Faced with a health condition that compromised my ability to properly care for my Sheltie Jack, I…read morefaced the difficult decision to put him up for adoption. I had had Jack for 12 1/2 years, since he was 8 weeks old. I had never surrendered a dog and was unfamiliar with the process.
Looking back, reflecting on my experience, Sunni Wiginton and Austin Sheltie Rescues, their practices, and the legal form she presents, do not show adequate concern for the forfeiting pet owner. In some measure, Ms. Wiginton hastened my forfeiture. Later it came out that even minimum concerns, for the forfeiting party, even when in the pets interest, were just not her concern.
During the ensuing months, I realized there were no safeguards that would allow the forfeiting party to understand adoption quality. Worried about my ability to care for Jack, I completely failed to comprehend the possibility of his being placed in care substandard to even my diminished capabilities, much less the full care that had marked his life before my illness.
Five months after surrendering Jack, doctors determined what was causing my medical condition. After treatment, recovery was relatively swift.
As to the surrender though, what happened happened. On the chance Mrs. Wiginton had not found a standard placement, and providing direct upfront assurance I had no interest contesting the placement, I contacted Austin Sheltie Rescue to check on Jack's status. My sole interest was to inform about my health recovery with a request that Austin Sheltie Rescue communicate with the adoptive household that should the adoption not work, or in the case circumstances that might have to put Jack up for adoption again, I was available. These seemed to me to be very minimal and resonable requests.
I was shocked how immediately Sunni Wigginton became hostile and defensive, and escalated on these simple requests to provide a safety net under the adoption.
Had I been better informed, with the benefit of hindsight, I would not have surrendered Jack to Austin Sheltie Rescue.
Sunni Wiginton closes all her communications with the statement, "I hope to be the person my dogs think I am." My experience is she does not practice her creed.
Sunni has a bit of a dark side, two faces of Eve. The personality she exhibited during the forfeiture stage was absolutely not the same person I experienced later on. Beware, Austin Sheltie Rescue certainly knows how to serve a big dish of rude.
Austin Sheltie Rescue, you could stand to buff up your practices to improve relations and transparency for the surrendering household. Solely in the interest of the rescued Sheltie, and should the situation arise where there are problems with the adoptive household, rescue services should facilitate notice.
In closing, it gives me no pleasure to render this critical review. Society and community should value the effort of rescue organizations. Mistreatment of any party, the dog, the forfeiting former owner, the adopting person, gives a bad name to rescue operations everywhere.
