Rejected adoption application.

This is terrible.  Someone from the organization should have contacted you within a few days of application submission.  In my rescue organization, first contact takes place by voicemail, email, or application submission.  Voicemail and email are responded by the next day.  We absolutely love it when its an application because we are given a wealth of information on someone interested in a dog.  The applicant may not be suitable to the dog they are interested in, but it presents an opportunity to redirect to another dog, to another rescue group, to solicit volunteer work, and to educate.
 
Regarding the application, it appears to be situational questions intended to gauge your dog experience.  When I look at an application I want to see direct questions asking how the dog will be secured indoors when no one is home and how the dog is going to be secure when outdoors.  I want to know how the dog is going live when all are awake and also when asleep.  I also look to make sure the applicants know the financial commitments.  Direct questions of how much do you expect to spend in a year for maintenance and how much do you expect to spend if the dog gets ills.  A lot of applicants fail in this area because they don#%92t know but put in what they think is a reasonable amount but it turns out to be way low. 
 
Reviewing the application is very subjective.  You seem to being interested in adopting from this one organization.  If you are still interested, try giving them a call.  If no response, move on.  There are other rescue groups that will treat you with respect. 

I'd go tomorrow to ? them about why you never heard back.  Dani is cute!  Is there a number you can call to follow up with your application?

Check your PMs.  

She is a cutie I hope they contact you back.  That is really rude though I can't believe they would ignore a potential adopter who would make such a good owner.  I looked at that site and those pups are hilarious I can't believe they are all siblings they are all so different. 

You may have to get more aggressive... when I was looking to adopt emails and online apps were mostly ignored. If they have phone numbers try that - even better, show up in person.

Yeah, what jones said.  A lot of rescues are understaffed, or staffed only by volunteers, and most time is devoted where it is most urgently needed.  All the dogs in rescue are safe, unlike those waiting at shelters on death row, so some rescues don't feel the urgency first hand, and try to hold out for the best possible situation for each fostered dog, so that the dog will not need to be returned.  Also, if you do not have a five foot fence around your yard, that may be why they didn't call you back regarding Dani, since it says that she needs one - apparently she is an escape artist.  (Although she does look like a love.)   She's also a Shep mix probably, and they may feel she isn't suitable for a home with toy dogs.  Don't be offended, just move on to another organization if you can't deal with this one.  Or, consider getting a dog off of death row at your local shelter.

This is why I prefer to go straight to kill shelters to adopt dogs. I've tried for dogs in rescue before, and have always ended up completely frustrated when my applications and emails (and sometimes phone calls!) went unanswered and ignored, or when I was turned down. I was most often turned down for dogs because I didn't have a 6 foot fence, and because I was "too young." (Apparently, being 19, I am completely incapable of any responsibility of any sort. [8|]) I understand it to an extent- I was a reputable rat breeder and also did a bit of rescue for 6 years, and my adoption process was just as rigorous as any other- but I always, ALWAYS contacted people promptly and let them know why their application was denied. It seems so incredibly rude to me to just ignore the applications of someone who doesn't fit your standards.

I tried to adopt a couple of ferrets from a rescue here for a while- no such luck. Again, I'm apparently too young to have any sense of responsibility. I finally ended up having to get a mill ferret from *Petland* of all places, since they were actually the LEAST hellish pet store here that carried ferrets. I tried to rescue, and got turned away until I gave in and just bought a ferret. [>:] I honestly can't understand why they were so preoccupied with my age that they couldn't stop to see the fact that I had done rescue work myself, obviously had done tons of research, and based on everything else they knew about me I was NOT getting a ferret for the wrong reasons, I knew what was involved, and I was obviously NOT a bad candidate for adoption. (My ferret has his own *room* and play center, is raw fed, and goes to the vet every time he frikkin' sneezes.) I just think they can be a bit ridiculous sometimes- and I'm saying this having DONE rescue before, and knowing *why* they are as strict as they are. I'm *obviously* committed to all of my pets, and there's no way they couldn't have seen that.

Anyway, I finally gave up on rescues and went to the good ol' fashioned dog pound. I've gotten two great dogs from there, I wasn't hassled, and ignored, and I ended up with two great dogs that I wouldn't trade for the world. I think rescues are a good thing, and I can understand their reasons for being the way they are...but to me, they are just NOT worth the incredible hassle.

I just looked at that application. It's nuts! It would take me days to fill out (of course we all know that I'm long-winded)  Seems to me that anyone who really knows dogs would have tons to say in answer to most of those questions.
 
I agree with Ratcicles and would go to a kill shelter. My Deva (came from our local shelter (where 90% of the animals taken in die). We got her as a young pup and she's a great dog

That's one of the reasons that I'm not a fan of rescues. I understand that they have the animals' best interest in mind, but IMO they make it almost impossible for people to adopt. Most people are not willing to go through the ringer to get a dog. I think lengthy applications, references and home visits are a bit much. [&:]

My best friend got her Coonhound from a rescue and will never go through another one again. From the minute the lady at the rescue answered the phone she was rude and condescending. My friend is 30 years old, but sounds younger and this woman actually said "are you even old enough to have a dog?" [] Rude! After my friend got the dog they gave her the runaround for months with releasing his paperwork. It was like they wanted a way to keep tabs on her and the dog.

I'm sure there are good rescues out there that don't treat people rudely, but I still think they make it almost impossible for people to get their dogs. I've heard of some crazy reasons that people were turned down- like being a single person that works full time. So yeah, I have to agree that the best solution is to just go to the pound where they'll actually be GRATEFUL to have to dogs get adopted.

I also think it's probably a communication problem between the application process and the volunteers.  It's frustrating for sure - but I would also follow up with a phone call.  When we adopted Tux there was no phone number, so we just waited until they got back to us (which thankfully wasn't long - maybe a week).
 
I got the "I'm not sure you're old enough" thing too - and I know I don't look my age but I was almost 30 at the time.  Once I told them that they came around - but they were worried that Tux might be too much dog for me. 
 
They were looking out for the dog's best interest but it can be quite an intimidating process.  The shelter was just a quick application, they called my vet and my references and then that was that.  No contract, no follow-up, no nothing.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who has had trouble with rescues! Before I got my pup from a breeder, I had attempted to adopt through several rescues. Even though I am financially stable, have a large yard w/ a 6 ft fence, had a fair amount of experience with the breeds that I was interested in, AND great vet references, I was repeatedly turned down. The reason? I'm 22. I MUST be irresponsible. One lady at a rescue sounded very interested until I told her my age. At that point, she actually came out & said that since I was obviously too young and would have to work, I would probably "fob" a dog off on someone else & that it was ridiculous to even think of owning a pet.
 
The people at the shelters I contacted later seemed a lot nicer and more willing to work with people.  We didn't have much luck finding a dog that really struck us at the shelters here so we ended up looking for a breeder. All the reputable breeders we talked to asked a million questions, wanted pics of our home & yard, check our references & gave us the ok and numbers of other breeders we could talk to as well. I know there are probably lots of great rescue groups out there, but the bad ones do a good job of turning people off of adopting pets.

I value the work that rescues do but I think they can be a bit too stern. At some point, they're going to have to trust a human to care for the dog, unless they want to hold onto the dog forever, since no one else is good enough.
 
As for myself, I can adopt a dog from the Sherman Animal Shelter for $44, including adoption, shots, and s/n. That doesn't include the people I meet who are constantly trying to give me pets they can't keep. Lately, I can just walk out the door. I think we should change my town name to Loosedogville. I've seen a loose white Sibe with no collar or tag recently. People can't wait to show how little they care for their pets and their surroundings. And I think some rescue workers are all too aware of the ignorance and apathy of owners such as these, who may have paid quite a bit of money for these dogs and just let them run loose or don't bother to make sure they are secured well enough. OTOH, most of us here are not millionaires nor should we be expected to be just to own a pet. I think what is most important to consider in an adopter is their commitment and knowledge in the care of the pet. I have a feeling I would fail a rescue org inspection simply because we both have to work and I only have a 4 foot fence and live in a town where the motto is let the dog loose on the streets. But I would get points for having a huge yard. But I might fail because we have a cat. I might fail because I feed Nutro. These things could counteract how much I know and admire the breed, how much I understand their temperment and needs, the fact that my dog gets vet care before I get medical care.
 
It's a tough call and I don't really have any solutions in dealing with this particular establishment, or the agism that apparently goes on.

I agree with going the shelter route.  I got Gracie from my local high kill shelter on her doom day.  I payed  $25 on her and she was already microchipped (they charge $35 if they aren't microchipped already), spayed (from previous home), and housebroken I couldn't ask for a better dog.   Her owners had moved so they couldn't find them from her microchip and she had a dirty blue collar with no tag on it.  At my shelter though they require a fence check for bully breeds and some larger breeds of dogs. 

I'm glad everyone understands my frustration! ARF is run on volunteers, so I did expect some wait. However, 5 months and then 2-3 months is too much.

I went to see dani today, my mum actually drove me from my work. Without her driving me I would've never gotten there on time. To say the least, i was disappointed with the ARF volunteers. They were fawning over their own dogs. Dani's foster came to visit and she called her over about 5 meters away from the area. She stood there for about 8 minutes before she brought dani back. Dani is a very nice girl, she was in need of some brushing very badly. Her hair was coming out in handfuls as I gave her scritches.

As I was greeting dani, this young couple who owned a border collie, (he was on a lead) were discussing their lifestyle because they were interested in Dani. Then, uh oh, they mentioned that they were on a normal worktime schedule. (8hrs). The volunteer stated that they want dani to go to a house where someone wouldn't be out of the house for more than 5hrs. The couple responded, well, we are very active with our dogs when we are home. They are given walks in the morning and after work. They also described their other activities. Even though they were competition (lol) since I was interested in Dani, they seemed like a great match to me. The volunteer said that they would have to think about it since they weren't home for 8hrs.

They also had a pen full of puppies there. Rottweiler x sharpei. All of them were very cute, and active. Except one, TJ. She was out of the pen and lying between the legs of a volunteer. Prior to that though, one of the arf volunteers daughters had her in her arms and did not put her down. She was lethargic and had runny eyes. She was napping the whole time I was there. I asked why she was lethargic, and the volunteer replied that she wasnt lethargic, she was just 'laid back'. Ok, what?? There was obviously something wrong with poor TJ, and she told me she was laid back?

This has soured my view on ARF I'm also worried since my yard isnt the biggest, but my dog doesnt spend the majority of it's time outside in my yard, .. she doesnt even spend time out there unsupervised. So at first I didn't think that would be a problem..  I have a 5foot fence, but no yard. So I doubt I'll be able to pass their criteria just because of that.. especially when their so picky. All the shelters that I know of are no-kill. I might try the SPCA again. It's so hard to get dogs there though, Lol. All the dogs im interested in go so quickly!