Rescue shelters

I'm not a regular viewer of the Ellen DeGeneres show. Apparently last week she teared up on air because the local animal rescue organization took back a dog because it was living with an 11 and 12 year-old when the contract stated it could not live with any child under 14.

I read about this in a piece called Ellen, the dog bullies and me at Salon.com. It's noteworthy how many reader responses the article has had. The responses weigh heavily in the direction of those who've had negative experiences themselves with rescue organizations. I've certainly heard similar stories from friends and acquaintances. Though good rescue organizations certainly exist, there seems to be a trend of people using their position of animal rescuers to lord over other people as part of their puritanical quest. I wouldn't say some screening isn't in order when it comes to adopting out pets, but overly-rigid requirements applied with personal biases doesn't seem to serve anyone.

We keep on talking about getting a dog. We'd probably get a medium-sized dog that most rescue organizations would deem inappropriate for young children. What we'll do is learn about the specific breed when it comes to children and only adopt a dog who's personality seems to fit. We'll leave the dog bullies behind.