of your good intentions! Let me know if you are interested in helping in any way, and I can give you her info!