Jan
23

The DANGERS of dog adoptions on Facebook

Let me be clear.

This is likely the most important post I have made in the last two years of running Let’s Adopt! and posting daily.

Read it please, and share it. You will be saving lives if you do.

Yesterday night we saved the life of a dog. We literally snatched him away from a family that would have either lost him or dumped him at a shelter in a matter of days.

The family called themselves animal lovers, but they were clearly incapable of taking care of that animal, they would have NEVER been able to cater to his needs, to provide him with the right veterinary care, to fulfill the basic needs of the animal.

That adoption should have NEVER taken place and the dog is lucky I intervened.

It is VERY VERY easy to find a home for a dog on the internet, but it is VERY VERY difficult to find a good home.

In the last few months we have had to intervene to rescue animals that had been given away on adoption to the very wrong people by animal lovers who didn’t follow the correct procedures. The story is always the same. Someone finds a dog, puts his picture on Facebook and asks people to apply for it. Someone applies for it, and he gets the dog,  no questions asked. The nightmare starts there… Two days later the dog is again on the streets or taken to a shelter.

Rescuing and rehoming dogs is a great mission, but is also a SACRED responsibility. Let’s Adopt! is not in the business of passing dogs from one hand to the other, what we do here is to finding homes for the next 15 years of the live of that animal, and we will NEVER compromise for the sake of comfort or expediency. This also means that we cannot work under pressure, and that we will take the necessary time to find the perfect home for that animal.

I encourage all of you to rescue animals and to take action where needed, but I must also beg you to follow a system and apply strict rehoming procedures, otherwise the result could end up in death for the animal you have just rescued.

I am going to explain again what are our Adoption Rules in an attempt to make you understand why we are so strict and why we will never again make exceptions.

1. FAMILY MUST HAVE A DOG RIGHT NOW… If the dog has died recently it doesn’t count.. if they have a bird? doesn’t count, if they had a dog when they were young? No… The reason for this is simple risk management. The only way I have to be absolutely certain that you can take care of our animal is when I see you are already taking good care
of yours. There is no other way.. the alternative is for me to believe in your story and your intentions, and think about it.. why should I?

You may like dogs or cats all you want but how can I be sure you will not change your mind after a few hours. People change their minds incredibly fast after a couple of pees on their favorite carpet.

2. Dog MUST live inside the home, not in the garden. No factories, no office animals, no farms. Many reasons for this, but mainly the fact that we are looking for long term adoptions, not short term arrangements. What are the chances a dog living on a factory will receive the necessary veterinary care and attention when he is sick?
Same as a dog living on a farm…

3. Dog MUST be fed raw. This is a particularity of this group. Raw feeding is the ONLY biologically appropriate diet for a carnivore. To me, agreeing to follow this rule means that you will be putting the interest of the animal above your own, and that is precisely the kind of person I am trying to find.

These are MY rules, and after two years of rehoming on Facebook our success speaks for itself. These rules are applied in all our networks, not only in Turkey. Canada, USA and France will follow exactly the same procedures. These rules are not here to satisfy my ego as some may think. I personally don’t care what you think of me but if you are reading this message right now it means you somehow value my opinion.

Our rules are there to ensure the life of the animals and I strongly encourage you to follow them in your own particular rescues.

In Turkey, statistically only 1 out of 10 applicants is capable of taking care of an animal. 1 out of 10.

Please share this on your profiles.

January 23, 2010   //   Uncategorized   //   14 Comments   //   Tags: Danger dog adoptions Facebook

14 Comments to “The DANGERS of dog adoptions on Facebook”

• January 23, 2010 at 1:43 pm
  Basar says:

  Everything you’ve said, I can agree with 100%. Most people in Turkey adopt animals to show them off to their friends and get the attention they would not get otherwise! They see animals as display objects, no different than a LV purse or a designer shoe… it’s very sad. I am happy to know that there are people like yourself, who are fighting for the wellbeing of our friends. Thank you!
• January 23, 2010 at 1:57 pm
  Zeynep Hekimoglu says:

  Zamanında “Barınak gerçeği” diye eleştirdiğiniz tanınmış değerli insanlar işte bu nedenlerle her gelene hayvan sahiplendirmiyorlar, bu yüzden katı prosedürleri var. Siz onların yürüdüğü yolu yeni geçmektesiniz. Doğru yolda ilerlediğiniz için kutlarım.

  Yeri gelmişken yineliyeyim; barınakları iyileştirmek ve sahiplendirme çalışmaları yapmak olmazsa olmazdır… Bir o kadar daha yapılması önemli olan, üretimi kontrol altına alabilmektir; kaçak yolla, ev içi/ arka bahçe üretimi yoluyla, petshoplar aracılğıyla ve ırk yarışmaları ile özendirilen ırk köpek üreticiliği yolu ile, kırsal kesimdeki insanların kısırlaştırma yapmamaları yolu ile sahipsiz köpek popülasyonu sürekli pompalanmaktadır. Bu artışı durduramadıkça sahiplendirme asla tek başına çözüm olamayacaktır.

  Çalışmalarınızda kolaylıklar dilerim,
• January 23, 2010 at 11:08 pm
  Sissy says:

  Viktor I believe your past experiences have caused you to create these rules.Some may find them harsh or disagree with you but they are not the people who are having to rescue and rehome these dogs.I understand your first priority is the dog.They are not toys and do not deserve to continually be rehomed due to neglectful owners.I support you and Let’s Adopt fully.I stand by your decisions and rules.Anyone who gets upset with an animal for peeing on the floor does not deserve a dog in my opinion or even worse leaving him to live outside???Your success rate speaks for itself.
• January 24, 2010 at 5:07 am
  Pam Davis says:

  I am in Texas/USA and have been doing some fostering for EARS (Education Animal Rescue Services) and they usually step in and only foster dogs from disasters (mine are from a huge puppy mill raid, one of the largest in TX) and they have these strict procedures just as Vicktor said, because they do NOT want these abused animals to wind back up in a shelter, or abuse situation again.

  Think about it. They are life long companions. With needs. Why would we ever want to rush and slam them into a quick ‘home’ just to say they were adopted? It is definitely something we should take great care to ensure we’ve done our homework, in every way possible, to KNOW these people have the ability to make/and keep, this life long responsibility.

  Thanks to all who work with animals, and God Bless you Viktor!
• January 24, 2010 at 1:18 pm
  Lindsay Jane Caress . says:

  These situations always concern me . We adopted our Jessie in 1996. Knowing the difficulties that these shelter dogs have is one thing but dealing with their difficulties is quite another ! When a dog has psycholoigal problems caused by abandonment they sometimes do not recover from this rejection and remain fearful so great patience and time is required to cope with them. Lindsay
• January 27, 2010 at 6:36 am
  Tweets that mention The DANGERS of dog adoptions on Facebook « MyLetsAdopt ! -- Topsy.com says:

  [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by sara and sara , Sofia Goncalves. Sofia Goncalves said: The DANGERS of dog adoptions on Facebook – http://blog.myletsadopt.com/2010/01/23/the-dangers-of-dog-adoptions-on-facebook/ [...]
• January 28, 2010 at 2:07 am
  Yasemin says:

  Hi Victor,
  I am certainly an animal lover, who did a lot of rescues and I always had problems with finding families, therefore I ended keeping most of them. There was a time when I sent two puppies to the Netherlands and have a guilty feeling about this since then as I am not sure what happened with one of the dogs, the people that adopted the dog hanged the phone up when I told them who I was and I wanted to know how the dog was, now I will never know what happened with my dearest puppy – no more contact. The world is full of mean people who don’t know how to love or how to look after another living being other then themselves. I don’t think that this only in Turkey like this, it is all over the world. In Switzerland or Germany you hear every year of animals being abondoned just because the families go on vacation and don’t want to pay for shelters during that time. In the smallest illness they put them asleep so that they don’t have to pay the vet bills and care for a sick animal. It is true that there is only 1 person in 10 who exactly what you would want to get even this number is a very optimistic one, I would say it is more like 1 in 20. Still, Victor I must tell you that I donot totally agree with your rules for adopting a pet.
  Number 1; some people cannot look after 2 dogs, it is almost impossible, the aparment they live in might be a problem or they might have financial problems etc. So I would really not see any reason for not allowing a loving family to adopt a pet after their’s has died. You can simply make a little interview and see how well they took care of their old pet, how old the pet was, what the cause of death was etc. People who are real animal lovers and can only take care of one pet should have the right to adopt a pet. I totally agree with your 2nd rule, but I have question marks regarding the 3rd one. Yes, I don’t really believe that pet food is healthy, the ones sold at veterinary clinics are better then the ones in supermarkets of course but still not totaly healthy. I believe that special cooked meals for dogs are the healthiest choices, rice or noodles or bread with a vegetable and a bit of meat all cooked together in a nice broth in my mind is healthy. I know from experience that when a dog is fed on raw meat, he develops parasites and can get really sick, also it is said (I have not experienced this ) but that feeding a dog only raw meat could cause him to be more aggressive, which does make sense to me. Unfortunately, most people don’t have time to cook at home any more and therefore the ready foods are the easiest choices they have and at a city like Istanbul where commuting between home and work is such a challenge, we cannot really blame them can we? But instead wouldn’t it be a wise rule to also add that the families who will adopt the pet should take him for a walk at least twice a day, the dog should get enough exercise. And also, there should be a Consult hot line or something where people could be advised about which dog to adopt and if it is suitable for their lifestyle. A smaller dog with a milder temper for older people or maybe a cat but a livelier larger dog for families with children etc. It should certainly not be I saw the picture online, he is very cute, therefore I want him, kind of a deal.
  I just wanted to put my thoughts forward, which I hope you will understand. I admire your work and patience, but please don’t ever give up, I don’t know how I can help but I am there supporting you with just a few little question marks on your rules.
  All the best, Yasemin
• January 28, 2010 at 2:12 am
  Yasemin says:

  By the way, can you please recommend me a good vet. I’ve got a Boxer with a skin condition that none of the vets I worked with could correctly diagnose and treat, we think it might be psychological as we moved into a new house, there is a new baby and a dog that he does not get a long with, so it makes sense but what is the treatment ??? So if you have a vet that you think might help me, I would appreciate if you can send me the name, number and address.
  Thank you, Yasemin
• February 3, 2010 at 2:20 am
  lynda chabane says:

  I couldnt have put it better myself. Better to not have a dog at all, than adopt one and then weeks later find you cant cope for one reason or another and have to abandon him/her once again to a life of hardship and possibly death. When you adopt a dog, it is for LIFE, not on a whim, or because you like the look of the young pup that needs a home. Be honest with yourself, can you really accept this new dog into your life permanently for the next 12 years or more, think about it hard and thoroughly before you decide yes you can!! My dogs are my life, where I go they go, they come first everytime, their needs are so much greater than mine, and that will never change. They depend on ME not the other way round!
  Well spoken Viktor, you have to be cruel to be kind when it comes to the the final outcome for these special dogs!!
• February 8, 2010 at 3:53 pm
  margie byrd says:

  I would like more info regarding your statement that a dog must be fed “raw”. I am not sure that I understand.
  I do not understand how people could get rid of their animal family members because the animal has an accident!?!? I just do not understand that mindset. Yes, everyone loves a clean, sanitary home, but good grief, would you get rid of your human child for urinating on the carpet (or anywhere else)? That is what cleaning supplies are for!
  I think it would be a good idea if shelters would make out a sort of test paper for adoptive parents applying for the adoption of an animal with a lot of soul-searching, in depth questions for them to answer: This could help prevent an animal being adopted and then dumped later.Evidently when an animal is adopted some people do not look long and hard before making a commitment to that animal. Sure, sometimes things happen that are beyond the adoptor’s control, but there are still avenues that they can take to ensure the animal is properly taken care of.
  Thank you for caring for the animals!
  Margie Byrd
• March 1, 2010 at 11:06 pm
  anna schumacher says:

  i do agree that concern for the animal comes first. in defense of adopting animals on facebook though – many of these dogs & cats are on death row. they will be suffer a horrible death crammed into a gas chamber in a day or 2 if someone does not rescue them right away. applications must be filled out. often they may go to a rescue group who can take the time to adopt to a proper kind of family & that is a good scenario. if it is an individual, they do have to complete the application first, but that may be the animal’s ONLY alternative to a frightening, inhumane death. and i do NOT support that lack of space need to dispose of any animal which runs rampant in the animal control system in the u.s. & is supported by the national “humane” & animal “protection” societies. but it is a fact & until that is effectively changed, the only alternative is quick action to get them out of that system to a safe haven.
• March 3, 2010 at 10:49 am
  Viktor Larkhill says:

  Anna,

  I agree with you entirely BUT what is going on in Facebook at the moment desserves to be paid close attention to.
  Would you rescue a kid from an earthquake to hand it over to a prostitution ring? No… you would act systematically.
  That is what this post is about.. about acting systematically and doing things properly.
  xx
• March 6, 2010 at 5:15 am
  Lynne Massey says:

  My daughter is trying to adopt a rescued dog. Her previous dog died after 18 years. The applications she has filled out have asked for vet references that require you to authorize your vet to release records. I don’t think having an animal is necessary as some dogs don’t get along well with others and some people can not handle more then one at a time, this is a very suitable substitute, maybe you could consider this option?
• March 6, 2010 at 8:09 pm
  Viktor Larkhill says:

  Lynne, we make exceptions at times, not in Turkey though.
  Experience has shown us time and again that exceptions cannot be made here, and it is very sad because we could save so many more.
  Put your daughter in touch with me on viktor@myletsadopt.com
  I will love to talk to her.