David offered to pay the adopter's adoption fee for another dog, plus a donation to the rescue. That wasn't good enough. A volunteer driver called him and David left a moment ago with Doug. It's strange, Doug has never turned down a ride in the car. But when David called 'C'mon Doug!", he ran upstairs to me and jumped into my lap.
I'm devastated. Heartbroken and my eyes red and puffy from crying.
To add insult to injury, I received the following email from a board member of the rescue pertaining to the blog post I wrote about yesterday. Again, I'm not verifying the name of the rescue, nor the writer:
Beth I have to say that I am totally disgusted with your behaviour. How dare you manipulate the situation to make yourself look like a victim. I know that you are a very passionate and opinionated woman, but your selfishness in trying to make yourself look good is just hurting rescue in general. What you are doing is slander and you know it. You do not have any proof of your intention to adopt and are twisting the situation around.
Perhaps you should mention in your post that you don't have the proof existence of such email exists so it is a more accurate portrayal of the situation. You seem to have every other email about Doug except the one we have asked for.
I did warn T*** and K*** that you would be a high maintenance foster home, but I never dreamed that it would result in this. Perhaps I should have realized that you publicly bash everybody and everything when you do not get your own way and should have expected something like this from you.
****************************************
It's absolutely true. There is an email "out there" that I no longer have and they said they never received that casually stated our intent to adopt Doug. They knew I wanted him. Why didn't they call me to find out for sure? They're ALL (or were) "friends" with me on Facebook. They knew how I felt about him.
This isn't a sale at Wal-Mart. The well-being of the animal shouldn't be first come first serve.
No, I'm not a victim at all. Doug is the victim. I can still feel his slobber drying on my cheek as I type this.
21 comments:
Sounds like Homeward Bound Rescue is acting entirely out of spite.
I'm sure the adopter has NO clue what is going on.
Slander involves calling out names. Their information was kept private (aside from the rescue name) in your blog posts.
Homeward Bound Rescue is showing their true colours. What a disgrace to the rescue community - what a bunch of hypocrites.
I have done placements for 6 years for a dog rescue. And yes I have had to tell potentialadopter that even met the dog, that the foster has decided to adopt. Yes it is embarrassing, but it is about the dogs !!! Plan and simple !!
Maybe they will decide not to take him and he will be home soon.
I hope he is home soon !
This is terrible Beth. I am in tears. I did actually write to the rescue (naming no names, just asking who I could email with regards to a concern I have). They gave me the email address of a board member but as I was writing my email to her, she sent me a message with all the details about Doug and why the decision had been made. Very unprofessional I feel because I hadn't mentioned any names.
I responded to her and asked if they would please reconsider (and outlined my arguments). She didn't respond. Now I know why.
This is an awful, awful thing to have happened and I am so upset for you, for Doug....this is wrong on all levels.
You didn't slander the rescue, they did a great job all by themselves. Because of their behaviour (and not because of what you have written), I will urge *everyone* I know to avoid this rescue.
Awful, awful people.
One more thing.... Do they not talk to a foster about a potential adopter to see what the foster thinks ??? You know the dog best !!!
This is wrong on so many levels
This should be about what is best for Doug, and taking him from the Turner family is wrong. My heart aches for Doug and the Turners. I hope there is some way that he finds his way back to you.
This is one of the most awful things I have ever heard. I volunteer for a rescue and OFTEN have to tell adopters that I have screened that the foster has fallen for their foster and have decided to adopt. Adopters are ALWAYS very understanding and there is ALWAYS another animal in foster care waiting for them. Shame on this rescue for not putting the needs of Doug first. The only one giving them a bad name is themselves and their total disregard for the feelings of Doug. My heart breaks for you Beth - I know how quickly our pets work their way into our hearts. I can only hope that in time you find it in yourself to open your heart and home to another 'Doug' in need - since we all know how many animals their are that need someone who cares just an ounce of how much you do.
This is beyond horrible. My heart goes out to you and Doug. All of the standard rules of rescue were disregarded here. Beth, if there's anything I can do for you and your family, just say the word!
This is a sad day for rescues, fosters and the dogs and cats that rely on them to hold their better interests foremost.
Painful as it is, thank you for sharing this personal tragedy. Hopefully by doing so, you may prevent a repeat performance with a different cast of characters in the future.
Poor little Doug!
This is just horrible, I am so very sorry for all of your pain, you, David and Doug! Homeward Bound should be disgusted with themselves - although I am sure there are good loving dedicated foster homes with that rescue - it is ONE person - ONE horrible selfish selfrighteous MEAN SPITFUL person - as always in this world that causes pain and heartache to so many. Homeward Bound should immediately take action to rid themselves of this person and if there Board of directors are in agreement with what happened then they must accept their role in this horrible situation and accept the possible consequences of public 'bashing' in a most deserving manner. I even talked to my vet about it and she was appalled that such a travesty would happen. Her heart was all for Doug!
Although we may never know, it'll be interesting to see how Doug reacts to his new "home." Poor guy was happy right where he was….why uproot him. You are right the ultimate victim is Doug. Rescues are supposed to be ending that cycle not perpetuating it. Shame shame on them. This person has let their ego get in the way of what's best for Doug. I feel for anyone who fosters for this group. They could be in for the same world of hurt that you are currently experiencing. I'm so grateful that my group not only allows me first dibs to adopt my foster but also allows me the right to turn down a potential adopter if I feel they aren't the right fit. Poor Dougie!!!
Beth I am so very sorry. Rescue SHOULD be about the best interest of the animal. And yet so often it ends up being about the ego of those doing the paperwork. I have sent those emails: sorry, the foster fell in love; sorry, the cat still on petfinder has already been adopted. And if someone really cares about the best interest of the animal, they understand that. How wrong to take a 10 year old dog, lie about his age (and we know they will figure it out) and then take him from where he is comfortable to give him to someone who hasn't even met him but filled out an application and was approved based on a picture.
Oh my God, Beth I'm so sorry to hear about Doug. As someone who fostered a cat, and decided to adopt it when someone was interested, I can imagine how heart broken you must be. I'm sure it was inconvienient, but I didn't really imagine life without my Eddie before the potential adopter enquired, but the rescue was 100% okay with it.
I am completely in shock that someone would have the heart to do that to you of all people. You are an angel. Ugh.... I'm so disgusted I don't even know what to say. My only hope is that Doug will recieve as equally amazing home as the one he was just taken from.
I'm just so sorry..
Whether you sent an email to request to adopt him prior or not does not matter one iota. The rescue should have contacted you when they had a potential adopter and run it by you, at which point you could have said "hey, didn't you get my email?...." All this could have been avoided. I am an adoption screener for a rescue and I ALWAYS check with the foster first to find out what is going on with the animal. The way this rescue treats its volunteers is DEPLORABLE. Shame on them. Just disgusted.
He's still listed on their website as an available dog and they gush about how well he's doing in his foster home (yours). So bizarre.
Totally agree with you!
I totally agree with you!
Well I recall reading in your original post about this that you said you didn't have the email. So I don't know why they are complaining about that, if not to simply have something to complain about.
I'm sorry you felt the need to turn over Doug..
I'm sorry they felt the need to be so (edited out to be nice) about the whole situation.. and I am sorry for Doug. I can only hope he finds happiness in his new home and they are able to over look the discrepancy in age.
I also agree with the comments that potential adopters should totally understand that pets can be made unavailable at any time between when they are first seen as available for adoption and the actual adoption process because these are LIVING BEINGS!! They could get sick, they could die.. they could have been picked out by another adopter who just happened to get through the process faster. This isn't like they are toasters that just sit on a shelf waiting to be purchased at a department store that promises to always be in stock..
and as for you being high maintenance.. oh they should be so lucky that their foster homes are demanding of the best for the animals in their care!! The animals need advocates.. and who better than the person who is caring for it day in and day out.. *headdesk* It breaks my heart that they so fail to see this... and failed to take this opportunity to make a little extra cash off you and just make this all go away instead of being such snots about the whole thing.
while this is all about the animals, it takes PEOPLE persons to run a shelter because darn it.. you have to actually DEAL with people.. who once again are not toasters..
and sadly I doubt they will learn from this.. which they completely and utterly should..
Very well said Tails from Foster kitties!
I too doubt that they will learn anything from this - I suspect that email from the "exec" member is a woman who in addition to working with this rescue is also heading up a local Cat Rescue . Volunteers from that rescue are leaving in droves due to the poor treatment of volunteers there and they don't seem to give a damn!
What is very, very, very interesting, is the following sentences, which are in HBR's correspondence with potential adopters:
"Please keep in mind that there are usually quite a few applications per dog and that if a dog you pick is adopted out to someone else it is NOT a reflection on your application or you. Sometimes it boils down to where someone is in the process."
In other words, in the very first email you get from them, they warn you that you might not get the dog you're trying to adopt. So it would not be some sort of terrible insult to the adopters to be told "sorry, it looks like someone else was actually ahead of you". In this case, the loving home Doug was already in. They hadn't even MET Doug, for heaven's sake.
Curiouser and curiouser.
I am very sorry this has happened to Doug and you.
This is absolutely Disgusting.
Shame on them!
I don't know you Beth but my friend told me about your blog and what had happened to Doug and I was so saddened to hear of a such heartless incident.
THE FACT THAT YOU WANTED TO ADOPT DOUG IN THE FIRST PLACE SHOULD HAVE BEEN ENOUGH FOR THEM.
Any Rescue that I have ever worked with always gives the Foster first call when a potential adopter comes over if that person is suitable to adopt even before any numbers are exchanged.
SHAME ON YOU HWB, SHAME ON YOU HWB!
I hope the new adopter gets wind of this and contacts you!
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