u/CaliLouie2026

Hello!

I live in an apartment, so I have no yard. However, my apartment building backs onto a large greenspace/park with tons of walking trails. I work from home full time, and my last dog (mini poodle) I had while living here, was taken outside for potty/walks/playing/socializing at LEAST 4 times a day and was with me nearly 24/7. On nice days, he would sit out on the balcony and watch the walkers, dogs, kids play and sun bathe. Since he has passed, I have applied/inquired about more than 15 dogs through rescues and rehoming ads, and lost out on all of them. Some of the rescues have sent a message back saying no due to apartment living (including one rescue saying that a 12lb dog is too large for an apartment), so I can only assume that may be the reason for some of the others I haven’t heard back from as well. They are choosing applicants with yards/houses. So my issue with that is… there are several dogs just on this block that I know of and see every day, that are just let out in the yard for potty or left out there and get no stimulation or exercise… yet I am a very active owner and living in an apartment forces me to take my dog out multiple times a day.. yet it’s still a reason I’ve been unsuccessful in adopting. In addition to taking them out, again I work from home (and state that in my applications) so the dog is almost never alone. I order groceries in more often than not and take my dog almost everywhere with me, it’s what my life has revolved around the last 15+ years.

My question is — to anyone who has experience working at or volunteering at or even just with rescues in general. Is there anything I can add to my application or follow ups to make it more effective and stand out more to give me a better chance at having a successful adoption?

As I continue on my search for a rescue dog.. and continue to be either turned down, not hear anything or given extremely high prices (different post)… I am curious to hear from other people their experiences adopting from rescues in Alberta/Canada. I’ve done it before in the past and didn’t have such an issue. But most recently, I was denied a 12lb dog - the rescue stating he was too large for an apartment and requires more space.

I explained to them that I work from home full time, and my apartment complex backs onto a large green space with plenty of walking trails, and that my last dog went out 4 times a day (morning, noon, afternoon and evening). He got more exercise and stimulation and time outside than almost any dog I know with a backyard (unless they are just being left out there).

What are some reasons you’ve been turned down?

People that work/volunteer at rescues, is there anything I can put in my application and/or follow up to stand out?

Is it normal for rescues to change/increase the price of a dog for adoption, based on its breed? And whether or not it’s “more desirable”? And a better question… is that ethical? I didn’t think rescues would run that way.. but I was faced with that situation recently.

I applied for a dog that does international adoption, this particular dog was from Mexico. All the research I’ve done, it is more typical for those types of rescues to have higher fees due to the transportation.. but they were telling me that based on her breed and the interest the had in her — her adoption fee will be $1800 USD or nearly $2500 CAD.

I nearly fell out of my chair when I read that. That is more than the cost of many registered breeders I have been looking at (for comparison).