Alert! For anyone thinking of adopting a pet from a rescue organization...

[truth2power]

64. I’m going to try to clarify some things.

First of all: some context.

The deal breaker in the adoption application was that I questioned and expressed my disagreement with the requirement that I would have to supervise the dog, at all times, while he was in my own fenced-in back yard. It was made clear to me that it was unacceptable for me to go across the street to my neighbor’s or even, mon Dieu!, run up to the grocery while my dog was outside. I cannot abide someone micro-managing mine, or my dog’s life.

Background:

I live in a modest, 3 bedroom home, in a neighborhood, in a low-crime community. My home is clean. I have no carpeting, white or otherwise, anywhere in the house. My floors are wood-grain laminate, throughout, except in the kitchen where I have tile. I have no basement, regrettably. I have lived in this same home longer than God.

I have an attached garage with a back door that opens onto a fairly large fenced back yard. There are trees in my back yard (too many, actually; there is not enough sunlight to grow flowers successfully).

I have always had pets (cats and dogs) my entire adult life. I had to have my dog, (Shepherd/Chow) euthanized this past summer. He would have been 15 years old this month. He had hip dysplasia and arthritis. With the help of medication and a fantastic vet, I was able to keep him mobile for about a year and a half after he was diagnosed, but he eventually couldn’t get around at all. I miss him terribly.

His best buddy, who passed on in 2011, at age 10, was my Cane Corso mix, 120 pounds, whom I inherited in my son’s divorce. He loved being in the back yard and he never tried to jump the fence. He died of bloat, which is quite common in very large dogs with deep chests. It was a tragedy, the circumstances of which I don’t care to go into at this time and place. There will never be another dog like him.

I currently have a Siamese cat who showed up in my back yard about 9 years ago. He is spoiled and thinks he owns the place. I can trim his claws with no complaint from him. He sleeps with me.

Well…….so much for my unsuitability as a pet owner, as some in this thread have implied, or stated outright. Thank you for leaping to conclusions.

* * * * * *

So, to get to why I started this thread in the first place….

After my encounter with the adoption coordinator, I came home. It wasn’t until the following day that I took another look at the contract. At that time I felt compelled to do some further research and I found the link which I included in my OP. I’d be willing to bet that almost no one in this thread even looked at the document in that link, which explains the issue better than I ever could.

Here’s the paragraph, in its entirety, from the contract:

“That the adopter hereby accepts possession, legal guardianship and responsibility for the animal referenced in this contract and discharges XX rescue forever from liability for any injury or damage to any person or property caused in the future by said animal, and from any causes of action, claims, suits, or demands whatsoever that may arise as a result of such injury or damages.”

Comment: Guardianship has a specific legal definition. According to my understanding, if you are the guardian you are not the owner. And yet the rescue organization that will still own the dog absolves themselves, “forever” from any liability for the animal. I guess this is legal. Are there any lawyers here who would like to weigh in? In any case, it seems like the adopter is getting the short end of the stick.

At one point in my conversation with the adoption coordinator she stated that we don’t want “our” dog to get lost. At the time I thought that was odd. Once the dog is adopted it’s no longer “their” dog. But I was wrong.

So, you say you don’t care what you are called, and all these conditions are simply trivialities. Well, how about this:

“The adopter agrees that XX rescue shall have the right of immediate possession of the animal if, in the judgment of XX rescue the animal is receiving inadequate care, is being improperly housed or handled or.. < balance refers to spay/neuter>.

Or this: “The adopter agrees to pay XX rescue the sum of $300.00 as liquidated damages in the event that the terms of the contract are breached…” The rest of the paragraph refers to the adopter being responsible for atty. fees and court costs in the event of legal action.

Lastly – Anyone who binds him or herself to a contract, thinking that certain terms of said contract are irrelevant or will never be imposed etc. is fooling themselves. In My Humble Opinion.