2017 July August

ARPH Update
Aussie Rescue & Placement Helpline
Robin Lee • flyrobinfly@blarg.net
The Perfect Adopter
In speaking with potential adopters and members
of the general public, I have found that there are
some perceptions about what rescues are looking
for in their adoptive families. Some have even
gone through the application process with several
rescues and have formed an idea that there is “perfect
adopter” profile out there. Some of these folks think
to successfully adopt a dog from a rescue there must
be someone home at all times, a single-family home
with a fenced yard on a sizable lot, feed a particular
diet, utilize certain types of training methods, etc.
While some rescue organizations and certain individual
rescuers may have preferences of what they want to
see in their applicants, the reality is there is no such
thing as a single-size-fits-all perfect adopter.
Of course, many rescues including ARPH
interview their adoption applicants at some length,
getting to know the people so that dogs can be placed
by best match, which contributes greatly to long-term
success. We want every home we place an Aussie into
to be its last. We check references to see that
prospective owners have a history of providing
veterinary and other responsible care to their animals,
and we do home visits to meet the entire family and
see that the home environment is safe. Past columns have described
our application and home visit processes. However, there is no one
prescribed ideal adopter because what constitutes the perfect home
for one dog may not be the right fit for another.
Rescue representatives are tasked with ensuring that adoptive
homes are safe, loving and can set a rescued Australian Shepherd
in their care up for success. However, nothing is perfect. There
have been cases where an unknown allergy turns up after the dog
joins the household, or other unexpected life changes occur. I have
an Aussie female that I found a home for not once, but twice. The
first time she was an energetic pup and the shelter personnel didn’t
want to put her on the adoption floor themselves because they were
concerned a cute puppy would attract people who weren’t breed
savvy and wouldn’t be able to cope with a highly intelligent, driven
Aussie. They reached out to ARPH and I sent them a nice older
couple who’d had an Aussie before. They had jobs outside the home
ARPH #11089 Quinn and ARPH #11424 Maebh playing on the beach. Quinn was
adopted to a couple living in a condo and Maebh to a young lady in an apartment at
the time.
and their house was small, but they understood the breed’s needs
and were committed to being active with their young dog. For years
they regularly took their new Aussie to obedience, agility, herding,
and tracking classes, even getting involved in tracking missing pets
with her. Then they lost their jobs and were financially in such a
bad situation that they had to move out of state to live with their
adult son and his family in a crowded home, with no space for their
beloved dog. They sadly reached out to me.
Her foster mom and I agreed that if we could clone adopters,
the lady who wound up adopting the Aussie girl the second time
around would be it. She is retired and lives on acreage on an island,
on the water. She is very involved with her dogs, baking her own
healthy treats and participating in activities with them, both
organized dog sports and just being active in the water and outdoors.
At the time she had a 12 ½ year old male Aussie (we’ve found that
opposite sex usually works well for placement) that she did
ARPH, Inc., PO Box 5305, New Castle, PA 16105 • 1-877-ARPH-779 • arphinc@aol.com • www.aussierescue.org
74 AUSSIE TIMES May-June 2017
We are the ARPH Team . . . Together Everyone Achieves More.