|
OLD ENGLISH SHEEPDOG RESCUE PROGRAM
The need for Old English Sheepdog Rescue came to my attention in the 1980’s when we had our first Rescue dog which came our way via the Baker Animal Hospital in Montreal. At that time I was not in a situation to do Rescue seriously. When we left the Laurentians and bought a ten acre property in the Chateauguay Valley in 1995, I had a boarding kennel built which allowed us to accommodate Rescue dogs as well as the Boarders. Since that time, we have rescued and placed more than 100 OES.
The Old English Sheepdog and Owners€ Club, Canada subsidizes the Rescue work with funds for medical expenses such as spaying or neutering and vaccinations as long as the dogs rescued are not mixes of OES and when the dogs are adopted, the adoption fee helps to repay the money owing to the Club or reimburse me for the dog’s medical and boarding needs.
If possible, we do home visits with people wishing to adopt. If not, then we try to find someone connected to the Club or some one knowledgeable in the area to do the home visit. Sometimes we have to depend on telephone interviews if distances are too great and we have no contacts in the area.
All dogs are on a contract which includes a clause that if the adopting party is not able to keep the dog for any reason at any time in the life of the dog, it must come back to us. If people are not willing to sign this agreement, then they are removed from our list.
Priority is given to people who have had Old English before. Then we consider those who have had a dog of some sort, preferably one with a coat that needs the type of care required by an Old English. Then we consider people who really like dogs and think they can accommodate an OES.
We do not consider people with children under the age of 6 and those who live in apartments. Exceptions are sometimes made if people have had OES before and know how to handle living with a rambunctious OES and children.
If people are new to the breed, they are supplied with information on the breed - grooming instructions, feeding information, basic obedience instructions, and any other pertinent information which will be helpful.
All dogs are photographed with the new owners before they leave for their new homes or before we leave them with their new owners.
All adoptions do not work out. Maggie has been in five homes. She is a high energy dog with an extremely strong herding instinct. She will chase anything that moves including birds flying overhead. She cannot travel in a vehicle unless heavily sedated nor can she live in an area with cars, bicycles – anything that moves.
Do we ever euthanize dogs which come to us? Yes, we have had to euthanize three. The criteria for this action are if I am afraid of the dog due to its temperament or the dog bites one of us without provocation. One such dog was taken from the SPCA by a well intentioned person who thought all dogs are salvageable. The SPCA recommended that she not take the dog. He was unstable to the point where my husband would not have anything to do with him and he did try to bite me on several occasions. Why she was allowed to take the dog, I have not understood. Making a decision to euthanize a dog is not a pleasant thing to do, but we can not take the chance of placing dogs with unstable temperaments or those which we know have already bitten people.
Unfortunately, not all all-breed rescue groups are willing to work with breed specific rescue. In my area, I am fortunate to work with Animatch and have people who are in and out of shelters who will let me know if there are OES needing rescuing. Most of these shelters require the regular adoption fee. New England Old English Sheepdog Rescue under the leadership of Grannie Annie has been kind enough to put our dogs on their web site when I have run out of homes, even though they need homes, too.
Dogs are much more adaptable than we think they are. All they need are two square meals a day, a couple of walks, a yard to play in, and someone to love them.
Please keep in mind, that we do not do Rescue for mixed Old English. The dogs we rescue must have the appearance of a pure bred OES. They usually do not come from reputable breeders who generally will take back their dogs if owners have problems. The dogs we place tend to be from back yard breeders or puppy mills. However, the dogs we place are those we would be happy to have.
Margaret Trenholm, Chairperson,
Old English Sheepdog Rescue,
Old English Sheepdog and Owners Club, Canada
|
