For people whom English is not their native language, there has been some confusion on what exactly is a rescue dog.A rescue dog is not a Search and Rescue dog, otherwise known as SAR dog. Search and Rescue dogs are utlized to find lost people and are highly trained dogs who go through rigorous, routine training along with their owners.
Instead, a rescue dog is a dog that was saved from certain death at a shelter and is being cared for by an organization referred to as a rescue. The dog stays safe with the rescue until the dog finds a new permanent home with a new owner.
There are many different kinds of rescues and many different ways of running a rescue. Some rescues are open to all breeds and mixes (hence called all-breed rescues) while others choose to concentrate their resources on a particular breed that they are most familiar with. Some rescues are large-scale organizations with official 501c3 non-profit status. They can have land plots and facilities that rival the size of municipal shelters. Other rescues are run by private individuals and dogs are home-raised.
One thing to know, though, is that high profile organizations such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and the Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS) are not rescues. They are animal rights organization who would rather eliminate a person's right to own a pet. Needless to say, I do not endorse those organizations. I do support animal welfare organizations though.
What is Animal Welfare?
The American Veterinary Medical Association defines animal welfare as "a human responsibility that encompasses all aspects of animal well-being, from proper housing and nutrition to preventive care, treatment of disease, and when necessary, humane euthanasia."
What is Animal Rights?
To end all human "exploitation" of animals - this includes, but is not limited to, raising and slaughtering of livestock for human or animal consumption, eating meat, hunting, using animals for any medical or veterinary research, zoos (regardless of how well managed), circuses, rodeos, horse shows, dog shows, animals performing in TV commercials, shows or movies (regardless of how well treated any of the above are), guide-dogs for the blind, police dogs, search & rescue dogs, and the practice of owning pets.
Quotes from the Leaders of the Animal Rights organizations:
"It is time we demand an end to the misguided and abusive concept of animal ownership. The first step on this long, but just, road would be ending the concept of pet ownership." Elliot Katz, President "In Defense of Animals," Spring 1997To find out more about Animal Rights, please visit the following sites:
"Pet ownership is an absolutely abysmal situation brought about by human manipulation." Ingrid Newkirk, national director, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PeTA), Just Like Us? Harper's, August 1988, p. 50.
"Liberating our language by eliminating the word 'pet' is the first step... In an ideal society where all exploitation and oppression has been eliminated, it will be NJARA's policy to oppose the keeping of animals as 'pets.'" New Jersey Animal Rights Alliance, "Should Dogs Be Kept As Pets? NO!" Good Dog! February 1991, p. 20.
"The cat, like the dog, must disappear... We should cut the domestic cat free from our dominance by neutering, neutering, and more neutering, until our pathetic version of the cat ceases to exist." John Bryant, Fettered Kingdoms: An Examination of A Changing Ethic (Washington, DC: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PeTA), 1982, p. 15.
"We have no ethical obligation to preserve the different breeds of livestock produced through selective breeding. . One generation and out. We have no problem with the extinction of domestic animals. They are creations of human selective breeding." Wayne Pacelle, Senior VP of Humane Society of the US, formerly of Friends of Animals and Fund for Animals, Animal People, May, 1993
When asked if he envisioned a future without pets, “If I had my personal view, perhaps that might take hold. In fact, I don’t want to see another dog or cat born.” Wayne Pacelle quoted in Bloodties: Nature, Culture and the Hunt by Ted Kerasote, 1993, p. 266.
"Breeders must be eliminated! As long as there is a surplus of companion animals in the concentration camps referred to as "shelters", and they are killing them because they are homeless, one should not be allowed to produce more for their own amusement and profit. If you know of a breeder in the Los Angeles area, whether commercial or private, legal or illegal, let us know and we will post their name, location, phone number so people can write them letters telling them 'Don't Breed or Buy, While Others DIE.'" "Breeders! Let's get rid of them too!" Campaign on Animal Defense League's website, September 2, 2003.
"The bottom line is that people don't have the right to manipulate or to breed dogs and cats ... If people want toys, they should buy inanimate objects. If they want companionship, they should seek it with their own kind," Ingrid Newkirk, founder, president and former national director, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PeTA), Animals, May/June 1993
http://www.pet-law.com/ar.html
http://www.petakillsanimals.com/
last updated 2/14/06