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Home Checks for rescue


Carolk9s

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I'll be doing another home check in the next couple of days for Belgian Malinios Rescue! It's exciting to meet others who want to bring a Belgian into their home.
The folks I will be going to visit have had a Mal before, apparently their elderly Mal recently died.
The last home check I did was at the home of not one but two county police officers, I made sure to drive carefully in their neighborhood! 8)
I take my Belgian Sheepdog, Jesse, with me on these visits. One of the rescue coordinators said after these folks met Jesse, she was afraid they were going to want a hairy black dog instead of the shorthaired brown Mal! :D Of course Jesse knows how to pour on the charm.
I recently helped transport two Malinios females, they were going from NC all the way to CT. The youngest female, who was going to a foster home, was quite spooky at first but she warmed up to me quickly and oh my I could see that she had a ton of potential. It's a good thing I am at my limit or her trip might have ended in VA!

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The two police officers I visited got their Malinois. They adopted a female from rescue. They are both very nice people and I felt would give an excellent home to a dog.
I went on a home check before that one where the woman seemed like a good fit also. Unfortunately she did not tell me the entire truth and a check with her vet revealed info that prevented her from getting a rescue.

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Guest Anonymous

OOOOHHHHH AAAAHHHHHH. I have fallen in LOVE with the Belgian dogs. Sadly my dsylexia keeps me from even trying to spell their names, LOL. Perhaps someday in the distant future when I have more money, a house, and a properly fenced yard I can get one from a rescue? Could you please post some information on the things your specific resuce looks for in a home?

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During a home check, we basically want to see how the dog will 'fit' into this home with these people. Where will the dog live, indoors/outdoors, how will the people interact with the dog. If there is a current pet in the home, how do the people interact with that animal. Is an existing pet clean and parasite free. Does the home present a safe environment for a dog. How will the dog be exercised, socialized etc. Pretty general stuff like that.
One of the reasons I take Jesse with me is to see how the people relate to him, also if there is another pet in the house, how does that pet react to Jesse being there.

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Oh man I so wish you were the person who did home check for the Golden Retriver rescue here. Maybe then my stupid freind wouldn't have gotten that beautiful GR that her family treats like trash. I realy have no idea how any rescue could have given the OK on her family. :( :evil:

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[quote name='courtnek']might I ask what a vet would tell you that would prevent a rescue from being adopted? I got turned down a few times after Alex died, and I'm wondering if it's because of somethign the vet said...[/quote]

I'm guessing it would be things like: did you have your animals vacc'd yearly, brought them in for their annual check ups, never had an animal PTS because of a costly illness - for instance you didn't have your 2yr old other wise healthy Lab PTS because $4000 for hip surgery wasn't something you wanted to pay and instead get a new dog.
I think they would turn you down if the vet say's they've seen you go through a lot of dogs in a short period of time.
I doubt they would turn you down for things like: your pet was overweight or had bad teeth and fleas one time.

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That's so cool Carol! I always want to do more for rescue, like you!!! :fadein:
I help out when I can for German Shepherd rescue in my area but nothing big. I participated at fundrasing events and transported a dog. I've seen the dog (Nika) twice since I transported her, once at a GSRT car wash and when she came to my work a month ago. I love the feeling, though what I did was so little it helped bring her to her wonderful forever home.

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[quote]never had an animal PTS because of a costly illness -[/quote]

this was the issue with Alex - he was diagnosed with Blastomycosis, a sever fungal infection that literally "rots" the organs. You dont see any symptoms of it until it's taken a good hold on the animal. Alex seemed fine, and then one day started to cough. I called the vet, she said watch him, he may have a cold...two weeks later his eyes started to look funny, very red and inflamed. I took him to the vet, she said he had it. 4 days later he went blind. She sent me to an eye specialist to confirm her diagnosis. They did. They also told me that the fungal medicine was $100.00 a week, which I could not afford, but would have tried to find a way except they could not in any way gurantee me that it would cure him, or even allow him to live normally. He was already blind, I was told his eyes would need to be surgically removed to prevent reinfection in that area. and they would not say that he would ever get better. Then the hard part happened. He was in pain, it was in his lungs, altho not too terribly, and he would have to take pain killers for the rest of his life if the
fungal medicine couldnt help him. I decided to not put him thru that, and had him pts.....the vet agreed with my decision and was ok with it, the eye specialist hpwever, was extremely nasty and insulting, saying I was "throwing away my dog"....I asked her again what the odds were that he would get better, and not be in pain for the rest of his life, and she again said "we have no way of knowing..."

I cried for weeks after that...and I'm crying now remembering it. I loved that dog, but could not watch him go through that if there was no hope....

that's why I asked...

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I am so sorry. :(
I really don't think that would be a reason. Your vet even said it was the best decision. It would have been worse for him to suffer and even the specialist didn't know if it was going to help.
What I meant by that comment was the dog is other wise healthy and surgery would do the trick. (Blastomycosis, a sever fungal infection that literally "rots" the organs - That's serious)

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oh dont worry Majies...I know you didnt mean that....Sometimes you gotta go with your gut instinct, and mine said not to let him suffer. Looking at him that way, I somehow KNEW he was not gonna make it, and I couldnt bear the thought of the pain involved....but thanks. I appreciate your input very much.

I just wondered if that's why it was so hard to get a shelter to adopt me a dog...maybe they talked to the eye specialist, I dont know. They dont tell you stuff like that...

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