In short, no. There are primarily two different systems of rescues (but you may find some overlap) - shelters and foster-based rescues.

Shelters

Shelters are a great resource for immediate intake of owner-surrenders or taking in lost dogs from the streets. Shelters are typically brick and mortar locations that house multiple dogs in kennels (although they may have fosters as well). Depending on the location, many shelters euthanize dogs after a certain timeframe to make room for new dogs. However, many shelters partner with rescues to avoid euthanizing dogs, which may include transporting dogs to another part of the country to increase adoption chances.

If a dog is coming straight from a kennel environment in a shelter, they often need a lot more decompression time. As well, the shelter might not have a full scope of the dog’s personality or needs since there is less availability for one-on-one time (and there may have been a number of people caring for the dog).

Rescues

Most rescues do not have brick and mortar locations, but work on foster volunteers. Sometimes this can mean slower communication because everyone is volunteering (and people are busy!), but dogs that come from fosters usually have a head start on home manners. While they will still need some decompression time, that decompression threshold may be lower. They will also probably acclimate to home life better than a shelter or street dog and the foster families are usually able to give adopters an accurate picture of what kind of dog is being adopted out.

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Either can be an ethical rescue. Be patient and thankful with everyone as most people you interact with are volunteering their time and resources to help you adopt.

On the flip side, if there are red flags, find another rescue.

Not all rescues are created equal, so this is an excellent question!

Signs of a reputable rescue:

• Allocation of funds - what they do with their donations says a lot.

• Treatment of volunteers.

• There is an application for adoption. If the dog that the adopter was originally interested in is no longer available, the application will help match adopters with another good fit. Alternatively, the application will help the rescue know if that potential adopter is the best home for a particular dog.

• Do they have some kind of home visit? With the ability of Google Maps, this isn’t always required, but rescues should be following up to ensure all the information in an application is correct.

• There may be times where it doesn’t make sense to spay and abort a pregnant mother, but with the overpopulation in shelters and rescues, this is ultimately a good decision.

• Not all dogs can be rescued or rehabilitated, which means some kind of euthanization numbers. Rescues have limited resources and in order to be responsible sometimes euthanization is the most ethical decision. Sometimes the funds, time and resources need to go toward rescuing the most number of dogs, not necessarily dogs that require the most amount of care.

• Any signs that a rescue has lied or is lying about a dog’s history (particularly any bite history) is a red flag.

Pros:

• Low adoption fees.

• Dogs are typically spayed/neutered and up to date on vaccines.

• Wide range of ages. Might have puppies available, adult dogs or even senior dogs!

• You might be able to find a “unicorn” dog - looks like one breed, but behaves like another.

Cons:

• There is no health guarantee. Dogs in rescue were probably street dogs, oopsie litters, backyard bred or puppy mill puppies. This means there is no information on whether the parents had stable temperaments, allergies, hip or elbow dysplasia, or any other genetic health concern (such as degenerative myelopathy).

• If you’re adopting an older dog or even an older puppy, the socialization window has been missed and you may always have to account for that.

• For some reason, some rescues (even reputable ones) tend to believe all puppies are the same and can go to any good home. While puppies will be puppies, you will see traits that will carry over into adulthood, so in order to avoid long-term disappointment, try to ask pertinent questions about what is being seen with the puppies.

It can!

With mixed breeds, there is a lot more at play than a purebred. Some dogs might have mixed instincts which could make them less consistent in behavior. Terriers want to chase, bite and play. Shepherds want to herd. Companion dogs want to be under foot. And sometimes a dog might show traits of everything!

While there can be variation of breeds in rescue, it is important to know that regardless of what a dog is listed as, it will be helpful to know the individual dog to understand if it really will be a good fit.

Another thing that is helpful to keep in mind, is that most large mixed breeds are mixed with pitbull terrier and most small mixed breeds are mixed with chihuahua.