2018 May June

ARPH Update
Aussie Rescue & Placement Helpline
Robin Lee • flyrobinfly@blarg.net
Rescue Myths
When I adopted my first ARPH dog, I was not
surprised by comments from people who weren’t
familiar with our breed; a lot of them insisted he was
a Siberian Husky mix because his eyes had blue or
was an Australian Cattle Dog because he was merle. However, I was
quite surprised when knowledgeable Aussie friends wanted to know
how such a good-looking and friendly dog wound up in rescue.
One former junior shower was amazed when I brought over one of
my foster dogs on a home visit, saying she couldn’t believe how
nice and sweet this girl was. I
realized with these statements
that there are some notions
about rescue dogs and rescue
out there, and they aren’t all
quite true. Let us examine some
of the common misconceptions
about rescue and see if we can
bust a few myths.
MYTH: You never know where rescues come from.
A lot of people wonder where ARPH gets its dogs. Basically
it boils down to two sources, a shelter release or an owner release.
Shelter dogs are usually strays or impounded dogs whose people
never showed up to claim them or were unable to claim them (such
as in court cases where the dog is taken away for cruelty or neglect),
or surrendered by their owners for various reasons. ARPH sees
some of the same reasons for an owner release dog: life changes
such as moving, divorce, death, having babies or discovering an
allergy or that Aussies are too high octane for their lifestyle.
In the case of owners who approach rescue about placement,
sometimes ARPH actually helps them keep their Aussies. The best
home for that dog may be the one he or she is in. Oftentimes owners
just need a little advice on how to tackle situations with their dogs
and they don’t really want to give up their animals. ARPH also
asks that if there is a known source such as a breeder or a shelter
that has a return clause that the owners contact those parties. Most
responsible breeders care about the dogs they’ve produced and will
either take a dog back or help find a suitable home, perhaps with
someone on their waiting list who wants an older pup or dog.
Sometimes the Aussie needs a new place but can stay in its
current home until placed. This is nice for the dog since it does not
Let us examine some of the common
misconceptions about rescue and see
if we can bust a few myths.
We are the ARPH Team . . . Together Everyone Achieves More.
have the disruption of being moved around. It is also very helpful
for ARPH since foster homes are always at a premium. Rescue will
advertise the dog and screen potential adopters, and essentially act
as a referral service. Any transaction is between the new adopter
and the owner, but of course donations for ARPH’s help are always
appreciated!
Many people contact rescue because they’ve found a stray, but
ARPH cannot just take these Aussies because there is a due process.
Shelters cannot release a dog until the legal stray hold period is
up and they become the official
owners. Private parties who’ve
found an Aussie and “don’t
want to take it to the pound” still
need to register the dog with
the appropriate animal control
agency and advertise so if the
owner is looking, the dog can
be found. ARPH representatives
often direct finders to additional resources such as the k9 Amber
Alert list or Petfinder’s free classifieds.
MYTH: Dogs from rescue are all from mills or irresponsible
breeders.
Aussies from these sources are unfortunately over-represented
in the rescue population because unlike the aforementioned
responsible breeders, these producers don’t care as much about
what happens to their dogs once sold. Many rescue volunteers
know who the “backyard breeders” churning out puppies in their
area are. These people often don’t know or care about the breed
standard (some may market double merles as “rare white” Aussies),
may have no clue what MDR1 or HSF4 are and may have never
heard of OFA or CERF or don’t use these services, and oftentimes
their dogs are identifiable by their poor temperaments. Betterment
of the breed is not their goal.
However, not every rescue is a poorly bred and raised dog.
ARPH has seen Aussies from some of the finest lines needing
placement, including from several ASCA HOFX kennels. There
are dogs in rescue who are perfectly healthy and well trained (some
even have titles) and just need a new home.
ARPH, Inc., PO Box 5305, New Castle, PA 16105 • 1-877-ARPH-779 • arphinc@aol.com • www.aussierescue.org
AUSSIE TIMES May-June 2018 77