Torcher, rescue places are indeed hard to find. I'm currently seeking two for a pair of Staffies (I'm a network rescuer and these are in the pound, I'm not seeking to get rid of my own dogs!). For this breed the struggle is immense and I have little doubt that I will be up until the early hours over the next couple of days whilst I go through my rescue and AR contact list and beyond. However, the dog in question is not a SBT, she's a Yorkie X Bichon PUP and as such, as I said upthread, I and anyone like me could have found her a reputable no kill rescue or fosterer with rescue back-up in less than half an hour (with my hands tied behind my back). The OP herself wouldn't have found it much more difficult.
Yes, rescue can be awful and those of us who aren't strive to help the genuine but misguided bad ones and expose and close down the hopeless. These are in a minority and it is the responsibility of the owner to ensure that the rescue into which he places his unwanted dog is reputable.
The best way to do that? Ask another half-dozen independent rescues! One or two might be prejudiced as like all organisations there is in-fighting and bitching (excuse the pun) but the majority view helps. Go, for example, to the owners of BigGSD rescue or DogPages or of LurcherLink and ask their advice. See whether the rescue you select is a member of any breed forum and how/if they are respected and viewed there.
WRT Charlie, who sounds a sweetie, you say that "the rescues wouldn't take him or would have him put to sleep after a week. That sounds to me like the practice of a pound far more than rescue. The two are frequently confused and the former gives the latter bad name. The very vast majority of pounds rehome without any checks on the owner and in Law a pound dog, if a stray, has just 7 days to live before he can (and may well be) killed, a dog surrendered by his owner may be killed by the pound immediately.
Many rescues - though sadly by faar not all - have a "no kill" policy unless the dog is suffering beyond help.