Hi everyone, I wanted to come on here and share the awful experience I had at a rescue centre four days ago. We lost our dog two months ago now. After a few chats with the kids, we decided that a rescue was the best place to find our next companion. We headed over to a local shelter, having a rough idea of the dog we wanted. We met one, and it went really well; he was a bit timid, but that’s to be expected. Me and the kids absolutely fell in love with him, and the feeling seemed mutual. So, we went into the office to sort out the adoption. That’s where it all went pear-shaped. They asked for the adoption paperwork, including proof of income. I’m a childminder and I’m on a low wage, and my partner does agency work – also on a low wage. And then the manager informs us that we don't earn enough!! I was gobsmacked. I asked her what sort of salary you need to adopt a dog? But she wouldn't give a straight answer, just kept saying we didn’t earn enough! You can imagine how gutted the kids were, and us too. Just as I was – if you’ll excuse the expression – giving the manager a piece of my mind, another family came in to finalise an adoption, and the manager said, really loudly so we wouldn't miss a word, "Oh brilliant, you have decent salaries!!!!!" I felt truly humiliated. If there’s anyone from a rescue on this forum, could you tell me what a "decent salary" for adoption actually is? Because I have no idea. Anyway, I don’t think I’ll be setting foot in a rescue centre again. Thanks for reading to the end.
Translated from French
The forum content is sometimes translated from another language, and posts may concern countries with different animal laws. Do your research before making any decisions.
Since the forum is translated by AI, the translations may contain errors.
I’m absolutely outraged by this story, but sadly, I’m not at all surprised.
My cousin adopted a dog from a local animal rescue centre near Saint Gaudens. When she arrived, she was met right at the doorstep and wasn't even allowed to go inside. The manager was quite rough with the two dogs she brought out from the back. There was no follow-up on the animal’s welfare and no proper interview either. My cousin picked one of the two, but the manager just gave her a basic handover agreement. It became clear that she was receiving funding based on the number of dogs officially in her care. There are loads of ongoing complaints and petitions have been circulating regarding animal cruelty, but nothing is being done. These animals are being mistreated with total impunity, and with the protection of the local authorities. It’s an absolute disgrace!
Obviously, this behaviour is absolutely unacceptable; thank goodness love isn't just about money... That said, let's not lose sight of what really matters: bringing some happiness to our little furry friends who've been abandoned by even more vile people... Have a lovely day, everyone.
I’m not judging at all, but from experience, owning a pet and looking after them properly really does come with a significant price tag. I’m talking about a budget for decent food—and I really mean *decent*—as well as vet bills, which are not negligible at all.
Besides, whether we're talking about dogs or even cats (despite what many people think), pets need their owners around for several hours a day. Leaving them home alone all day, every day, is a mistake.
Don't go back there, but do report the incident; otherwise, they'll just carry on with their little 'selection process' based on completely ridiculous criteria for a long time to come.
I’m on my second rescue dog now. The first was back in 2015 from the RSPCA—a five-year-old dog who was seeing a behaviourist for some behavioural issues. They asked me loads of questions about my lifestyle and my other dog, but they didn't ask for any proof of income! The second one was this year from an affiliated shelter further afield; again, no questions about my earnings. I’d even brought my Council Tax bill with me, but they didn’t even want to look at it!
I’m quite surprised; maybe they used that as an excuse to hide another reason...
I’m a bit saddened to hear about your experiences with RSPCA shelters because it’s nothing like what I see at the branch near me. It is very much an RSPCA-affiliated rescue and is normally run just like all the others.
The adoption criteria can be strict sometimes, but you have to understand that the goal is to make sure the animal never has to come back—it’s just as traumatic for the pet as it is for the staff and volunteers.
So yes, we’ve turned down an adoption for a flat because we knew the dog was destructive and a barker; as things stood, the neighbours wouldn't have had the patience to wait for improvements while training was underway. The owner would’ve likely ended up bringing the animal back after two weeks of complaints from the neighbours.
We refused a Malinois to an elderly lady who, as she put it, had owned them all her life and knew the breed well. But bless her, she just wouldn't accept that given her age and limited mobility (she was using walking sticks), she no longer had the physical strength to manage the dog she wanted to adopt.
We also turned down a family on a very tight budget who wanted to adopt a bonded pair of dogs, because we knew that if they were already struggling to make ends meet, two dogs would have been a massive financial burden...
Rejections do happen, of course, and I’d even say it’s for the best. Obviously, the backlash from people who feel slighted can be quite intense because they don’t want to accept or understand the RSPCA’s position. That said, a rejection should always be explained properly and politely. We take people aside and go through the reasoning. We also manage to guide them towards a pet that better suits their profile. For this specific thread, we don’t have all the ins and outs (the specific dog, actual income, lifestyle, etc.). However, as I suggested, the person can contact head office to explain their situation and, if necessary, management can then have a word with the staff or remind them about basic politeness and how to welcome visitors.
Please don’t generalise based on these few cases, as the five or six issues mentioned here don’t reflect the hard work and dedication that goes into the thousands and thousands of annual adoptions and rescues.
I’ll be reporting them too!! I had a bad experience as well: the volunteers were either nowhere to be seen or just plain rude (I told myself it was because they were overworked, but apparently it’s a recurring issue according to the Google reviews)... it’s enough to put you off adopting altogether.
I’d really fallen for a dog there: the two managers told me a home visit was mandatory and that I couldn’t adopt unless my garden had 9-foot (2.8m) fencing!! I told them I’d personally never seen a garden like that, so they just told me to forget it 😒
I ended up going through a smaller rescue and a classified ad for my second one (stroke of luck).
Smaller organisations know the "residents" and their behaviour so much better, unlike the local RSPCA in my town, who couldn't even give me any details about a dog that had been up for adoption for 4 years!!
Honestly, there’s always some drama with the RSPCA. Personally, I’ve been turned down three times because I didn't have a garden, even when I was trying to adopt a 10-year-old senior dog (true story!). In the end, my dog does canicross, bikejoring and massive hikes, while there are people with gardens whose dogs never even leave the house. And what do those people say? "Oh, no need to walk him, I've got a garden." And yet the rescue centre gave them the green light to adopt – it makes my blood boil. And now it’s all about the money...
Personally, you know what you should tell them... "But excuse me, aren't the people who dump their dogs right before the summer holidays usually the ones with the cash?" Honestly...
You get people who can afford a fancy holiday in the South of France but won't pay about £4 a day for their pooch.
