Adoptability Factors

Whenever we pull a dog from a shelter, our first thoughts are all about "adoptability factors".  Will this dog be adoptable?  Of course, there might be many "categories" to this thinking... if the dog is adoptable, is it just to one target audience? Or is the dog completely sound, and adoptable to ALL crowds?  Because we think each dog has it's own characteristics, we try to see the bigger picture for that dog's future!  Most shelters have some sort of temperament testing, before they even contact us, or put that dog on "the floor" for adoption.  I trust that shelter to tell me if their testing proves the dog is sound enough for adoption to the general public.  If the dog is a biter, or abused beyond help, it's best to listen to the tester, and not bother to question the outcome.  I've tried, on occasion, trust me.  It's always been a mistake, and those have been hard adoptions.  In rescue, we must think of this sorta like a business.  We have adopters who come to us for family pets to adopt.  We cannot consider biters, or agressive, or terminally ill dogs.  We WILL help older GSPs!  Infact, the older dogs are fairly easy to place!  So with that in mind, we have to choose our charges carefully, based on one big criteria...is this dog adoptable? Would I want to adopt a dog like this?  We have had biters slip thru us (or end with us), we have had dogs with questionable health and behavioral issues come thru too, we do the best we can folks!  It is, what it is...  We must also watch our pocket book in rescue, because besides adoption fees, we run strictly on donations, or networks we have set up for food donations, etc.  We have to understand come winter, adopters stay in their homes, and don't look to bring new dogs in, shelters are full, and will start euthanizing for space.  Our first priority is to adoptable GSPs in Wisconsin shelters.  We try to help owner surrenders, or breeders at all costs, but they are not our first priority.  We do have a lifetime return policy on all outgoing dogs.  OK, you might say, that is so super cool!  And indeed it is, because it's the responsibility we have to the dogs we take on and the families we work with for adoption.  But really?  It's mine.  It's my phone number on every microchip registration.  It's MY name on the line. Whenever I know I've had enough of rescue, my mind goes to the hundreds of dogs we have saved over the years, and I often wonder what happens to that lifetime responsibility?  That should go wherever the rescue goes.  But it costs money to change ownership info on each and every chip.  So those dogs who are currently registered with my name on, will forever keep my name on for ownership.  They will always be my responsibility.  That is alot of weight to carry day in, day out.  We try to make sure each dog gets complete vet work done, some training under their belts, and that we choose wisely the adopter who will  appreciate the character we see in this particular dog, like we did.  The adoptability factor is HUGE in the whole scheme of things.  It's important we choose wisely all around.  It's our responsibility.