Message from Basenji Rescue in So Cal
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I think you mean "refer" not defer, but no Brat does not generally refer to MedFly. Brat operates fully in California.
No, she means DEFER, BRAT does not operate fully in California and has always deferred to Medfly in Southern California and when Northern California had rescue they deferred to them not dealing with any dogs in California.
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There used to be a women in N CA, Margret Hoff that did rescue out of her home but has since passed away. I got a Basenji from her in 94. Medfly is the main rescue in CA. They take Basenjis from all over the state. Her husband has driven many, many miles to get them. That's where I got Buddy last year.
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I found this poem on another website. Warning - grab a Kleenex before reading it.
In my mind, anyone with the good will in their hearts, regardless of the size of the rescue operation, deserves our admiration and support. Merry Christmas to all of the furry friends that will be spending Christmas without a family.
A Christmas Shelter Dog's Poem (author unknown)
’Tis the night before Christmas and all through the town,
every shelter is full—we are lost, but not found.Our numbers are hung on our kennels so bare,
we hope every minute that someone will care.They’ll come to adopt us and give us the call,
“Come here, Max and Sparkie — come fetch your new ball!”But now we sit here and think of the days
we were treated so fondly — we had cute, baby ways.Once we were little, then we grew and we grew.
Now we’re no longer young and we’re no longer new.So out the back door we were thrown like the trash.
They reacted so quickly — why were they so rash?We “jump on the children,” “don’t come when they call,”
we “bark when they leave us,” “climb over the wall.”We should have been neutered, we should have been spayed,
now we suffer the consequence of the errors THEY made.If only they’d trained us, if only we knew,
we’d have done what they asked us and worshiped them, too.We were left in the backyard, or worse, let to roam.
Now we’re tired and lonely and out of a home.They dropped us off here and they kissed us goodbye…
“Maybe someone else will give you a try.”So now here we are, all confused and alone
in a shelter with others who long for a home.The kind workers come through with a meal and a pat,
with so many to care for, they can’t stay to chat.They move to the next kennel, giving each of us cheer…
we know that they wonder how long we’ll be here.We lay down to sleep and sweet dreams fill our heads
of a home filled with love and our own cozy beds.Then we wake to see sad eyes, brimming with tears –
our friends filled with emptiness, worry, and fear.If you can’t adopt us and there’s no room at the inn –
could you help with the bills and fill our food bin?We count on your kindness each day of the year –
can you give more than hope to everyone here?Please make a donation to pay for the heat…
and help get us something special to eat.The shelter that cares for us wants us to live,
and more of us will, if more people will give.– Author Unknown
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No, she means DEFER, BRAT does not operate fully in California and has always deferred to Medfly in Southern California and when Northern California had rescue they deferred to them not dealing with any dogs in California.
That is not correct but you are free to check with BRAT personally if you wish.
You can check the BRAT page, and yes, even today, you will find BRAT dogs listed in California.
http://www.basenjirescue.org/DOGS/default.htm -
They do occassionally take dogs in California but as a former rescue coordinator for the Northern California club I DO KNOW that they DEFER to the other rescue organizations and are NOT fully functional in California. You will rarely see more than 1 or 2 dogs listed in California and they are from Northern California. I don't think people in other states understand the size of our state. Those dogs posted on the BRAT site are located over 500 miles to the north of where Medfly rescue is.
Medfly deals with the many, many dogs in Southern California. Where Northern California may get 5-10 dogs a year in rescue, Southern California will easily see 5 times that amount. So taking only dogs in Northern California is NOT being fully functional. And steering people away from the rescue that takes in the bulk of the rescues in this state is just plain wrong.
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Karen is a Saint - go back and read the posts during the summer fires… no one should knock any sort of volunteer service.
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Does anyone know why Medfly isn't showing up on petfinder?
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It might be a computer glitch or it might be that Karen is updating… it's the holidays so I imagine it will get sorted a little while after Christmas. =) you can always call Karen to inquire, she is lovely.
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Again, I am not KNOCKING her. And again, contact BRAT if you think my info is wrong. Just a thought, but things do change.
If she is able to deal with so many that BRAT has few in CA, that is good. But it isn't because BRAT is sending her dogs or not taking any dog that contacts them and having them contact her.
Not sure why we are beating this to death. My opinion is I would go with a national rescue when possible. I am sorry if that upsets you. But stop accusing me of bashing her rescue.
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Don't know why Medfly isn't showing up on Petfinder, but searching just for organization name, I got this link:
http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/CA1255.html
Clicking "Our Adoptable Pet List" brings up a search error message, though. I hope it's because things are being updated!
I have to admit, Petfinder's search engine is screwy sometimes. Well, a lot of times… I was using it very regularly around this time last year. In my opinion, Petfinder was most useful to get a sense of the rescue organizations in my area. Then I would go straight to the organization's homepage, whenever available. I wish someone with the technical know-how could help them totally rework their website and search engine!
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Yeah I think petfinders outgrew their ability to manage. I do the same thing you do, use it to find local groups.
Frankly speaking of Medfly… that might be a wonderful donation... someone help with the time issues by helping keep webpage and postings up! Give the people more time with the dogs!
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I can also speak for Karen and Chuck and what a marvelous job they do in So. CA. One of our girls went to a family in Temecula who got a little boy from Karen to be her companion. When the family went through a divorce, they were unable to keep the dogs. We would have taken our girl back, of course, but Karen asked us if she could place the 2 together as they were very bonded and she had a home that would take both. We agreed, and the two have a great home, thanks to Karen. She was able to get them happy and safe and with a loving family much more quickly than we would have been able to.
Terry
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New email response from Karen concerning the Pet Finder listing.
**Thanks, Dan. If we don’t update within a specific time span, we get dropped. Hopefully we will shortly be back in the listing. Just very busy here with some great Basenjis needing the right homes. Unfortunately there are quite a few people who waste our time who should never have a Basenji.
Petfinder gas made some changes to their member program and I cannot figure out how to get the info it needs from us uploaded. In the meantime, we certainly appreciate your passing word to Basenji people and helping us spot B’s in pounds.
Have a very merry and I will probably send you as loooong newsletter in the next couple of days if you would like it.
Karen Jones
Basenji Rescue of California
PO Box 93
Acton, CA 93510
(661) 269-2364
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I totally agree that Medfly is a wonderful organization. Karen and Chuck are fantastic advocates for Basenjis in need and I respect their commitment. As a BRAT volunteer, I've met Medfly volunteers during a couple visits to shelters and they are dedicated and caring people.
I have been a very active volunteer for BRAT in Southern California for well over five years and am confused by the assertion that we are not active in the area. In the past year or so I have personally conducted several evaluations, made shelter visits, fostered four Basenjis (including a puppy mill dog from Missouri), and helped them find happy homes. Other BRAT volunteers in the region have done the same.
Just as with Petfinder not having all of Medfly's current listings, the BRAT website doesn't have all the current listings either. There are always more Basenjis in the pipeline than it appears. For both organizations, I am sure the needs of the dogs come first.
I think it is wonderful that Southern California Basenjis in need have two strong organizations to advocate for them.
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I sent Karen an email asking about Elfu at the suggestion of people here. She sent a quick response back on December 23, with pictures (but no information about the dog) and an adoption application. I completed the application and returned it the same day as an attachment to an email.
I've heard nothing since then. I'm sure Karen is busy and the holidays did intervene, but I expected at least an email saying that my application was received and would be reviewed. If my application was rejected, I would hope Karen would tell me that and the reason for the rejection.
At this point, I don't know what to think…does it usually take this long to receive an answer regarding an application?
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I finally emailed Karen again to ask if she'd gotten my adoption application.
Yes, she did. But she obviously didn't READ the application because she was under the impression that we were not experienced Basenji owners! I CLEARLY stated that we were experienced Basenji owners, even gave her the link to Maxx's memorial blog so she could see something of the life he lead with us.
So that dog that we were interested in will not be coming to us. I'm OK with the fact that someome may have claimed the dog first. What I'm NOT OK with is that we were rejected because Karen didn't throughly READ my application to find out that, yes, we ARE experience Basenji owners! I'm so angry about that right now, I'm seeing red!
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Linda, I totally understand your frustration and disappointment. Hoping you will find your perfect little companion soon.
