I have just been sort of wondering something about the rattie rescues you all get at RBR. What percentage of them, would you say, come already chipped, dewclaws and tails done? I have noticed a lot of the rescues still have their tails, and dewclaws. Just wondering...Not trying to flame anything...I just want to make that clear...Just wondering.

Depends upon where they come from - sometimes shelters chip dogs for us...... owner surrenders sometimes owner surrenders chip their dogs before they give them up......... dewclaws removed - hardly ever........... 5 of 6 of my current dogs have dewclaws and out of all my fosters over the years, maybe 1 or 2 had them removed before they came to me.......

I can just say this from Russell Rescue, I have not ever seen one chipped. We pull dogs in whatever condition they are in, as we do not take owner surrenders. Some have tails docked, some don't. Depends how they go to the shelter. If they have due claws then they have them. Most time the nail is grown most to all the way around. It depends on how they were treated before going to a shelter. Did they run away and are family dogs or were they abused or from a mill. We don't take dogs from breeders EVER!!! I guess your question doesn't make sense to ask to a rescue, I mean how dogs go to the shelter is how they come to rescue. My 2 cents. -

and when they go to their homes they are also spay/nueter, up to date on shots and if they came in with any sickness that is first taken care of. We never dock tails and like Sue said due claws not real high on the list.

Which Ratbone dogs are you going by Donna?  If you look at all the dogs listed on the website (as opposed to just dogs that members are posting on here) you'll see many of them have docked tails.  2 of my fosters have had docked tails...and I've only had 3 fosters.

Every single dog I ever fostered and owned except 1 had a docked tail....... my first Rat, Bandit, did not. I liked the full tail personally - I think docking is mutilation, whether their a puppy or an adult (tails should NEVER be docked as an adult). To me, it's not the tail that makes the Rat....... it's the heart and soul inside..........

There's so much more to ethical breeding than dewclaws and tail docking... I think those 2 issues are the lowest to worry about....... health issues, inbreeding, breeding for temperment..... I think THOSE are some of the issues breeders should worry about........ not how many dogs can they crank out, breeding and breeding the same dog over and over......and how much money they can make.......

Are they ever chipped, and the original owner, that has switched them from the breeder to themselves, not want them back, or cannot be located?

I had 2 dog chipped before they came to me in rescue. The owner didn't want the dogs back - one was a stray and one was a surrender.........

I remember one of the expensive trained German Shepherds, came back twice. The owner of the place, ended up donating her to a handicapped child, to be trained as a special needs dog.

Ha! It is just remniscent of the pounding I got when I first announced my dog was pregnant. I do know how to read "between" the lines, as I am sure you do also. I am microchipping mine, and do plan on the adoptees to return the dog to me, if they cannot take care of it.

Oh for lord's sake - you said you weren't flaming and that's what it's turning into...

Moderators, please lock this thread before it goes any further... thank you.