Don't bother with deception. . .

When we rescue a dog, whether it be from a shelter or from an owner surrender, we never know exactly what we are going to get. When dogs come from shelters, the shelter usually has limited information, especially when the dog comes in as a stray. Stories get jumbled, information is left out or added either inadvertently or on purpose, and sometimes we don’t even know what breed the dog is until we physically see them.  

With owner surrenders it is often times worse. Owners are sometimes ashamed of the dog's condition or of the reasons they are giving them up. Picking up a dog expecting one thing only to find out that the dog does not have bladder or bowel control can be an obstacle when placing them in foster care. Sometimes an owner tells me the dog is incontinent but that they have been expressing him regularly only to find the poor dog is uncomfortable with a full bladder, soaked in urine, and suffering urine burns.

Recently, we were asked to take Brownie, a doxie with IVDD. The owner provided her story and the reasons for surrender. This particular surrender stands out because the owner provided a photo of a puppy that was probably no more than 8 - 12 weeks old. Well, upon receiving the surrender form, we saw that the age of the dog was listed as 8 years old. I guess the owner felt that a cute little puppy would be more likely to attract our eye than an adult IVDD case.

LoveyLoaves works differently than most rescues, and we do not care about the appearance of a dog. Whether the dog looks like a cuddly puppy or a slowly greying senior doesn’t matter to us because it is the life saved that matters. The frustration is that this type of intentional deception by an owner can negatively effect the entire rescue process.  Suddenly, our good intentions can become an uphill battle for the rescue all because we weren’t given the correct information from the owner. It seems that some owners believe that if they are 100% honest with us that we won’t help them. Rescues are overflowing with pets, low on funds and volunteers, and rarely have space for owner surrenders. I have realized that it is my job to be prepared for almost anything. So we rise to the occasion, chase our tails, and make it work because we only want the dog to be safe and have an amazing quality life.