Why doesn’t everyone adopt from shelters?

[JoB]

First, let me say that i am NOT attacking responsible breeders.

They exist, you know. They raise their dogs in safe clean and loving environments. Their breeding pairs are never caged.. though they are kenneled at times. They maintain health records, do vet checks and often neuter animals destined to be family pets. they may even show dogs…

these are not that puppy in the window.. responsible breeders wouldn’t put their puppies up for sale that way because they want to meet you.. to ensure that you understand what you are getting into with that cute little ball of fur and that you are willing to create the kind of home that will make for a successful pairing.

Most will take the dog back if it doesn’t work out.. and many have retrieval clauses written into their contracts…

they leave puppies with their moms and litter mates longer than they have to and take the time to socialize all pups to both people and other dogs. they may even do a little basic training to get the process started.

As breeders, they choose breeding partners to create the best of the qualities of the breed… with an emphasis on healthy animals not on appearance.

If you are going to get a pet with registered papers, this is the kind of breeder you are looking for… and you shouldn’t accept or pay for less.

If that sounds like a lot to live up to.. it is… but i know several breeders who do. They do it for the love of the dogs they breed… and they will talk your leg off about those dogs if you let them:)

but why do people with no desire to breed or show animals have an obsession with “pure breeds” dogs with papers… genealogy… blood lines.. etc??

It’s not like any of us come with papers.. and if we do, the new DNA studies prove that the paper trail is often less accurate than we thought. Ouch.

so why the emphasis on purebreds?

I have to confess that we have papered pups.. or at least we would if i spent the money to retrieve their papers.. they are registered. They were rescues and i suppose that takes us off the proverbial hook a bit… but we were clearly looking for shibas when we found these two.

It turns out hubby had a reason for his preference for these little dogs.. his first dog, while his parents were stationed in Japan, was a shiba… tho we didn’t find out until after we sent his mom pics of the new pups… but still.

Our pups didn’t come from responsible breeders… and yes, i am sure. Registration is not the hallmark of a responsible breeder.

but.. i digress…

Why the obsession? Why not a shelter dog with mixed parentage that contains the characteristics you are hoping to find in your pet? After all, some of the hottest designer dogs these days are cross breeds…

They tend to be healthier and you tend to pick shelter dogs for temperament not appearance.

Is it the risk of the unknown? What makes us think that we know so much more when we buy a purebred? We all know bad kids from good parents who provided good homes… what makes us think that dogs would be so different? and how much of the real story are we hearing from breeding literature?

I read everything i could get my hands on when hubby told me he wanted us to look for shibas. They told me the dogs were spirited and not for fist time owners. Ok. They told me they were intelligent dogs and that they needed to be well trained. OK.

They didn’t tell me that this breed is as close to feral as it gets.. that is they are more like wild animals that you get to domesticate than like domesticated dogs. They didn’t tell me that they shed in never-ending boatloads of hair that is so fine that it floats up from the floor to attach itself to clothing as you pass. They didn’t tell me they were so smart and so nimble and such good diggers and climbers that i would need the kind of fence that would keep in houdini.

They didn’t tell me that these dogs think keep away is the best game ever and that if they got off leash in an uncontolled area that i would need to simply sit and wait for them to come back to me because i wasn’t going to be able to catch them.

In other words.. they told me all the good stuff and glossed over the bad… It wasn’t malicious, people in love with their breed do that, you know.

so why are we buying this illusion when what most of us want is a dog that can be trained to come and sit on command and will do it’s business outside instead of soiling the house and will fit into our lives and will love us even when we aren’t so lovable?

Mutts do that.. and often at less cost and fuss than a purebred.

So why do we pony up for the illusion?

***

btw.. this is an honest question. Breeders aren’t the problem when it comes to the huge number of shelter dogs who are euthanized each year.

Irresponsible owners are the problem.

I have seen older obviously well trained dogs abandoned in parks and by the roadside by owners who cared enough to train their dogs but didn’t care enough to provide them with care or euthanasia when aging or illness presented problems they didn’t want to deal with.

These weren’t lost dogs… they weren’t dogs turned into shelters… they were abandoned dogs… and their numbers grow in every economic downturn…

not to mention the high number of designer dogs in rescue and in shelters when their owners discover they are not just a cute accessory that can be stored in the closet.

I can understand when life’s circumstances change and you need to find a new home for a loved pet…

but I have no patience for people who abandon animals because it “just didn’t work out”.

“How much is that puppy in the window?” should be the last question asked when thinking about buying or adopting a dog…

“am i willing to care for it and to sacrifice if necessary to provide it a good home?” is a much better question..

If you can’t answer yes to the latter, you won’t be so willing to make things work when they get difficult..and at some time in all pet’s lives, things get difficult.

breeders aren’t THE problem…

irresponsible owners are THE problem.

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[anatidaephobia]

Well written, Job.

We’ve had a shelter mutt for almost 10 years. A very lovable and quirky girl who was considered “unabdoptable” by the shelter b/c of her supposedly unattractive appearance AND because she may have some pitt bull mixed in (we think she’s beautiful). When we walked into the shelter, we said, “give us your most unadoptable dog”. The workers kept her in the shelter for an extra long time b/c she was so full of personality, and they were hoping she would get a home; she had missed a previous round of euthanization. We were her 3rd owners (ie. we found 2 microchips in her), but we worked with her & now she’s absolutely great. A week after we adopted her, all the dogs at that shelter were euthanized.

She had a chew problem at the beginning (ie. our couch pillows), and still is anxious whenever we leave her sight, but she has been nothing but licks and wiggles since that first night at our home from the shelter. She woke us up 3 times that first night just to cover us in licks, as if saying, “thank you for taking me home!”. She has been a devoted dog since the beginning, a hilarious monkey, and a member of the family. We love her.

If people can give up the notion of having a beautiful, pure-breed dog, they will find really wonderful, intelligent, loving dogs at the shelter. I agree that breeders aren’t the problem. The problem are all the owners who refuse to “fix” or care for their dogs, which can lead to the production of lots of unwanted mutts who end up in the shelter.

Another problem are pitt bull owners who breed for aggressive characteristics, SEVERELY abuse their dogs, and refuse to “fix” them. This has ruined the reputation of the breed, and created some truly unadoptable frankenstein dogs (ie. aggressive & programmed to fight). These breeders ought to be jailed for life. But that’s another topic.

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[cclarue]

You are right Job irresponsible dog owners are the problem but this is something that probably will never cease to happen. Because we live in a free country and with that comes many choices…. ie what kind of car to own what kind of food to eat what color of hair to have, why doesnt everyone drive a prius? why doesnt everyone eat chinese for dinner on wednesdays???and on and on. Your particular passion is not everyones passion. As long as any female with working reproductive organs can bear a child qualified or not, no licensce needed we will have abused neglected children this makes me crazy! But what really can we do about that? not much.. I dont see any laws being put in place to prevent all these unwanted children or wanted for the wrong reasons, and I dont see it coming that dog breeding would be outlawed either. So for now all anyone can do is their part. However and whenever they choose. You dont even have to adopt a dog to help you could donated food or a crate or money to an orginization like Gingers Pet Rescue. She saves hundreds of dogs from death all the time, donating even 5 dollars is doing something.

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[Sue]

My best friend always had adopted “mutt” dogs from shelter when he lived in a house. But years later when he moved to a 200 sq. ft. co-op apartment in Manhattan, he bought a MinPin. He said the reason for that was that in such a small space he needed to know the dog wouldn’t grow any bigger than it already was, and he couldn’t guarantee that with the “mutts.” Given a different set of circumstances, he said he’d continue to get them from shelters.

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[vincent]

entitlement

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[sam-c]

our story is similar to Sue’s friend. we got a dog from a breeder.

at the time, we were looking for a new apartment (that allowed dogs) and looking for a dog at the same time. we found both, a shar-pei mix at the shelter and an apartment. when we called the apartment manager the next day, the place had been rented. so, we ended up in an apartment that had 15 lb dog weight limit. and thinking about it more after realizing we wouldn’t get the shelter dog, we didn’t want a real big dog if we were living in an apartment- we got around for lots of walks, but it’s not like a yard and fence.

so, we didn’t see a lot of small dogs at the shelter at that time, and we didn’t want to wait too long, waiting for a dog that small to come to the shelter. I was looking for a job at the time (the last recession), and wanted to make sure we got the dog while someone was home full time to take care of and train the new dog. we thought about rescue dogs, but at that time, it seemed that many of the smaller breed rescues were ones that need a lot of specialized medicine several times a day, or were really old, or needed someone 24/7, and with an uncertain future, you sometimes can’t take that on. also, from what we found, the rescue groups have you fill out a lot of forms, and require interviews and visits, and it seemed like (from the forms) they prefer people with houses as opposed to apartments.

our dog’s cousin was a rescued dog, mix of german Shepard and a couple other things. when his family moved out of the country and could not take him, we would have loved to take him if we’d had a house, but alas…. I loved him and miss him.

so, for the next dog, we will look everywhere, the shelter, rescue groups, breeders to find one that is the right fit.

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[Lucy]

3-Day PetSmart Adoption Event coming up!

Moses Lake Shelter, Big Dog Project & Ginger’s Pet Rescue

http://www.gingerspetrescue.org

PetSmart Renton: 1203 N. Landing Way, Renton (425) 204-1759

Friday Sept 11th 12am-8pm

Saturday Sept 12th 10am-6pm

Sunday Sept 13th 10am-6pm

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[HMC Rich]

Well said JoB. They are part of the family and I love ours past and present.

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[PDieter]

One of the problems with shelter dogs is in my experience in Seattle 90%+ are pits or pit mixes. I love those dogs but they are not for me.

but now we can access shelters statewide easy peasy

http://www.petfinder.com

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[JoB]

cclarue..

we can do something about dog breeders because they fall under regulatory agencies.

We can ask our legislators to set better sanitary and humane treatment standards for breeders.

And… we can refuse to buy dogs from breeders who don’t meet our own standards and to buy from pet stores who don’t supply us with breeder information to check out.

and we can turn in the backyard breeders and those who breed for aggression…

Alas.. there is no such agency regulating the birth of children…

At one time there were nutrition programs and medical monitoring programs for pregnant women that increased the health of babies…

but those went when everyone became more concerned with a fetus’s rights and forgot the child.

Our elected representatives are the place to start with that one too.

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[cclarue]

yes jo the bad breeders have no business doing what they are doing, I have only had experience with the good ones. My comment was made with the picture of the good breeder in mind I had to fill out an application to even talk to the breeder where I got my dog, that is the case for most good breeders also. I also had to sign a contract stating if I want to get rid of the dog ever I have to return him to her. NO shelter no give to a friend none of that only send him straight back to her. She also gave guidelines for his food and the protien content and instructions that stated do not feed puppy food. I also had to take him to the vet within 3 days of purchase and when i did the vet said ” you need to put this dog on puppy food asap.” I emailed the breeder and she reiterated no no no do not do that, and if you are just bring him back and you can have your money back puppy food is to high in protien for these dogs. So my dog is and will never be societys problem. But there are folks who call themselves breeders who should absolutely be shut down and arrested. These folks are in it for the money and many other wrong reasons but not for the love of the breed. My dog has champion bloodlines and I could show him but that is not my intention, I would love to have my dog do therapy once he is a bit more mature. And not to thread jack but maybe welfare benefits would cease to increase after the second child born on the goverments dime…. hmmm maybe some people would take more of an intrest in contraception.

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[cclarue]

I also should say that the breeder who i got my dog from repeated all the bad things about mastiffs over and over to me much more than the good easy things. slobber everywhere ,size of pile in the yard, amount of food consumed, more expensive meds and vet bills in general, flatulence, chewing… so now i buy lots of dog food, lots of chewhides, wash walls way more than i ever have in life, but I have a dog whose face melts my heart every time he looks at me.

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[hammerhead]

Training Training Training. I rescue. I see ALL of the bad stuff. Never the good. lab/goldendoodels are a designer breed period. Just like puggles. While dogs all came from some mix, making something “new” in my eye creates more problems. Hell you could call of the pit mixes in shelters a “special” breed. Pits or anything that looks like a pit mix will ALWAYS get a bad rap.

I have been fostering a jack russel terrior, god what a horrible breed(give me pits any time), but I trained her and worked with her. While is was still ball obsessed, she turned out to be a good little dog. She even have issues with biting. She is back at KCAC. Again training training training.

I understand people have allergies(obama) but most of the time people just want the “breed”.

People also think little dogs don’t need exercise. SO not true.

I am a huge shelter fan and yes unfortunately they are all pit mixes, but blame that on humans, so as a human maybe a 2nd chance should be given to those that need one, you won’t be disappointed.

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[RainyDay1235]

MUTTS RULE – Save a life, and they will never let you forget it!:)

spay. neuter. rescue. adopt.

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[JoB]

cclarue

“I have a dog whose face melts my heart every time he looks at me. “

that about sums it up, doesn’t it:)))))

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[MaryT]

People always say to us when they meet our two mastiffs, “Oh, you must have a big house.” Nope. Our guys get tired out pretty quickly — they get walked daily, lots of dog park trips, lots of hikes — but most of the time, they’re done in 15 minutes, and then they lie down. We learned on one unfortunate hike that we just couldn’t take our bigger guy longer than four miles total — have you ever tried to encourage a tired mastiff to walk back down a mountain? It was not an easy day. Poor guy.

Anyway, both our mastiffs were rescues. They both have long hair, which is a recessive gene (see fluffymastiff.com) and we figure either they got too big or someone didn’t want a mastiff with long hair as they’re not a breed standard. (Though in our opinion it only makes them ten times as cute.)

And when we moved to Seattle, all the apartments had a 25-pound dog weight limit. Which I guess is for…indents my guys would leave in the carpets?

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[cclarue]

Mary omg long hair how cute!!pictures pictures. did you end up getting a house or eventually find an apt? My house is not very big either and if it was it would not matter, my dog is laying right behind my chair as i type and when i go upstairs to bed he will follow me and sleep outside my door and he sure doesnt care to be on his feet to long either which is just oone more reason a mastiff it the perfect dog for me. i couldnt keep up with a lab who needs a couple of mile run each day.

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[HunterG]

…blame it on the humans.

I completely agree, thanks for that quote Hammerhead.

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[sam-c]

not everyone assumes that small dogs don’t need exercise. that’s not what I said. we thought the small dog would be more comfortable in a small (550 sf) studio apartment than a big dog.

we took our small dog out for several walks a day, dog park every Saturday, and we had a pocket park across the street from the apartment where he hung out and played with other dogs from the neighborhood. on leash, of course, which always caused that crazy leash untangling dance.

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[JoB]

Sam-c…

one reason we looked for shibas was their size.. small enough to slide under that 25lb limitation most landlords and hotels have…

but you are right.. small or large they all need tons of exercise. we chose a house with a yard because i can’t walk them as much as they need…

but all dogs need walks.. as much for the stimulation as for the exercise.

i don’t know about you.. but i swear my smaller shiba dogs manage to take up as much space as my Akitas did… maybe more:)

i think this size thing is all an illusion:)

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[GAnative]

Because they wouldn’t let me.

When looking for a dog we were looking for a small dog but I was also looking for particular breeds as I’m allergic. But all the shelters and rescue places that I contacted wouldn’t let us have a small dog because we had children under 11 years old; we could have a big dog but not a small one.

So we bought our small dog from a breeder.

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[MaryT]

Sorry — I realize that about them being more comfortable. I guess I mean people assume that you need a mansion for a big dog, but you really don’t. Though, no, I would not want to live in a studio apartment with two mastiffs! We ended up renting a house south of Rainier Beach for a year and now own a house in West Seattle.

As for photos, cclarue — this will have to do for now:

http://twitpic.com/h7qih

That’s Dahlia on the left and Sofa on the right. They have met a lot of friends in West Seattle!

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[IslandLvr]

Petfinder.com Check it out, even just to look at all the cute dogs of all shapes and sizes (yes, even purebred and small dogs are on this site.)

I got my 2 dogs off of petfinder.com. One was a 3 year old border collie mix and one was a 10 week old super-cute white with black and brown spotted pound puppy/mystery mutt.

To answer your origional question on why people get animals through breeders, there really is no reason for your regular dog owner to do so. Most regular dog owners do not have the knowledge of how to pick out a reputable breeder and end up supporting backyard breeders because of this. Most people don’t have the patience to wait up to over a year for a litter to be born (yes, reputable breeders don’t have dogs available immediately. You have to put down a deposit and when they have enough interested parties that meet their approval, they will breed their dogs.)

Well informed people that go through reputable breeders generally go through a breeder because they want to support and help improve a certain breed. These people need to be close to a reputable breeder and need to be trusted by them. These people almost always show dogs which means that they have intact dogs (not something I would ever recommend for the average dog owner.) Other people go through breeders for hunting or other working dogs, this is where the police get their dogs, and the majority of assistance-type dogs are obtained through breeders.

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[Kimberley]

cclarue – you haven’t met my lab, lazy as all hell (after a rough day at doggie daycare being chased by his girlfriend daisycakes). We go hiking with him (he gets pooped, just like the mastiff who doesn’t want to go more than four miles) and has twice daily walks (sometimes we cut back if he’s too tired – though I think he’s good at faking being tired).

We too bought from a reputable breeder (after searching for several months through several different rescue avenues and not finding a good fit with our two feral cats), it was by luck we happened upon this breeder – I was drooling over a well behaved chocolate lab tied up outside of Alki Cafe – his owners gave me their breeder info after they watched me watch their dog all through breakfast. The breeder is fantastic – required paperwork, deposits, spay/neutering, micro-chipping and like most, that we return the dog if we no longer want him.

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[sam-c]

I forgot to say before, that the orig post is very well written. I did my best mostly to respond to the question that is the forum title. ‘one man’s perspective’

do not have ‘knowledge’? un’iformed’ ? just say stupid, you know you want to.

I’m stupid, stupid for my dog.

like Kimberley, we had to sign a contract (with various stipulations, return the dog, we had to neuter, etc). since I’m not informed, does AKC certification not really mean anything, I’d heard that being AKC certified really doesn’t mean anything in regards to a reputable breeder or not.

petfinder is good, and has come a long way in 7 years. back then it linked to the Seattle Animal Shelter , not much else. mostly pit bull mixes, which didn’t fall into the under 15 lb category. SAS- not a lot of small dogs (I’m talking about the time when I got our dog, not now). perhaps the number of small dogs now is due to the economy, and people not being able to care for them anymore. who knows.

another possibility is that people want to know the standard temperament of the dog they are getting. part of the breeding aspect is not just the looks, but the temperament. as opposed to a ‘mutt’ that could be unpredictable. what if the person with the mutt decides they are not able to to train them well enough. then what, the dog ends up in a shelter again? that’s not fair to them.

JoB- (post # 20) yeah two people and a dog (small dog and big dogs alike) will trip over eachother in a studio apartment

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