Philly Pug & Short Nose Rescue is a volunteer-led organization. We have no paid employees. Every time a pug comes in, it has to be vetted and housed, evaluated and, hopefully, placed. Every single one of the volunteers has a day job (maybe 2 jobs) a family, and outside obligations. We have the often-thankless task of loving the unlovable, fixing the broken, and easing the suffering of the hopeless. The decisions we have to make rob us of sleep; the evil and apathy we encounter almost daily haunt our dreams.
At least 90% of the pugs we get into rescue are older, have serious health or behavioral problems, or all three. These are the pugs that are hard to place, that we are blessed to have some patient fosters who can keep them for as long as it takes. So for the 10% we get that are younger and are healthy, we will get many – dozens and sometimes hundreds – of applications. It is the task of these volunteers, from the adoption coordinator to the adoption team, to the foster family, to go through these applications to find the best candidate for each of our rescued dogs. Out of these applications, there will always be many people who would be amazing, incredible new owners. However, we can only pick one.
Our advice to those seeking to adopt a pug from PPSNR, or any rescue:
1) Do not expect to be contacted if you are not chosen. As we’ve stated, we get a lot of applicants, and we do not wish to overburden our Coordinators and their team of volunteers with contacting those who, unfortunately, were not the lucky ones this time.
2) PLEASE do not be offended if you are not chosen. Remember, for young dogs there will be dozens of applicants, most of which would provide great forever homes. For every one family chosen, however, there will be many who are disappointed. This is not a rejection, but simply a matter of math – there’s only one dog, but dozens who want it, and not everyone can be made happy. And extra advice for those who are disappointed: angry emails, phone calls, threats of being reported to the IRS and Better Business Bureau is not an effective strategy for being considered for future adoption.
3) Do not contact us about friends or relatives who may be interested. If the person is truly interested in adopting, they need to fill out an application themselves.
4) Do not expect preferential treatment. There are no shortcuts, and no one should expect privileged treatment because they’ve worked with a pug rescue, have adopted a pug, or for any other reason.
5) Don’t rule out an older dog. Pugs live a long time, 15 years and older, but yet so many dogs are dismissed as senior at age 7, totally disregarding the long years it still has left. These “experienced” pugs have much love to give, without the frantic hyperactivity and naughty behavior common in younger dogs. And they catch on to their new routine quicker!!
6) Do consider a dog who has health or behavioral issues. While a pug with problems is certainly going to require more time and effort on a new owner’s part, the profound satisfaction gained from helping a dog that many would turn their back on is truly amazing.
And, if you truly must have a younger dog who is healthy and problem free and aren’t willing to wait,
7) Visit your local animal shelter. You will likely not get a purebred pug, but thousands of perfectly healthy puppies and young dogs are euthanized every day in this country because there are simply not enough homes to go around and the shelter needs space for more arrivals.
We are not heroes or crusaders. We don’t do pug rescue to be applauded. We do it because we must. We are grateful for our coordinators, fosters, volunteers, followers, supporters, and donors; you make our work possible – without you, there would be no PPSNR and are thankful for your support. God bless you all, and all our furry friends.
Sincerely,
The volunteers of Philly Pug & Short Nose Rescue
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