Pet Adoption Getting Out of Hand

Here's my perspective: I want a dog, of a specific breed. I'm not out to save the world; I'm not out to rectify wrongs; I'm not out to avenge poorly treated animals; and I'm not wanting to be super owner. I've had dogs all of my life, and I'm looking for a new one.

The point of my post was that I think that all efforts eventually reach a point of diminishing returns, and I think a lot of these rescue leagues have hit it.... passed it actually. I do realize how much it costs to run one of these leagues, but that's the price of doing business so to speak. If your goal is to get these dogs into a good home instead of a gas chamber, then you'd better plan on taking a big hit to your wallet or purse. It's going to be a money-losing enterprise. If they aren't prepared to sink a lot of personal money into the operation, they shouldn't be in it.

I think that a lot of these rescue leagues need to take a hard look at what they are offering compared to buying a puppy. I can get a Malamute puppy for the same cost of adopting one from the Malamute Rescue folks, so there's no real cost benefit. On top of that, I'm likely going to be getting someone else's problems that they had with the dog (lack of training, bad behavior, agressiveness, etc.) Also, since the dog must be altered there's no way they can be bred AND you can't get papers. And lastly, you have to deal with all of the time and trouble of the adoption process that these groups have in place. So... aside from bypassing the puppy stage, where's the benefit of adopting???

I think that if these rescue leagues want to stay around, without bankrupting the owners, they need a better business philosophy.

[Oz (Premo)]

Originally posted by Bruzilla
I think that if these rescue leagues want to stay around, without bankrupting the owners, they need a better business philosophy.

That's the problem. You have them confused with a business. They are charities, run by do-gooders. They do a lot of good for the community, and thank goodness we have them! But, it sounds like you have an unreasonable expectation of customer service from what is basically a charity. You're not their customer, the dog is.

[SxyPrincess]

Originally posted by Oz
That's the problem. You have them confused with a business. They are charities, run by do-gooders. They do a lot of good for the community, and thank goodness we have them! But, it sounds like you have an unreasonable expectation of customer service from what is basically a charity. You're not their customer, the dog is.

[cattitude (Premo)]

Originally posted by Oz
That's the problem. You have them confused with a business. They are charities, run by do-gooders. They do a lot of good for the community, and thank goodness we have them! But, it sounds like you have an unreasonable expectation of customer service from what is basically a charity. You're not their customer, the dog is.

Exactly, Oz. He's missing the point. And Bru, the reason they have the animals neutered/spayed is so morons can't get a purebred and indiscriminately breed them or "accidentally" have litters. Also, Bru, you can get "papers" for rescue dogs.

One of the benefits of adoption, especially if you get a purebred, is that you do, in fact, pay less. A puppy will need months of vet care, shots, worming, etc. Breeders do the basic and after that, it's your responsibility. Not to mention the hundreds of dollars you pay initially for a WELL-BRED purebred puppy from a responsible breeder. Spaying and neutering for large dogs, i.e., GSD's, is over $100. (Rescues get discounts.) Then you have the chewing...and GSD pups are notorius chewers, the carpet/floors that are peed and pooped on. GSDs need to be trained and they need a lot of owner interaction. When you get an older dog, especially from a rescue, you know just what you are getting. Does this dog like kids? Cats? Will it jump a fence? Is is housebroken? What other bad habits does it have?

Many dogs that end up in rescue are not just strays. They are dogs that owners have given up...many times by owners who didn't understand the breed or the responsibility of owning an animal.

Bru, I suggest you research these rescue groups before you comment. These people would rather put a dog down than have it wind up in the wrong hands. You are just dissatisfied with the process of adoption.

[vraiblonde]

Originally posted by Oz
You're not their customer, the dog is.

Then they're not doing very well by their customer if they'd rather see it gassed than living in a home where they might not have a human around 24/7. That was actually one of the questions they asked us when we adopted Browser the Cyberdog - will he be alone in the house for extended periods of time, do we work, do we have children, blah blah blah. We're in the happy position that we could (and did) take the dog to work with us, but the shelter made it clear that they hesitate to place an animal with people who go off to work and leave the dog alone.

Animal Nazis annoy me. Why go to all the trouble and expense of adopting from a shelter when you can look in just about any classified ads place and find free puppies that you can simply pick up and take home?

These tards do this with adopting children, too. My girlfriend went through hell and back before she was finally able to adopt her daughter. Like the kid is so much better off at a state run home.

So sorry, doggies - it's not that nobody wants you, it's just that your jailers have made it too hard for us to actually take you home.

Thank you Vrai... finally someone who gets it!

I think that Oz and the others like to think in terms of the ideal rather than the realistic. I hate to say it, but these shelters do need to look at things from a business viewpoint. How many of you posted about how much it costs to operate these shelters? Costs of doing business... sounds pretty businessey to me. The need to recoup costs... sounds pretty businessey to me. :)

Whether the shelter is a business or a volunteer operation, there are two customers: the pet and the owner. As long as there is a a 1:1 ratio of these customers, life is grand. But that's rarely (if ever) the case. There will always be more animals needing adoption than people wanting to adopt. Why? Because potential owners have choices: pet shops, breeders, classifieds, newspapers, friends, etc., to get their pet. The pets needing homes usually have two choices: Adoption or a one-way walk to the little room that no one likes to talk about.

If a shelter or league is to be "profitable", meaning reaping the rewards of their efforts (measured in successfully adopted pets), they need to have "business" strategies that make them more compatible with their customers. Instead they are more and more making life harder for their customers. If adoption groups are going to charge high fees to cover their expenses, at the cost of not getting animals adopted, then they are doing their "customers" a disservice. Like I've said before, if you're going to start one of these operations you had best be prepared to lose a lot of money on it. And if you're not willing to lose money then you don't need to be doing it.

The point that I am trying to make is exactly what Vrai had to say. The policies of these shelters are making it too dang hard to adopt a pet. A while back I found some kittens and took them to a shelter where they were euthenized shortly thereafter. Why? Because who wants to pay $75 to adopt a kitten when there are dozens of them for free?

Is it worse to place an animal with a less-than-ideal owner than it is to suffocate them? I think that if the pets, the "Customers" to some of you, had a voice they would have a far different opinion than the people at the shelters.

[Oz (Premo)]

Originally posted by Bruzilla
Thank you Vrai... finally someone who gets it!

I think that Oz and the others like to think in terms of the ideal rather than the realistic.

Actually, I was just pointing out the perspective (or lack thereof) of the non-business people who run these charities. As a businessperson, when you deal with someone who doesn't have the daily problems of running a business and serving the customer, you have to step back to their perspective, or you're really going to be p!$$ed off when the service doesn't meet your expectations. When you deal with a charity, you have to step back even further, because they're used to people serving them, not the other way around.

I figured you'd pick that up when I said the dog was their customer.

[cattitude (Premo)]

Have you ever been involved in animal rescue? Until you have, you have no idea what's involved. You want to see "less than ideal" owners?? Take a peek at Animal Planet and watch Animal Cops. Read a few of the rescue sites. When you actually work with shelters and rescues, you can actually speak to both sides of the coin.

Shelters are very different from rescue organizations and you cannot compare the two. Rescue organizations go into the "business" of rescuing animals with their eyes open. They're aware it's a money-losing business or maybe break even at best. They do it because they love the animals. Rescues don't euthanize the animals in most cases. They do fund raisers, they rely on the generosity of individuals to help with the costs of caring for these animals. Shelters, on the other hand, are ususally subsidized by the counties they serve. There are kill shelters and no-kill shelters. No so long ago, many shelters were just happy to have an animal adopted without concern for the type of home the animal would have. Sure, kittens and puppies are cute but people often tire of them when they're grown or display inappropriate behavior. You'd be surprised at the reasons given for turning a dog over. Had a guy bring in a Great Dane because he got too big. What the he!! was the guy thinking when he got the dog? So who protects the animal? Sure, there's the person who wants to adopt from the shelter and doesn't have the money to pay the fee but can give it a good home. Where do you draw the line? You have to have some standards to ensure that they can take care of the animal from a monetary standpoint as well as having the proper accomodations to house the animal.

A $75 kitten from a shelter is a steal. Let's see, it's spayed/neutered, has a first series of shots and is dewormed. Get ya a free kitten and take it to the vet and see what your first visit costs...and that won't include the spaying or neutering.

You think $200 is too high for a dog that in most cases is housebroken, has some obedience training, you know it's problems...both health and personality and has been completely vetted. Sure you can get a $200 purebred puppy. But, remember, you get what you pay for. Something that comes to mind is that you have a child or cat at your home. You got to the shelter and pick up a GSD that seems very nice, good with your child that you took to the shelter with you. But suppose this dog was just timid in the shelter and once at home doesn't like children and you only find out because he bites your child, or he kills your cat because you didn't know if he was cat agressive or even dog aggressive. Rescue dogs are extensively kid tested, cat tested, dog tested, etc. They are exposed to many social situations to see their reactions.

Is euthanizing an animal better than placing it with a less than ideal owner? That's a hard call because there are different levels of less than ideal and that's exactly why these organizations want you to fill out an application and talk with you. Once you actually get into the process, you'll find that these organizations are willing to work with you and help you find a dog/cat that is suited to your home environment.

Bru, you're talking like these rescues are upset that they are losing money. While they are constantly looking for ways to generate income, their first concern is the welfare of the animal. They could care less if you think their fee is too high or you don't want to fool with their application. They are not looking to adopt to you.

I could go on and on. This is no easy solution to the over population and mistreatment of animals. People need to begin with educating themselves about what is involved PRIOR to getting their pets.

You guys are entitled to your opinions, and I could very well be an animal nazi. Everybody has their passion, mine happens to be animals.

[Cowgirl]

Thank you Cattitude!!!!!! Very well put. If I were a dog in a shelter, I'd rather be put down than have to go live in a bad home. And I'm not talking about a home where the owner is gone for 8 hours during the day to work. I mean be real...most owners can't be with their pet all day. I am not with my dog all day, but I don't feel bad because when I am with him, I give him lots of attention. Animals are in shelters because of ignorant backyard breeders..."oops, my dog went out and got knocked up again." I saw an ad in the classifieds a few months ago that said something like "my slutty dog got pregnant again." I got so mad....do you really think dogs can help it? How about you get off your lazy azz and spay or neuter your pet! You wouldn't believe how many people let their animals run around having litter after litter...then they complain about having to take care of all the babies. If irresponsible breeders would knock it off, then shelters wouldn't be overrun with animals. I would MUCH rather go to the shelter and pay the fee to adopt a healthy animal that has already been altered than to go to some backyard breeder that can't even spell the breed of the animal properly. Goodness knows that the animal is probably inbred with all kinds of health problems. I would never ever buy a puppy or kitten from a pet shop either. Then you're just giving business to puppy/kitten mills where the poor animals are kept in cages and only let out when it's time for them to breed again.

I could go on and on....but the point is, when you adopt a dog, you're saving its life. I read a saying once...something like "When you adopt a dog, the world doesn't change...but the world changes for that dog."

You know, I mentioned it earlier, but if you can't deal with the process of adopting a dog, can you really deal with taking care of that animal for the rest of its life? I have adopted several dogs from the Tri-County shelter, and it was a piece of cake.

These tards do this with adopting children, too. My girlfriend went through hell and back before she was finally able to adopt her daughter. Like the kid is so much better off at a state run home.

OMG, Vrai, do you really think adopting a child should be taken lightly?? Let me tell you, a child would me MUCH better off in a state home than to be adopted to people who would abuse it in any way. I think people should have to go through a pretty thorough process before they're allowed to adopt a child. On the same note, sometimes I think people should have to do the same thing to even have their own child!

[vraiblonde]

Originally posted by Cowgirl
I think people should have to go through a pretty thorough process before they're allowed to adopt a child.

Yet any teenage crack whore who is lucid enough to spread her legs can get as many children as they want. And get PAID to do it, no less! What a world.

Screening is one thing - but they go overboard with it in pet and child adoptions. Like I said, the shelter we got our dog from doesn't like to adopt out dogs to homes where no one's there during the day. They'd rather keep the dog in a cage or gas it.

Then there's that silly myth of unwanted children. There are tons of families that want to adopt - any race, any age, any background. But the adoption process is so arduous and expensive that many families give up. So the kid gets to grow up in the system, rather than with a family that loves it. Again, what a world.