I wanted to find these owners BEFORE they got to the point where they gave up.  If they were willing to work with the dog, then I was willing to help them... and I offered my help for free, to owners who didn't really want to surrender their dog to rescue.  They often took the help.  At the very least, the dog got some intervention work prior to coming into rescue... sometimes, though, they would foster their dog until a placement could be found, working with me to help their dog be a better companion.  Sometimes, they learned that this stuff works, and the dog would stay with them...so win-win!

I had adopted my first St. Bernard as a puppy... and it was hard.  Oh, it was fun too... but Cis was 39 pounds when I brought her home... at 7 weeks!!  And she was 'smallish'.  As she got older, she also had some behavior issues that took more than the 'normal' owner's wits to manage.  So, I started researching behavior and training online... I ended up working for several years on a dog behavior website where I was lucky enough to be schooled by Brandy Olliver, and I still thank her every day for making me think further than the mainstream.