I’d like to start out by saying that everyone in rescue is trying their hardest to do what they can do to save as many lives as possible. The shelters are filling up more quickly than rescues can get dogs out, into foster and into forever homes. The funds are low, the demands are high and stress is the crucial factor. I understand the situation, but there are some issues to address.
First the good:
Breed specific rescues serve and important place in rescue because they understand the needs of specific breeds of animals and are familiar with their medical issues, temperaments, quirks and usually have a good handle on those people who are looking for that specific breed to adopt. They are very passionate about the breed and will work very hard because of their passion. They will screen potential adopters, work with the shelters and do a great job. Breed specific rescues comb shelters for the most part and make sure that none of their own are at risk. This is not selfish by any means in my opinion, it is “taking care of your own.” I support the work that these groups do and Bound Angels has worked hand in hand with many of these rescues to save countless lives.
The bad:
Because breed specific rescues deal with only their specific breed, they are not open to dealing with other breeds. A husky group will not take in a Weimaraners, and a Chow group doesn’t usually take in Chihuahua’s. That being said we have to look at the bad and the ugly of this. Recently I was trying to rescue a Malinois. A somewhat rare breed of dog from Belgium. He was at the shelter for more than 5 months and was on the short list to be killed because no one had come to get him. Other groups are not familiar with the specific needs of the Malinois, yet the Malinois rescue I spoke to claimed he wasn’t a “pure bred’ Malinois. The sad part about this is that this dog falls through the cracks.
Its kind of like the race laws of the Nazi’s, how much of a mix do you have to be to “not be” pure? If a dog is 51% shepherd and 49% sharpei, which group should step up. If there was a battle about which one would step up, that would be great. However, more often than not, neither group will want this dog. And believe me, I’ve rescued Sharpei / Shepherd mixes and they are great dogs.
I understand rescues are stressed and strapped for cash, but using the purity of the breed may not be the right answer to solve this problem. I only write about it because I was confronted by someone else today who also went through the same thing recently. Breed specific rescues serve an integral part in our rescue community and I am proud to be affiliated with many of them, however, they need to focus on not becoming snobs about the mixed breeds that also contain strong characteristics and traces of their specific breeds.