The Golden Retriever Rescue FAQ

RagTag Golden Retriever Rescue has been working to rehabilitate and rehome abused, neglected, or simply unwanted or misplaced, Golden Retrievers since 1995. This FAQ represents our policies and opinions. It may or may not conform to the policies of other Rescue organizations, and should not be taken as the last word on the subject!

Why would anyone give up their golden retriever?

Probably the most common question we're asked by families who are delighted with their new family member is "how could anyone give up this dog?" Dogs find themselves homeless for any number of reasons. Lives do change, and the dog can't come along for the ride. Rescue is here to make sure the dogs are neutered to remove any commercial value, then rehomed into homes where their personality matches that of their new family's.

Absolutely THE most common reasons for discarding a young golden who was purchased as a family pet is a lack of time for the dog and a recognition that it isn't fair to the dog, or that "he's too much to handle" which usually means the family doesn't have enough time to exercise or train the dog. Most families giving up their dog are simply devastated by the choice they are having to make, but they're doing the best they can by the dog.

What is a Rescue Golden?

A Rescue Golden is a purebred golden retriever, or golden mix with golden predominating, that needs a home. Not long ago these dogs were found in local shelters or humane societies. Today, your best bet for getting a Rescue Golden Retriever is working with an established Rescue organization.

What kind of Golden Retrievers are available?

First, we need to define "available." Frankly, in the east, we've "won the war" so to speak. There simply are not enough Rescue Goldens available to meet the overwhelming demand for nice, mellow, good with children and cats, mature, golden retrievers. Most Rescues we work with have waiting lists of between 35 and 50 excellent families, all waiting for the nice golden to land in the program. While nice dogs do land in the program, dogs who find themselves needing a new home because of a divorce, a change in housing, the birth of a baby (and overwhelmed new mother)... these dogs are relatively speaking rare, in comparison to the demand we have for them. For every one of these dogs that come into the program, we could place 10 more. Which is not to discourage you from applying for one, but to give you an idea of how important it will be for your household to stand out in the pile of applications.

We're more likely to see a dog who needs "work" before it will make a good family pet. This dog has health problems, obedience issues, has been abused, or neglected. Generally we don't get telephone calls from people saying "I want a dog who has been starved, contracted mange, and has never been in a house so isn't housebroken!" Would be nice... but doesn't happen. Because while there are dogs with all these challenges, more often than not the dogs only have one or two issues. But they are not "bandbox perfect" right from the get-go.

And lastly, we get the dogs that may not make it. Dogs that were so poorly bred, socialized or handled as puppies that they may or may not be able to adjust to living a normal life. Ragtag Golden Retriever Rescue has a zero-bite policy. One bite, you're out. So while we may accept a dog into the program who has a bite on its record, that dog will never be re-homed into the community.

My family just wants a nice adult golden retriever who needs a home, how do we get one?

The first thing you need to do is to fill out an application. Since you live in Vermont, it is very likely your dog will be coming from a rescue outside of the state of Vermont, so here are some tips for filling out an application so you stand out in the crowd:

Everyone you are dealing with is a volunteer with another life; a job, children, spouse, bills to pay and obligations to meet. It is not their job to find you a dog. They, for whatever reason, have decided to make the world a better place by matching temporarily homeless dogs with new families.

Since you are dealing with volunteers you may find your phone calls are not returned as promptly as you might like. The phone calls are going to be paid for by the person making them... and they aren't going to be reimbursed. Every dime they spend chatting with you is a dime they can't spend on a vet bill. So your phone call may not be returned. Try to conduct as much business as you can by email. And don't get snippy with the volunteers. It seems fairly obvious but if you treat the Rescue people like "hired help" I guarantee you will be blacklisted.

How you present yourself will make the difference between getting a dog, and not. So:

Vermonters do not want dogs. Vermonters have lovely yards and outdoor lifestyles they want to share with their new family member. In the world of Rescue, when you're dealing with overwhelmed volunteers who in many cases are not fielding too many dogs but too many applicants the applicant who does not want but instead is offering to share is much more attractive.

Vermonters are generous to a fault, and very grateful for any assistance. In short, say Thank You loudly, often, and with small gifts. In the years we've been doing this the road to adoptions has been paved by a lavish application of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Coffee, maple syrup, Cabot Cheese... and chocolate. Lots of chocolate. If someone in Kentucky is helping you to get a dog, send them a thank you note and a small gift. They are going way out of their way for you. A token of your appreciation will keep them motivated... and smooth the way for the family behind you... just as the family before you smoothed your path.

Vermonters rarely have fenced yards. Be prepared to offer an exercise plan to the Rescue. Almost all Rescues with dogs available are in suburban or urban areas, where keeping a dog without a fenced yard is out of the question. Be prepared to send pictures if you have to, to show the "yard" and lack of neighbors.

Be Patient but not Passive. I call this my "Tail of Two Families."

The first family filled out their application. On paper, they are a nice home. They visited with us to meet our dogs and discussed what they wanted in a Rescue Golden. Nice family, who want and expect a nice dog. Then they went home. Every once in a while they send me email saying "what do you have for us?" Unless a miracle occurs, it is highly unlikely they will ever get a dog.

The second household was a single retired man who called looking for "a new best friend." Didn't care what the dog looked like. Didn't care if it came with 4 paws, or 3. Didn't care if it needed training, or vet care, was old, young, red, blonde, male, female, big or small. Just wanted a new friend... was there anyone who needed him? As it happened there was a beautiful 14 month old male who'd been turned in because he was "unmanageable on a leash." The dog was 6 hours away in another state, but I suggested he call and ask about it. Truthfully, I didn't have any realistic hope the man would get the dog, such dogs are snatched up in a heartbeat. I really gave him the number to give him something to do.

He had a lovely chat with the shelter director and she agreed that he sounded like the perfect home for this dog. "Could I meet him?" he asked. "Well, you're so far away..." the volunteer demurred. "No problem, I'll be there tomorrow!" he told her. And was. Left Vermont at 4:30 in the morning with a bunch of maple syrup and was standing at the door when the shelter opened at 11:00. Guess who got the beautiful young dog?

You simply must be willing to drive some distance, put in some effort, make some phone calls, be polite, grateful, and generous... or you will be just another name on the waiting list. And you will wait. Because there are families out there who are seriously motivated and will go the extra mile to get a dog.

You will find an online application on the Peppertree.org website. To fill it out, highlight the entire page (<ctrl> A) then copy the page, and paste it into your email program. Using your arrow keys, page through the application and fill it out. Brevity is NOT the soul of wit here. Provide as much information as you can, because it is very likely you're going to be involved with a blind adoption. Send a copy of the application to Peppertree, and a copy to us:

thefarm@morrisoncorner.com

Ok, I filled out an application, now what?

Most Rescue organizations would then insist on a home visit. During a home visit, a volunteer comes to your home to meet with you, discuss what you are looking for in a dog, your dog ownership history, and take a look at where the dog will be living. When we applied for our first Rescue, a nice woman came to visit us.

Now, at the time we lived in a house which actually appeared on the town tax roles as "a substandard dwelling unit." You can imagine in Vermont what kind of a house gets listed as "substandard." So this nice woman from suburban Burlington shows up in her little car, during mud season, and tried to pick her way through the muck which passed for our yard at the time. She was a very nice woman! But she wasn't very comfortable. And we weren't very comfortable either.

So we don't do home visits the way other Rescues do.

We do insist that if you are within a reasonable distance of Exit 10 on I-89 you come and visit us. We want you to see what you can expect in a Rescue (some of these dogs are very poorly bred and bear only a passing resemblance to the dogs in the calendars). We want to meet your family, and see which dogs you best interact with. On several occasions we've had people decide that upon reflection...maybe a Rescue wasn't the way they wanted to go. We've also had people leave so fired up they had a dog from Far Away in less than 3 weeks. But to be fair to yourself, or any dog you want, you need to come up and meet our dogs, hear their histories, and then decide if this is really the route you want to go.

So we visit you... then what?

Then you start looking for your dog. Golden Retrievers In Cyberspace offers a database of every Golden Retriever Rescue in the country. We've had dogs brought in from Florida, Texas, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, New York... with New York probably being our largest supplier and Pennsylvania not far behind. If you find a dog you're interested in, we'd be happy to help you evaluate it for suitability, talk to the foster home, and act as a reference for you.

If we find a dog in another state we like, what do we do?

First you contact that Rescue directly, letting them know you have a lovely home to share with... and asking if the dog is still available. If the dog is available, you send the Rescue a copy of your application, and let them know Ragtag Golden Retriever Rescue has vetted you as a good home. The originating rescue will contact us to make sure the dog is appropriate for you. If it is, then you are going to be involved in a blind adoption.

A blind adoption is an adoption which takes place across vast distances where the receiving family has never met the dog before it arrives.

A couple of questions... how does the dog get here?

The dog may be flown, driven in legs by volunteers in many different organizations (called a CUR, or Canine Underground Rail, run), driven by one driver, passed through several Rescues... or you may decide to just go get the dog. If for example, you are going to be vacationing in New Orleans this spring, you might consider taking a good look at the dogs available through New Orleans Rescue.

What if I don't like the dog when it gets here?

If you are adopting with Ragtag Golden Retriever Rescue as your backup, we will take the dog. We will NOT however, take a dog we haven't approved of. If you want a dog we can't accept into our program, you will need to make arrangements to return the dog to the originating Rescue. Which is one reason why working with NY is so popular. You can accept a dog we couldn't take into our program because it is too young and athletic (and will go after the chickens) and if it doesn't work out, it is a short drive to return the dog.

But generally you will have had so many conversations with the foster home and originating Rescue that you'll feel like you're meeting an old friend. You'll know if dog likes to dig up rosebushes, or sleeps under the bed instead of next to it, what food he's been eating, and what commands he does (or does not) know. A failure in a blind adoption does happen, but if you are honest, and listen to what the volunteers are saying, (instead of hearing only what you want to hear), most long distance adoptions are terrific success stories.

What is this all going to cost me?

Filing applications runs between $0 and $10. Budget between $30 and $50 for gifts for those volunteers in Kentucky, New York, wherever your dog is coming from. And the Adoption Fees for Rescue Goldens vary by organization but run between $125 for an older dog to $225 for a pristine and perfect young dog or puppy. Ragtag tends to charge on the high end of the scale, Peppertree on the lower... everyone else in between. If there are transportation costs there is a bank of frequent flyer miles which can be tapped to fly a dog point to point in the USA.

Can you recommend a good breeder?

We can advise you as to what to look for in a breeder (the short answer: Anyone who is willing to let you meet the puppies and take one home in the same day is suspect... they may be a reputable breeder, but I'd ask a lot of questions). We do have the name of one of America's top breeders... but there is a two year or longer waiting list for one of her pups. We advise you to purchase a breed magazine, look for dogs with characteristics you like and contact the breeder directly.

Oh, no, I just want a pet!

Yes, well, we hear this quite often. People don't want to spend $900-1200 to purchase a well bred, well socialized puppy when they can get something from the pet shop for $800, or better, something out of the paper for $350.

I can give you chapter and verse as to why a well bred dog is worth every dime, in reduced vet bills, in temperament, in the sheer joy you get out of watching them move. After meeting our pack, everyone wants the "real" golden, because she is simply gorgeous, with a perfect golden personality. The other dogs are "goldens" and I'm sure they were cute puppies, but 2 of them are dysplastic and in constant pain. A poorly bred, poorly socialized, puppy is very cute. They just don't grow up to be what you'd expect in a Golden Retriever.

You get what you pay for.