Paper short abstract:

In this presentation, I explore how rescue dogs imported to Finland are portrayed online and how their ‘adoptability’ is performed. I focus on stories of the dogs with often traumatic past experiences and special needs, related interpretations of their agency, and expectations on their future home.

Paper long abstract:

The transnational practices of importing homeless animals to Finland and the interest in adopting them have increased significantly during the past two decades. The charities importing them mostly operate on a voluntary basis and in collaboration with local charities in the countries of origin. The interest in transnational rescue practices derives from a critique of contemporary pet keeping culture with its current problems concerning dog breeding and puppy mills. In this presentation, I explore how rescue dogs imported to Finland are portrayed online by the charities and how their ‘adoptability’ is performed to possible adopters. I ask what kind of stories are told about a rescue dog with often traumatic past experiences and special needs regarding future care. I focus on how the dogs’ agency is interpreted in relation to their past, and expectations on their future home. The material used consists of textual presentations of dogs, collected from the web pages of Finnish charities. In the data, the dogs are presented as individuals with past experiences of abuse and neglect and, simultaneously, as attractive companions with their own interests, fears, strengths and weaknesses. They are offered for adoption as charismatic pets but, at the same time, competent carers are sought for them. The dogs’ stories reveal how the concept of ‘rescue’ is situated in the different spaces of suffering and care.