Denver area dog rescue/adoption

[Therblig]

Probably not optimal, for a host of reasons, and they didn't think I was worth interviewing for a recent job opening.

But I'll keep it in mind, thanks.

[daprara]

there seems to be a 2nd tier of adoption. Some times even before the shelter opens for regular business, the second tier grabs desirable animals form shelters and re sells them. Save your money, skip this situation.

petharbor.com
you can access all the animal shelters near your home.

for some shelters, they have a reserve list. You some times have to pay a fee. Than you set a date time you can look at the animal. Make sure you have all the details, date time, location, the person you talked to.

I had a good experience at the Aurora Animal Shelter. It was at the main facility not their satellite facility in the suburbs. The dog was clean alert. The shelter representative did his job super well and made my experience memorable.


Best thing that happened in our house for 2021 was adopting this dog. A new loyal friend for the next decade.

[modest]

I volunteered at Denver Dumb Friends League. They have great facilities and take good care of the animals in their care. They also have a pretty in depth placement process.

I fostered with 2 Blondes All Breed Rescue. They had a pretty rigorous foster onboarding process. But all in all, they seemed organized well enough and took time and care to place animals in the right homes.

[cowboyxjon]

Originally Posted by Therblig

Oh, well. All turns out to be irrelevant anyway. Turns out rescue agencies won't even move to Step 2 if you don't have several local, nonfamily references who are familiar with your doggie mojo. I don't.

So it's off to my network of breeders again, which is somewhere between amusing and ironic, since for them, a brief personal interview and one meeting to pick up the puppy has always been enough.

Funny old world. Doing the right thing, as nearly always, turns out to be a charade.

I hear you on this; some of the rescue groups can be very extreme. On one hand, I understand that they want their animals to go to good homes, but on the other hand, some groups create these ridiculous processes that shut out otherwise good candidates.

I wanted a Siberian Husky about 14 years ago. I was treated like I had the plague or something (lol) because I DARED to inquire about a Husky when I lived in a townhouse that did not have its own fenced-in yard (gasp). Forget the fact that I lived close to a dog park and had grassy green space (shared) at my townhouse complex, along with a pet area, and I knew what I was getting into with a Husky in terms of activity level and energy.

So, I did what you did, and ended up getting two Husky puppies (at slightly different times) from breeders, when really I wanted to open my home to shelter dogs that needed a home. I lived in the townhouse for a couple years, then moved to a house with a fenced-in yard anyway. Between walks, the dog park, and doggy daycare every so often, the dogs received plenty of exercise and were in good health according their vet visits. I still have one of the two huskies, and she’s in great shape for being 14 years old. In fact, I just took her for a short walk earlier today.

[Therblig]

I can't fault the group for being very careful and selective — I wouldn't want them to be anything else. But one group of interest hasn't gotten back to me (in several weeks) and the other is represented by a volunteer screener who can't grasp that I have no non-family friends who intersect my home/dog-parent life. ("We'll wait until you remember someone" — more or less.) And despite being an extraordinary candidate home for placement (really)... it's all stalled at that step.

My own limitations are that I'm seeking a specific breed and I absolutely cannot go near pet shelters; I need a more insulated process focused on one candidate. I'll write 'em a check; I'll vote for their support; I'll do all the pro bono work they want to ask, but I just can't face a row of kennels. In the words of Bob Parr, "I'm just not strong enough."

[Therblig]

And so, flatly denied for the single reason of not having any local references. With the tone-deaf closing "Please do contact us again if you acquire any."

It's not really the decision, it's more that I seem to be dealing with an AI who can't quite parse the words right, and a system that can't look at twenty elements of an overall (outstanding) situation because one box isn't checked.

And the other group has never responded at all past an "application received" email.

Oh, well. I'm not the one with 20 dogs (of a somewhat demanding type and needs) looking for forever homes. And DDFL has been very easy to deal with. I note their process avoids the "kennel walk"... so.