Good post Julie. You made two points I was going to make...not all dogs can/should be saved AND I cringe when I see multiple thousands spent on a sad case when resources are scarce to start with. Rationing care isn't going to be a welcome thing when it comes to people...unfortunately it is much needed when it comes to rescue. I worry (and I'm sure I'm not alone) when I take the call when someone wants to place a dog in rescue who has proven it would be better w/ a one way trip to the vet. I (like many I'm sure), explain why that particular problem isn't a rescue candidate. Then I get off the phone knowing full well they'll call the next person and say the dog needs placed because they are getting a divorce, or have a child who is allergic, or moving where they can't take the dog...and all I've done is educate them on what to say... Kathy, member GSDCA, DVGSDC Celebrating generations of Dual Titled TC'd Champions visit _http://www.pinehillgsds.com/_ (http://www.pinehillgsds.com/) In a message dated 1/8/2010 1:46:12 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, ejdegen@xxxxxxx writes: Other than donating money, I have not worked with any "official" GSD rescues. I have on my own, however, rescued and placed dogs and also have worked directly with some all breed rescue groups. Two things that everyone needs to remember: 1. Not all dogs can be saved. 2. Not all dogs SHOULD be saved. What upsets me is when rescues are saving the WRONG dogs. When I take a dog in, it is with the understanding that if *I* don''t feel this dog SHOULD be saved, it will take a one way trip to the vet. Period. I don't rehome them to ANYONE. If there's someone out there willing to take a problem dog, good for them. They can get it for themselves. They won't get it knowingly from me. I worry not only about the liability of placing a dog that I know is (or could be) an issue, but more about the ethical responsibility and devastation that I would feel if someone was bitten....or, God forbid, permanently disfigured or worse. There are also the dogs out there that are taking huge amounts of monetary resources to save because of health issues. No, that's not the dog's fault and I'm not saying that dog isn't a "good" dog that deserves a good home. But, if a rescue is spending thousands of dollars on ONE dog, but now has to turn away another 5 dogs because they don't have the monetary means to support them until they are adopted, that is wrong. When you're working with rescues, sometimes "hard" decisions need to be made with our heads and not with our hearts. If an owner or adoptive home chooses to spend their own money to "save" a dog, that's different than a rescue that is using donated funds. Plus, we need to remember that dogs have a limited lifespan. It doesn't matter WHAT we do, we can't make them live forever (and I've tried!). Dogs don't fear death and sometimes the most humane thing to do is not to try to "fix" them, but just to make them comfortable. As for the "rescue" that is breeding the GSD who has been turned in to them, that is so awful that I can't even imagine what they're thinking? I don't want to imagine that anyone could be as irresponsible as what's we've read online. I would be interested in hearing their "side" just to see if there's more to the story. From what was posted, I would NEVER place the dog, much less breed it! I just hope that we're only hearing part of the story and what we're hearing isn't even close to being accurate. Julie Degen ============================================================================ POST is Copyrighted 2009. All material remains the property of the original author and of GSD Communication, Inc. 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NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of the Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE PROSECUTED. For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxxx VISIT OUR WEBSITE - http://showgsd.org NATIONAL BLOG - http://gsdnational.blogspot.com/ ============================================================================