Returns Are No Fun, No Matter What. When someone returns a dog, it can make you feel defeated. Most of the dogs we take in are chosen by me. That in itself is a huge undertaking: imagine walking through rows and rows of kennels of homeless dogs, all in need of help, and being able to choose only 1 or 2 to rescue. -It's hard! Being objective helps tremendously, but more often than not, empathy is a grand part of the choosing-equation. My background in shelter work makes it impossible to not look for key kennel card details like: arrival date and income-type (stray, return, surrender). For instance, if I see that you've been sitting in a cage for 6 weeks, and the doggy next to you has been sitting in his cage for a few days, I'll instinctively want to help you - the long-timer. Although, oftentimes this is impossible; the long-timers can have traits that make them harder to adopt out, things like their energy level, dog-compatibility, or even their