My Nonprofit Reviews
Sally F.
Review for Operation Paws for Homes, N.Chesterfield, VA, USA
We recently adopted a beautiful 4 year old black lab named Rosebud. We were given her medical records and shot records. Excited about the new dog we quickly perused the folder. Saw nothing outstanding.On the way home, I messaged the foster mom that the most recent record was 2014. She apologized and would send them by email. A week later and no records, I messaged her again along with the fact that the dog had a limp after any short run or long walk. She sent a shot record from 2016 and the note "Totally forgot to send the records they are now in your inbox along with info about the limp". Well we got the last shot record, but nothing about the soft tissue injury or possible ACL tear that the prevous owner's vet 2 months previously had recommended.
When asked about limp the handler replied "Yeah. It totally slipped my mind. Sorry about that." Of course, by now the ten days have passed and we are attached to the dog. Certainly would have limited her walks and runs if we knew there was a "soft tissue injury" as the handler put it in her message to us. This lack of disclosure does not meet the OPH standard listed in their philosophy. That is of "not knowingly adopting out a dog that is sick, injured or aggressive." Our vet requested the most recent record, does an exam and sure enough surgery is scheduled for next week, we will be in debt to pay.
For all the "approval process" they put us through, they certainly dropped the ball on disclosing all the info. about the dog. A warning here to be very suspicious of the dogs they are putting up for adoption.
Thank you for the feedback as it will only help us to strengthen our programs. Rosebud was a return from a previous adoption. We never want to send home a dog with a medical issue as we want all adoptions to start off on the right foot. We relied on the information provided by the adopter and the records they provided to us. Returns are stressful as we worry about the dog and the care/situation that they are in when in the home of a person who no longer wants them. We are also a volunteer run organization and – try as we might – we believe people are still honest in the world. As a result, we will be issuing a new change in management strategy to ensure we speak with all treating vets before a dog is taken back into the rescue. But please rest assured, we are addressing this and updating our policies. *** Please note - a full refund was issued for this adoption after vet records were confirmed from new vet.
