# Adopting a China Golden - advice welcome



## OhSamson

We have a beautiful 4 year Golden named Samson. We got him from a breeder as a puppy and he has been a joy. He has no behavioral issues, potty trained, sweet, great sense of humor, acts like a perpetual 3 year old boy. 

We had been looking to get him a brother or sister for about 18 months but wanted to try a rescue group this time. After a very long wait, we received an email from one of the groups in our area asking if we'd be interested in considering a foster to adopt dog being rescued from the meat rkets in China. We discussed it and decided that since I work from home, we are experienced with Goldens, and have a great Golden mentor who can show the new kid the ropes, that we would do this. 

We had a choice between a boy that's 4 or a girl also 3-4. We chose the boy. They know very little about them but they are quarantined in China right now so they don't have to do it when they arrive here. They will be spayed/neutered and vet checked, but we are to take him a week after he arrives to get a more thorough checkup, shots, etc. They have given us a lot of information about settling him in. 

We would like to hear from anyone else who has adopted a dog from these circumstances just to get an idea of what to expect. Has anyone else done this who'd be willing to share? Thank you!


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## LJack

I would just say IMHO there would not be purebred, relatively well cared for Goldens in Chinese meat markets. It makes no sense to breed a meat animal for coat like Goldens have or flop ears, nor does it make sense these Chinese meat markets would do anything to keep breeds separate (meaning they would be mix breed and look it). If you breed meat stock (cattle, goats, chickens, etc.) the look or even temperament of the animals are not a priority. Easy care traits such as short coat, prick ears that don’t tend to get infect, dogs that are not brachiocephalic and fast maturity are the drivers. So, that begs the question of where are the Chinese meat market Goldens (or many of the other Chinese meat market breeds like French Bulldogs) from? Theories include that they are stolen pets and/or there are puppy mills over there breeding dogs for export sales. 

So, if you are still interested after considering The source, there are major infectious disease concerns.


https://grca.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/GRCA-POSITION-STATEMENT-ON-RESCUE-IMPORTATION.docx


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## OscarsDad

A few thoughts. If you are adopting from a reputable shelter (and it sounds like you are), the GRCA position paper is irrelevant. The focus of the position statement is on private transactions and importations where the regulatory process and ethical behaviors are very suspect. Importation through reputable shelters will assure that you are not bringing a diseased dog into the country. 

Within the GRCA, their own National Rescue Committee authored a response, co-signed by over 50 member rescues,in response to the GRCA position paper. It was ignored. I sent a response directly to the president of the GRCA, which was also ignored. A careful reading of the supportive documentation in the position paper reveals at least one organization that is a very animal unfriendly lobbying group (Fox News story).

With regard to goldens from China. Dogs are abandoned by their owners and picked up destined for slaughterhouses. I see nothing in the OP's post about the dogs being "relatively well cared for." In fact the rescue indicates that "they know very little about them." 

I think it is wonderful that you are considering rescuing a golden no matter where they are from. I am assuming you will have an opportunity to meet the dog and assess for temperament and good fit for your family. I can't imagine the shelter will ask you adopt sight unseen. If you want to verify that the shelter is complying with all appropriate importation standards, reach out directly to the GRCA National Rescue Committee. The shelter may, in fact, be listed as a member.

We have had three goldens, two from a breeder and our current guy, Oscar, who was adopted from Turkey. He is truly a marvelous edition to our family. While he came with some issues, they were surmountable with patience and love. If you have both of those attributes, you will be fine.


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## puddles everywhere

Just a personal opinion.... I am very much in favor of rescue adoptions! There are thousands of goldens in shelters all over this country, why adopt from a country that has no concern with health that could possibly be brought in?
With all the auctions, puppy mills we have in this country my point is why not go for home grown? Why expose your existing dog to unknown health issues?
If you can post an area there are lots of active rescue people on the GRF that can help you find a dog.


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## OscarsDad

Point of fact that there are not thousands of goldens in shelters all over the country. Reputable shelters have the same long waiting lists as do breeders. Domestic goldens in shelters are not languishing, unadopted. The demand far exceeds supply for all rescues. Why is a golden retreiver in China, Turkey, or Egypt less worthy of love, a warm bed, and a decent life than a domestic surrender? Hard to fathom. If the shelter adheres to GRCA and federal guidelines, then go meet the dog. If it is a good fit, adopt the dog.


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## ceegee

I am astonished that a rescue group would place a meat farm dog in a home without first doing an extensive assessment of it. In the vast majority of cases these are dogs that have never lived with humans, have never had human care, have been mistreated and do not know how to live in the human world. They are not all adoptable, or adoptable immediately. And there may be underlying diseases that do not emerge during quarantine.

A good friend of mine adopted two dogs from a Korean meat farm, and they were never able to function properly. They learned to live in the house, but had extreme fear issues outside. They were never reliably house-trained. My friend is a very experienced rescue person - has worked with rescues her entire life, has always had rescue dogs - and this was beyond anything she had dealt with before. She kept the dogs, of course, and they lived out their lives (9+ years) with her, but it was extremely difficult, for her and for them. They were never normal dogs. Not only that, but during those nine years she was unable to foster or adopt other rescues that would have had a chance at a "normal" life.

There is also a rescue in our locality that occasionally brings in dogs from meat farms, and they never, ever place them until they've spent some time with an experienced foster to determine what issues they may have. In some cases these dogs are in foster care for a year or more, in order to become adoptable at all. A small number are fine; most need some kind of rehabilitation; a small number cannot be fully rehabilitated.

It's important to emphasize that these dogs were not produced to become pets. They were produced to become meat. So as other posters have pointed out, there was no attempt to breed for temperament or sociability or anything else. These are essentially feral dogs. At best, they are going to be unpredictable because they do not know how to react to human behaviour. You may be lucky and yours may adapt quickly, but there is a possibility that it will have issues: fear, aggression, etc. There was a case in Canada last year where a woman was attacked out of the blue by her dog, a Korean meat farm rescue. She had to be hospitalized as a result. She'd had the dog for several weeks; on the day of the attack, he was sitting by her chair; she put her hand down to pet him, and he lunged at her, biting her arm and throat. There was no provocation. These are not normal dogs. They have had no socialization. They have been mistreated, subjected to cruelty and awful living conditions. Not surprisingly, they can be unpredictable. They have had to fight amongst themselves to ensure their survival on the farm. I personally would never, ever bring one into my home.

Let me be clear here: I have nothing against rescuing a dog. I've had several dogs from rescues during my (long) life and they were all terrific pets. I've also worked with rescues in a variety of roles, from fundraising to dog placement. There are far too many nice pet dogs that are euthanized every week in North America simply because there are not enough homes available. Rescues do a good job of bringing abandoned dogs together with families that want them. There are also highly reputable rescues that do a good job importing unwanted golden retrievers from abroad (e.g. from Turkey), but they assess the dogs first to make sure they will make good pets. However, I do not think it is a good idea to rescue dogs from meat farms and place them in pet homes. The amount of money and effort that is needed to get these dogs to function well is enormous, and IMHO, as someone who has worked with rescues, could be put to better use. I no longer fundraise for rescues that import meat farm dogs because of this.

I'm sorry, this is probably not what you wanted to hear. If you go ahead, I wish you all the very best and hope things work out for you. But I would advise extreme caution.


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## OscarsDad

It is problematic to share unique and extreme examples of rescue dogs who have attacked their owners, as a cautionary tale. One could also cite many examples of all manner of domestic adoptions that resulted in attacks on owners. Data is important. I would be very interested to know what data exists pointing to foreign rescues through shelters resulting in a high percentage of owner attacks. If these data exists, that is important to know. If they don't, then it is just fear mongering. I do know, and this is anecdotal, that in the four years I have been associated with Yankee Golden Retriever Rescue, which has imported dozens of goldens from China, that there have been no reported issues. In fact, these dogs have been indistinguishable from all of the other domestic and foreign goldens they have placed. 

From September 2019 - March 2020 Yankee Golden Retriever Rescue placed 47 Goldens Rescued from China in loving homes.


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## ceegee

OscarsDad said:


> It is problematic to share unique and extreme examples of rescue dogs who have attacked their owners, as a cautionary tale. One could also cite many examples of all manner of domestic adoptions that resulted in attacks on owners. Data is important. I would be very interested to know what data exists pointing to foreign rescues through shelters resulting in a high percentage of owner attacks. If these data exists, that is important to know. If they don't, then it is just fear mongering. I do know, and this is anecdotal, that in the four years I have been associated with Yankee Golden Retriever Rescue, which has imported dozens of goldens from China, that there have been no reported issues. In fact, these dogs have been indistinguishable from all of the other domestic and foreign goldens they have placed.


I specifically mentioned dogs from meat farms and was very careful to say that I was not talking about imported rescues in general. Most imported rescue dogs are successfully placed, because the rescue organizations have done their jobs and have vetted the dogs carefully before importing them. But the OP specifically says that his rescue organization doesn't know much about the dog in question, which is currently in quarantine in China, and that he (the OP) will be required to take the dog one week after it arrives in the country, immediately after it has been neutered. This does not sound like something a reputable rescue organization would do, especially in the case of a dog from a meat farm. Meat farm dogs need to be assessed; they need help to adapt. Some are not "normal" rescues because of their life experience, and every reputable rescuer I know would agree with that statement. The OP is not simply adopting a dog imported from abroad - this is a dog from a meat farm, and it may not be the same thing as a dog that has known what it is like to live with humans in ordinary conditions. I also did not say that there was a "high percentage" of owner attacks; I said that unpredictability is a known characteristic of dogs that haven't lived with humans before.

I know you have a dog that was rescued from abroad (via a reputable organization that clearly does its job well), and it was not my intention to offend you. If you knew my life history, you would know that I have absolutely nothing against adoptions from China or anywhere else, quite the reverse in fact.

But when you adopt from a specific situation like a meat farm, it's important to be aware that there are issues, especially when the rescue organization specifically says it does not know much about the dog.


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## puddles everywhere

OscarsDad I'm not sure what part of the world you live in but in the SW USA, golden rescues are not in short supply. I can't count all the times I have transported dogs to get them cross country. This is why I asked for location information.

After 40 years in rescue there are experiences that should be shared... it's something that is a possibility to consider. No one is saying any dog isn't worthy of being loved. It's heart breaking to help kills dogs just because there are too many.
Bringing in a 2nd golden is enough of a challenge without bringing in a dog with no social skills that might enjoy beating up on our existing dog. I have had some wonderful rescues and a major supporter for rescues. But life with a dog you can't take anywhere, or be around children & people or other pets is not enjoyable in any way for the family or the dog. Like anything or anyone you invite into your home you must consider all the possibilities. Foreign or domestic.


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## OscarsDad

I do not disagree about carefully vetting the shelter. I also noted that the OP should check the status of the shelter with the Rescue Committee of GRCA in order to ascertain if they are following appropriate guidelines. 

A few other comments:

I do not read the OP statement, "but we are to take him a week after he arrives to get a more thorough checkup, shots, etc." as a requirement on the part of the shelter. Some clarification from the OP would be helpful. It sounds to me like that is when they agreed to take the adoption and that the requirement relates to the "more thorough check up."

I did not attribute the comment of "high percentage" to you. I am interested to know if these attacks are common among foreign rescues or more idiosyncratic reports based on personal experience.


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## OscarsDad

puddles everywhere said:


> OscarsDad I'm not sure what part of the world you live in but in the SW USA, golden rescues are not in short supply. I can't count all the times I have transported dogs to get them cross country. This is why I asked for location information.
> 
> After 40 years in rescue there are experiences that should be shared... it's something that is a possibility to consider. No one is saying any dog isn't worthy of being loved. It's heart breaking to help kills dogs just because there are too many.
> Bringing in a 2nd golden is enough of a challenge without bringing in a dog with no social skills that might enjoy beating up on our existing dog. I have had some wonderful rescues and a major supporter for rescues. But life with a dog you can't take anywhere, or be around children & people or other pets is not enjoyable in any way for the family or the dog. Like anything or anyone you invite into your home you must consider all the possibilities. Foreign or domestic.


I am in Vermont.


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## Prism Goldens

So- I am generally against importing dogs for retail rescue, and that is what it is- they are not cheap and the origin of the dogs to me is unclear. Supposedly these 99 dogs were scheduled to come to the US in the spring and now are enroute. Are they the same 99 dogs? Or just any Golden will do?
Not against rescue- don't get me wrong- I just think there is more to know on any of the retail rescue scenarios. The ones AAG Atlanta got were no more meat animals than my own dogs are..


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## CAROLINA MOM

OhSamson-The Rescue Group you are considering adopting this dog from, may be able to answer your questions and also provide you with information regarding their policies and procedures.



Each GR Rescue that is listed on the GRCA.org's National Rescue Committee site-



National Rescue Committee of the Golden Retriever Club of America



in order to be listed on it, have to submit required documents and also meet certain criteria in order to be on it.

I don't know if the Rescue you are considering adopting from is a GR Rescue on this list or not, but if you click on any of the Groups that are listed, you will see they have Written Policies, Elected Board members, are insured, and licensing that complies with State requirements. They also list when they were formed and incorporated, and their 501 C 3 non profit Status.

I adopted a girl from the GR Rescue I volunteered with but I have not adopted one from China or Turkey.

Since I helped with Intake, I do know that each dog brought into a Rescue, receives a complete Vet Exam upon intake, receives any necessary medical treatment and is also temperament evaluated before being made available for Adoption.

Adopt a Golden Atlanta has been bringing in Goldens from Turkey since 2015 and placing them. The adoption fees are higher for dogs brought in from another Country because of the Vetting requirements for dogs to enter the US and also the transportation costs. These dogs have to meet the USDA's requirements prior to leaving Turkey, once they arrive in the US, AGA has complete Vet Exams done on each dog and each dog is evaluated prior to being available for adoption.

Here is info from AGA's website regarding the Turkey dogs-



http://www.adoptagoldenatlanta.com/turkeydogs.asp






> *The Turkey Dog Story*
> 
> Adopt a Golden Atlanta has rescued 249 Golden Retrievers from Istanbul, Turkey, since May 2015. The first flight arrived on May 9, 2015, and was the largest international rescue of Golden Retrievers ever.
> 
> AGA never says no to a Golden Retriever in need. There are many homeless dogs in Turkey and not enough room in the shelters for all of them. Because there is no shelter euthanasia and few adoptions in Turkey, dogs either live out their lives in a shelter or are put on the streets or in the forests after they are spayed or neutered and given rabies vaccines. But Golden Retrievers don’t survive well on the streets. They are not good pack animals and won’t fight back, so many are attacked by other dogs and their survival depends on people helping them.
> 
> The National Rescue Committee of the Golden Retriever Club of America supports AGA's effort as there are no Golden Retrievers being put at risk in the U.S. because of this rescue. The Turkish Government and our shelter volunteer colleagues in Istanbul want a better life for these dogs and work with us to make this happen.



Here is info from the USDA regarding the requirements for importing dogs into the US for Resuce-



https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_welfare/downloads/tech-note-importation-of-live-dogs.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1IZDded8jeI72ErByNALgE7ZVOvNfeGTnRhcZkUpAbzo0Q456jMtNyfec



If you have concerns about bringing this dog into your home, contact the Rescue's Adoption Coordinator for more info. Ask about the Vetting, ask about the dog's temperament evaluation. If you do decide to adopt, I would recommend you go into it with your eyes wide open, this dog will need an adjustment period.


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## Peri29

I very well remember your opinion on the subject and your famous trainer friend who opted for euthanisia of 12 years old Korean meat market survivor. Yes, the poor dog was supposed to SURVIVE and ended up euthanized by your trainer friend which you claimed lateron had fatal ( !) disease following my comment " that he should be reported to authorities" . I hope one day your "trainer" friend who adopted those 2 dogs will join us on the forum and also submit to all of us the rescue name which I am very curious about , the dogs' medical histories. I am not sure that the rescue even is informed about it. However, it is always better that we hear the story directly from your friend. 

Well , let's have a summary.
On the national and international arena;

Not all rescues are professional & experienced rescues.
Not all vets are professional and animal lover vets.
Not all volunteers are experienced and mentally stable ( just in Miami a couple of weeks ago a shelter volunteer have been caught on the camera in poisoning her own fiancés dogs)
Not all GR owners are experienced, full of empathy & kind hearted as their Goldens as we all have read.
Not all breeders are ethical and caring where their dogs end up.
Not all trainers are experienced or of goodwill.
Not every adoption candidate make a good adoptor
Not every puppy ( buyer) make a good parent.
as not all doctors are humanist, not all lawyers are ethical, not all wives or husbands loyal, not all teachers are credible............
We are humans and we operate via our brain & logic besides our heart. On the forum, there is everyday a new or existing member " looking for a REPUTABLE breeder". Why???? Because they very well know that not all breeders are ethical breeders and provide healthy & good natured GRs with full & reliable certificates . So , one does his homework. They ask the other members on their experiences with the breeder named xxxxxx. However, even from the best breeder you may get sometimes a GR which did not fit all the qualifications certified before. I hope one understands that we are talking here not on electronics, cars but "live beings". How, not all of your children will be of same nature raised by the same parents, attending certain schools so will not be the same all the GRs you buy.

I guess the OP has also enough capacity to check on the rescue who proposed her the wet market Golden Retriever whether it is a reliable rescue and registered under GRCA. US


HOWEVER;
- there is one thing I still agree that people who are not willing to adopt breeds in scarce such as Golden Retrievers in US, shall first of all help / adopt their local dogs.
I am everyday more than heart broken on the amount of huskies, German shepherds, rottweilers in addition to good natured pitts & mixed breeds in NY , LA & Miami put on the euth list because of no interest.I also would not home a person a husky from Far East if I know by checking that there is one husky on the euth list waiting in the local shelter of the adoption candidate. I would also be suspicious of the local rescue who prefer to help only the dogs in Far East but not pull out the one waiting in their local shelters because some dogs are only " rescue pull" and cannot be adopted directly by the public.


GOLDEN RETRIEVERS:
Whole US & UK , there is a scarce of Golden Retrievers. Please do not tell me the opposite and everyone is NOT willing to buy from breeders. Why??? This is especially one of the main aspect of American families I love. They know their own capacity, they know their limits. Not everyone is capable of raising a puppy. Working hours most of the time do not permit this. They very well know the amount of mental & physical exercise they shall devote to a puppy up until age 2-3 years old. People work. A couple who raised at least 4 generations of GRs, are not willing to acquire a puppy in their 70's because they are no longer easily can run / hike / play with their dogs. There are wonderful families who especially prefer to adopt senior very senior dogs fitting their home environment. And there is no adult / senior / young GRs around. Very very few which are also immediately pulled by the local rescues ASAP they end up ( very very rarely) in a shelter or Craiglist.

HORROR STORIES & BEHAVIOURAL ISSUES:
Before coming out with such horror stories , please go around a shelter in US and communicate us how many dogs have "biting story" before you labeling all Far Eastern dogs as unreliable ferals.It is an ecstacy for a volunteer to heal such animals when you finally make their walls come down, healing them. To witness in their eyes a glimpse of trust replacing fear . SlaughterHouseSurvivors in China just rescued a dozen of dogs last week. There is this labrador girl who looses herself /pees on herself whenever she is even approached by a male caretaker.Labs have even more fragile souls compare to GRs. I know she will be healed. Those ladies , 4 ladies with their amazing team & vets will create miracles. Another GS, Maya.I do not want to know whatelse she went through that we cannot even imagine. German Shepherds, my soul animal, they are like humans. Have also great emotional intelligence. She seems aggressive one because she is fearful . This too will pass away. A year or two does not matter , she will make it . The dog will be surrounded by sooo much love and given second / third / fourth chances that she will have no chance but to surrender. What an euphoria!!!! If it fails, she will live at the sanctuary because no logical person will put her on adoption list with unacceptable behavioural issues because it will hinder the adoption of other dogs. Physically , financially, emotionally so much effort is given , those ladies are not irrational & insane to risk future adoptions.

Do you know a GR was put in a kill shelter this year in LA ( I opened an ad here for him on this forum) because he bit his owner??? Well, the minute I saw him. I got the story. Why?

Which kind of a pet owner would give up his own Golden at age 6 BEFORE CONTACTING a GR rescue which are willing to remove and rehabilitate him ?? An ignorant & uninformed one.
The golden was shaved. And it was an unprofessional one " shaved at home". Horrible patches of hair. . Which kind of an ignorant GR owner would shave his double coated dog??
Most probably , he was hurt while his owner shaving him and bit his hand. Very normal . I do not want to think what he went through before. 3rd day , he was removed and living the life as he deserves with no biting incident.

2 months ago, again in LA, a gorgeous GR&husky mix was abandoned to a shelter because he bit&killed the neighbour's toy size dog. We all know that GRs are retrievers. And we all know that from time to time how vicious small size dogs can be. He was left to a kill shelter at age 8!!! Thanks to a GRmix rescue / GoldenCrossRescueLV who rescues from Korea aswell Turkey, he was pulled immediately. Very loving boy. No problem with other dogs. For interestees; "Oso" is still looking for his forever home by the way.
A couple of days ago, another GRmix ( 90 % GR- 10% we could not figure out yet), was abandoned at age 10 to a shelter and got adopted.
I know more biting stories of local dogs than Far Eastern dogs . It happens. They are animals. We human fight, we human can show our disturbances by words even by physical attack. Why do you surprise you a dog can bite aswell??? There are more humans who bite you more often than a dog? You very well attack & try to bite here volunteers & rescues without having solid data ( 1 incident about the lady ) and the story of your trainer friend on which I still expect more in depth data from you.
I have been bitten by my dog because I had electricity accumulated in my hand. I was not aware of it , I petted her and she bit me because she was hurt / electoshocked.It may happen you touch a soft spot of a dog and hurt him, even a ruptured disc.
ADOPTERS & RESCUES:
I wish there was a more proper way or we had the chance also to give a psychiatric test before adopting our animals. Rescues try their best in psychological assesment of adoption candidates but we are humans . We maybe mistaken aswell. There are horror stories in US aswell. I will not forget the lady who drowned her own GR with her crate & a heavy vase in the lake in MA. There are people shooting nextdoor household dogs because they jumped over the fence. There are dogs who are on euth list because the nextdoor dog /even the baby ( who would live their baby in the garden unattended) went into the yard and got attacked /and the dogs put down. Personally, I very carefully select the rescue I collaborate with because I am not afraid of mentally unstable adoptors but also the people who surround them in the neighbourhood. Such a complicated task .
Above all, as I state to all my friends, not every US&European Rescue is a real rescue for me. I see many new rescues importing nonbreed dogs including Turkey which scares me. A rescue is a corporate company. If a couple of board members cease, it shall be strong enough to operate in the following years. It is a long term investment. You shall be able to follow up a dog 15 years long ( hopefully) and have both the resources / venue / or available fosters if something goes wrong. I am also afraid of rescues covering many states. This is a huge task. Uncontrollable. Even the strongest rescues do not have the courage to cover more than a one or two.

CHINA RESCUES:
However, all the rescues I support in China ( a solid 4 of them) including the vets, they have supernatural capabilities , strength, knowledge an- know-how.My God, they work. They work nonstop. One cannot sleep while fighting the real horror story of wetmarkets. .
I am humbled by their skills and attention to detail with such limited resources. I feel ashamed. I wish I had the courage, the time and lifestyle to be also physically active next to them.
I do not deny there were a couple of health issues including Brucellosis from Far Eastern dogs / transported via Canada / than to US but again it depends who you support and mention about.
Unfortunately, we have also unnoticed Lepto carrier dogs ( owned or rescued) among US dogs which go unnoticed even for years. There is also Parvo in breeder dogs.
Far Eastern rescues are triple cautious at the moment than any local rescues because none of them would like to risk the future of the dogs they rescued from LIVE DEATH SENTENCE by skipping health protocols and getting banned by USDA department. We are all more clever than that.


We are talking here about RESCUE. We are volunteers. We rescue animals. We kiss, we show compassion to their wounds in their bodies & souls which made them become such defensive and fearful. We heal them. This is our goal. I am too busy and I do not have energy to show this compassion to you any longer. I am sure you have enough friends, or family friends who can help you with this if it is attention what you are seeking.
We are not forcing anyone to support us, to rescue from us. Their current health issues are stated and we do not paint rainbows and roses. The adoption policy is clear. The requirements and what we expect from candidates are clear. These are rescue dogs which have been rehabilitated as much as possible and we seek adoptors who will give them the lives they deserve better than us. It is very difficult even to give in the same time to7-8 dogs in the same household and we cannot give them enough care & emotional support to hundreds of them. If you are a healer you are . You want to change the life of an animal, you want. No one is obliged to do anything but no one can dare to come up here without specific numerous data on local & international rescues to risk the lives of animals who are facing hell.

At the moment, while we are triumphing over the arrival of 99 Golden Souls from China next month, we are worrying over 999 others and mourning over 9999 which are butchered, skin alived and have not been given a SINGLE CHANCE by uncompassionate people. Those 99 Golden Retrievers will be homed by 9 reputable Golden Retriever Rescues such as YGRR, GBR to families with golden hearts & compassion. To people who deserve them which are more than tooo many on the waiting list . Do not worry about it.

Dear OP, you can contact ex-adoptors of rescues and have a direct feedback from them. You can follow them on social media. You can google and search for more horror stories ( if you find any) on the Golden Retrievers homed by reputable rescues.


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## ceegee

Peri29 said:


> I very well remember your opinion on the subject (...)
> 
> Regarding to your labeling wetmarket dogs as " ferals". Well, than we shall consider many people around us as ferals if they have not had the same background as us. We shall completely cease to interact with any human being which are different from us. Could you kindly let me know what is your education? Do you have at least 2 degrees? Did you go to a boarding school in UK or Switzerland? Eton, College du Leman? Rosey? Which University did you attend? And your parents? Where did they get their education? Any finishing school on etiquette & savoir faire?French or Russian Literature? Are you old money or nouveau riche? How many languages do you speak? Saville Row or Sartoria Italiana? Be frank. LouLous or Anabel's? Loro Piana or CherryLosAngeles?Still bragging about Chateau Marmont and the thing boutique wanna be Petitermitage?Where do you spend your vacations? Sorry, but if not Cote-d-Azur, Gstaad or St. Moritz, you may be dismissed., Don't tell me Aspen which is very cliché. Courchevel or Cortina??.Are you Ibiza, Sardegna or Forte dei Marmi person??Depending on your replies , I will decide if you are a feral or not


Well. OK then.

I don't respond to personal attacks, mostly because they tend to reveal more about the attacker than about the target. So for that aspect of your post, I'll just leave it at that.

As for the rest, I have said before that you and I agree on far more things than we disagree on. We are all marked by our experience, and that is a good thing because it provides the diversity of opinions needed for a society to function in the kind of balanced way that creates perspective. I've never been a "throw the baby out with the bathwater" kind of person; it's perfectly possible to disagree with someone about one particular thing, and still be able to work with them on the 99 other things on which both agree. I admire your passion for what you do, and wish you well in your endeavours.


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## GoldenDude

OP, lots of discussion in here but I'm not seeing that anybody with first hand experience related to your situation answered your question. Hopefully you find someone who can.


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## cheng271

A rescue from Chinese dog meat market doesn't necessary label the dog as one that can't adjust to a normal life as a home pet in the US. There are situations that the dog was a pet dog, unfortunately got lost or sadly their owner abandoned them, and they end up in a dog meat market. These dogs probably are able to start a new life if they are given the chance. Dogs that were born and raised at a dog meat farm, stayed in small cage their whole life, probably are not able to easily adjust to a live like a pet dog. It really need to be carefully checked on each dog's specific situation for those rescued dogs from a dog meat market. 
As you said, your rescue knows little about the dogs. Then I think your rescue should at least provide sufficient assessment on the dog's potential to be a home pet before they hand the dog to you (or at least let you know all the issues they observed).


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## Peri29

cheng271 said:


> A rescue from Chinese dog meat market doesn't necessary label the dog as one that can't adjust to a normal life as a home pet in the US. There are situations that the dog was a pet dog, unfortunately got lost or sadly their owner abandoned them, and they end up in a dog meat market. These dogs probably are able to start a new life if they are given the chance. Dogs that were born and raised at a dog meat farm, stayed in small cage their whole life, probably are not able to easily adjust to a live like a pet dog. It really need to be carefully checked on each dog's specific situation for those rescued dogs from a dog meat market.
> As you said, your rescue knows little about the dogs. Then I think your rescue should at least provide sufficient assessment on the dog's potential to be a home pet before they hand the dog to you (or at least let you know all the issues they observed).


Believe me they do adopt. If beagles after 10 years of locked cage life including tortures for testing adopt to normal life as a pet, the goldens they aswell do. How do we know?? Some of the people here or in US assume that these golden retrievers /or other breeds are put on a plane the minute they have been taken into custody. No. This is a long process. Not necessarily mentioning the quarantine period ( transitory shelter) & necessary health check-ups & vaccinations, they are moved to the main shelter / sancturary. They are given care, love as much as a volunteer's life permits. This is a period of at least 3-6 months and sometimes more. I rarely encountered any of them who did not got adopted to becoming a pet. They are all craving human touch whether they are born in a backyard breeder place to be sold to wet market traders or have been abandoned / or surrendered DIRECTLY BY THEIR OWNERS TO THE DEALERS ( yes there are sooo many who sell their own dog for USD 20-30) .


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## cheng271

Peri29 said:


> Believe me they do adopt. If beagles after 10 years of locked cage life including tortures for testing adopt to normal life as a pet, the goldens they aswell do. How do we know?? Some of the people here or in US assume that these golden retrievers /or other breeds are put on a plane the minute they have been taken into custody. No. This is a long process. Not necessarily mentioning the quarantine period ( transitory shelter) & necessary health check-ups & vaccinations, they are moved to the main shelter / sancturary. They are given care, love as much as a volunteer's life permits. This is a period of at least 3-6 months and sometimes more. I rarely encountered any of them who did not got adopted to becoming a pet. They are all craving human touch whether they are born in a backyard breeder place to be sold to wet market traders or have been abandoned / or surrendered DIRECTLY BY THEIR OWNERS TO THE DEALERS ( yes there are sooo many who sell their own dog for USD 20-30) .


Yes I think most can adopt, especially if it's golden or they were home pet before. 

I'm just saying in general, some dogs from the meat market, if they were never treated as a pet before, might not easily become a sweet home pet (if they can, it takes longer time and requires more caring and professional training). 

Also dog meat market is a very general description. Some places are just worse than others. Some dogs just experienced more than others. Some dogs might seeing and hearing human killing other dogs in front of them brutally everyday. It's not just being locked up for a long time for being on the street looking for food everyday. Even I hope all dogs can recover from it, there are a few of them just can't. That's probably why some people had bad personal experience with dogs rescued from dog meat market. But My point is that other peoples' bad experience doesn't mean dogs from dog meat market are less adoptable, just need more caution and be prepared. In fact there are even more good experiences people had. 

The rescue is playing a very important part in this. The rescue in China most likely already filtered out the extreme cases that having too much trouble recovering. That could be why you see most dogs came to the US can have a normal life. Then the rescue in the US should also provide enough evaluation and if necessary some training before a placement. Also I don't have trouble with international adoptions. Myself is also planning to adopt a golden from Turkey. But I talked to local rescue and they said flights from Turkey to US were very limited due to covid and just recently starts to slowly recover.


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## Peri29

I do not know and did not encounter many failed adoptions with Chinese dogs. At the end, this is a rescue. On the contrary, I met extremely devoted families who put soo much energy into rehabilitation of those souls if they needed any in addition to a couple who also adopted bipod dogs ( chopped legs). This is REscue. Renovation, restore, recalibrate....That's the main focus.It is subject to how much one can sacrifice. For some people it is a pleasure for some others it is a burden . One's garbage is another person's treasure.Except our family dogs, all my dogs are rescue dogs which really wenI through a lot. But a lot. They gave me the least burden. Including Peri , they are all rescue dogs. Except Peri, they are all mixed /not even mixed breed.I never expected from them to be good dogs I never gave them special training.I also have very low standards.I do not know much about well behaving dogs. They did not ask to be rescued.It was not their choice but my choice.We tolerate so much nonsense and bs of people , what I tolerate with them counts zero. They just figured it out everything on their own.As with people, it requires decoding. And the code other for rescue dogs as with other dogs is love & tolerance. ,
By the way, I am very happy that you consider adopting a GR from Turkey. Yes, unfortunately they are limited any even more difficult to find Flight Volunteers during pandemi period. However, being previously an owned GR shall not give you always very high expectations. It all depends on the background of the dog.Sometimes, there are dogs which changed multiple owners in very short period of time. I had Rose. She had 4 different owners till she was 4 months old. She was not much affected by it. She had a good life with my other rescue dogs till she got adopted.I Homed to UK. I have Jerry who changed 3 places. Unfortunately, unlike Rose we cannot devote him much time since the number of my rescue dogs in Turkey including GRs are very big due to scarce of FVs and he sometimes shows destructive behaviours with household items. Not severe but steals items and kind of recyle them because he gets bored and needs urgently an owner. So, being a previous indoors / or outdoor family pet sometimes is also risky. Do not assume that being previously owned signifies wonderful memories for them. However, that's what volunteers and rescue pet owners here for. Aren't we.


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