long time to find a rescued Sheltie?

T

therwilBbarkng

Forums Regular
I'm wondering for those who have adopted rescued Shelties, does it take a long time for the right dog to come along? I've been trying for 6 months, my application and home visit was approved but I've always just missed the Sheltie I'm interested in.

Am I too picky? I'm looking for dog playful, 5 or under and preferably female. I look every day and this last time, the dog had just been listed and I called and emailed that morning. Shelties aren't very common here so that may be part of the problem but I'm wondering how long I should hang in there or give up and look for another source.
 
It didn't take me very long to get a dog through rescue. I was lucky though, at the time I was ready she had a lot of dogs. They had just had a puppy mill seizure so it was pretty crowded. I think it was about three weeks from the time I submitted my application to the time Baxter came home. I also think it went quickly because Baxter had some issues that might have made him a little harder to place.

My request was for a dog 6-8 years old, some experience being around children and be able to put up with a active younger dog. I had no size, color or sex preferences. Baxter happened to be available and was exactly what I was looking for.

She has had a very limited number of dogs available lately. There were a few weeks she had NONE, so I'm sure the wait would be long right now. I have to agree with Rachel that this is a good thing. I hope it means fewer of our babies are being abused and/or abandoned.

IMO you are not being too picky. Your requirements are perfectly reasonable. Good luck! I hope the right dog comes along for you soon.
 
I had my eye on Lucy for a couple of weeks. I emailed and sent in an application, they said no one had even bothered to apply for her, but they had a lot of apps for the other shelties. This made me want to adopt her even more. One week later Lucy was living the good life with her new sister Fiona. :biggrin2:
 
I've been periodically looking at my local sheltie rescue web site for a total of 3 years.

I'd been looking at it for months (around 3) when a cute little sheltie girl caught my eye. I wanted so badly to adopt her and train her but my dh just was not on board. We compromised and instead got Sadie's half sister Ginny when she was born.

Since then (a little over a year ago), I've continued checking out the rescue site. About 4 weeks ago I noticed a listing for a tri-color boy who just pulled at me, even more than the first rescue girl we saw.

The adoption process took about three weeks - a week for them to review our application, talk to our vet and to arrange a phone interview. Another week for me to talk to Toby's foster Mom and have a home visit, then it was another week until we could arrange to go see him. Technically he's with us on a trial period, but I highly doubt we'd return him. We love him so much already and he fits in with our family wonderfully. :smile2:

But really, it was 3 years till we found the dog that was right for us.
 
Hi - I'm from So Cal too and it's true there aren't that many Shelties in our area, at least compared to some states. Southland Sheltie Rescue is I assume who you are looking at. If you feel the need to widen your search, check some close by states. Arizona has two rescues, Utah has one, I don't know about Nevada. Colorado has a couple of wonderful rescues - I love their sites, they sound like wonderful people there. Look under the Rescue tab on the home page for Sheltie Nation.

It definitely is good news that you're having a hard time finding a dog to rescue but it's hard to wait patiently if you're ready for a fur friend.

Good luck!

Sharon
 
long time to find a rescue Sheltie?

Southland Sheltie Rescue, Inc., is possibly the largest Sheltie rescue in the US. It appears as though we have fewer Shelties because many get placed prior to being posted on our websites. Luckily, people want the Shelties we have and are willing to wait so that the Shelties are not stuck in foster care longer than needed. Our placements are all about what is best for the Shelties.

Unfortunately, there are still way too many Shelties that end up in precarious situations needing rescue in Southern California. I know this because I haven't had a vacation in years and I spend at least 30 hours a week doing rescue on top of my full time job. There are many volunteers in our network that do the same for the Shelties.

SSRI is all about finding the best homes for the Shelties and making matches, so it is not a first come first serve situation that you can put a time limit on. When people want a dog we have AND have what the dog needs, the adoption can happen in days. It takes longer to adopt if it is your first time adopting, if you have specific requirements, and if your home environment restricts the possible matches. We are fortunate to have many repeat adoptive homes because the matchmaking process is the best way to go for the homes and for the Shelties.

Hope this information helps,

Sarai Johnson
Southland Sheltie Rescue, Inc.
San Diego County
619-347-0379
 
Laddie (Mr Brush Me In the Bathroom) is doing great - from SSRI

Sarai Johnson said:
Southland Sheltie Rescue, Inc., is possibly the largest Sheltie rescue in the US. It appears as though we have fewer Shelties because many get placed prior to being posted on our websites. Luckily, people want the Shelties we have and are willing to wait so that the Shelties are not stuck in foster care longer than needed. Our placements are all about what is best for the Shelties.

Unfortunately, there are still way too many Shelties that end up in precarious situations needing rescue in Southern California. I know this because I haven't had a vacation in years and I spend at least 30 hours a week doing rescue on top of my full time job. There are many volunteers in our network that do the same for the Shelties.

SSRI is all about finding the best homes for the Shelties and making matches, so it is not a first come first serve situation that you can put a time limit on. When people want a dog we have AND have what the dog needs, the adoption can happen in days. It takes longer to adopt if it is your first time adopting, if you have specific requirements, and if your home environment restricts the possible matches. We are fortunate to have many repeat adoptive homes because the matchmaking process is the best way to go for the homes and for the Shelties.

Hope this information helps,

Sarai Johnson
Southland Sheltie Rescue, Inc.
San Diego County
619-347-0379
Click to expand...

I got my wonderful Laddie from Judi at SSRI. I had been thinking about getting a companion for my Katie (also from Del Dios Sheltie Rescue) for some time. When I saw his photo - and the fact that he was found as a stray AND had lost his right eye - the "voice" came and I knew he was the one. Katie and I drove up to Santa Ana in the pouring rain to get him. It was wonderful meeting Judi and, of course, bringing this precious sweet boy home. It took about a week - mostly for me to be able to get up there. I live in an apartment but in a wonderfully dog-friendly development. My boy needed some medical care: I had his teeth cleaned (one tooth needed to be extracted), he needed blood pressure meds and a special diet (potential early glomerulonephritis), and a LOT of love. This wonderful baby will be celebrating his one year anniversary with us in another two weeks. Hard to believe it's been that long already. You would not believe this was the same frightened, insecure boy that first came home. He is wonderful, incredibly loving, the best kisser west of the Mississippi, doing great on his meds, and I wouldn't trade him for the world. Katie gives him kisses when she thinks i'm not looking! I will ONLY adopt rescue shelties for as long as I can have dogs. We have been long-time supporters of SSRI and will continue to do so to help the fantastic folks who do so much for this very special breed!!
 
The Right Match

All four of my Shelties have been/are rescues. A good rescue organization seeks the very best match possible between the shelties in their care and those who apply to adopt. Just as there are an infinite number of personalities, life styles, life situations, and personal preferences among humans, the dogs also have their own personalities, histories, and life situations. The rescue organizations we are familiar with want to send their dogs to forever homes, permanent ones, and so the necessity for the best match possible. Minnesota Sheltie Rescue where three of our shelties have come from, have people who have long experience in making the right matches, and they are very very good at what they do. My advice is to take your time, and allow the rescue group to take theirs, and wait for that right match. You will not be sorry, and neither will that perfect rescue sheltie that will come into your life. Yours aye, Will
 
A little late to this thread, but here goes...

We live out in the country surrounded by woods and farms, but we don't have a fenced in yard which makes it difficult to get a Sheltie from rescue. For my first adoption I emailed the rescue and told them which ones I was interested in. It helped that I was looking for a senior around the same age as my current Sheltie. For one reason or another the rescue couldn't get me the ones I inquired about and instead recommended Beamer. He seemed to be OK but wasn't on my first choice list. I said we'd like to meet him. Once we met him, we decided to take him home, he worked out fine.

Over the years even though we've fostered a few and have owned five (plus one current permanent foster) rescues still won't let us adopt young dogs because of the lack of a fence. So when we decided to get a younger dog I checked with local breeders who might have dogs 3-6 years old for sale. We finally found Kasey at one breeder.

So if you are having a hard time finding a Sheltie, either expand your list of dogs you're interested in, or check with breeders looking to sell their older dogs.
 
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