Iffy rescues and outright lies on petfinder?

[dirty hippie]

I'm sorry in advance if this topic doesn't belong here or has been done to death, buuut...

I visited quite a few private rescues listed on petfinder while I was thinking about adopting a guinea pig. I've also adopted a few rats from private rescues.

Some of the private rescues that I visited seemed...awfully close to warehouses. People with dozens of cats and dogs in cages; stacks of cages filled with small animals. Usually, the cages were clean and the animals well-fed. (Although not always on the proper diet.) But it always seemed like there were too many animals -- especially if you had any intention of actually socializing the animals and making them suitable for an easy adoption.

I've seen private rescues that were really well put together. Even if the animal was never actually adopted, s/he would have led a comfortable life in a big enough cage with proper food/bedding/accessories/playmates...

I guess my biggest complaint would be the out-right lying that can go on in the petfinder ads. They don't bother to couch a timid, shy animal in euphanisms like "needs lots of love and patience!" Oh, no. "Very sociable animal! Loves to cuddle! Gets along great with other animals..." I can't count how many animals I've seen with that description that end up being timid, unsocialized, and sometimes completely feral.

Is there some way to see through this that I'm missing? I'll admit to being completely ignorant as to how a rescue agency is run, but it seems so hit-or-miss on petfinder these days...

[nonamian_girl]

I know what you mean. I adopted one of my girls from a lady who lived on a farm and kept all the pigs in a big enclosed pen on her porch. They were kept on corncob bedding and Francie was completely infested with mites.

However, although these people who run their own private rescues may not be doing the best job, their intention is to save as many animals as they can, probably in the best way they know how. And maybe they can't turn away animals and get overloaded with them, and can only get rid of them by lying about their personalities. Obviously, they cannot control the number of homeless animals that are in need of homes. And although they're not providing the most optimal environment for them, it's probably better then the animals' other options.

I think the bottom line is that these people are trying to save as many as they can in the best way they know how.

[CavyKind]

Often the worst type of rescues are those that never rehome and run on a sanctuary like basis. They soon accrue with the best of intention large numbers of animals that receive only minimal care.

We've taken from a few cases like this.

[krittercrazy]

It is really not all that difficult to sign up as a rescue on petfinder. If you are not a non-profit organization, all you need is a reference letter from a vet. Most are folks who really care and are trying to help animals. It is very easy to get quickly overwhelmed with the number of animals that need to be rescued.
Then there are the few breeders who claim to be rescues. These are the ones that really tick me off. They purposely mislead people. I had adopted a sugar glider that was brought into the SPCA and was looking for some companions for him. Started talking to some folks who claim to rescue them. Turned out that they believed once the sugar glider was believed healthy it was no longer considered a rescue and could then be bred. There is the greed of breeders.
It is wise to always check people and organizations out before handing over a pet or adopting a pet.

[CavyKind]

Originally Posted by krittercrazy

It is wise to always check people and organizations out before handing over a pet or adopting a pet.

That is so true.

Unfortunately, many people handing an animal over don't really care that much where they go and what happens to them. Over the years I've had so many cats, dogs, puppies rabbits, guineas etc handed over and it is very rare for people to question you. For some (not all) out of sight is out of mind.

When it comes to guinea pig rescues, I'd urge people to only hand on to ones that are known to local established rescue organisations. Guinea rescues are "ten a penny" now, many run by backyard breeders. Local vets often keep numbers but do ask if the rescuer is known to them and if they are happy to recommend.

It's wise to ask about their rehoming policies, are they breeders, do they guarantee gender, non pregnants sows, take back at any time if probs occur...you need to be so careful.

[Jennicat]

Also, just because a rescue is on petfinder doesn't mean that it's reputable. If I recall what our director told me correctly, all you have to have to be on Petfinder is a vet reference.