Ringwood Nonprofits and Charities

Have you ever heard the phrase, “It doesn’t hurt to ask?” Well, this time it did!<br><br>On May 22nd, my family drove to Boxer Rebound and had an interview to potentially meet our new fur kid. We talked to a volunteer for about 20 minutes; shared the story of our previous boxer who passed away 2.5 years ago, provided information about our current family structure and answered questions, as well as shared concerns we had.<br><br>We proceeded with the interview and discussed 2 potential dogs, Jack and Junior. We met with the owner of Boxer Rebound, chatted some more, then continued with the process. The owner clearly felt Jack was a better fit for our family. We met with Jack and were able to walk around the facility, tested his leash ability, and the kids were able to give him lots of treats, which he took very gently. We were also able to check and see if he would go into a crate, which he did most willingly. By the end of about a 45 minute visit with Jack, he was laying at our feet, letting the kids pet and rub his belly. We asked if we should meet the other dog since we were already there. Both the volunteer and the owner quickly said, “if you’re good with Jack and like him, there’s no need to meet the other dog.” We trusted their judgement and agreed. We said we’d be in touch as we really liked Jack and his temperament. I called 2 days later, after the family had some time to think about bringing Jack home. I asked if we could preview the adoption contract (which they mentioned during the interview was 5 pages long) as well as Jack’s medical history so we could take our time with all the information. We are very thoughtful people and take time making big decisions. They happily sent us all the info we requested. On Thursday, May 26th, I called back to ask if it would be a problem to pick up Jack on June 12th and mentioned we MAY have some questions regarding the contract. I spoke with the owner who said June 12th would work and she asked what type of questions we had on the contract. I didn’t have any specific questions at that moment, but the owner adamantly stated that the contract would not be changed. I said “OK, I’m sure everything will be just fine” and the call ended. <br><br>Two weeks later, on June 9, I called Boxer Rebound to confirm the type of food Jack ate. I had everything else lined up and ready to welcome him home, but wanted to be completely prepared. On June 10th, the owner called me back and proceeded to tell me that the board of directors have decided that because I MAY have questions on the contract, they felt I would not adhere to the contract and therefore they will not be working with us to adopt a dog through them. Less than 48 hours before we were to pick up Jack, and over 2 weeks since our last conversation, is when I received this information. Was I completely unprepared for this? YES. Was I angry? YES. Was I sad? ABSOUTELY. I’m still trying to make sense of it all today. <br><br>Replaying the events in my mind, from my understanding, we have been banned from this organization. We are not banned because we didn’t interview well. We are not banned because we were not the right fit for Jack. We were banned because I mentioned we MAY have questions on the adoption contract. This is the one and ONLY time in my life where the phrase, “It doesn’t hurt to ask” actually hurt. It hurt a lot. <br><br>The purpose of this review is to make other families aware in the hopes they don’t have the same attachment and heart break as we did. <br>