What Would You Do If..... Moral Issue

[selina]

I think this situation is extremey rare because every rescue organisation makes its checks and has the facts, but if your gut tells you when you arrive it isn't right you leave - with the animal. Any reputable organisation will take your view into account and make double checks.

Marie

 

 

uNFORTUNATELY THIS ISN'T TRUE, NOT EVERY RESCUE DOES HOME CHECKS AND SOME DON'T EVEN GET THE DOGS FULLY ASSESSED BEFORE REHOMING, PUTTING THE TWO TOGETHER IS LIKE PLAYING WITH DYNAMITE, UNFORTUNATELY THE SAD NEWS IS i KNOW OF AT LEAST TWO RESCUES THAT WORK IN THIS WAY, USUALLY WITH OTHER RESCUE PICKING UP THE PIECES WHEN THE NEW OWNERS CAN'T COPE.

 

(SORRY NOT SHOUTING, CAPS LOCK BUTTON ON AND NO TIME TO EDIT)

 

I guess its a case of do your homework before offering to volunteer for any rescue, amke sure they have the above policies and are putting them into action before helping them out, this way you have a pretty good chance of knowing the dog is going to the right place.

[Jacobean]

Completely agree with Selina & Mel. Not all rescues run the same and do proper checks and there are some rum rescues out there that shouldn't be operating. Not saying those connected to the incident elsewhere were as I've never heard of them.

 

I help rescues I have heard of and have watched for some time and know they operate well.

 

I will only have dealings with rescues that I know are doing right by dogs and so wouldn't have been involved in this run. Having said that I guess a rarity will occur where say for example someone falsely says a home is a goodun because unbeknown to rescue they are friends with the person receiving the dog. So it's not bombproof.

 

On every run we arrange we ask transporters to contact us if they need advice or have any problems whilst helping us. Then we can act accordingly.

 

I would be very worried if I thought our volunteers wouldn't contact us if they had any doubts about where they were taking the dog to. We want to know things like this.

Edited February 10, 2009 by Jacobean

[ClazUK]

I took a poundie from somewhere in Lincolnshire. It was meant to be going down to a forever home on the South coast. This was through another forum, the dog was advertised as being at risk on that forum and a member said they'd have him. No rescue was involved.

 

On the morning of the run, I went North to do my bit of the run, picked up the dog (a wired haired parsons JRT kinda thing) and headed South to the next pick-up.

 

On the way back I got a call from a rescue person who I know and respect. The person offering the dog a home was known to her. She was a serial rehomer - acts on a gut reaction to help, then gets rid shortly when it doesn't fit in. A bit more rooting about confirmed my suspicions, so I called the girl who wanted the dog and whe was very 'whatever' about it.

 

Fortunately, at that point, I was running a greyhound rescue, so we took the shortest, hairiest greyhound into the rescue and, amazingly, rehomed him less than 2 weeks later.

 

It can go wrong. On this occasion I was lucky to have kennels I could put little Frisby into, but not everyone has that back-up.

[Laurel n Hardy]

interesting discussion

 

I would go on my gut feeling, and if that mean I was very unsure

about the home i was trasnporting to, or the person I was handing over to

then I wouldn't do it, I would go home with the dog and ring the rescue

 

If they are unhappy about it then it can be discussed, if they dont want to

and haven't done the relevent checks, I would never help them again

[Brammie]

I homechecked for a lovely family, gave the rescue my suggestion and they went completly against it because it was easier for them.

I helped the family as much as possible but a month later a very distressed dog was again on its way to a new family, it was the wrong dog in the wrong home but because i was new to homechecking and reasonably new to dogs (ignoring the fact im studying behaviour and train dogs for a living) i obviosly knew nothing.

Its put me right off homechecking!

[redditchlady]

I always say with homechecking, would you put you own dog there?

 

If I was on a transport run and I had concerns about the next transporter, then I would ring the rescue.

 

Of all the transport runs I have done, there was only 1 that was, let's say of a concern. But right the way through I had contact with the rescue involved.

 

I was asked, via mobile phone

 

Are you there yet?

 

Please make sure the fool doesn't get the 2 dogs out before you are there!!!

 

When I arrived at the services I realised why. The bloke was a plonker, not got a clue. I can not blame the rescue, the Pound called the rescue as the "transporter"had let the 2 dogs loose in the car park of the pound before he had gone anywhere.

 

That was a Dobie and a GSD.

 

I do feel something has to be done to make sure dogs on runs are safe.

 

Ok transport dogs behind a guard. But, make sure that you clip a lead on before you open a tail gate of a car. I am lucky as I have a dog pod in the Ranger. I can safely unclip a lead through a slot in the pod. Then clip a lead back on again before I open the pod.

 

 

What we need to remember is that these dogs are stressed that we are transporting. Avoid any unnecessary walking around the service stations with them etc.

 

Sorry on a roll now.

 

Kazz xx

[Fee]

I refused to hand a dog over to the next transporter on a run once (years ago and nothing to do with any rescues on here). The dog was a VERY boingy excitable young staffie who had spent the whole journey throwing himself at the dog guard on our estate car in an effort to get out (and succeeded in bending it quite badly )

 

We arrived at the handover to find a lady on her own with a tiny car and no means of securing the dog - she just expected it to lie on the back seat. There was no way it would have been safe to let her take him, so in the end we had to carry on and do her part of the run as well. Luckily the next transporter had a good strong crate!

 

I told the rescue afterwards, not to complain but to make them aware in case they used that transporter again, but they were very 'off' with me about it as though I was some sort of troublemaker. I didn't offer for them again

[ranirottie]

but its true,dogs do escape and try to do a runner. I am not sure what the original thread was about but I think its down to the rescue to make the decisions. x

[Jacobean]

This wasn't about dogs escaping on a run. It was to do with if you thought there was anything wrong with the person the dog was going to end up with would you continue on your journey so that the dog would be handed to them. As I say this is something that happened elsewhere. The dog was suppsed to go somewhere but didn't end up there because someone somewhere knew something about the end person and couldn't face the dog getting to them.

Archie hasn't come back to us and possibly won't. As happens a lot on forums.

 

Hopefully it has reminded folk to use reputable rescues and tell those rescues if you do have a horrible feeling while you're on a run. If they're worth their salt they will take heed of what you say. When we arrange runs we say to transporters that if they need advice or encounter any problems to stop when it is safe to do so and ring us. That means anything that is the matter or they think could be a problem.

[Jacobean]

I should just add that I don't know who the rescues involved were and have no idea if they were reputable or not. I didn't mean to comment about them or this incident particularly.

[JennyBloggs]

someone has posted about walking dogs around service stns being negative. I often have a stroll with the dog if I am waiting for the next transporter to arrive. I get the dog out give it a drink and a few minutes stretching its legs and time for a wee on a grassy verge at the far end of the car park. Clearly if its a very short journey or the dog has some particular reason making this a bad idea I wouldnt do it, but I dont see what would be wrong in a "comfort break" am I missing something. ?

I have to say, I tend to have two leads on them these days, following the spate of dogs escaped am slightly paranoid! a slip lead plus one on its collar (if it has one)

 

ps. if i know the previous transporter has had the dog out just before I took over I also wouldnt exercise it.

[Laurel n Hardy]

someone has posted about walking dogs around service stns being negative. I often have a stroll with the dog if I am waiting for the next transporter to arrive. I get the dog out give it a drink and a few minutes stretching its legs and time for a wee on a grassy verge at the far end of the car park. Clearly if its a very short journey or the dog has some particular reason making this a bad idea I wouldnt do it, but I dont see what would be wrong in a "comfort break" am I missing something. ?

I have to say, I tend to have two leads on them these days, following the spate of dogs escaped am slightly paranoid! a slip lead plus one on its collar (if it has one)

 

ps. if i know the previous transporter has had the dog out just before I took over I also wouldnt exercise it.

 

 

I tend to do the same as Jenny has said, ideally I prefer to get there about 15-20 minutes

early and walk the dog, allow it to wee etc, and have a small drink too

 

have to add I am paranoid about dogs escaping , so before they are unclipped from the restraint in the car

the lead is clipped on first, and wrapped round my hand a few times too (sorry slightly off topic)

[cycas]

I do that too (when transporting). Mind you if a dog is coming our way normally it's a pretty long run, so they really do need a wee break.