Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
J&J, you outlined some of the main reasons I prefer to get a puppy, regardless of the TONS of work it takes to raise one.
My wife used to tell me, "Quit harassing the dog!" when I'd pull tails or ears (gently) while petting, pick up paws, play with lips, take food away while the dog is eating, etc. Now that we have a 1 year old (who does all those things), she's like, "Oh, ok..."
My GF and I had a heck of a time trying to adopt a rescue. Countless emails and phone calls were not returned. It was a very frustrating experience to say the least as my GF really wanted a specific breed (Rat Terrier) but wanted a rescue as we wanted to help a homeless pet. It got to the point where we wondered if many of these folks wanted to allow these dogs to be adopted. Maybe we were not what they are looking for as we are not super affluent or maybe the fact that we already had a dog and cat (this was to be our first pet we adopted together as a couple) scared off everyone?
It all worked out for us in the end as we found the right dog for us at a shelter right around the corner. No Rat Terrier but we ended up adopting a Chihuahua and he has been a great addition to the family.
DH and I are thinking of getting a dog. We have never had a rescue dog, and would like to give an unwanted dog a home, but I notice that the applications are so lengthy and invasive, and dependant upon the whims of the person who runs the rescue, that I do not feel like subjecting myself to it.
One of them actually said "If you hunt, or talk like Jeff Foxworthy, do not apply. Huh? I am just guessing that Jeff Foxworthy's dog would be loved and lucky.
Its no wonder that people go to puppy mills for dogs.
Try Animal Control, the pound. Don't think "rescue", we tried that and got burned out really quick. They wanted to pick a dog for us and it was taking forever and their suggestions were really off-base since a questionnaire and interview really can't cover everything. Rinnie was adopted as a puppy from Dothan Animal Control in AL and Yellow Dog as a senior from the Nevada Animal Shelter in MO. We tried rescue and we tried humane societies. If you find a good shelter where they seem sincerely interested in placing a puppy/dog, you have a winner! I never liked the term "rescue" dog. We were interested in adopting a puppy/dog into our family not "rescuing" a dog.
My wife used to tell me, "Quit harassing the dog!" when I'd pull tails or ears (gently) while petting, pick up paws, play with lips, take food away while the dog is eating, etc. Now that we have a 1 year old (who does all those things), she's like, "Oh, ok..."
You have a 1 year old that pulls ears GENTLY?? Methinks you may be exaggerating here.
You have a 1 year old that pulls ears GENTLY?? Methinks you may be exaggerating here.
He loves this dog, but no, I didn't mean to imply he was gentle with her.
Sometimes he is, sometimes he's not. And then we correct HIM.
But the point is that when the vet looks at the dog's ears and teeth or when my son is inspecting her toenails (don't ask), she's cool and calm and thinks nothing of it.
Can you imagine if you hadn't done all of that stuff to your puppy? Thankfully you did! We have 5 kids and four of them are aged 5 and under. It's a crazy place around here, but so much fun. Since we have giant breeds we are not about to take a 200lb animal into our home without any background. They have to grow up here.
I am glad to hear the other stories of people that tried to go through a "rescue". It makes me feel better about our experience. Seems like a lot of hoarding or OCD or some other term I might not be familiar with. I know that people see the very worst of the human race every day while running a rescue, but if you let anything jade you to that point, you miss all the potentially great ones. Especially those that want privacy.
I'd rather have and older dog than a pup especially after what I'm going through with my guy LOL. CL is a great place to "adopt" I've seen Irish Wolfhounds and Danes occasionally. I still wish I could have adopted those IW's but they found good homes.
Sure Craigslist may be an easy way to get a pet. Drive over, pick up the animal no questions asked, right? Fine for us, and for the pet, if it is one of us, who value animals and care about what happens to them.
Any pet gotten by a member of these pet forums is a lucky pet. However, there are many other types of people acquiring pets off Craigslist, and that is why I hate it, how I hate it, that people dump their pets via craigslist.
Creeps and sickos get animals on craigslist. They use these animals for unspeakable acts. I imagine some of you have seen the type of hideous pictures that circulate sometimes, before the mods can delete them. There are things I will never, ever, get out of my mind. Unspeakable horror. I'd rather euthanize a beloved pet than risk exposing one to what's out there.
And if the pet is being dumped for a problem, undisclosed at the time of transfer, that pet is very likely to end up abused or kicked out on the street anyway.
I don't look at CL as being an "easy" way I'm looking at the big picture and IMO the most important. An animal finding a forever home. Are there weirdo's out there? Yes, but there are weirdos who sneak their way past "traditional screening" from rescues. Also there are even some creeps who actually work such rescues unoticed and undetected, until busted in the act.
Personally I could not euthanize my pets because of insecurities, it seems like a selfish act. As friend(s) who provided me unconditional love and attention, the least I could do was bestow the same. Not everyone is the world is bad there are good folks out there.
My landlord is an example of this, she LOVED her dog so much that best thing she could do was ensure he have happy life in a forever home. She posted an ad on CL and the dog was "adopted" after a few interviews. It broke her heart and she misses her dog dearly but at the same time she's happy that he's happy. She did visit him a few times but she also learned to give them space, although the new owners said she was more than welcome to visit anytime.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
You have a 1 year old that pulls ears GENTLY?? 
Methinks you may be exaggerating here. 
