Many people need our assistance with re-homing their Springers.
Here are some Frequently Asked Questions and more information about how we can help.
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We are a national network of volunteers that have a passion for helping Springers. Each state has a coordinator that oversees adoptions and Springers in that state.
We may be able to offer placement assistance for your Springer if he or she is "adoptable." We get numerous applications each month from people specifically seeking to rescue a Springer. We screen them carefully, approve the good homes, and then make a match. For the applicants, we do a phone interview, a home visit, and a vet check to make sure the adopter has been a good pet owner in the past. As long as your dog meets some simple criteria, we should be able to help-- but we make no promises until the entire situation has been carefully evaluated by your coordinator.
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We realize that there are lots of personal circumstances and dog-behavior situations that cause a need to re-home your dog and we can assist in most situations. Please be honest and open with us about all of your dog's traits. We request that the dog have a heartworm test within the past 6 months. It is also much easier for us to help when the dog is spayed/neutered and up-to-date on shots. If the dog in question isn't up-to-date on healthcare, let us know and we'll discuss things with you on a case by case basis. We cannot place any dogs that have a history of biting a person. Dog-dog fighting is something we probably can work with. It depends on the circumstances of the case.
Before we can enter your dog into the program, someone from our organization will need to meet your Springer in person.
We normally put a lot of time into evaluating your dog, screening adopters, and making matches. We do our best to help both parties make a good decision and want to work with you to make sure your Springer goes to the type of home you'd like to see him/her go to. If the dog is neutered/spayed and up-to-date on shots, we request a $100 donation, when possible and appropriate--just a small price for the peace of mind, knowing your Springer went to an excellent home and will have a lifetime of follow-up and security. A fee of $150 is more appropriate is you are turning over an intact dog that has not had any vet care in a long time.
In addition to providing a photo and vet records, you need to tell us as much about your Springer as possible to help in the placement--all the good traits and the not-so-good habits. After all, we all know that not every dog is perfect!
Once we've entered your dog in the program, we take over the case, working hard to find an adopter, placing the dog on our national website which gets tremendous exposure each day.
What if my Springer has bitten somebody and we can't keep him/her?
I'm sorry, but ESRA cannot help place any Springer with a history of biting a person. If you aren't comfortable with living with your dog in that situation, then neither will someone else. Legally, it would be risky for you to hide any of that information from us or a potential adopter. It is important for you to reveal everything you know about your dog's personality quirks, both good and bad. We may be able to provide some other training or behavioral resources for you to turn to. Growling and snapping is a method of the dog's communication and does not exclude him/her from our assistance like an actual bite does.
If you live in NC, SC, GA or AL, the information below applies to you and your Springer in need.
IF YOU LIVE ELSEWHERE IN THE COUNTRY, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR STATE COORDINATOR. http://www.springerrescue.org/coordinators.html
There are several crucial steps to take to ensure your safety and liability, and that of our national, reputable organization.
1.) First, we have an Adoptability Questionnaire for you to fill out. Here is the link:
http://www.springerrescuemidsouth.org/owner_form.htm
2.) We also need a photo! The quickest way is to email one to your coordinator ( springerhelpnc@yahoo.com ) or send a photo print by mail that we can scan. Send to Kathy Patterson, 2205 Lansdale Rd, Hillsborough, NC 27278
3.) Once we have the questionairre back, we will send a volunteer to meet the dog and assess his/her temperment.
4.) The coordinator will let you know if/when we can take your dog into our rescue program. Once we do so, we will also need another critical piece of paperwork--a signed owner release of liability. While it may be hard for you to read and sign, it is intended to protect you in the long-run, should anything terrible happen. We'll do this paperwork when we take him into the program.
Our owner relinquishment contact person for the MidSouth is Kathleen at toomeyka@yahoo.com
Revised:
Jan 22nd, 2006. |
