Is your herder a candidate for rescue?
Not all dogs can be accepted into Carolina Hearts. Read our policies below concerning owner surrenders and other options if your dog is not a candidate for rescue. Due to an overwhelming amount of shelter dogs and owner surrender requests, CHAR is currently only accepting purebreds as owner surrenders.
Bite history? If your dog has bitten any human, no matter the circumstance, CHAR cannot accept the dog into rescue. This is a liability issue, and the safety of our foster homes, adopters, and the general public is our first priority. If your dog has an aggression problem, please seek the help of a professional trainer or veterinarian.
Animal aggression? Typically, CHAR cannot accept dogs with severe dog aggression. All of our foster homes have their own personal dogs, and dog-aggressive dogs would put their pets at risk of serious injury. If the aggression is limited to a certain sex or type of dog (ie, size or dominance level), we may can help depending on foster home availability and the severity of the issue. Aggression towards cats is also dependent on the availability of foster homes that do not own cats, and the level of aggression. We typically do not take dogs that are known cat killers. The same applies to livestock.
Severe behavioral issues? Unfortunately, most rescues, CHAR included, are not equipped to handle dogs with known severe behavioral issues. Our foster homes are “normal” people, not professional dog trainers. Dogs with severe issues like separation anxiety or reactivity, or very fearful dogs, are not only difficult to foster but also spend long periods of time in foster care waiting for adopters who can handle their issues. This means that dogs in shelters miss out on precious foster space. If your dog has a severe behavioral issue, please seek the help of a professional trainer or veterinarian.
So, what types of dogs are candidates for owner surrender to CHAR? We understand that life is often uncontrollable and bad or unexpected things happen. The loss of a job or home, death of an owner, illness, deployment, or other similar circumstance that leaves a dog in limbo is something we strive to help dog owners with.
If we do not have foster space for your dog, we will happily courtesy list your dog as a referral. We will post the dog to our Facebook, Petfinder, and website with your contact information, however we will not be responsible for screening interested adopters, so you will place the dog at your own risk and take full responsibility for any events that occur during placement. We do require that referral dogs submit proof that the dog has been spayed or neutered, and is up to date on vaccinations. We will not list aggressive dogs as referrals. If you would like a dog listed as a referral, please email us at carolinaheartsrescue@gmail.com and include pictures, a biography, the best contact information, and proof of alteration and vaccines.
Additional Surrender Policies
Ownership: When surrendering your herder, you will be asked to fill out and sign a surrender form. This form is a contract that transfers ownership of your dog to our rescue. Signing the form will terminate any and all rights of ownership of the dog. We will not take your dog into our care without a signed surrender form.
Contact: After your dog is surrendered, further contact will also be terminated. We do have a very active social media presence and website, and if you wish you may follow your dog’s progress on those public outlets. However, any communication with volunteers through phone, email, or social media is not permitted. We will not answer requests for information, and you will not be permitted to communicate with adopters without the express consent of the adopter. This includes posting, commenting, and messaging on social media. Violations of this policy will result in a cease and desist order. It is unfortunate that we must have this policy, however the conduct of former owners in the past has created a need for us to protect our volunteers and adopters from maliciousness.
Medical Conditions, Behavioral Issues, and Euthanasia: It is your duty, as the owner, to disclose any known medical or behavioral issues to us before surrendering your dog. Failure to do so may result in the unfortunate event that we may have to euthanize the dog. Biting and severe aggression is not acceptable in this rescue, and a dog that does so will very likely be euthanized. This is not a choice that our board and foster homes wish to be faced with, so please be completely open and honest when disclosing information. We will not contact you in the event that we are forced to euthanize your dog due to medical or behavioral issues.
