A Web Of Help Across the Forum.

[Bailey's Mom]

Family...Our Pack...this situation with needing to re-home a Mastiff in the Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, area, hi-lights to us how we need to forge a network across Canada and the USA, and, of course UK, and Australia, almost everywhere we reach, that we should know...interview, inspect, and advocate for rescues and foster situations across our domain...our reach, wherever our voice is heard.

We should be the rock for our breed!

Notwithstanding that this situation has resolved with some happiness, tomorrow's situation will come and if we are not prepared, we will struggle to help...to give hope. If you can review the services in your area (This Is Up To Each Of Our Members) and interview them about their ability to help Mastiffs that are abandoned and in distress or like this poor pet, have over stepped the bounds of acceptable behaviour and need a safe home to regroup, rebound and rehome; until then, we won't really be a service to our members.

These situations arise out of sadness...need...but, it is within our ability to hold out a hand of hope.

Please review the services within your areas. Talk to your Humane Societies, your Animal Control, your rescues and find people within your jurisdictions with the skill, ability, knowledge and desire to help our breed, (even if it is for a fee!) Sh**t happens in life...Owners die, are disabled (just went through this with sister-in-law's cats) and they need to know that their pet, although not with them, isn't going to some abuser who will do them harm. I don't need to describe the horror that could await large dogs...we all know it. We Need a lifeline that we can throw to our members, and to the population in general, who find themselves in a hard reality: Not Being Able To Offer A Safe Home To A Mastiff.

CAN YOU HELP? YES! PLEASE, LOOK DEEPLY IN YOUR AREA FOR RESOURCES THAT WILL HELP OUR BREED IN TIMES OF TROUBLE.

YOU...OUR MEMBERS...ARE THE LIFELINE.

Thank You, from the depth of My Heart.

Elizabeth...Bailey's Mom.

 

[Boxergirl]

Music Deb started a list of rescues that we all contributed to. I'm not sure if the list is floating around somewhere. I know what's in my area. The thing is that when a dog has a bite history it's extremely rare for any rescue to take them. It's just too much of a liability. Especially if it's an unprovoked bite. Heck, I've told the story many times of pulling Vince without rescue authorization. He was the 9 month old boy that accidentally bit his adoptive owner when she reached between him and the cat. My rescue wouldn't take him. Vince is why I stopped fostering. His was an accidental bite and still they wouldn't take him. None of the area rescues would. He had a bite record. I didn't feel that the bite was intentional and I thought he deserved a chance. I eventually placed him myself and did my best to cover my butt with full disclosure and in the contract, but I knew it was a risk. And people lie. They say that it was a nip when it was much worse. They say no history of aggression or resource guarding, etc and the foster home finds out later that the problems are much larger than what they thought. I'm not saying that this isn't a good idea, Bailey's Mom, I just don't want anyone thinking that there's a good chance any dog with a bite history will actually be accepted into rescue. Private rehoming, with full disclosure, is often the only thing that can be done. And then it's important that we be honest about if it's actually safe to rehome said dog. Sometimes it's not. Now in cases when an owner must relinquish for other reasons, I think this would be great, but bite and aggression cases are a whole other ballgame. IMO

All of that being said ... I used to be part of the Canine Underground Railroad. I don't even know it it's still called that or if it's still around. I had to stop participating when my daughter got diagnosed. I made quite a few CUR runs to get a dog in rescue to their new home, volunteering to take a two hour leg of the trip in my area. If there's still something like that around, it would be good to know. I know they were always looking for volunteers to take a leg of a trip. It also felt really good to be a small part of helping a dog find their happy ending. And of course rescues always need volunteers. If you have a little room or time, contact your local rescue and see what you can do to help. If you can foster, great! Because there are only so many spots for dogs in need to go. An extra foster home means more dogs evaluated and hopefully placed in loving homes.

 

[Bailey's Mom]

You are right, Boxergirl. I woke up this morning and it hit me...there was a list at one time, and who knows, maybe MusicDeb is still maintaining it. I have her email somewhere, I'll dig it up and send her a request for it. Hopefully she has kept it, AND, kept it up!

 

[Hector]

I am involved with the rescues in my little area in southwestern WA state. One specific rescue I work with can be very flexible, but even then we will never feel comfortable adopting out a dog that has a human bite history and a big dog on top of that. We just won't do it and the other organization is even less equipped to handle dogs like that.

 

[7121548]

There are a few rescues around me that take dogs with a bite history (one guy I'm thinking of has done extensive work with neos, corsos, and other power breeds) and rehabilitate them before adopting out. They are very selective about who they adopt out to, and are usually short on space for dogs. Some will take dogs with a bite history depending on the circumstances. I realize that rescues that take biting dogs are rare though.

 

[glen]

There's 3 that I know and trust, one is attached to iccf that we go to shows and help with charity events, some of the rescue centres in my area are terrible I wouldn't send a flea there.

 

[Bailey's Mom]

Okay, folks, let's get this organized. I'd like to see at least one safe haven for Mastiffs in need in every State and Every Province in North America. I'm sure they are there...perhaps running under the radar, not advertising, but known to local Humane Societies or Animal Controls...let's find them and get this organized so that we have a reference for the next member in distress. Okay?

Please forward the groups that you are aware of to me with a PM, I will get it all in order by State and Province, and of course in England, Glen can speak to the rescues she knows. Once we have the bones of a network, I will forward that to each of the Moderators, and, of course Vicki. I'm sure that she can figure a way out to have it listed in one of the Forums for our members and that our members can add to it as other groups become known to them.

Obviously, we are going to have to vet those agencies...can't give references without checking them out, but we all can help in that matter.

Let's face it...none of us know when we might need those services to keep our pets safe; sickness, death, sudden change in financial security,...life throws monkey wrenches at us at times. Best to be prepared for the "just in case" moments.

 

[Nik]

I sent you info on two I know of that take mastiffs.