As we continue to receive inquiries and/or applications re: adoptions, we are making yet another blog post – there is one also made on June 8th – on all of our adoptable dogs’ blogs re: our current positioning. Our Facebook page and Petfinder also state our present closure for adoption applications.
**WITH COVID-19, WE ARE NOT ACCEPTING/CONSIDERING ANY NEW ADOPTION APPLICATIONS UNTIL AT LEAST AUGUST.**
**DATE SUBJECT TO CHANGE & BE PUSHED FURTHER OUT ONCE AGAIN.**
Please note that we are NOT reviewing nor approving any new applications for approved adoptions until at least August.
We will re-evaluate this closer to that date as to if we need to extend that date.
We will not be accepting any applications or any non-refundable applications fees during this time.
This is for several reasons:
1) BHRR requires a Vet Reference and as someone who works in animal medicine, I know how absolutely insanely busy we are at this time with our staff/hours. We are NOT going to jam up the phone lines doing vet references when people are trying to get through to make urgent appointments, asking for refills of lifesaving meds, needing prescription food etc.
Additionally, the government has only recently announced that Vet Hospitals can now open up to do non-essential appointments and not only operate on an urgent basis. The backlog to the Vet Hospitals is incredible.
People answering the phones at Vet Hospitals need to be answering the phones for many other reasons. Not for Vet references.
We need to focus on patient care at the Hospital and we respect and understand that other Hospitals need to do the same. We are an essential service and need to be able to provide that service to the best of our abilities and checking Vet references does not fall under that criteria.
2) We cannot nor will we do home-visits. I put my life and my family’s life at risk every day that I go to work to take care of other people’s pets. Doing a home-visit is not responsible nor does it follow the policy set forth from the government that we need to be practising self-isolating to flatten the curve.
Doing a home-visit is not urgent during this COVID-19 pandemic.
At this time, I go to work, utilize the ever dwindling supply of PPE available, I go home, I buy groceries, get gas and that is it for my public appearances. I am thinking NOT only of my dogs, yet, my family and you…I am thinking of all of the other people out there….
3) It does greatly concern us with the number of inquiries coming our way over the past few months with the vast majority being for the wrong reason(s) from people now wanting to adopt.
On a ‘good’ day, we get almost 1,000 emails and about 50 phone calls.
These past several months; we are up to almost 2,000 emails and almost 125 phone calls a day.
People telling us that they now have time on their hands. If you did not have time before you stopped working; what makes you think that you will have time once you go back to work?
Additionally, even with people going on EI; the monies coming in are not the same as if you were working and if you feel that you are struggling to pay bills, buy groceries, how do you feel that you can take on the costs of having a Giant Breed dog?
The average cost – and I have been tracking this since 1996 – of owning a giant breed per year, PRIOR to emergencies is $2,400.
All of this to say; we will not be processing any applications until it is ideal plus safe to do so.
If you send us a completed application along with the non-refundable application fee, we will be responding that we are not accepting nor reviewing applications and when we do feel that it is safe to do so, we shall begin to slowly open up.
Our Petfinder and home websites as posted are kept up to date and all details re: said dogs are on their individual blogs. Once, we do open up again for new applications, we will remain ONLY responding to completed applications. You would be welcome to re-submit your application along with the non-refundable application fee at that time for members of the BHRR BOD to consider. We will NOT be holding on to your applications nor the non-refundable application fee from now to then.
**EXCEPTION: We shall no longer be covering the cost of any banking or PayPal fees should people send this non-refundable fee. In May/June, we were out of pocket almost $100 as people were not be mindful. This is much needed money being taken away from the animals as we are covering the fees out of our own pockets and that is money that we would have used for the BHRR animals.**
Asking us what the cost to adopt is or asking to meet a dog; is all information found on our websites. We are not a pound, shelter or facility and no, you cannot just visit a dog or make an appointment to visit a dog. We are an all Volunteer organization that operates from our own home and that of our approved Foster homes.
AND yes, we are not other groups – we are NOT going to take chances that our dogs could be set up for failure – and as it is the prerogative of other groups to adopt out during this extremely difficult time, it remains our prerogative to not do so. Our adoption success rates are second to no other group out there – 100% for over 10 years of operating and now 98% as we go through year 24. We will not compromise on our policies, procedures and processes.
Thanks!
