What part of 'No'....

As a rescue organization, it is our job to save dogs from dying in the shelter, get them healthy again after the owner couldn't afford needed vet care (or wouldn't spend the money), rehabilitate dogs with behavioral issues and get them back up to an adoptable standard... Or if nothing else, stop the clock from ticking on a great dog, who through no fault of their own, ended up homeless and unwanted... 

And because we are No-Kill, we go beyond extraordinary means, each and every day of the year to step up and not fail these dogs we have rescued when the general public has failed them first... 

The bottom line is to find each and every puppy or adult a GREAT home - the best that we can find... 

But here is the rub - each and EVERY time we have turned down a potential adopter because their home was not the right home for one of our dogs or puppies, one of the first things we hear is either "You do not know who I am" or "I will ruin your organization through social media" or "I am going to report you (and/or shut you down)"... 

We don't deny many adoption applications as a rule... We educate folks with pools so their new puppy does not fall in and become a dead puppy floating in it... We educate the general public about the need to go out with their white dog at 6AM to go potty because they leave close to the coyote hunting grounds, and our dogs are prime coyote bait... We encourage people to adopt according to their lifestyles and how much actual time they have to spend with this dog, versus wanting a dog like their sister has, etc... We teach people that a 10-year old Chihuahua is NOT old because of the long life-span of this breed... And we show the general public that not all Chihuahuas are 'yappy, nasty dogs' as they visit the rescue center and see the non-Chihuahuas to be the ones we work the hardest on because the previous owner did not change the barking habit...

But when we receive an adoption application that we know from first hand experience is not going to be a furever adoption, we don't shy away from explaining why their application is not being approved for this particular puppy and that an older puppy or dog is a better fit... 

And lets face facts - if you have 4 children under the age of 6 years old, do you REALLY have enough time in each day to give to a canine when your children demand so much of your attention and deserve the very best of you for the next 12 years?

But when we do say no and you are not willing to listen to reason (or listen to our years and years of experience doing rescue), it gets real old real fast to be threatened with social media... Because if you don't respond and tell both sides of the story, it hangs out there for someone else to come along, read it and decide against adopting from TLC and saving a dog or puppy's life... 

And the general public seldom, if ever, tells both sides of the story... 

The majority of the time, I just let it go... I know why we have said no to someone and the bottom line to us is that 'it is all about the dogs', finding them homes that are furever and that these dogs won't show back up in a local shelter down the road... And when they do, we go back in and rescue them a second time because that is our commitment to any puppy or dog we save... 

BUT, on occasion I have to step into social media and tell the other side of the story... Application came in yesterday from someone in another state (outside of California)... Woman has 2 Brittany Spaniels and a 5-month old baby... Interested in one of our teeny tiny Chihuahuas that maybe (just maybe) will be 3 pounds when fully grown... This Chihuahua is bonded with another small Chihuahua as well... But only the smaller puppy is desired... And this woman intends to leave this Chi puppy alone for at least 8 hours a day... 

Adopting a bigger, older Chihuahua who can withstand being left alone 8 hours a day with two 30-40 pound Brittanies is not an option for her... Adopting a more hardier dog that can easier withstand the safety issues of children learning to walk is not an option... Explaining that our rules about not placing petite dogs in with young children came about because of children falling on our dogs, breaking legs and the owners not being willing to pay the surgery bills to either fix the leg or amputate it, opting instead to euthanize the small dog until we were called and took back the dog... 

I could have been polite and simply said we don't adopt out of state, but being honest, we do adopt out of state when it is a great application... I could have been polite and explained further than I did that putting a teeny tiny with big dogs is very difficult to do - but I know it can be done because I do it at my home... However, I don't have a 5-month old baby that needs my attention and I don't work full time out of the home either... 

The compromise offered (a larger, older dog) was not one she would accept... And called numerous times to the rescue center to argue with us about being denied on this puppy... Finally, when reason and logic was not working in this conversation - and I would not approve the application - I heard that usual threat.... "I am going to social media to tell everyone what a horrible organization you are running"...

So you tell me... When does social media bullying end?... When we are willing say, "Oh, it is just a dog and who cares how the adoption ends up down the road?"