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My wife and I have been attempting to adopt a shelter dog for the last several weeks...as a playmate for our 5 year old lab...what a nightmare it has been....first you have to fill out a 3 to 4 page questioner...then after they review it...they will make an appointment....usually within 1 to 2 weeks....only if the dog you were originally interested in is still available...no wonder so many dogs are available.....
But I feel strongly that adopting a dog/pet is a much better way to go...and as you say...it saves a life...but these shelters need to speed the process up a little.....otherwise...there will be more and more pets put down....waiting for the paperwork to be reviewed....
It could be slightly overdone, but there used to be people who adopted pets and were not serious. The animals were brought back shortly thereafter or, worse, picked up off the street again, in bad shape. It is so heartless that a dog starts to acclimate to a home, thinking he's been 'saved' only to be rejected again.
Even worse things than that have happened when it was found that testing labs would pick up animals at shelters for testing purposes. They liked these animals because many were domesticated and would not bite the way a wild animal would.
So, I pity the poor animals and their caretakers who feel a responsibility to look out for their welfare.
The conclusion, for me, is that the more annoying the caretakers are about these things, the better the organization.
IF you want to buy a top show dog to show in confirmation then go to a top Breeder.
IF you are looking for a Purebred dog for any reason other than doing confirmation go to a Breed RESCUE!
IF you want a cross breed/mix or mut go to your local Humane Socity.
BUT NEVER GO TO A PET SHOP!!!
I did not vote because the poll is not specific enough.
For a pet dog or cat, I think adoption is, by far, the way to go. If your hobby or profession is to show, obviously a breeder is the better choice.
On the other hand, for a bird I think going to a reputable breeder is a far superior option to adopting. For most novice or lightly experienced bird owners, a bird who already has problems is too much for them to handle. Additionally, a reputable breeder will make sure the buyer knows something about basic bird care before they will release the bird. Breeding birds is not a very profitable business and most do it as a labor of love; the continued health and well being of the bird they are selling is where their vested interest usually lies.
Under no circumstances would I advocate buying a dog, cat or bird from a pet shop.
Breeder - You can see how the pet is living. Is the house clean? If they have kids, how well do the animals interact? Are they fed good food or cheap Wal-Mart Ol' Roy type food?
Adoption\Humane Society - Pets are usually given shots and cleaned up. Plus, your helping to keep another one from being euthanized. The animals are usually very happy to be out of jail too and are quick to bond with you.
Pet Stores - Only good for fish and buying pet supplies. I'd never buy a pet from one, with the exception of PetSmart adoptions. They are legit adoption\rescue animals, usually given by folks that can't care for them anymore.
I feel you should adopt if your looking for a family pet only. Yet I marked breeder because I purchase my animals for competition also. I have had many rescues thru the years, they make great pets and companions. But at this time I am going thru reputable breeders for my animals. Basicly it boils down to what fits your situation.
I did not vote because the poll is not specific enough.
For a pet dog or cat, I think adoption is, by far, the way to go. If your hobby or profession is to show, obviously a breeder is the better choice.
On the other hand, for a bird I think going to a reputable breeder is a far superior option to adopting. For most novice or lightly experienced bird owners, a bird who already has problems is too much for them to handle. Additionally, a reputable breeder will make sure the buyer knows something about basic bird care before they will release the bird. Breeding birds is not a very profitable business and most do it as a labor of love; the continued health and well being of the bird they are selling is where their vested interest usually lies.
Under no circumstances would I advocate buying a dog, cat or bird from a pet shop.
Chey,
I had a parakeet in my youth. It had been a bird from the islands or Australia or Africa. I never knew a bird could relate to a human as a dog would, following you around the house, curious as to everything you did, always talking and asking questions in his birdy way.
He was an only pet and got lots of attention and was allowed to roam freely through the house. Always flew in his cage at night and tweeted for his cover.
Had a vocabulary of maybe 45 words.
I have had several birds since then. All bred in the US because soon after my little Pretty Boy was purchased a law was passed (spurred on by breeders, I heard) that made it illegal to purchase foreign birds. The excuse for that law was that foreign birds carried diseases, but everyone thought that US breeders just wanted the bucks.
Every bird that I purchased since that law was passed did not relate all that well, did not talk much. Not too bright as a pet. All were male.
I have heard that dog breeders, especially of popular breeds, in the US inbreed too much. Are parakeets subject to the same poor treatment, or did I really have such an exceptional bird, the one in ten thousand high IQ budgie?
Chey,
I had a parakeet in my youth. It had been a bird from the islands or Australia or Africa. I never knew a bird could relate to a human as a dog would, following you around the house, curious as to everything you did, always talking and asking questions in his birdy way.
He was an only pet and got lots of attention and was allowed to roam freely through the house. Always flew in his cage at night and tweeted for his cover.
Had a vocabulary of maybe 45 words.
I have had several birds since then. All bred in the US because soon after my little Pretty Boy was purchased a law was passed (spurred on by breeders, I heard) that made it illegal to purchase foreign birds. The excuse for that law was that foreign birds carried diseases, but everyone thought that US breeders just wanted the bucks.
Every bird that I purchased since that law was passed did not relate all that well, did not talk much. Not too bright as a pet. All were male.
I have heard that dog breeders, especially of popular breeds, in the US inbreed too much. Are parakeets subject to the same poor treatment, or did I really have such an exceptional bird, the one in ten thousand high IQ budgie?
Do you have any observations on this?
Parakeets really are smart little birds and make great companions. Sadly, I have indeed observed a lot of inbreeding in some of the less exotic types of parakeets, as well as in the more common cockatiel mutations. I don't know if it is because they are prolific breeders, because they can be obtained and housed inexpensively, a combination of the two or something entirely different, but it seems to me to be a mechanism for many just to make a quick buck That is not to say there are not scrupulous breeders out there, who pay attention to genetics and look to reproduce more stellar representations of the species, but I think they are harder to find compared with breeders of the bigger birds.
While each bird is an individual, of course, I would venture to guess that Pretty Boy was one of the more exceptional birds. I do not think a foreign bird has exclusive rights to being of exceptional quality and I do not believe getting a domestic bred bird precludes one from finding an exceptional one, however, the quality which should be ever present is sometimes challenging to find.
All of this is JMHO though.
There really were problems with imported birds and illness. Here are a couple of links:
Parakeets really are smart little birds and make great companions. Sadly, I have indeed observed a lot of inbreeding in some of the less exotic types of parakeets, as well as in the more common cockatiel mutations. I don't know if it is because they are prolific breeders, because they can be obtained and housed inexpensively, a combination of the two or something entirely different, but it seems to me to be a mechanism for many just to make a quick buck That is not to say there are not scrupulous breeders out there, who pay attention to genetics and look to reproduce more stellar representations of the species, but I think they are harder to find compared with breeders of the bigger birds.
While each bird is an individual, of course, I would venture to guess that Pretty Boy was one of the more exceptional birds. I do not think a foreign bird has exclusive rights to being of exceptional quality and I do not believe getting a domestic bred bird precludes one from finding an exceptional one, however, the quality which should be ever present is sometimes challenging to find.
All of this is JMHO though.
There really were problems with imported birds and illness. Here are a couple of links:
If you continue your pursuit, I hope you again find a very special one
Wow, France, the UK, Denmark, Sweden. You would think they would have healthy birds because (at least I think) the birds are not indigenous, but are taken care of by breeders.
I am in my 60's and the episode of which I speak must have been over 40 years ago. Yes, people were saying the government restriction on the importation of birds was due to disease, but was overblown, and if my memory serves me they were saying that domestically bred birds had the same stats of this infection as did imported birds.
Responsible independent pet shop owners were saying this, in a time in which such things existed and the owners were really plugged into animals and pets more than the bottom line.
Well, I have a cat now, and like most cat owners, each one I had was the best ever, this one has one or the other of us home with him most of the time, so there is a lot more human interaction, play time, tummy rubs, etc. As a consequence, we tend to treat him almost like a little human with a few handicaps and he tends to respond as a little human.
Cats imprint early, earlier than it is legal to sell them. For this reason it is advised to get one which came from a human family, who had a lot of handling and interaction very early in life. Even with a breeder you have no guarantee that this is the case. Some breeders brag of their (aseptic) modern cages, etc.
I would rather have a cat that was not so pretty, by show standards, that interacted with me as a little person.
I can understand how Native Americans, who had time and patience to observe animals, called them 'tribes' and individuals had a distinction of 'personhood'.
[CENTER][SIZE=4][SIZE=4]Ask PetSmart to Stop Selling Live Animals[/SIZE][/SIZE] [/CENTER]
[CENTER][SIZE=3]Diseased birds pose a danger to humans and animals
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In early 2008, 700 PetSmart stores suspended the sale of exotic birds when some tested positive for a deadly bacterial infection. According to officials, random tests administered at their stores revealed that many were exposed to Psittacosis, more commonly known as Parrot Fever, a potentially fatal disease for birds, and transmissible to humans. The disease was linked to a distributor in Florida who mass-produces birds for PetSmart. PetSmart resumed selling birds again this spring after claiming that all the birds were free from disease.
However, PetSmart is in the news again and experiencing more problems related to the sale of live animals, and the company is being blamed for the death of a 63-year-old father, a Vietnam Veteran, after tests confirmed he had contracted Psittacosis. His daughter also contracted the disease and nearly died after purchasing a cockatiel from PetSmart.
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That is not to say there are not scrupulous breeders out there, who pay attention to genetics and look to reproduce more stellar representations of the species, but I think they are harder to find compared with breeders of the bigger birds.
many were exposed to Psittacosis, more commonly known as Parrot Fever, a potentially fatal disease for birds, and transmissible to humans. The disease was linked to a distributor in Florida who mass-produces birds for PetSmart. PetSmart resumed selling birds again this spring after claiming that all the birds were free from disease. 
