Animal Do-gooder

[vkenner]

I am somewhat frustrated with the people on this forum who like to bash people because they don't want to adopt from a shelter. A lot of people come on this website to get support for there new pet or looking for info and if they are not talking about a shelter pet they are getting bash. I thought this forum was for all dog lover for support and not to discourage people from getting a dog. It shouldn't matter where they get their new family member from. Sometime some of you guy make me sick on how you treat people. Now personally I don't care what you say to me, because I can battle with the best of them. So if you got a problem with me bring it on.

[Lacie Girl]

Originally Posted by vkenner

I am somewhat frustrated with the people on this forum who like to bash people because they don't want to adopt from a shelter. A lot of people come on this website to get support for there new pet or looking for info and if they are not talking about a shelter pet they are getting bash. I thought this forum was for all dog lover for support and not to discourage people from getting a dog. It shouldn't matter where they get their new family member from. Sometime some of you guy make me sick on how you treat people. Now personally I don't care what you say to me, because I can battle with the best of them. So if you got a problem with me bring it on.

Not all of us bash. Some of us do try to give good information and show the options that are out there. I think the point that most people try to get across is that, if your looking for a "companion" quality animal, don't bypass all of the purebred dogs in the shelter/rescues. There is a breed specific rescue out there for almost every breed. A lot of times the rescues also know that the dogs coming in are purebred and some even come in with papers. The person looking for a household dog doesn't usually care about papers since they don't plan on showing anyway.

So of course the people that work so hard to take in all of the unwanted dogs want people to look to the rescues before purchasing. Yes, rescueing isn't for everyone. One of my dogs came from a breeder. She has a disability though and what I paid for her was basically an adoption fee. The breeder would have happily kept her if she didn't find just the right home. Another one of my dogs was a gift to me and he is a puppymill pet store dog. If I had had the choice, I would have rescued versus buying from a store but I wouldn't give him up for the world. He is now my SAR dog and an incredible one at that.

Of course my next SAR dog will be a rescue if I can find just the right one. I believe that all dogs deserve a second chance. It isn't their fault that someone decides they can't keep them for one reason or another. It is our responsibility as the "higher being" to take care of those we take into our care.

The biggest problem the rescue folks have on here is that so many people are breeding (and not always breeding quality animals) that there aren't enough homes to take those dogs. And often times, even though people pay a good deal of money for their pet, they decide that the animal becomes an "inconvenience" and turn it over to the shelter/rescue as if it were a piece of furniture. How many times I look through the dog classifieds on here and see dogs being given up because the owner is moving and can't take the dog. Where are they going that they can't take the dog? I own Pit Bulls. These dogs are a part of my family and I wouldn't move anywhere I couldn't take them. If they were to be banned in St. Mary's County, I would gladly move for them. I know that it is an inconvenience, but I have accepted the responsibilty for these animals that depend on and trust me. It is my job to make sure that they stay safe.

That is why some of the people on here are so adament about looking to the rescues for a dog before purchasing from a breeder.

[vkenner]

I agree, but some people can be real a$$hole when it come to that. As always I am never trying to disrespect nobody, but the way some people are making it sound is as if you do not adopt from a shelter you are not worth an good pet. I only have one dog and it was given to me so I was grateful. but I try to be supportive of everybody on this board. So I am saying again, people can make suggestion about adoption to somebody without making them feel like they are doing something illegal by buying from a breeder.

[Lacie Girl]

I know that some people can be pretty harsh. I have taken a lot of bashing for defending the Pit Bull breed. Unfortunately, some people are just nasty (you can tell because they are nasty regrading virtually everything they write), some people are just having a bad day, and some people just don't write as coherently as they would speak. Sometimes things just come across nastier then they are intended because we can read something 5 times and have a different outtake on its intent each time.

Someone who posts just needs to realize that they are communicating with a wide population and will receive a variety of answers and personalities to go along with those answers. They just need to take what is most helpful to them and either walk away with it or move the topic to PM with those people that they have found the most help from.

If the world were a perfect place, we would all get along. But it's not, and so we must each deal.

[Christy]

I'm an animal do-gooder, but I don't particularly care where anyone gets their animals from. To each his own.

[Gwydion]

Originally Posted by Lacie Girl

if your looking for a "companion" quality animal, don't bypass all of the purebred dogs in the shelter/rescues.

The biggest problem the rescue folks have on here is that so many people are breeding (and not always breeding quality animals) that there aren't enough homes to take those dogs. And often times, even though people pay a good deal of money for their pet, they decide that the animal becomes an "inconvenience" and turn it over to the shelter/rescue as if it were a piece of furniture.

This is exactly why. You can find "purebreeds" at almost every shelter. Go get one there.

The bigger problem is people that come on the board and say "My puppy is pretty, I want to breed him. Help me find a stud."

Those people are idiots and not worth their weight. Just because you think your doggy is pretty doesn't mean it should breed.

I personally have no problem with qualified breeders that are doing it for show dogs. I love seeing purebreds and love to see them in such fine condition. But if you are just getting a dog to sit around the house, go on walks, and play with your kids...the risk remains the same whether or not it is a 100% purebred or not. Golden retrievers can still attack. Presa Canarios can have a 2 year old punch them in the face a million times and gouge at their eyes without retaliation. Save a dogs life.

It really doesn't bother me that somebody goes to a breeder...I just want them to know what they are doing.

[Christy]

Originally Posted by Gwydion

The bigger problem is people that come on the board and say "My puppy is pretty, I want to breed him. Help me find a stud."

Those people are idiots and not worth their weight. Just because you think your doggy is pretty doesn't mean it should breed.

Well, to play devil's advocate, what makes it okay for one person to breed and not another? Why is it okay to breed "purebreds" and not just two random mutts? I've always been of the belief that mutts are far healthier and have better temperments than most purebred animals. As long as the animals are taken care of, then who really cares?

[slotted]

Originally Posted by vkenner

I agree, but some people can be real a$$hole when it come to that. As always I am never trying to disrespect nobody, but the way some people are making it sound is as if you do not adopt from a shelter you are not worth an good pet. I only have one dog and it was given to me so I was grateful. but I try to be supportive of everybody on this board. So I am saying again, people can make suggestion about adoption to somebody without making them feel like they are doing something illegal by buying from a breeder.

Go rescue or go home! :slam:

[Lacie Girl]

Originally Posted by Christy

Why is it okay to breed "purebreds" and not just two random mutts? I've always been of the belief that mutts are far healthier and have better temperments than most purebred animals.

The ultimate purpose of breeding purebreds is to improve the quality of the breed being bred. Not to make money like people commonly refered to as "back yard breeders". When you take a pet quality dog and breed it to a pet quality dog, chances are, you are going to get pet quality puppies. This does not better the breed.

Also, when it comes to breeding two mixed breeds, or even combining two different purebreds for that matter, you never know what you are going to get. You are taking the personality traits of two (or even four) different breeds and combining them into several puppies. The genes don't have a bouncer that sits there and says "Nope, sorry, you can't come in. Only the best quality genes are allowed to pass into this puppy." Again, it isn't a perfect world. You could receive one pup that receives several negative traits while another from the same litter receives several positive traits. There is just no telling what will come out of a crossing. Of course you can't predict what you will get but combining two dogs of the same breed either, but you can control the traits better with the same breed (smaller trait pool to pick from) then you can when combining multiple breeds (larger trait pool to pick from).

[Kain99]

I love the shelter! My sweet baby Lab got out of the electric fence while I was at work a few months ago. The shelter called my cell to let me know they had him. By the time I got there (which was probably 5 hours later) A family had already put a request in to adopt him.

It made me really happy, to know that there were such loving people out there.