Shawn -
My name is Karen Engman and I am a volunteer with Boston Buddies, Inc.
I want to address the concerns expressed in your April 6, 2005 correspondence to our organization regarding events that occurred at the West Los Angeles facility for the City of Los Angeles Department of Animal Services that morning.
First, let me tell you a bit about our organization. Boston Buddies, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to rescuing and assisting any Boston Terrier in need. We adopt our rescue Bostons from shelters, take in owner surrenders and rescue strays from the street. Our organization is staffed 100% by volunteers ? there are no paid employees. Our operating funds are obtained through donations from the public, from adoption fees received for the dogs we place in homes and, very frequently, from our volunteers? own pockets. All of our dogs are neutered/spayed, micro-chipped and up to date on shots prior to placement in a home. In addition, many of the dogs require further medical treatment for infections, skin conditions, tumor removal, nasal/palate surgery, orthopedic surgery, etc. Boston Buddies, Inc. pays for these very costly treatments prior to placing a dog in a home.
Once we receive a dog into our rescue they are placed in private foster homes located throughout Southern California so that we can observe each dog?s unique behaviors and issues outside of a shelter setting. This foster period allows us to learn the type of home environment most suited for that particular dog. Many of the dogs we receive into the rescue have been returned to shelters because the person adopting them from the shelter finds out the dog is not suited to their home and/or lifestyle after they get home with the dog. Those dogs are actually the lucky ones as many others are just thrown out the front door of the house and left to fend for themselves on the street where they are attacked by other animals and/or hit by cars.
Because the dogs we receive into rescue have already been through much turmoil and upheaval in their lives, we are very particular about the homes we place our dogs in. Each adopter is required to complete and submit an application and to participate in a home check visit with one of our volunteers prior to placement of a dog. The home check visit allows us to observe whether a particular setting will be appropriate for a particular dog. Some dogs are high energy and require an active home with a large yard for the dog to run off their energy. Other dogs need a home with no stairs because of knee or hip problems. Some dogs cannot be placed in homes with other dogs or cats. Some dogs are not suitable for homes with small children.
We do ask for an adoption donation for our dogs. This donation by no means covers the costs associated with caring for these dogs. In fact, our expenses for vet and shelter fees for the first quarter of 2005 were four times more than the adoption fees we received during that same time period.
I understand that you believe it was wrong for us to participate in the adoption process at the shelter. I am curious as to why that is? We do try to rescue those Bostons we see at the shelters as many people who are interested in them do not understand the special needs of the breed. These dogs cannot tolerate heat or cold and must be indoor dogs. They cannot be kept in the backyard. They are very social dogs that need to be with their people. They do not do well as only dogs that are left alone for 8 hours a day. Young Boston Terriers are very high energy dogs and if not provided with enough stimulation and exercise will very often develop bad and destructive behaviors. Many of the pure breed dogs coming out of the shelters have additional medical and/or behavioral problems that most people are not willing to take care of for a ?shelter dog.?
We were given no special treatment by the shelter that morning. We were required to attend and participate in the auction process along with the rest of the public. It is my understanding that none of our volunteers at the shelter that morning offered to ?sell the dog? to you and your wife. It is my understanding that our volunteers attempted to talk with your wife and find out if she knew about the special needs of the breed and other relevant information (i.e., if your yard was secure and how tall the fence was). It is also my understanding that our volunteers tried to explain to your wife that if she allowed us to take the dog out of the shelter we would get him vetted, foster him to determine his personality and behaviors and that you and your family would be first in line for him if he was the right dog for your home. Your wife chose to continue bidding and stopped bidding at $175. Our volunteers bid $200 for the dog.
You should know that as we were finishing up with the shelter that morning, the shelter received a phone call from the dog?s owner ? in Las Vegas. The owner had been searching for the dog in Las Vegas only to discover that the dog had been found wandering the streets of Las Vegas by an individual who lived in Southern California. Instead of leaving the dog at the shelter in Las Vegas, that person registered the fact that he found the dog with the Las Vegas shelter and then drove the dog back to Southern California with him and gave the dog to his friend when he got home. The friend brought the dog to the West LA shelter because the dog was howling every time he saw another dog. The dog?s owner in Las Vegas says that the dog has escaped their house and yard numerous times and has been hit by a car.
I am sorry that your boy was disappointed ? however, he should never have been allowed to assume that the dog was his. If you had asked the shelter when you saw the dog they would have told you that if more than one party is interested in the dog there is an auction for the animal. You should know that not all shelters handle the situation that way ? some will allow the public to register their interest in a dog and will allow those who have registered their interest first chance at adopting the dog; other shelters will hold a ticket lottery to determine who can adopt a dog that has multiple people interested in it. To avoid disappointing your son, in the future I suggest that you investigate the procedure at each shelter you may visit. You can also expect to have multiple parties interested in a pure breed dog at the shelters.
I am sure that this information will not change your mind about our organization. However, I hope it might provide you with some insight into what is involved in this type of rescue work. I disagree with your characterization of our actions as ?inhumane.? Many, many individuals volunteer many, many hours of their time to helping rescue needy Bostons. We are the ones who are there for the old and sick dogs that nobody wants to adopt. We are the ones who spend countless nights nursing sick and dying dogs that no one else could be bothered with. We are the ones that shed the tears and experience the heartache when one of our rescue dogs does not make it ? taking whatever solace we can in knowing that at least the last few days or weeks of that dog?s life were spent being loved in a warm and safe environment.
I thank you for taking the time to read this. I also thank you and your family for wanting to rescue a dog. As you point out in your letter, there are so many animals needing rescuing ? many of them are still at the West LA shelter.
Karen Engman
Boston Buddies, Inc
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