March 18, 2005

Rescue

Diesel was my first pedigree puppy, and although I'm getting another dog from a breeder I do support canine rescue and know that there are wonderful dogs available through rescue.

Jon Katz in The New Work of Dogs talks about an apparent need some people have to feel that they have 'rescued' a dog from a life of abuse, and you will hear people say "He's a rescue dog" with an eyebrow raise that suggests a past blackened by horrors too terrific to mention. Of course there are far too many animals that have been abused, a moment in front of tv news tells you that. But for the most part the dogs available through animal rescue have just become inconvenient - a new house or baby, or a need for some training, or they wandered away. Not all rescue animals have baggage to be overcome, or problems to be worked through. Indeed most that are re-homed do not.

PetRescue are a new, not for profit, organisation dedicated to rehoming shelter animals across Australia. They act as an umbrella site for breed or location specific rescue across Australia.

Australian Cattle Dog Rescue is devoted to the Cattle Dogs (and Stumpy Tailed Cattle Dogs) in Australia that are in need of loving homes.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

You see lots of warnings about getting a dog with 'problems' but I guess the specialist rescue organisations have the skills to assess which dogs will make good pets.

I got my boy from the RSPCA four years ago, and you couldn't get a nicer stabler (is that a word??) dog.