The Rescue typically comes into a Foster Home, where the dog is evaluated, given veterinary care, given a little training, and a lot of love. All of this is to get a Rescue dog ready for a nurturing, permanent home that will provide the love and care it needs and deserves.
A few dogs are not suitable for adoption, these are biters, too ill, or aggressive. Some dogs are only adopted into specific situations, such as, the only dog, or no children, or no other pets. The evaluation at the Foster Home helps make these decisions.
There are not usually a large number of Rescues available at any time. Cairns have small litters, 1 – 3 is not unusual. Shelters usually have a waiting list for small dogs, so they may place them before we hear about them. The standard says these guys weigh 13-16 pounds but many Rescues come in around 20 pounds.
Rescues come in a wide range of ages, however there are very few puppies that reach Rescue. Typically they are in the 4 – 10 year old range. Many older dogs come in when the owner has died. These little guys live to 15-16 years old, so older is a relative term, they are fairly active even when “older”. Since older dogs might be more sedate, they may be a better fit for an adopter looking for a couch companion.
Cairn Terriers come in many colors, from blonde to red to black and mixes of all three, and still many change color in their life time, so there is no guarantee about color. Any one looking at Rescue for “Toto” is probably looking in the wrong place.
Attitude: Cairn terriers are active dogs, independent dogs, typical terriers. The best way to understand a terrier attitude, imagine this: You are in your back yard, your dog is some distance away. You call it, your favorite Golden Retriever will come to you feet and look up and ask “What can I do next, Master?” If it is your favorite Cairn Terrier, it will stop, look at you, in the distance, and say, “OK, I see you, what do you want? Why?”
Rescue will ask if there is a fenced yard because these guys are so independent, and prey driven. If there is no fenced yard, Cairns must be exercised on a leash. Cairns are bred to hunt vermin and will take any opportunity to protect you from them, real or imagined. An invisible fence will not work on these guys. They will run through the “pain” to get what they want but they won’t run through the “pain” to come back home.
Grooming questions can be answered by the Foster Home volunteer. Rescues may or may not be housebroken, in some cases, they spent time in crates which made it a non issue, in some cases, they have spent a lot of time outside where it was not an issue, in other cases, they spent most of their time inside, and they will be fully trained. Where there are other dogs in a house, a spate of marking may ensue when the Rescue is first placed. It is best that the new home assume the dog is not housebroken to set the pattern and expectations at the beginning.
Cairns may bark, they are good watch dogs but not guard dogs. They will protect you from evil birds or airplanes but they will lick an intruder to death. They will dig, they think it is part of their job. They tend to like children but their small size may invite more attention than they desire, so there are some concerns about placing a dog with a family which has a very young child.
While Rescues don’t show up with AKC registration papers, they can be registered with the AKC, by filing out the ILP Form or a PAL form from AKC. With an ILP number or Purebred Alternative Listing PAL, your new friend can compete in Earthdog, Obedience, and Agility. (Earthdog is a field exercise that tests the skill these guys are breed to have. Obedience is not one of their inbred skills. Agility ranks just below Obedience in their preferred skills list, both of these are a challenge.)
While we do make every effort to properly evaluate a dog in Rescue, they come with their own baggage and we may not figure out what it is. People, who drop off dogs at a shelter or surrender them to Rescue, may not be completely honest about the reason. The Foster Home will make every effort to properly evaluate the dog and will clearly state any concerns with the adopting family.
Adoption Process:
We ask that people inquiring about Rescue fill out a questionnaire. It has no correct answers but it helps us in our effort to get the right dog with the right adopter. There is no preference list or waiting list that guarantees we will contact you with a potential Rescue. After reviewing the answers and comparing notes about the Rescue dog, an effort will be made to match the right dog with the right home. While your information will be kept for some time, it is worthwhile to contact us if a period of time has passed without hearing from Rescue.
Owner to Owner Transfer: In a few cases, we do not have available Foster Homes for dogs that are looking for placement, or the current owner wants to be part of the process. In that event, we may facilitate the two parties getting in touch. When this happens, Rescue does not know anything about the history of the dog or its temperament. Rescue’s involvement ends with referring you to the shelter or owner.
A volunteer may contact your veterinarian and your landlord, if you rent, and ask for references. If there is a home inspection, it is more or less a safety check to make sure that your home is Cairn-ready.
Yes, you will be asked for a donation. The donation amount for an individual Rescue will depend on the age and the necessary veterinary care (including neutering). Typically, you should expect to donate more for a younger Rescue, since the actual cost for the older ones is offset by asking for a slightly higher donation for those under 4 years.
Typical donations are $250 – $400 for a Rescue
RESCUE APPLICATION
If we do not have Cairns in Rescue, we suggest you try PetFinder
