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JMarkey I believe you have a good point. All shelters don't have equal resources. Some particularly in the South can be overwhelmed with the quantity of animals brought in. Education and a change of attitude in the southern states would help a lot.
Shelters and rescues can work together wonderfully well. I do think that the fostering process of the rescue org. is essential for certain dogs. Though some shelters do behavioral work and fostering not all are set up for the special needs or dogs damaged by abuse and neglect. And many have to kill in order to maintain space. If dogs can go into rescue it saves lives.
It is two groups both working for the benefit of these poor animals.
Because the rescue often entails transport and surgery and boarding fees at vets and long-term care they do incur extensive costs.
However, a good shelter is also going to do so. It isn't cheap to do this work. Shelters often get government assistance from the municipality and the county which offsets some costs. So kudos to both. Everyone is trying. And if someone resents paying a fee of $300 to $500 for a nice dog that comes through this avenue, they are not being mindful of the costs involved.
And if you want a dog, and you want to be a responsible owner then there are substantial annual costs involved. Please calculate these into your plans before going forward.
If i were gunna spend a few HUNDRED dollars on a dog, i would go all the way and just pay a breeder for a pure bred and know more of what i'm getting as far as the breeds temperament history and how friendly the parent dogs were, and knowing exactly where they come from.
The only kind of breeder charging $300 for a puppy is going to be Bubba the backyard breeder who cranks out puppies until the mother drops dead. Any halfway decent breeder, ie: one who breeds for health and temperament, not money or fun, is going to charge $800 and up for a pup depending on the breed, color, sex, etc.
Let me give you an example of what a rescue dog can cost a rescue. My dog is the perfect example. The rescue pulled her from the pound with an ear infection and heartworms. The heartworm treatment alone was over $300, then the ear infection, spaying, vaccinations, came to well over $500 and that is the rescue discount. It would have been closer to $1000 for an average person. They adopted her to me for $150.
For every dog or cat that a rescue gets that they can make a small "profit" on, there are 20 who come into the rescue needing hundreds in vet care. So believe me, the $300 is a bargain for a done dog.
Now as far as scams, they do exist, however they exist more for small breeds, in my experience. I've been doing rescue for years now and I've seen it all. When you are dealing with all breed rescues who save your typical mutt, they are usually pretty legit. It's a supply and demand. There is no demand for a 50lb brown mutt, so these types of rescues are the real deal most of the time.
There is a HUGE demand for small dogs though. Mixed or purebred, everyone loves the tinies. At the same time, there is also a desire to rescue a dog. So you combine people's good intentions with a demand for a dog that far exceeds supply and you have a recipe for rescue scams.
MOST of the time, not all, but most of the time, there are groups who go out and actually buy leftover, unsold puppies from backyard breeders and puppy millers. They will pay a small fee for these unsold puppies and then adopt them out. This is very controversial in the world of rescue because people like me believe that if you pay a breeder money for his puppies, you are a customer, not a rescuer. And if you give money to a puppy miller, you are his customer. You are not saving that puppy but rather allowing this person to continue his cruel practice. But many people feel that they are actually rescuing these dogs. So it is controversial and one has to be really careful.
Like I said, you'll see it much more when dealing with small breeds. Honestly, if I was bent on getting a yorkie or chihuahua or some tiny breed, if I couldn't find one at my local shelter, or humane socieity, I would pay a good, reputable breeder for one. I have 4 large mixed breed dogs, all from rescue groups or the county shelter.
Also, never "adopt" a dog over the internet. Any good rescue group will insist on meeting you in person and wouldn't consider shipping a dog.
Jviello that is a shame what happened to your mother. That is definitely a scam as any good rescue would give a refund that soon.
I have to say that after living and doing rescue in the south, it is night and day compared to here. I'm proud to live in a state where people are more educated and responsible with their pets.
Good awareness points. It absolutely is controversial about buying from puppy millers. I agree. However, "over the internet" can have different meanings. For example, petfinders.com is a great way to find what shelter and rescue dogs are available. I also disagree about the rescue on the internet. I got my bichon from a bichon rescue that works through the internet. They use local people for interviews and check with your vet about your past ownership and care.
Dogs are transported (in some cases flown) to their new home. Follow-ups are done and I have attended local bashes and gotten to know the folks in my state. It is a well-respected group.
Use common sense. You have to be alert and get references and check the local chapter. Check the breed club and inquire of them about legit rescues. There are ways to protect yourself. Do avoid the for-profit breeders and online people who are selling litters without any references required. The breed club again is a good source for responsible breeders.
We adopted our terrier mix from the Norwich pound. It was a tremendous outlay ($5) and we got the most well behaved, perfect little dog you could have asked for. She came from a home where she was abused, but when my wife layed eyes on her, she found her new home!
jmarkey-- I am also a CT native living in TX and I was shocked when I learned how many pet owners down here choose to leave their dogs and cats intact and often unsupervised. I think it may be chalked up as a Texas macho thing, like attaching a prosthetic steel scr*tum to the rear bumper of a raised pickup truck. This might explain how there are so many unwanted animals from Texas being shipped up North.
Dog pound rescues are the best deal going. And, dogs that end up in municipal pounds may be killed after only 7 days - that's the state mandate for how long the pound must keep them. Some towns have really high kill rates...Hartford is a prime example. Many of the rescues in the area actually get their pets from pounds.
Someone made a comment about pitbulls and kids and I just have to respond. Every dog is capable of biting a child...there are stories of very small dogs, golden retrievers, labs etc that have fatally bitten. People are too lax with dogs they think are "safe" with their kids and every dog/child interaction should be closely monitored. Young boys are the most likely victims of dog bites.
Dogs are dogs no matter the breed...my relatives had a pure bred lab that bit no less than 5 people and it was never reported. Had he been a pitbull...he would have been all over the media. It's acceptable to demonize pitbulls because of their association with gang and inner city culture.
In reality, pitbulls make awesome family pets (I'm totally biased, by the way). They are known for their aggression towards other animals but not typically people aggression. We hear about pitbull attacks but a few facts make these dogs the ones we hear about (and not St. Bernard dogs, Rottweilers,etc): pitbulls are popular; pitbull actually refers to several types of dogs including mixes; many people attracted to adopting pitbulls are irresponsible type pet owners or adopt them because they have a bad reputation and this somehow elevates them; pitbulls have very powerful jaws so when they do bite, it's bad; many pitbull attacks are actually dog on dog bites (a dog off leash crosses path with a dog on a leash = bad news).
I'm not a pitbull rescuer nor a fanatic...just someone who adopted a pitbull mix who taught me that a dog's personality doesn't always match the exterior. Dogs who are mistreated, abused, neglected, missing a limb, older, or "a dangerous breed" are often the ones who need our help the most and what they give back in return is immeasurable.
Good awareness points. It absolutely is controversial about buying from puppy millers. I agree. However, "over the internet" can have different meanings. For example, petfinders.com is a great way to find what shelter and rescue dogs are available.
Petfinder is fantastic. It is mandatory these days that a rescue has a web site and uses the net. However, I'm talking about actually buying a dog over the internet. As in, go online, use your credit card and pay for the dog and have it shipped to you. Just like you were buying a pair of shoes or shopping on ebay. That is buying a dog over the internet. And yes, there are many places that call themselves rescues that will actually ship a dog to you without ever seeing you in person or having a local contact see you in person.
Any rescue willing to ship to a person sight unseen, is NOT a real rescue.
What you are talking about is completlely different. Apples and oranges.
YankeeRose You were not clear in your post . You suggested you would buy a small dog rather than go through a rescue. You also said never adopt a dog over the internet or from a group that ships. Although you said because they needed to meet you in person you did not allow for local contact or vet contact in lieu of "in person." The qualifiers needed to be clearer in my opinion. We seem to agree, I think.
YankeeRose You were not clear in your post . You suggested you would buy a small dog rather than go through a rescue. You also said never adopt a dog over the internet or from a group that ships. Although you said because they needed to meet you in person you did not allow for local contact or vet contact in lieu of "in person." The qualifiers needed to be clearer in my opinion. We seem to agree, I think.
I should have been clearer. When I meant getting a dog over the internet, I meant, getting a dog from the internet. No meeting anyone, no filling out forms, nothing. There are actual rescues, whose names I will not post so they don't get more business, that actually have a "adopt me now" button next to pictures of puppies. They will ship the puppy to you without a single question. Believe it or not, they do fool some people who desperately want to believe they rescued a dog when all they did was purchase a puppy mill dog.
If I wanted a small and popular breed and could not find one in my local shelter or humane society, or a reputable breed rescue, I would just find an excellent breeder. I have never bought a dog from a breeder and I've owned 14 dogs in my 37 years. So I don't plan on getting one soon. But there are so many scam rescues out there for small dogs that I would rather support a responsible breeder than give one of these scams money.
I've been looking for a Cavalier King Charles spaniel for about 6 years now. There have been a few that came into rescues but they have actual waiting lists for these dogs. So as soon as one comes into a rescue, it's gone. So in my searches, when I have come across Cavalier puppies that were supposedly for "adoption", I know it's the old puppy mill scam. You would have a very hard time finding an adult dog let alone Cavalier puppy in rescue. So that was what I was talking about.
SPCA, Humane Society or breed rescues are reputable. But if a person is looking at something called "Tiny Paws Rescue" or "Little Angles Rescue" or some custey rescue name and they have dozens of purebred, small breeds of dogs, there is a darn good chance they are a scam rescue. And by scam I mean, a rescue that buys unwanted litters from puppy millers and calls it rescue.
Sorry but I'm pretty passionate about this as you can see. It's not a huge problem up here, but there are tons of puppy mills in PA, the south and places like Missouri.
What is sad though is that the northeast, while having the least amount of homeless animals, also has the highest concentration of pet stores that sell puppies. The puppy mill business is a multi million dollar business selling to pet stores and yet you will never find one pet store that will admit to having puppy mill dogs. So I think the lack of homeless pets up here does create such a big demand for dogs, especially small dogs.
Perhaps the breed club is the best place to check for rescues that they approve. The more people can be educated about puppy mills and backyard breeders the better. I guess the hope of "outlawing" such enterprises is futile due to "rights" issues. So the best hope is to put them out of business.
I think Oprah did an expose once. If people with her kind of clout stepped up more it would help as well.
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