Rescued Rover & Breed Rescues?

There are many agencies that work at helping displaced animals. Shelters, humane societies, animal control agencies, fostering programs, and breed rescues are a few of them. This article is a brief look at breed rescue agencies and what are they concerned about.

Breed rescue groups are usually a network of dedicated people who are interested in a specific breed. It could be any breed. Rottweilers, Dalmatians, Cocker Spaniels, or Jack Russell Terriers are just a few examples. All pure bred dog breeds tend to have breed rescues.

Most astute breeders are so devoted to their breeds that they go above and beyond normal efforts to assist in making sure it develops to the best level it can. Many times the breed rescue people are breeders of the very breed they rescue, but not always. Many will conduct this type of service because they love the breed intensely. These animals are taken in to give them a temporary abode while attempts are made to place them in a proper home.

Some of these breed rescue groups will take animals in from private parties. However most will receive calls from many of those agencies responsible for sheltering animals. In many cases the rescue group will actually go to a shelter or similar agency and take the specific breed in.

When people are considering a specific breed for their household, I often suggest they contact the breed rescue directly. This is for several reasons. While many people will highlight the good points of a breed, since they want to sell you one, these people will carefully highlight the problem areas of the breed. Those are the areas that will need specific care or handling.

Breed rescues will also be very frank about what it takes to own one of these animals. Although not all of the animals that end up in a breed rescue group are a handful, many of the animals come to the breed rescue groups with a variety of challenges. Some can be easily addressed and overcome, while others will take patience and diligent work, not to mention understanding and commitment. The people who run the groups are very frank in sharing the pros and cons of owning one of the animals and will cautiously and thoroughly interview you.

Getting an animal from any type of rescue agency is a major commitment. Many forget that the ownership of any pet is a privilege and not a right. It takes a special person to make the commitment to adopt one of these animals. Finding a breed rescue group can be easy since there are usually breed rescue groups throughout any state. Most breeders are also aware of which people are committed to running them and many animal service or rescue agencies know how to contact them.

As an animal behavior consultant, there are other types of situations where I have called on breed groups. I have contact both breed clubs and breed rescues since those are usually the better breeders and most dedicated people. I have found them to both be good contacts to call if I find a breeder who appears to be acting irresponsibly.

For example, several years ago I began getting calls about highly aggressive and anti-social puppies. Seeing these pups engaging in abnormal behavior, including pressure biting at an age of eight weeks was disturbing. Such activities are not usually found in well bred and socialized animals and they all had the same source.

Many people call and say their pups are biting when it is playful puppy biting or nipping which can be easily and swiftly corrected. So, I wasn’t alarmed until I went out on a case! I felt that the particular breeder was responsible for producing animals with hyper-aggressive tendencies that would be detrimental to the breed and was endangering those buying the pups.

What I discovered was that there was a backyard breeder locally who appeared to be intentionally breeding overly aggressive rottweilers. Since I ask a variety of questions about every animal I work with, I saw a pattern developing in those history questionnaires. I called the breed rescue since I wanted them to be alert to the situation. Sometimes they have connections or influence that can stop such irresponsible behavior.

The difference between a backyard breeder and a quality breeder is drastic. Backyard breeders are usually people who decide they are going to breed their pet. They do not know much about what the breed standard is, or about their special needs. Often they are not informed enough to know that their "papers" just show that they are members of a club! These people mainly want to raise a buck, many times they will make their bitch have numerous litters throughout the year.

Breeders who are dedicated to their breed are very selective in what animals they breed to, when they are bred, and what they need genetically, nutritionally, psychologically, or physiologically. Quality breeders will also put tremendous amount of effort into placing the pups into proper homes. Their animals rarely end up in shelters or other related agencies.

In the clinic where I see my animal behavior clients, we have people who specialize in fertility and related efforts. Most of the astute breeders are now using artificial insemination! This protects their dogs and bitches, allows careful monitoring, and safer breeding. Progesterone testing, ultrasounds and a variety of other support tasks are a daily occurrence for those really committed to their breed.

If you are interested in a certain breed for a pet, talk with a few breed rescue agencies first. You will learn what the most common problems encountered with that breed will be, what kind of environment or household they need and can possibly adopt one from the breed rescue and give it a good home. You might even want to be of service to the group!