The truth about most dogs lives.

[Sierra pachie bars]

You could give people the option to register them AKC. If they choose too then have them pay the fee's. We did that with our female lab. My husband won her and if he wanted her paper so we paid I think 50.00 or so. I think you pay for the litter and then the new owners register the dog.

 

[Morgan7782]

Love the OP. Great words. I spay and neuter all my cats and dogs, but with my current dog I waited until he was around a year old. Mostly because the waiting list at the free clinic was that full, but also I wanted to let him develope before he was neutered. He never had access to females, but I did notice a change after he was neutered. He calmed down a lot, which I don't blame him because before he had been running on 98% testosterone.

I am lucky to live in a city that has a free Pit Bull spay and neuter, even for cross breeds. More then once I have scoured Craigslist for free puppies, picked them up, got them altered and vaccinated and rehomed them. I never asked for money as an adoption fee, but I would not turn down donations of cat or dog food. This is one of the few times I agree with younger altering. Sadly I don't think mankind is capable of being responsiable or humane enough to control their animals and keep litters from being produced. Though I wish we were!

I try to rescue as often as possible, and help people out with their animals when I am able. As long as I live I will take in 'disposed' dogs and cats. Rescue Is My Religion (my bumpersticker).

 

[sheila3935]

The 4 dog I have came to me in different ways. Ren my baby we bought at Love at first sight after my daughters dog had to be put to sleep because of a heart condition. Love at first sight takes in mixed breed puppies that would otherwise go to a shelter spays/nueters them gives them first shots and microchips them. You pay a fee for the services they have provided and the you have to agree to keep up with their shots for the first year. Maxx I got out of the paper, lady said if someone doesnt come get him he was going to the shelter.Maxx is houdini he can escape from most fences so it is a daily struggle to repair fences to keep him in but wouldnt trade him for anything. Buster was abused by the kid down the street. My son went over one day and told them you are not going to do that to him anymore and brought him home. Baby wondered up one day and said hi Im home. We have had these dogs for at least 9 years.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Quote:
I totally agree with you! they make the adoption process so darn hard and around here sometimes the adoption fee is even higher, i mean they make it out to be like theyre all superior and whatnot, like you dont even deserve a pet or your not good enough for one or something, like seriously you expect me to believe you really want to adopt out and help these animals when you act like that, noone wants to adopt when you act like that, your not trying to find them homes, they need to make the process easier and cheaper, i hate to say it but its no wonder nobody wants to adopt, they act like you're a freaking criminal or something, i understand they want to find good homes and make sure its really a good home and whatnot and so they need to do some screening and whatnot but theyve seriously gone a little overboard, i mean they treat you like you're a freaking criminal or something, so i agree they need to make the process simpler... ok ill stop rambling now but i totally agree

 

[Riocotesei]

Quote:
I totally agree with you! they make the adoption process so darn hard and around here sometimes the adoption fee is even higher, i mean they make it out to be like theyre all superior and whatnot, like you dont even deserve a pet or your not good enough for one or something, like seriously you expect me to believe you really want to adopt out and help these animals when you act like that, noone wants to adopt when you act like that, your not trying to find them homes, they need to make the process easier and cheaper, i hate to say it but its no wonder nobody wants to adopt, they act like you're a freaking criminal or something, i understand they want to find good homes and make sure its really a good home and whatnot and so they need to do some screening and whatnot but theyve seriously gone a little overboard, i mean they treat you like you're a freaking criminal or something, so i agree they need to make the process simpler... ok ill stop rambling now but i totally agree

Thank you! I knew someone had to agree with me!
And you're totally right, they DO treat us like we're criminals- that's the word I should have used.

Shelters need to change their attitude if they want people to start helping out. They need a reality check themselves.

I use the low cost vet clinic that goes to the local spca to get my dogs fixed, and thery're like, "oh you have another dog, you have fixed 5 now?" I'm like, yeah did you want them intact making puppies? So what If I have a lot of dogs, I'm taking care of them!! Gosh.
I could rant forever on shelters that are like the SPCA, oh and horse adoption places? They're BAD too!

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
I'd sure as Heck not register them. I could see asking the opinion of experienced pug people as to how well she represents the breed standard, and if they feel she is breeding quality AND if she is pretty clearly free of any inherited health problems then I could see leaving it up to the buyers to decide whether to register the puppy they get. But what is the point of registering all of them? It just encourages more irresponsible breeding.

A good home (as opposed to a home that just wants to 'use' the dog) should certainly be willing to pay more than $50 for a well-bred registerable-but-unregistered pug puppy. As isadreams says in other posts, it is a popular breed and there actually are people LOOKING for them at shelters/rescues, I would be shocked if you had trouble finding good homes for them.

JMHO,

Pat

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Totally agree. Me too. There is a whole big big area between "large adult aggressive/unknown dog" and having to buy a registered pug puppy, *specifically*.

Actually I have never seen a pug in our animal shelter here or nor have I heard of one

Then perhaps you need to pay more attention:

According to www.petfinder.com,
http://www.petfinder.com/pet-search...pug&location=huntsville+AL&startsearch=Search
there are currently FIVE pug or pugX dogs in shelters/rescues in Huntsville Alabama, and a bunch more within a few hours' driving distance. Now I will certainly agree that none of the Huntsville "pug or pugX" listings look to be both purebred AND puppy-or-young, and of course one would have to find out what their individual temperaments are like, but this is just the listings AT THIS MOMENT IN TIME. Furthermore, things like pug puppies adopt out *real fast*, and many will never even get *listed* on petfinder. See onthespot's post for an example.

You can find all sorts of purebreds (or heavy dose of the breed you're looking for, and with the right temperament) out there looking for homes. The problem comes when people make the same assumption you're making, and quit LOOKING. (And get stuck on it has to look *exactly* like <favorite breed>, rather than just "having the important good qualities but maybe also some other compatible blood in there too"

Unfortunately most pound dogs in my area are pit, chow or lab mixes and most are older puppies to adults.

Shelters and rescues are two very different things. You might want to investigate the latter. Some are run by wingnuts (as with anything in life) but many are fine to work with. You just have to be patient.

I have known too many ppl who adopt a dog who is great in the shelter (because the dog is scared and not showing its true personality) only to take it home and a month later when the dog settles in there is a problem.

Yeah, but a lot of that happens when people buy *puppies*, too. So, I'm not clear that there's a big difference. It's an animal. It's not entirely predictable. You do due diligence to weed out temperamentally-unsuitable individuals as much as possible (hard to do with puppies btw, as puppy temperament-testing is not super reliable at telling their *adult* temperament), and then you deal with what you get.

Also you say there is no way to hatch a pullets with out roos--actually there probably is a way but it would cost a fortune

AFAIK there literally ISN'T. Fifty percent (ish) of the embryos conceived are male. That's just the way it IS.

--however, don't you think you should purchase the roos that hatch with those hens to keep them from being killed? That is what you are suggesting I do--go out and adopt a shelter dog instead of buying what I want.

Eh?? I do not know whether you have seen my posts elsewhere on BYC but indeed I DO advocate against buying sexed chicks, unless a person lives in the city or etc where you are only legally allowed to have a few chickens and so they'd better all be 'keepers'. I DO think that people should be buying straight run, and then eating the roos when they are old enough, rather than buying supermarket chicken meat.

By purchasing only pullets you are indulging in your taste and whims and as a result little rooster chicks died.

There is no possible way to get pullet chicks without also producing rooster chicks.

Whereas it *is* very very possible to get a good solid family dog (of whatever size) without buying from a breeder and without thereby causing the euthanasia of an existing, equally-good dog.

I am not "calling you a dog-killer", I am simply pointing out the simple FACT that many good dogs are being euthanized for no reason other than lack of homes (obviously many dogs being euthanized are *not* good family dogs, but those are not the ones I'm talking about), and that buying a dog from a breeder causes one of those good adoptable dogs to be killed. I just do not see that denying the simple mechanics of the situation is useful. But people can certainly DO as they wish, it's a free country.

Pat​

 

[Crazyland]

I would register the puppies. For one they can do more things as far as AKC events.

 

[babyblue]

I would absolutely 100% register the puppies. at least in my neck of the woods that DOES make a major jump up from the unregistered animals and would absolutely make the chances of finding good homes for the pups better.

 

[welsummerchicks]

I also found people at the adoption shelter to be a little rude and their policies difficult to accept.

I think the most annoying part is if you have another dog already or have livestock, that is something of a problem for some shelters and that can hurt people's feelings and get them riled up too.

I think the intent is to not encourage people to get a lot of dogs..and granted, farms can wind up being places where dogs just run loose and aren't well cared for and there are a lot of dogs..if they place ONE dog in such a place, it makes their organization look very bad.


But I think the ATTITUDE of the people working at the shelter, comes from the same place as the essay in the first post - very overemotional, rigid approach.

Sort of a defensive attitude, like 'only we really know how to care for dogs and you are a moron'. Coming in having done a lot with dogs over the eons, yeah, it can be a bit much. But it's not unlike going into a barn where very beginner riders try to brag to you about how good they are, or immediately pounces on you and says 'What LEVEL do you ride at????' (I alway say, 'Levels? Are there levels? What one would be best for my Shetland-Saddlebred-Bashkir-Percheron-Friesian?' Usually they figure out pretty quick they need to stop and try to act normal and say something else like, 'Hi, how are you, I'm Mary', LOL).

Friend of mine calls it 'shelter-itis'.

COST? Shelter dogs are not a lower price? They have to run the shelter. Doing a good job is expensive.

Since they're doing good work and the rules are well intentioned I don't mind..USUALLY, LOL!