Reference and Education: What's With The Dog Articles? Don't You ...

Last spring I had the unfortunate experience of having all of my pets die. My 22 1/2-year-old cat died first, then my dog, and, then, in the same month my guinea pig died. It was shocking to lose them all in such a short time. I have been an animal lover all of my life and life without pets was just too lonely. So I started the very slow process of finding the perfect pets to add back into my life.

I have been a supporter of animal rescue for 25 years, so I started my search with Colorado cat rescues. As I expected, my experience during the search for a new black cat was positive. I found all cat rescues to be equally interested in meeting/interviewing me as in finding loving homes for their kitties. I found the kitten I wanted and the adoption process was simple and pleasant.

Unfortunately, my experience while looking for a new dog was in NO WAY pleasant. This past summer, I received treatment from a dog rescue group that no one should ever have to experience anywhere from anyone. It made me wonder if I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong person, or if this type of treatment is typical for dog rescue groups. To answer that question, I turned to the Internet and spent hour upon hour in research.

My new dog articles are about what I learned at that time and what I continue to learn as I continue my research. As with my mathematics articles, my goal is public education--this time about issues related to dogs. I found many "issues of concern" that I feel strongly the public should know--especially people who are considering dog adoption and/or donating to a rescue group.

I began my Internet search by looking into"complaints" posted about various dog rescue groups. Please understand that I am NOT referring to humane societies or similar shelters. Shelters understand the importance of adopting out dogs into loving homes as soon as possible. My concerns are with rescue groups like puppy mill rescues and specific breed rescues because these groups tend to be too protective of the animals they have rescued--to the point of making adoption difficult. The more I studied about different rescue groups, the more shocked I became at what I found. Not only was I NOT alone in the way I was treated...what had happened to me and the unethical practices I had observed and experienced were far too common across the country.

My research led me to many aspects of dog adoption--puppy mills, dog rescue groups, animal shelters, kill versus no kill philosophy, 501(c)(3) and non-profit status, legal requirements, ethics issues, financial issues, Internet puppy scams, and so on. The first time I found myself saying, "the public doesn't know about this," I knew I had a new mission--a new set of goals related to animal welfare.

Just FYI, this first realization came with my research into the Humane Society of the United States and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals. I know that the majority of Americans believe that these two large organizations are umbrella groups that are directly connected to our local shelters, and that these large groups help fund the local shelters. Unfortunately, this idea is so WRONG! Our local shelters receive zero, none, nada, NO financial support from these big name groups as we have always been led to believe.

My research into these dog-related areas is ongoing and leads me deeper into surprisingly complex, intertwining issues. I find myself frequently thinking, "the public doesn't know this." So my initial goal became one of public education about misunderstood facts.

My second goal became to caution the public about financial issues. I witnessed behaviors that were unethical, I was informed by other people of situations where the rescue group failed to give financial information that is required with a non-profit status, and the internet is filled of stories of groups making certain claims that former volunteers verify are untrue. These are not groups worthy of donations.

In the very short time span of six months, I have become quite knowledgeable about dog rescue groups, puppy mills, Internet adoption scams, and much more. My math followers know how seriously I take the responsibility to inform with facts. I promise to bring this same attitude to this new category. I will never mislead you. I will always verify my information. If I state an opinion, I will present both sides of the issue. Only an informed public can make informed decisions.

Source: http://iscussnisa.blogspot.com/2012/11/whats-with-dog-articles-dont-you-write.html

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