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If
you find that you must relinquish ownership of your basset, you have
several alternatives:
(1)
Take the dog to your county shelter or humane society
If you cannot keep your dog and must find it a home *immediately*, then the shelter
option is your only option. The shelter may try to find a home through their
adoption process, but keep in mind, they are all very crowded and owner relinquished
dogs are often euthanized immediately. It is extremely important, therefore,
to tell us which shelter you are taking your dog to so that we may follow up
on the dog.
(2) Advertise
the dog in local papers.
If your dog is young and healthy, placing an ad in the
local papers may be the fastest way of finding a home. You should,
however,
screen prospective adopters
to be sure that their lifestyle and home environment is compatible with what
your dog is use to. For instance, don't place your dog in a home where there
are small children if your dog is shy or fearful of small children. If you wish
compensation for your dog, you should advertise because, MBR does not buy bassets.
However, it is not a good idea to advertise "free to a good home." Even
though you may not want compensation, putting a price in the advertisement will
insure a better class of responses. It can be very dangerous for your dog to
advertise him free to good home. He could end up in a research laboratory facility,
a puppy mill or worse, as Pit Bull bait. Yes, that is where all these places
look for dogs to use.
(3)
Use the Michigan Basset Rescue Referral Service
If
you are not in a hurry and can keep your dog until a home is
found, Michigan Basset Rescue offers a referral service, which
will place your basset on our web page along with other MBR bassets
that are
available for adoption. Prospective adopters fill out an application
and are screened by MBR, then we will contact you if an adopter comes
up whose requirements match your dog. All arrangements pertaining to
the adoption of your dog will be between you and the adopter. If you
desire compensation from the approved adopter, Michigan Basset Rescue
will not list your dog. Finally, the length of time it takes to find a home for
your dog greatly depends on the age, health and disposition of your
dog. Young dogs (less than 3 years old) that are healthy are usually
adopted within a couple of weeks. Older bassets or those with health
or behavior problems will take longer to find a home, sometimes months.
The senior basset (greater than 8 years old) is also difficult to place
and may take time.
If you wish to use MBR's Referral Service, your dog must meet
the following conditions:
(a) We will need a copy of your veterinary records showing
the following: (your veterinarian's phone number will suffice,
we can call and get the records) The family adopting your basset will
also
need to know veterinary history.
(b)
The dog must be neutered/spayed (except puppies
less than 6 months old). MBR has a spay/neuter policy. We
do not
support
the indiscriminate breeding of bassets. Also, a neutered dog stands
a better chance of getting adopted. If you have a puppy, the adopter
must agree to have the dog neutered as soon as possible.
(c) The dog must be heartworm negative and/or
be on heartworm preventative. Heartworm disease is a serious
problem in this area. The
disease is transmitted by mosquitoes and is deadly. Treatment of
the disease is very expensive (several hundred dollars) and is dangerous
to the dog. If your dog has not been heartworm tested or is not
on
preventative, you should have it tested immediately.
(d) The dog must have a current rabies vaccination.
State laws require rabies vaccinations for all dogs. All
other annual vaccines
must be up to date.
(e) The dog must have no
history of aggression toward humans (i.e., never bitten). Unfortunately
we live in a litigious
society,
and Michigan Basset Rescue cannot afford the risk of being sued.
A dog that has bitten is a serious liability today. If your basset
has
bitten,
without
provocation
(i.e., bitten for no apparent reason), then it may have
a serious behavior problem. You should have your basset checked
by a veterinarian to be sure that there is no
medical reason for the aggression. For a dog that bites, euthanasia may
be your only
option. If your basset was provoked, either intentionally or unintentionally
into biting, than you may still be able to find a suitable adopter. However,
most basset adopters that contact Michigan Basset Rescue are looking
for a gentle family dog that will be safe around children. They
are
not
willing
to take a
chance
on a basset that has bitten. In this case, your best option would be
to advertise in the paper. You will still have to disclose that your
basset has a history of biting,
but if the reason is understandable, you will probably be able to find
a willing adopter. If you do not disclose that your basset has bitten,
then
you may be held liable.
If your basset meets the criteria above and you
wish to use Michigan Basset Rescue's referral service, please complete
the Owner Relinquishment
Disclosure Statement and return it.
We would
also like
to
have a picture of your basset. The picture will go on the adoption
web page along with a short description of your dog's appearance
and disposition. We have found that a picture greatly enhances your
basset's
adoption prospects.
You are expected to take an active part in finding
a suitable home for your basset. Michigan Basset Rescue will screen
prospective applicants and can provide you a copy of the application
form. But
it is still
your responsibility to ensure that the adopter will provide a suitable
home for your basset. You are expected to notify MBR when your
basset
is adopted or if it should be taken off the list.
MICHIGAN BASSET RESCUE
WILL GLADLY ACT AS A REFERRAL SERVICE BUT WE WILL NO LONGER TAKE
IN DOGS DIRECTLY FROM AN OWNER, NO EXCEPTIONS.
If
you have any questions or concerns about our policy or how the referral
service works, please contact us. Phone
us at 248-623-1698 or e-mail us at Michigan
Basset Rescue.
We hope you found this information helpful in
making your decision.
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