If you thought about getting a pet, adopt from a local shelter! Shelter Pets need you!!!!!! Please Help!!!!!

[Nero70002]

My son is kinda chonky now, I don't know how much he weighs but the last time we weighed him he was 40 pounds and it was probably a year ago.

 

[Melontine]

My shelter only has dogs because they transport them in from other states and even those get adopted so quickly. It's the cats we're struggling with.

2 of my family's dogs were adopted from a shelter. 1 was adopted from someone needing to rehome theirs, and 1 was bought from a breeder (an AKC register Australian Shepard. We want to train her as a herding dog)
We of course love all our dogs, they all have such different personalities and stories that brought them home to us.

 

[ScratchNbawk]

x2, I was just saying that for a puppy, a couple issues would be the same. Yes, I think that especially for first time dog owners, getting a puppy they have spend time with (from a breeder or shelter) is the best decision-a dog with bad training or issues is never the a good choice for anybody except the experts.

I became a first time dog owner when I decided, years ago, to get a rescue dog. After months of looking, when I saw Charlie, I instantly knew he was the right dog for us.
You’re right, I had no idea what I was getting into - although I guess the fact that he was the only dog on sale should’ve given me pause. Also, there was no set sale price; it was a special just for me - for the exact amount of money I had in my pocket (which wasn’t much). Oh, and if that wasn’t enough to send a reasonable person running, they told me he had been adopted twice, and brought back promptly each time because “it just didn’t work out, but he really is so sweet”. Before taking him home, his foster mother told me not to worry if I needed to bring him back. It seemed like I was the only one who knew he was never going back.
Upon arriving home, it took him more than 24 hours to pee, but when he finally did, it’s like he never stopped ..... peeing everywhere. I’ll never forget the day I told him not to do something, and in return, he ran around the whole house jumping on the furniture and peeing all the way.
I was told he was abused, but I wasn’t prepared for that, and didn’t know what to expect. I had to learn, through experience, how to help him feel safe.
Now, he no longer has the “nervous pee” problem, and he’s the best dog I could ever ask for. When I first thought about getting a dog, I thought about how much the dog would make us happy. Since then, I’ve learned getting a dog was the beginning of a beautiful new relationship, where we had to figure each other out and learn how coexist. It was tough in the beginning, but that only solidified our bond in the long run.
So, if you actually made it to the end of this ridiculously long post, I just wanted to say, sometimes, it can be a good choice. It was in my case.

 

[Artichoke Lover]

Also support your local rescues. They reduce the the workload of the shelters. And a lot of the breed specific ones will pull dogs from shelters and adopt them out. Some rescue dogs will have all their health and breeding paperwork too if that’s a must for you. We have adopted through rescues, shelters and bought dogs from breeders before. I’m won’t say it’s bad to buy from a breeder as long as they are responsible. But do know that you can get a good tempered dog or puppy with all it’s papers from a good rescue. Not all dogs go into rescue from stray or hoarder situations or because of bad temperament. Our dog was turned over to rescue after her previous owners got divorced. We’ve had bad luck with breeders here. Spent 2 years researching the best breeder bought a puppy that ended having a list of 10 different food allergies and died at the age of 7 of the heart condition that she had papers confirming she didn’t have.

 

[MamaBelle5]

I will say, though, that we bought from a "backyard breeder." We went to meet with her after the puppies were born but long before they were ready to go.

Both the mom and dad are hers, and they were lovely, well cared for and clearly well loved pets. While the mom was giving birth, she stopped halfway through, so the woman called her vet who said to wait it out. She felt like her dog was in pain so rushed her to an emergency vet and the poor momma had to have emergency surgery because her uterus had flipped during delivery. When we went to look at the puppies, you could tell that mom was doing just fine. And when it was time to pick up our puppy, she handed us paperwork with his first shots and his first vet appointment on it.

I would much rather buy from a person like that than a puppy mill, personally. I wouldn't lump all "backyard breeders" together. I feel like some can be as reputable as established breeders.

 

[Artichoke Lover]

I will say, though, that we bought from a "backyard breeder." We went to meet with her after the puppies were born but long before they were ready to go.

Both the mom and dad are hers, and they were lovely, well cared for and clearly well loved pets. While the mom was giving birth, she stopped halfway through, so the woman called her vet who said to wait it out. She felt like her dog was in pain so rushed her to an emergency vet and the poor momma had to have emergency surgery because her uterus had flipped during delivery. When we went to look at the puppies, you could tell that mom was doing just fine. And when it was time to pick up our puppy, she handed us paperwork with his first shots and his first vet appointment on it.

I would much rather buy from a person like that than a puppy mill, personally. I wouldn't lump all "backyard breeders" together. I feel like some can be as reputable as established breeders.

True. It’s very important to see the parents dogs and check that all there papers are accurate in those situations. I have known several good backyard breeders. Do they are out there. Never buy a puppy from a breeder if you can’t meet the momma dog.

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

I like the shelter thing but I will not get any pets from then. There are to many little kids in my house to even think about getting an dog with so many unknowns.

 

[black_cat]

I would much rather buy from a person like that than a puppy mill, personally. I wouldn't lump all "backyard breeders" together. I feel like some can be as reputable as established breeders.

Did that person screen for issues common in the breed (e.g. hip dysplasia in almost anything) cancer, heart problems, etc, BEFORE breeding the parents? Were all of the puppies carefully screened the same way? Was the pairing considered to make sure that the resulting puppies would keep to breed standard? (for example, you wouldn't want to pair two shy, timid dogs if the breed is supposed to be boisterous, friendly, and outgoing). With a reputable breeder, not just a one time breeder looking for easy cash, the answer to all those questions is yes. Just because someone cares for their puppies well doesn't mean that they're a good breeder.

 

[MamaBelle5]

Did that person screen for issues common in the breed (e.g. hip dysplasia in almost anything) cancer, heart problems, etc, BEFORE breeding the parents? Were all of the puppies carefully screened the same way? Was the pairing considered to make sure that the resulting puppies would keep to breed standard? (for example, you wouldn't want to pair two shy, timid dogs if the breed is supposed to be boisterous, friendly, and outgoing). With a reputable breeder, not just a one time breeder looking for easy cash, the answer to all those questions is yes. Just because someone cares for their puppies well doesn't mean that they're a good breeder.

They were a good breeder for MY expectations.

I did not care about breed standard and will not breed my dog. He isn't "officially" accepted by the AKC for shows and such anyway since he's a red golden retriever. He is registered with the AKC.

I am not saying that the things you mentioned aren't good things, of course they are. But you can only fight nature so much. You can try your hardest to breed out certain illnesses and physical traits, but that doesn't mean that other, even less desirable traits might emerge.

What I consider a good breeder is simply this - the parents and puppies are well cared for, socialized and medical care is readily available.

My sister adopted her recently deceased yellow lab from a rescue. The poor dog weighed less than her puppies when the rescue found her. I agree with what another poster said, never adopt a dog if you can't meet with the mom. I'm sure the people who bought her puppies were told that they were bred against certain traits that labs can have, and that may very well be true. But that didn't help Daisy and the severe issues she faced in her short life after her extreme mistreatment.

 

[riss]

I will not leave myself heartbroken over a dead dog, again?

I choose to buy a healthy dog. I am also interested in dog shows, and preserving rare breeds

cannot do that with a shelter dog

I understand where you are coming from. I work at an animal shelter and lots of the dogs are beautiful animals and super lovable. We take amazing care of these animals and have a healthy kennel and a quarantine kennel with vet staff always on hand 24/7 and all the dogs we get 99.9% of them all move into healthy and get adopted by lovable families. We only take the best care of the animal and give them the best/healthiest life they can get so they can be adopted.

We also do lots of one on one work the animals with our dog trainers and other people who work with the domestic violence group. We get them used to people if they are a little shy and have them compatible with other animals. We ensure the safety of other animals and people for potential adopters and workers.

All the animals have files with all their medical work, microchip, and their background. We even include places for our mixed breeds where they can get DNA tests if the adopter was curious of what they were mixed with.