Some of you will remember that back in October of last year, my husband and I found a dog that we just fell in pure love with at first site. He is a dachshund/Rott mix. The shelter that has him is only about 5 miles from our house so we went there - pronto - to visit with this dog.
After a few visits by us and the kids, we KNEW this was the perfect dog for us. I mean, it was like we had all knew each other for the last 10 years. We filled out an application and had the $150 adoption fee ready, but had to wait on a home inspection. I was home during that time and although I never seen anyone come to our house, the shelter owner claims he came out and inspected our yard/fence. He said he found holes in our fence and could not adopt to us. I checked the fence (again) and could not find any place where the dog could escape. I called/emailed Cody (the shelter owner) to ask if he could come and point out any problems so we could have them repaired. He only returned my email saying that the street we lived on was too busy and he could not adopt because if the dog got out he could get hit by a car. That was the last of our communication.
I understand his hesitancy, if indeed, he did see a way for the dog to escape, but it would have been nice if he would have allowed us the chance to fix any problems. I don't think it was the fence. Piper and Ivan are back there everyday and have never gotten out. I'm not sure what th is guy's motive was.
Anyway, the reason I am bringing it back up is because when we visited Elvis we were told he had been in the shelter for 2 years. The shelter is closing down in May of 2005 and today I checked and guess what? Elvis is still there.
This makes me want to cry. It really does. I have no idea where this dog will end up, but I also know that there is no way I could convince this man to let us adopt this dog. I don't know what happened. At first, he wanted us to adopt Elvis's sidekick (Corky), but Corky was just too much of a dog for my children. After explaning that he agreed to just let us take Elvis.....and then he has a complete change of heart.
This is now 2 and a half years that dog has been living in a shleter and who knows what will happen come May. Will he be taken back to the pound and PTS?
I want to contact this man again, but I really don't know what to say. I don't want to come off as arrogant, pushy, or dumb - but I just know this dog was meant for us. I told him we'd fix any problems he saw with the fence - but that didn't matter to him. He just dropped the whole thing.
Oh My Gosh! He has been in a pound 2 1/2 years. They would rather it sit there than be in a loving family! That is crazy. There must be some incentive, like the shelter gets more money for the more dogs they have. I can't understand this at all. I certainly would not give up. I would call him and tell him nicely (at first) how you feel it would be better for him to have a home than to be locked up for any more time. And who knows what will happen to him when it closes. I was going to say if he will not cooperate, tell him you will go to the media. They would love to hear about a shelter who says they want to adopt out their dogs, but they keep them caged up instead. However, if it is closing, they probably don't care about the media. I would definitely try again, if I were you!
Ohh. I remember Elvis. I still can't believe they wouldn't adopt to you. Yeah, do what jawlaw says. That's what I'd do. I'll hope for the best for ya and Elvis!!
Oh, that is a bunch of crock!!! I don't understand why people make things so difficult for someone willing to give an animal a loving home. I would do everything in my means to make them bend over backwards.. Good luck!!!
I would definitely try again! Not on the phone, but in person! Perhaps now that they are closing the doors he might be more readily convinced that your home would be a great place for Elvis. Just in case he isn't, go fully armed with ammunition with a statement from your vet that he has been taking care of your dogs for __ yrs; with statements from some friendly neighbors about your dogs & that they have never seen your dogs getting loose from your yard, etc., etc.
Good luck! I hope this nut finally opens his eyes & realizes what a wonderful family you would be for Elvis!
I would contact the guy again and try to phrase the issue in such a way that he will be able to adopt Elvis out to you without having to admit that he was wrong. Admitting to being wrong is a huge hangup for lots of people. You could mention that your family is still interested in taking Elvis and that you've had your fence repaired. I figure that if he can be upset about imaginary holes, you can have the imaginary holes repaired by an imaginary repairperson. Like Denise said, giving him a recommendation from your vet is also a good idea. You can also say that if he needs some time to decide whether or not Elvis would do well with your family, that you're okay with that because your biggest concern is what is best for Elvis.
Ultimately, I think putting a lot of pressure on the guy will backfire, resulting in him digging his heels in--not the result you're looking for. He sounds like he is a little "off," and I can't help but wonder if he has collector tendencies, so I'd try to avoid putting him on the defensive.
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"Thought is an invisible and subtle power that mocks all the efforts of tyranny." Alexis de Tocqueville
Since I originally posted this thread, I have left 2 messages and sent 2 emails - with no response.
I just don't understand why he won't even give us the chance to correct whatever problem there is - I guess because we'd have to move off a 'busy street' to do that (in his eyes). Have ya'll ever dealt with a shelter who wouldn't adopt to you because of the street you live on? We don't live on a highway - it's a neighborhood street.
Since the shelter is only about 5 miles from your house, I'd take a drive there to see if perhaps you can get a face-to-face meeting with him. Sometimes a personal meeting might go further than a phone call. It's worth a shot!
I think that I would go down in person and talk to them, tell them your whole bit, if they still say no tell them you would like all of the reasons of why they would say no. THEN, go home and make sure that there are no holes(I don't think there are but just double check to be sure) then get a vet statement about not only the health but also the temperment of your other dogs, showing that they are not abused in any way, etc. THEN I would go to the media. I would tell them exactly what is happening, show the media that your house is fine and show them your vet records.... them have them find out why they are willing for this poor dog to sit in a shelter and more then likely get pts then have it adopted into a good home.
Our shelter had a dog that was there for almost two years, the only reason she was not euthanized sooner was because she maintained a happy and friendly attitude, most dogs can't after that length of time but that dog got MASSIVE advertisement and everyone did EVERYTHING possible to find her a home. (She was adopted last month!)
"Thought is an invisible and subtle power that mocks all the efforts of tyranny." Alexis de Tocqueville
