Adopt Before You Buy!!!

[animalcrazy01]

Adopting is a great thing to do. But people don't... so if you guys want a good pet consider a shelter and go she what they have i volunteer at a shelter and there is some amazing dogs and cats there they are so sweet and most are housebroken and very calm. Papers don't matter. ADOPT!! :D :) liz

[satine]

i would just like to back this. every 6 seconds a dog is killed just because there is not enough room in shelters. every one loves a cute puppy but imagane how it would feel adopting an older dog. sure it wont live with you as long but theese grey muzzlers deserve a happy ending. imagane how it would feel to give a dog its lastdays in comfort and in love?

[animalcrazy01]

Satine you are totally right......and sometimes you even find young dogs there

[TheSlimShady]

It's really not that simple though.

1. You're still paying for or "buying" a dog, shelters just call it an "adoption fee" or a "donation". Might be a few hundred dollars difference, but still.

2. Kill Shelters are usually the easiest shelters to get a dog from and the hardest dogs to deal with. I just "saved" an 8 month old from a kill shelter. Just walked in with the money and walked out with him. Ironically, it was a shelter in Ohio and he was labled as "sweet and friendly" and "looks to be in perfect health" and of course looked adorable on Petfinder. He's great, except he wasn't "In perfect health" (I could tell that by looking at him) and a few "issues" like major seperation anxiety. It's no big deal for me. But the average JoeSchmoe off the street would probably have taken this dog right back if they had to deal with what I'm dealing with.

With shelter dogs.. You can get stuck with a lot of baggage and not many people realize that and want to deal with it so the dog ends up back where it came from.

[lneill84]

Another steaming pile of ignorance, as Jennicat likes to say, from our own Slimshady. The majority of dogs in shelters are completely 100% normal, healthy, and were given up for various reasons, such as moving, allergies, kids. Many shelters take the intiative to make sure the dogs are well socialized, basic commands, and are housebroken. A well trained, responsive dog finds a home much quicker. Many shelters also classify dogs, into different categories based on their personality. They ask applicants to fill out a questionnaire about their needs and match appropriately. Try to process this in your brain-calculate how much you spend on your dog in a year-lets say between food, shots, a random vet emergency, toys, flea/heartworm preventative, etc., and then calculate how much a shelter charges. In most cases, its BARELY enough to just cover shots and maybe a month or so of food.

[bubblz]

Shelter dogs are often gifts people got that they didn't want. Go to any shelter a few weeks after Christmas or Valentines day & you'll find all kinds of pure breed puppies that some one bought and they person didn't want it or didn't have any idea how much work they were getting into.
it's crazy
Besides most shelter are completly non-profit relying solely on adoption fees and donations.

[K9BOB]

Adopting is a great thing to do. But people don't... so if you guys want a good pet consider a shelter and go she what they have i volunteer at a shelter and there is some amazing dogs and cats there they are so sweet and most are housebroken and very calm. Papers don't matter. ADOPT!! :D :) liz

Actually papers of various kinds can and do matter,but yes not always....there are many good reasons to buy from a reputable responsible breeder also...

k9bob

[K9BOB]

well since I deal with both I can tell you there are many negative issues dealing with shelter/rescue dogs and people so lets not get too skewed on either side or i will provide lots of examples and thenm be called names for pointing them out..

and everyone knows i hate it when people hate me...:hug:

k9bob

[Nature freak]

Hmmmm not to make this off topic or anything but i just watched a HBO documentary today about shelter dogs and how this women thinks it is more humane to have kill shelters vs non kill shelters. What do you guys think? IMO there should be less non kill shelters. I'm not saying kill all the animals, because i love animals more then anything but i don't love to see them sitting behind bars their whole life. At non kill shelters the dogs/cats sit behind bars all day everyday and most wont get adopted. They develop neurological problems and then they do lose all hope of adoption. So thats why i thinks its nicer to the animals to have them humanely euthanized, but that is just my opinion and i might get bashed for it but can you imagine bringing your dog to a non kill shelter, then going back a year later only to find your dog is still there and now your dog spins constantly and chews on his kennel bars.

[Shpax0r]

While I completely disagree with the statement that the money you spend adopting is the same idea as the money you spend buying from a breeder, SlimShady does touch upon the biggest problem with adopting from many shelters.
There is a dog that I am absolutely in love with at humane society - she appears to be perfect for me - older, calm, etc. But the humane society in my area does not tell you even if they know the dogs is ill, and it has no trial period. If I brought her home and she attacked my cat or something, I'd have to give her back to the kill shelter and I'd lose my $200.
I think a good choice for people not willing to take that risk is adopting from a rescue agency, as they tend to be "full disclosure" about health/behavior, and more choosy about who their dogs go home with, offering trial periods to make sure the dog is a good fit with your family.

[K9BOB]

I have participated in dog rescue/rehab/fostering/transport and have help form 2 non for profit rescue organizations in the last 20 years and could/should write book on all of the unfortunate/bad/negative things that occur with rescue operations,dogs, and the people who participate in them. The one thing that causes all the problems is the lack of education and the attitide that people take who get involved with the effort of hopefully making it better for the dogs in need. It seems that anyone who decides that they will become the savior of animals somehow have found a ticket into heaven and in that process nothing else matters as long as they have the desire to rescue a dog. Many people in rescue operations have little education and handling experience with the various types of dogs they hope to save and many have little dog leadership and management abilities, this includes fosters homes especially. Many rescue operations (from 1 to 100 persons) do not have the resources or knowledge to properly bring a dog into balance let alone provide the health screens/care needed formany dogs..
The thing that bothers me most is the guilt tactics they use to try and get there message outto join the cause. Rescue people feel that because of there noble cause they can do no wrong.......After all it's for the dogs so lets not get booged down with all the bickering,politics, and lack of education. I often get sick of the propaganda of "you should only get a dog from a rescue situation."....
To me it is a indication of lack of knowledge..

k9bob
k9bob


k9bob

[lneill84]

Ahhh, you and i again agree on something. There are many dogs in shelter type situations that should not be adopted out to certain homes. I really like the way the SPCA shelter down by my school does adoptions. They ask you to fill out a questionnaire about your habits, personality, home situation, activity levels, basically everything. You get a "score" and are only allowed to adopt dogs that match within your score. All the dogs are classified, whether its "wallflower", "life of the party", "couch potatoe", etc., and they meet potential owners that want that type of dog.

[LUVMYSWISSY]

Very well said Bob! Bravo!

[bubblz]

K9BoB you definately hit the nail on the head. I know around here there are two bigger local shelters one is a no kill and one is a kill. The no kill people are always acting so superior that they don't kill there animals. (I was volunterring at both at the time.) Well WE had this huge case of animal cruelty where the police seized something like 16 German shepherds. The dogs where brought to the no kill shelter because it was in ther territory. Turns out some of the dogs where well beyond help (it was one of the saddest and most infurriating things I've ever seen). They actually brought these dogs to the kill shelter to be put down. It turns out they can't euthinzie at all they don't have the means to do it.
LNeill84 I agree with you about the SPCA's there's one just over the border in MASS (Called Nevins Farms). They are realy good with matching animals to families. That is the shelter were most of our pets have come from.
Actually my brother had gotten a dog there last month it was in the news. He did all the paper work was supposed to be taking Iasabelle home & someone stole her from the shelter. pretended to take her for a walk probably. It was in the paper and on the news she was returned 6 hours later I believe. ( If you'd want to check it out it was in the Lawrence Eagle Tribune on May 3rd and 4th I believe, and the paper is on line