Rescue & Rehome FAQ
Rescue & Rehome IWS Available
Rescue Contacts
The Irish Water Spaniel Rescue Experience
Most people think that there are two ways to get pet: getting a "mutt" from the pound, or going to a pet store and getting a pure-bred. A few might add checking the newspaper for a "free to a good home" ad, or for the occasional backyard breeder. With a little education, others discover the responsible breeder and get a pet, either show quality or pet quality.
However, there is another way to get a pet called Breed Rescue. It is a way to get a dog that needs a good home, like the dogs at the pound, while getting the known quantity of a purebred. By the way, many of these terms are sweeping generalizations, as there are often purebreds at the pound, and some breed rescue organizations also place pets that are not purebred, but have most of the qualities of a purebred.
First of all, pets in breed rescue are not "misfits" and are usually not defective in any way. They are usually placed in rescue through no fault of their own. Common situations are that an owner dies or becomes incapacitated, a new baby arrives in the family and the previous owners feel they must give the dog up, a move overseas or across country, or people who got a pet without thinking about the fifteen year plus commitment that pet ownership requires. In some cases, a pet is placed because of an abuse situation, and special care is taken before an adoption can take place.
A breed rescue volunteer normally takes the pet in, evaluates it for adaptability, provides any necessary veterinary care, spays or neuters the pet, and either places it with a family on the waiting list, or places it in a foster home until adoption. If the breeder of the dog can be identified it is turned over to the breeder where it may be available as a re-home.
I'd like to take a few moments to go over some of these steps in detail before going into getting a breed rescue animal. First off, the dogs are always evaluated for adaptability. Known biters, aggressive dogs or pets who are simply too ill to be adopted are not offered to new families. "Borderline" pets are offered for adoption within strict guidelines such as no children, no other pets, or fenced yards only.
Dogs are given any necessary veterinary care before adoption. For example, in some parts of the country, heartworm is epidemic, and a dog will need to be treated for heartworm and placed on preventive medication before adoption. In addition, the dog will be spayed or neutered before adoption.
As always, however, there is another side to the Rescue
story. All rescued IWS are not suitable for placement and not all placements, though we
use our best judgment and years of experience, do not work out as we would like. In such a
case, IWSCA will step back in and remedy the situation as appropriate.
The good news is that first and foremost is our concern for BOTH the dog and the new home.
Dogs taken into Rescue are evaluated by experienced individuals, regardless of what IWSCA
have been told about their history. Placing a dog in a home that is not suitable only
compounds the unfortunate position the dog is already in and may result in unnecessary
harm to one of the parties involved.
And, on rare occasions and only as a last resort, when the situation could not be
reversed, we have determined that euthanization was the only solution that did not carry
undue risks. However, we believe that we can be better judges of that, with the years of
experience IWSCA members have with our specific breed, than can the staff of a municipal
or volunteer animal shelter or hospital. While it is unfortunate that we have seen our
wonderful IWS friends fall into such a situation in the past, IWSCA and its members
continue to work to ensure responsible IWS ownership and to provide the support needed in
raising this active, intelligent animal.
Why would you consider a rescue adult instead of a puppy? Well, first off, you usually get an adult whose chewing phase, housebreaking phase and general puppy wildness are gone. Your dog may come pre-trained, and might even know a few tricks. You would know exactly how big the dog get, and would have a good idea of the individual personality. Last, but not least, you would be giving deserving dog a good home.
Very rarely, Breed Rescue gets a puppy, sometimes from a family that made a wrong purchase, sometimes when a pregnant female with a litter is surrendered. If you would accept a puppy, let us know that. Usually, we get pets that are just past the "cute puppy/kitten" stage. So, you'd still have lots of growth time left in your rescue.
What should you expect when adopting a rescue pet? When you initially contact the rescue person, be prepared to answer a whole lot of questions. You'll be questioned about your lifestyle, your family, and your schedule. Every adult member of your family may be questioned about what they expect from a pet, and if they really want a dog. This is not done to offend you. The rescue person is asking for two reasons; first, to match you to the most suitable pet, and second, to make sure that your home is an appropriate one. You'll be asked why you want an Irish Water Spaniel and how much you know about them. Often people want a breed solely because of its looks, not aware that its personality is completely opposite from what they want! A rescue pet has already been torn away from at least one home, and breed rescue is doing all they can to make sure that it never needs to go through that again. A responsible breeder would ask you many of the same questions. (In fact, many breed rescue volunteers are also responsible breeders).
You will NOT get papers with a rescue. This does not mean that the animals is not a purebred. Generally if the breed rescue receives papers with a rescue dog the breeder is contacted. The breeder will then assume responsobility for re-homing the dog. However, if you rescue a dog you can apply for an ILP (Indefinite Listing Privilege), which will only prevent you from competing in conformation events.
You will have to pay an adoption fee for your pet. This will usually be more expensive than the adoption fee charged by a pound, but less expensive than buying from a breeder. This fee is charged to cover the spaying/neutering costs, medical expenses and other rescue related expenses (Like the cost of obtaining the pet from a pound, food while in foster care, advertising, phone calls, cost of travel, etc.)
One thing to keep in mind is that the adoption fee is not necessarily reflective of the expenses related to your particular pet. Breed Rescue gets some pets that have expensive medical problems. They have to foster pets for a long period to time, which costs money. Sadly, some do not live through the entire process (often the case with heartworm infection in dogs), but their veterinary bills still need to be paid. I have never heard of a breed rescue organization that did not lose money. So, your adoption fee probably will not cover all the adoption related costs. (All rescue organizations will gladly accept extra money.)
If we feel we have a good match we'll invite you to come and meet your new family member. Take it slowly, it might take several visits before you take your pet home for good. Keep in mind that the animal has been through a whole lot of stress, and may not be showing at his or her best. However, I can guarantee that the breed rescue person has thoroughly checked everything and has made a careful decision to place you with that particular pet. The next step is to fall in love! (Sorry, can't help you there)