Be warned of animal 'rescue' groups looking for profit
News-Times Staff
Article Last Updated: 06/19/2008 05:56:07 PM EDT
To the Editor:
We have a number of responsible non-profit Animal Welfare Rescue groups in our area.
They take in the unwanted dogs and cats and get them spayed and neutered.
They interview potential adopters and evaluate the pets in their shelters, trying to match potential adopters with a pet that would fit into the adopter's lifestyle.
The Animal Welfare groups stand by their adoptable pets so if for any reason a pet cannot stay with a family, the group will take the pet back.
They are also there to answer questions and help with training issues.
Any money taken in goes back into the shelter to help future unwanted pets.
Now there is a new type of Animal Rescue group showing up in our area -- profit-making Animal Rescue businesses.
These groups are bringing in hundreds of puppies from states down south, selling them and pocketing the money.
It's so easy to get a puppy from one of these rescue businesses. You simply go on line, pick the cute puppy that you want, the Animal Rescue business brings the puppies up from Southern shelters and meets a group of adopters in a parking lot to pick up their puppies, and you pay $300 or $400 for the pup.
You have no idea of the temperament or even how large or small this new pup will be.
If the puppy doesn't work out, or if you need support or have training questions, there is no one to help you. The parking lot is empty.
Where does the money from these puppies go? Not back into helping the animals. Not into a program down south to stop the overpopulation.
The money goes into the pockets of the people running the Animal Rescue business.
And meanwhile, when some of those puppies don't work out, our legitimate, local, non-profit Animal Welfare Rescue groups are being overrun by adolescent dogs that were originally sold by the profit-making groups.
Rescue groups should not adopt out a pet without making sure the adopter's lifestyle will fit with the new pet. The money made from these pets should go back into saving more pets and stopping the overpopulation of dogs and cats down south.
These Animal Rescue businesses are making money just like a pet store and over burdening our local Animal Rescue group's resources.
Audrey McKay
Audrey is a local ACO and also does Aussie Rescue. She rocks!
