Before you consider applying to adopt a BHRR Inc. rescue please ask yourselves the following questions.

Have you considered the financial responsibilities involved in having a new addition to your home, especially a Giant Breed? Do you have the money to feed, train, pay for regular vet check-ups and emergencies for the entire life of this animal? Is your living space large enough for a Giant Breed? Do you have a fenced in yard? Invisible and/or electrical fencing is not considered adequate and ’safe’ fencing by BHRR. How many hours of the day are you going to be away from home per day? Will your neighbors mind? If you have landlord, will they mind? Will you make the commitment to keep that animal under your care for the duration of his or her life? Where are you in the stage of your life right now? Does your current lifestyle accommodate a new or another animal to your household? Going away to school? Looking at traveling? Are you getting married soon? Planning to buy a house? Planning for another child or even your first baby? How will a Giant Breed fit in with your current family situation? How will you care for your pet when you go on vacation? Are you aware of the common diseases, ailments and health issues that the breed(s) that you are looking at might develop? What about your Career? Do you plan on relocating? What if you lose your job? What would you do if illness or death struck your family How will you provide for your animal should you become deceased? Where will he or she sleep? Will you crate train? How often will you exercise your Canine? Are you prepared for a reference and home check?

DO not consider adopting a BHRR Inc. animal should you not be prepared to answer these questions by yourself and us.

Research, read, go to shows, talk to people about the Breed(s) of animal that you are looking at adding to your home. Be aware that some breeds shed more, drool more, snore more, grow bigger or have possibly more health concerns etc. than other breeds. Should you decide NOT to go the Reputable/Quality Rescue route; please read our article on Reputable/Quality Breeders vs. BackYard Breeder Another great resource when it comes to learning more about Breeders is contacting your local Breed Rescues. They will be very candid about answering your questions.

Always remember that as much as a Reputable/Quality Breeder or Rescue might be ‘interviewing’ you; that they should also be open to answering your questions, having you over at some point to visit them and their animals etc. Remember to be polite and courtesy and not demanding with one of your first questions being ‘how much is that dog?’. The purchase or the adoptive cost of an animal is the LEAST that you shall pay in the lifetime of being a responsible loving owner to a dog, regardless of Breed. Additionally, do bear in mind that when you go to a Petstore or a backyard Breeder; that you are perpetuating the misery of the dogs that remain there to be bred over and over again regardless of their health plus wellbeing. Yes, you might get that puppy or dog for a few hundred dollars without having to sign a contract, having a reference check, homevisit done etc. BUT that is the only thing that you are getting. That contract protects the animal to ensure that they are being properly taken care of PLUS when you adopt from a Rescue(you do not buy from a Breeder, you purchase); a highly reputable/quality Rescue will have ensured that the pet that you are adopting(that fee goes back into their programs so that they can continue helping animals in need AND they never make any money on their dogs for it can cost thousands to properly rehabilitate a dog) is altered, fully vetted including being microchipped and utd on vaccines, had a fecal done, hwt testing if old enough, put on Heartworm/flea preventative, all medical conditions appropriately handled PLUS fully disclosed along with any behavoural issues; any required X-Rays, other testing such a urine etc. and other bw such as thyroid apart from the pre-surgical when being altered etc. That Rescue will have also begun some sort of obedience with their dogs, will always take one of their own back into their program PLUS is there as a 24/7 resource for as long as you have one of their dogs. If you love the Breed enough to want to get that type of dog FOR the right reasons; please do the right thing in not supporting any disreputable Breeders or so called Rescue organizations/groups out there. Just as every Breeder is not created equal, nor is every Rescue. Ask the Rescue why they have the policies/mandates that they do, ask them what their success rates are(high return rates are not in the animals best interest and should be questioned), do they alter their animals before placement, do they vaccinate, do obedience, microchip, fecals, HWT, do X-Rays, bw, full disclosure etc. As one wonderful mentor of mine once said reputable/quality ‘Rescue is not about winning a popularity contest.’ If many just read the fountain of information to be found on our websites, many would already know if they might or might not qualify for a BHRR animal. We do not just place animals in a home, we place animals in the ‘right’ and ‘best’ matched homes possible ensuring the best chances possible of a ’successful’ adoption plus experience to one of our animals and their new forever loving home(s).

BHRR Inc. has regular mini-open houses plus organizes a couple of fundraisers every year to give the public the opportunity to meet us and the animals under our care. We also do a lot of public speaking plus humane education and therapy visits. We would be more than happy to provide references through our Volunteer network, past adopters, behavoural plus training clients etc. too.

• Copyright 2003-2010 Birch Haven Rescue and Rehabilitation Services Inc., unless otherwise credited. All rights reserved.