HOW DOES MICHIGAN WESTIE RESCUE WORK?

During the year 2003, Michigan was finally able to find enough foster space to foster almost all of our rescued Westies.

APPLICATIONS: When people are interested in adopting a rescued Westie, we have them fill out an application.

• Interviews: Often they call first and we discuss their situation by phone and many applicants realize then that a Westie isn’t the best dog for them. Many contact us via email and the same discussions take place. Usually, by the time we get the application, they have been lightly screened and many have been eliminated through these interviews. If the application comes in directly and we have not had these interviews, they will usually occur as a result of the next steps or will occur when we call them to discuss the possibility of placing a specific dog with them.

• High Level Review of Application: When the application comes in, we review it for obvious problems (children in the home under the age of ten, no provisions made to fence or leash the dog when outside, no protection from the family swimming pool, etc.) If there are any concerns, we email, write or call them to ask for further clarification or to let them know that they do not qualify.

• Vet Checks: If the family has other pets, they supply the name and number of the vet. We call the vet’s office and check to be sure records of their current pets (or sometimes a recently deceased pet) reflect that they have been well taken care of and are up to date on their vaccinations, are neutered or spayed, etc. If the vet check is not positive, this is often the end of the application although we do let them know our findings and ask them if they can explain the situation. There occasionally is a situation that can be rectified such as one where they realize that we asked for the records under their married name when the dog was actually still under their maiden name. Usually, they realize they have been caught out and we never hear from them again.

• If the family does not have a pet, we cannot do a vet check. In this case, we ask for two personal references. This is less revealing because people seldom give out a reference that would say anything bad but sometimes in a casual conversation you might learn of a situation that was not revealed on the application. (Sometimes it is a very positive piece of information and sometimes negative.)

• If all of these steps are followed and passed, we then add the application to our waiting list, send several informational items to the adopter to prepare them for the addition of a rescued Westie to their family and then they wait.

A DOG COMES INTO RESCUE
Normally, the dog will come in for foster care. Occasionally, we may be forced to board the dog until space opens up and rarely we may place a dog through a method known as "referral". This means that we simply introduce the potential adopter and the owner.

Call: We get a call from the owner or guardian of the dog. They explain why they are releasing the dog and we do a phone interview to collect all of the information we can about the dog. (Occasionally when the dog is at a great distance, much of this occurs via email but more often it is done by phone.)

• There are some medical or temperamental conditions which may cause us to turn down a dog and suggest that it would be better if the family would take it to the vet and let the dog pass while being held in loving arms.
• If the dog is having problems with children, we will review the individual case and, if possible, we will try to find an adult home for the dog.
• If the dog has health problems, we will encourage the owner to fully describe these problems so that the adopters will be fully aware of them. (We also encourage all adopters to contact the dog’s vet so they will be sure they fully understand the health issues. Often, if it is a serious issue, the potential adopter will have their vet contact the dog’s vet to discuss the situation.)
• If the dog has not been neutered or spayed, we encourage the current owner to take the responsibility of having this done and then calling us back for placement.
• If we find we do not have an appropriate home for the dog, we will offer to place the dog’s photograph and story on our web site under "available dogs" in hopes of finding a home for the dog.
• We will let the owner of the dog know that we have not met the applicants nor have we done a home visit. We will explain that we are introducing them but they are the "advocate" for the dog and are responsible for meeting the applicants and determining if they are the right home for their dog. We suggest they go to the home of the applicant so that they can see where the dog would live; we suggest they ask for references; we suggest they do whatever they have to do to be comfortable with the new home before they agree to place the dog and we let them know that they are free to turn down the placement and we will just go on looking.
• We send copies of the Surrender and Adoption Contracts to the owner of the dog with instructions on how to prepare them and try to emphasize to them the importance of obtaining the legal signatures and returning copies to Rescue for file.

Search: Once we have the information on a placeable dog, we review our list of applicants. We are looking for the family situation that best suits this particular dog. If the dog hates cats, we would eliminate any family that has a cat. If the dog is age 6, we eliminate any family whose top age limit is 5 or less and so forth. Once we have narrowed down the list, we look at the remaining families to see which seems most suitable. Sometimes we find a family who suits in every way and lives fairly close to the dog’s current location. We would probably call this family before another family who was just as suitable but lived further away. If the family giving the dog up feels the dog must have someone home all day, we will look for this type of situation. We look at a lot of situations in trying to find the right home.

Contact: When we find the most suitable family, we will give them a call. We will discuss the dog with them and tell them what we can about the dog. We will let them know that we have not met the dog and that they are responsible for evaluating the dog. We let them know that they are free to turn the dog down if they do not feel it will work for them. If they are interested, I give them the name and number of the owner (city but not street address). I ask them to call ASAP and to keep me posted. If there was no answer, I generally wait 24 hours before moving to the next person. (If there is a big hurry to move the dog, I may contact more than one family at a time but this is rare.) In 24 hours I try once more and then go on.

Placement and Follow-up: If I haven’t heard from anyone within 24 hours of giving out the contact information, I call one party of the other to find out what is happening. If the dog is adopted, I expect the contracts back in 2-3 days. If I don’t get them, I call the original owner and request them. We make follow up calls on the dog once placed to be sure they are getting along well and to try to intervene if problems are developing. Sometimes we give advice; sometimes we refer them to a volunteer "trainer" who works with Westie Rescue. Within the Contracts, we reserve the right to go into the home at any time to check on the dog.

FOSTER CARE:   This is now the most common method used by our Rescue. If there is an opening, the dog can move immediately but often I have to search for an opening and then get back to the owner. If at all possible, I ask the owner to deliver the dog along with all of his/her belongings.

Call: This call can be from the owner or from a shelter or vet clinic. If it is a shelter, you usually have to move the dog quickly. If it is a vet clinic, sometimes you can arrange to board the dog until you can find foster care. If it is an owner, they will usually keep the dog until you can place it. But occasionally this cannot happen. If the dog must come into foster care, we have the owner or guardian fill out and sign a Surrender Contract so that we have legal ownership of the dog. (Note: In some cases, the owner has died and the Executor of the Will has to go through probate and then can sign this Contract. In this case, we ask the Executor to board the dog until it is available for adoption. If we take it in, we ask the Executor to guarantee any expenses until the dog is available for adoption) There are times when we will not take the dog and will recommend that the owner or institution put the dog down. This can occur if the dog is elderly, too ill or not temperamentally suited to be placed. We sometimes simply don’t have a foster home to take on the long-term care of a dog that might not be placeable at a later date. We assess each case individually considering what is best for the dog and what we are capable of doing both financially and from a human resources perspective. There are times when we may be able to find another Rescue to take the dog.

Assessment: While the dog is in foster care, we do our best to assess the dog’s personality and health. If the dog turns out to be aggressive and it is not something we can work out, we will not place the dog.  Do to liability issues and our own limitations, we will put this dog down.   If we feel the dog can possibly be safely retrained, we may try to find another rescue more experienced the aggression. Other problems can usually be worked out while in foster care. We try to house break, teach basic manners etc. We also take the dog to the vet. If we don’t have proof of shots, we have to give all of the shots over again. The vet examines the dog and we try to take care of any problems that might show up. If there are any long-term issues, they will be documented and explained to the potential adopters. Very often there are health issues. Many times they are minor. Allergies and skin problems that are minor are not usually even considered a health issue since they are so common in Westies. We simply pass on that information. More serious allergies or skin problems are handled through the vet until we find a regimen for the owners to follow. Sometimes it is something simple like "dry eye" which requires drops or salve for the eyes. Sometimes it can be a more serious condition such as diabetes, Addison’s or Cushing’s. We work to stabilize the dog before we look for an adopter.

Search: When the dog is reasonably stable, we begin to search for a home. Again we look first at our list of applicants. If we don’t find a suitable home among them, we begin to talk about the dog to other contacts, e.g., rescues, phone call contacts, vets, etc. We may put the dog’s picture and story on the Internet.

Contact: When we find a suitable home for the dog, we interview the family, usually several times and often both by phone and email. We meet the family and introduce them to the dog. Sometimes the dog goes home with the family and sometimes we meet more than once to be comfortable with the situation. We will either do a home check ourselves or find a reliable person to do the home check for us. When we have fostered the dog, we are now the dog’s "advocate" and we are very careful about their placement just as the "owners" of the dogs are expected to be when the placement is done by referral.

Placement: We use the same contracts (Surrender and Adoption) when we place a dog that has been fostered. We make follow up calls on the dog once placed to be sure they are getting along well and to try to intervene if problems are developing. Sometimes we give advice; sometimes we refer them to a volunteer "trainer" who works with Westie Rescue. Within the Contracts, we reserve the right to go into the home at any time to check on the dog.

The "Ellen" clause DOES apply: If you adopt from us and can no longer care for that dog you will be legally obligated to return the dog to us. No SHELTER, No other RESCUE, No giveaway to a FRIEND or RELATIVE. NO SELLING THE DOG. If the dog isn’t right for you, we want it back. We encourage you to make plans for the dog’s care in the case of your illness or death and will honor your wishes BUT the new caregiver will be required to apply with us for the right to adopt the dog; we will screen the person just as we screened you. If they pass the screening, they will be given priority to adopt the dog. If they do not pass the screening, we will take the dog back and place with a family who does meet our requirements.

MISC. NOTES:

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