The purpose of the GRCBC’s Golden Placement program is to help Golden Retriever owners find new homes for their goldens. As part of the re-homing process we may need to assess your golden's general health, temperament and ensure your golden is neutered or spayed before being placed in a new home.
The Golden Placement Program is primarily a referral service. In normal circumstances, we keep the names of individuals looking to add a golden to their families and contact them when one matching their request becomes available. The potential adopters are responsible for contacting the available golden's owners and making arrangements to visit the dog and transfer ownership if appropriate.
In some circumstances, the GRCBC takes a dog into its custody. In this case, the potential adopter would make arrangements with the Club's representative to visit and take ownership of the dog if appropriate.
WHAT WE ARE NOT
The GRCBC does not have a formal Rescue Program. If you know of a Golden that is being abused or neglected, you should contact the SPCA or the equivalent organization in your area. The GRCBC does not have the right to seize animals. However, if we are notified that these organizations have a golden in their possession, we may be able to assist them with finding a foster home, vet bills, and with the re-homing process. The assistance provided is evaluated on a case by case basis.
ADOPTING A GOLDEN
We encourage you to read our section on adopting a golden. It has some useful information about what to expect so you can make sure a golden is right for you. If you're sure you want one of these wonderful goldens, here are the steps to adopting through our Golden Placement Referral Program.
- complete an adoption application form
- this is not a first come first service program. We look for the best match for both the dog and the potential owner. If we've done our job right, you will be your golden's forever home.
- fee for referral service is $50.00. If the GRCBC has had to prepare the golden for re-homing the fee may be more. This is assessed on an individual basis.
- if we do not have any golden available at the time of your application, we will keep it on file for future reference.
RE-HOMING A GOLDEN
Please see the section on rehoming a golden.
Concerns regarding International Dog Rescues
Ideally, every dog should have a loving home but this is not always the case. Many dog breed clubs support a rescue or re-homing service for their breed. There are also many organizations that assist with the re-homing of any breed or mixed-breed of dog. In recent years, due to an incorrectly perceived lack of dogs for adoption locally, a number of organizations have been formed which bring dogs in from international countries such as the Ukraine, Romania, Mexico, China, Korea, Thailand and Turkey. Many are well-meaning but others are less reputable and are often run as money-making operations.
Recently both the Center for Disease Control in the USA and Canadian Food Inspection Agency have adopted new stricter regulations concerning the importation of dogs internationally. Veterinarians and their governing bodies have expressed concerns about new strains of diseases, new parasites, tick-borne disorders, and cases of rabies that are being brought into our country by imported rescue dogs. Some of these disorders can affect humans. Many of these rescues are street dogs and their behaviour and lack of people socialization may present challenges for new owners. Some organizations do very little screening of dog behaviour or try to correctly match dogs to the best adoptive home.
Before considering adopting an international rescue, do your research. The following websites and articles offer information on international importations of rescue dogs.
https://inspection.canada.ca/importing-food-plants-or-animals/pets/dogs/eng/1594047452277/1594047452779
https://www.canadianveterinarians.net/documents/importation-of-dogs-into-canada-position-statement
https://www.canadianveterinarians.net/documents/veterinarians-dog-importation-checklist (graphic)
https://www.cdc.gov/importation/bringing-an-animal-into-the-united-states/get-the-facts.html
https://www.akc.org/clubs-delegates/government-relations/government-relations-blogs/foreign-rescue-dogs-health-concerns/
https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/14/health/dogs-cdc-rabies-import/index.html
https://www.petfriendly.ca/articles/importing-rescue-dogs.php
Adopting a Golden - Rehoming a Golden - Available Goldens - Happy Endings
