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I wasn't defending anything, I just like my story!
I wasn't referring to you as being defensive, as I liked your story too! Sorry that quoting you made it seem I was referring just to your situation. If anything it is us who purchase from the store that are being defensive because we keep hearing we are supposed to adopt, or are obligated to adopt from the ones who feel that way to the extreme. I won't rewind the puppy mill argument that I got into a few months ago with others, I think puppy mills are horrible and feel bad when we do buy a puppy from the store, but not bad about the puppy that we got. What I was emphasizing was whether it is a rescue or a puppy store pooch, we select the one that we feel suits us, or as they say, they end up selecting us
My dogs are both adopted from rescues. One is a rare purebred that I saw online and drove to a neighboring state to adopt. He was from champion parents and his buyer had a contract that called for him to be returned to the breeder if he wasn't going to keep him...however, the buyer did not honor the contract and took him to a kill shelter. I had this breed before and had been watching rescues for one to pop up. Patience can be rewarded. No one should buy from a pet store. If you do, you are partly responsible for the survival of puppy mills. My daughter has a puppy mill dog, but she got him from a rescue, so her money never supported the puppy mill. Get your dog from a rescue or a reputable breeder.
I have nothing against rescue dogs, I feel for them, so I don't see why people have to defend getting one...
They don't. No one's out there shaming folks who adopt dogs from a shelter. These days, it's the other way around.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JOinGA
Get your dog from a rescue or a reputable breeder.
And then commit to keeping that dog for the rest of its life (barring TRUE inability to do so, such as the owner needing to be placed in a nursing home or a family member developing a devastating allergy).
Shelters and rescue organizations are stuffed full of dogs for two reasons: crap breeders and irresponsible owners. If those two groups went away, the shelter/rescue population would plummet to nearly zero. Responsible owners, regardless of whether they got their pets from a good breeder or from a rescue, are not responsible for the legions of unwanted pit bull mixes and chihuahuas in shelters. And no one should be guilted into bringing home a dog which is unsuitable for them in order to save it from euthanasia.
There are reasons not to adopt and I am sure people are going to be mad at me for saying this.
I'm a dog walker and even the sweetest dog will snap at some things. I had a dog snap at me because he injured his leg (I know dogs snap when they are hurt but I had to try to get him home to get him help) and another one because I pulled him gently away from the trash he was trying to eat. These dogs are sweet. You can put your face or fingers near their food bowl and they will not care but they do snap at some things. Imagine I was a child and I didn't get the hint the first time and I am sure these dogs grew up in loving homes.
Would my dogs do this to me? No and I know this because I raised them from when they were pups.
Last year, I was going to shelters 3-4 times a week hoping to adopt an adult dog. A young dog (10 mo - 1 year) was jumping up to the fenced door and kept trying to pull my glove. I thought it was cute as I thought he was playful. Ten minutes later he bites a volunteer and I heard blood curling scream and she came out with a bloody arm and was rushed to the hospital. I stopped looking for an adult dog and got a puppy.
Adopting puppy is a great option but not everyone has that luxury. I couldn't adopt a puppy last year because I was living in an apt with weight & breed restrictions and no shelter had a purebred puppy that I knew could not go over a certain weight limit once it grew.
With this being said, I wish people would not judge others for not adopting. I adopted my first dog as a pup but chose not to adopt my second dog.
Some people need a hypoallergenic breed and if one adopts, one might be in for an unpleasant surprise, no matter how much the dog may appear to resemble the target breed. No AKC papers / no OFA / no pedigree = unknown.
They don't. No one's out there shaming folks who adopt dogs from a shelter. These days, its the other way around.
I agree, but those who feel strongly about it are sometimes taking it to the extreme to shame people who buy from a store. So what happens when those in the stores don't get bought, we wait for them until they make it to a shelter? We're still treating dogs like property regardless because if no one buys from the store they will end up somewhere, like another shelter or even a kill shelter if not back to the breeder to be bred.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Aredhel
And then commit to keeping that dog for the rest of its life (barring TRUE inability to do so, such as the owner needing to be placed in a nursing home or a family member developing a devastating allergy).
Shelters and rescue organizations are stuffed full of dogs for two reasons: crap breeders and irresponsible owners. If those two groups went away, the shelter/rescue population would plummet to nearly zero. Responsible owners, regardless of whether they got their pets from a good breeder or from a rescue, are not responsible for the legions of unwanted pit bull mixes and chihuahuas in shelters. And no one should be guilted into bringing home a dog which is unsuitable for them in order to save it from euthanasia.
Very good point I highlighted in red, I guess those rescues considered unfit are fit to be euthanized. Unfortunately many got that way because of irresponsible owners and crap breeders as you said. But conversely, why would I be shamed or guilted into passing up the exact dog or puppy I want to buy? I guess the thing to do is not set foot in a pet store at all to avoid the temptation, but as I said above, those lives in the stores are then going to have to be sacrificed for the sake of taking down a horrible industry. I've seen both sides of this argument going on for a very long time, I see no end in sight until it's truly regulated stiffer, but I guess the special interest groups on both sides are strong enough not to get our lawmakers to stiffen the rules one way or the other. The only action I've seen is in CA where pet stores cannot sell anything except rescue dogs.
I agree, but those who feel strongly about it are sometimes taking it to the extreme to shame people who buy from a store. So what happens when those in the stores don't get bought, we wait for them until they make it to a shelter?
That's preferable to buying a pup from a store, yes, because it places no money in the puppy miller's hands.
If no one BUYS puppy mill dogs, puppy mills go out of business, because those mills are run as a for-profit business. While they are not above dumping their unsellable merchandise at shelters, that's not their goal. They exist solely to make money. When the money goes away, so do the millers.
But the money won't go away, because too many people want what they want when they want it, and who cares about the ultimate consequences? Puppy millers need irresponsible owners, and irresponsible owners need puppy mills. It's a self-perpetuating cycle, and it keeps both the puppy millers and the irresponsible owners happy. Only the animals lose out.
Adopting a pet store dog that has been surrendered = RESCUER
Lol
Maybe you should go do some research on puppy mills if you don't think lining their pockets is a bad thing. I can't imagine anyone who knows what happens at such places would be defending them.
That's preferable to buying a pup from a store, yes, because it places no money in the puppy miller's hands.
If no one BUYS puppy mill dogs, puppy mills go out of business, because those mills are run as a for-profit business. While they are not above dumping their unsellable merchandise at shelters, that's not their goal. They exist solely to make money. When the money goes away, so do the millers.
But the money won't go away, because too many people want what they want when they want it, and who cares about the ultimate consequences? Puppy millers need irresponsible owners, and irresponsible owners need puppy mills. It's a self-perpetuating cycle, and it keeps both the puppy millers and the irresponsible owners happy. Only the animals lose out.
Well again, it's supply and demand. People earn their money and spend it the way they want. Otherwise, we all should be riding bicycles or walking, riding a horse, etc. instead of driving fuel consuming vehicles to save the environment and alleviate global warning, ie., for the greater good. I know it's a silly analogy, but pet ownership falls in that realm of supply and demand. The only way to further control is to regulate it or shut down the puppy mill business completely. Lobbyists and special interest groups even for puppy mill businesses have a say in it so the lawmakers, though have made some strides to improve the situation, have not totally eliminated the issue. Why? As you said, big money is involved.
Now we have to be careful and not generalize that all puppies from stores are supplied by puppy mills, but too many people have jumped on this righteous path because of the numbers filling the shelters, again, mainly filled by irresponsible owners. I've seen a store totally disclose and even posted videos of one of their suppliers, and the facility was beautiful, top notched, breeding huskies. It still looked like a breeding factory, but the dogs are in very decent conditions as opposed to what the majority classify as puppy mills. How is that different from a private breeder who does it for business at their house? It's the same but only on a larger scale.
Adopting a pet store dog that has been surrendered = RESCUER
Lol
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sundaydrive00
Maybe you should go do some research on puppy mills if you don't think lining their pockets is a bad thing. I can't imagine anyone who knows what happens at such places would be defending them.
I know the previous poster was being sarcastic.
Owning a pet store dog and caring for it and loving it so it lives a full life is not a bad thing...it's still a life that you possibly kept from being surrendered by someone else otherwise, if it's not sold or another irresponsible owner gives it up.
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