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Choosing to go to a breeder instead of a rescue

4K views 38 replies 21 participants last post by  hrsldy 
#1 ·
This is something that I REALLY struggled with.
In my family we have had mostly rescued dogs, either rescued by us or from the shelter. Heck my Grandparents rescued many dogs over the years, they owned a dairy farm and Grandpa was a skilled trainer/behaviorist so they started taking in dogs in need. It snowballed from there and for about 25yrs they actually worked with the local shelters taking in dogs that for sure would have been put down otherwise. They had to stop when I was 7 (Grandpa had health problems), but I remember dogs that were starved, beaten, abused in just about every way imaginable. Most had behavior problems, some severe, others were very sick or injured and my Grandma (and my Mom) took care of them. But with a lot of patience, love, and hard work nearly all of them became happy loved pets that were able to find families of their own.
So this is what was going through my head this past fall/winter when we were thinking about buying a puppy. All of our rescued dogs were wonderful pets, but Mom and I were both just so drawn to the poodle breed. Also I admit I was just tired of dealing with problems caused by other people. In the last 17yrs we have had 3 dogs . . .
Max my pit bull mix was beaten, starved and near death when animal control found him. He turned into a good dog, but he was also small animal aggressive, food aggressive, and dominant. He tested me quite a bit I had to keep an eye on him all the time for the 1st year that we had him. He was also gentle and loving with his family, and a wonderful guard dog he actually caught a burglar once.
Lilly our Pom (possible mix) came from the local vet where her owners abandoned her. She was a breeding dog that they no longer wanted. She was extremely under socialized and had also been beaten/terrorized. It took her years to fully trust me when I told her something was OK, it was months before we could pick her up and hold her. She became my little lovey but it took sooo much work to get her there, and she never was a dog I could easily take out in public.
Charlie my poodle mix was the easiest of the 3. He wasn't beaten or starved, he came from a nice family who simply had no clue what they were doing. At 2yrs old he was totally untrained, and very, very naughty. And so incredibly stubborn that when he would get caught doing something wrong he would try it again later but differently so he wouldn't get caught. Eventually he learned but I knew that if he had been taught properly when he was a pup it wouldn't have been a problem.

Then my Mom reminded me that not ALL of our dogs were rescued. My Grandpa needed and valued good farm dogs, so he had and sometimes bred what farmers in my area call "farm collies". They are purpose bred (sometimes mixed) collies that are bred to be great all purpose farm dogs. If Grandpa had a really good female he would breed her just once keep the best female then he'd give the rest to other farmers, and he certainly bought pure bred collies from breeders.

So that helped me feel better, but in the end it just came down to one fact . . . a mini poodle is the right dog for us, and to get one we had to buy him.


Wow sorry about the long ramble, this has been rattling around in my head for awhile and I just needed to get it out. Plus I figured it might help to talk to/read stories from others who may have faced the same dilemma.

I did manage to dig up this picture of Charlie and Lilly together taken in I think 2010 when Lilly was 13yrs old and Charlie was 5yrs old. My 2 little sweeties :) . . .
468859


And just for the heck of it my little man Beau
468860
 
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#3 ·
This is something that I REALLY struggled with.
In my family we have had mostly rescued dogs, either rescued by us or from the shelter. Heck my Grandparents rescued many dogs over the years, they owned a dairy farm and Grandpa was a skilled trainer/behaviorist so they started taking in dogs in need. It snowballed from there and for about 25yrs they actually worked with the local shelters taking in dogs that for sure would have been put down otherwise. They had to stop when I was 7 (Grandpa had health problems), but I remember dogs that were starved, beaten, abused in just about every way imaginable. Most had behavior problems, some severe, others were very sick or injured and my Grandma (and my Mom) took care of them. But with a lot of patience, love, and hard work nearly all of them became happy loved pets that were able to find families of their own.
So this is what was going through my head this past fall/winter when we were thinking about buying a puppy. All of our rescued dogs were wonderful pets, but Mom and I were both just so drawn to the poodle breed. Also I admit I was just tired of dealing with problems caused by other people. In the last 17yrs we have had 3 dogs . . .
Max my pit bull mix was beaten, starved and near death when animal control found him. He turned into a good dog, but he was also small animal aggressive, food aggressive, and dominant. He tested me quite a bit I had to keep an eye on him all the time for the 1st year that we had him. He was also gentle and loving with his family, and a wonderful guard dog he actually caught a burglar once.
Lilly our Pom (possible mix) came from the local vet where her owners abandoned her. She was a breeding dog that they no longer wanted. She was extremely under socialized and had also been beaten/terrorized. It took her years to fully trust me when I told her something was OK, it was months before we could pick her up and hold her. She became my little lovey but it took sooo much work to get her there, and she never was a dog I could easily take out in public.
Charlie my poodle mix was the easiest of the 3. He wasn't beaten or starved, he came from a nice family who simply had no clue what they were doing. At 2yrs old he was totally untrained, and very, very naughty. And so incredibly stubborn that when he would get caught doing something wrong he would try it again later but differently so he wouldn't get caught. Eventually he learned but I knew that if he had been taught properly when he was a pup it wouldn't have been a problem.

Then my Mom reminded me that not ALL of our dogs were rescued. My Grandpa needed and valued good farm dogs, so he had and sometimes bred what farmers in my area call "farm collies". They are purpose bred (sometimes mixed) collies that are bred to be great all purpose farm dogs. If Grandpa had a really good female he would breed her just once keep the best female then he'd give the rest to other farmers, and he certainly bought pure bred collies from breeders.

So that helped me feel better, but in the end it just came down to one fact . . . a mini poodle is the right dog for us, and to get one we had to buy him.


Wow sorry about the long ramble, this has been rattling around in my head for awhile and I just needed to get it out. Plus I figured it might help to talk to/read stories from others who may have faced the same dilemma.

I did manage to dig up this picture of Charlie and Lilly together taken in I think 2010 when Lilly was 13yrs old and Charlie was 5yrs old. My 2 little sweeties :) . . .
View attachment 468859

And just for the heck of it my little man Beau
View attachment 468860
We have rescued several of our pets, including our little Scotty that we currently have had just over 5 years, he is now @ 10 (per the person who gave him up to run the country streets Full of coyotes), but knew I would have to go to a good breeder to get a spoo to train for my SD.
 
#4 ·
I also struggled with it. I tried so hard to find a dog to rescue or rehome that fit my needs only to have every attempt blow up miserably and kill me emotionally. But when we had to face the fact that the boyfriend is too allergic for shedding dogs, it didn't take me long to land on needing a breeder puppy. I needed a dog that would be safe around our rabbit and for that I needed a puppy that would grow up with him. Also I wanted to do agility with my dog and needed a structurally healthy dog.
 
#5 ·
My personal preference is rescue, they seem to be the best dogs and have an appreciation for life. We have a little boy with pretty severe allergies, previous dog was outside only for that reason. I felt bad but she seemed to understand, we got her when my wife's grand parents passed, she was their watch dog and had been outside all her life and was a great dog.
After much research and finding the alleged hypo-allergenic dogs to expose my kid to we found he has no reaction to poodles, so the search was on. I checked and watched every animal shelter within 75 miles of me, checked with the Atlanta poodle rescue, nothing available at the shelters, the poodle rescue would not consider us due to having 1) having children under 10 years of age. and 2) no experience with poodles. Submitting an application to meet the available dogs was considered a donation as it stated they would refuse the meet request due to the non negotiable reasons above.
We were able to find a breeder who would allow us to visit, the boys were able to pick their puppy. We are happy, I have no guilt about it, I would have loved to give a dog a new life, but those "saving" them aren't willing to help them.
 
#6 · (Edited)
This has rolled around in my mind, too. Neither of my dogs were rescues. Misty was from an accident litter, and Fluffy was a pet store puppy that we brought home one day. And while I do feel guilty about Fluffy, I don’t believe my next dog will be a shelter dog, and instead will be from a good breeder. The main issue I have with shelters in the U.S. is, in my opinion, caused by several factors:

A) Shelters are not honest about what the dog is like. How many posts have you seen with “Needs lots of walks every day” or “Needs someone to be home all the time”? And then the dog winds up being hyperactive or has separation anxiety, and thrown back into the shelter for the next owner, potentially making the dog worse. A better solution would be to simply put: Needs training on X behavior. List of history of issues. In addition to this, they need to be honest about the breed. I see pits being marketed as lab mixes all the time. Then at least people know what they are up against.

B) Bars are set too high. According to some shelters, I would not be able to adopt because one, I do not have a fenced backyard, and two, I own a dog that is not neutered. And yet, I own two happy, healthy dogs. Yes, there are some people that that should be counted as a red flag (and a red flag only). But that’s what home visits are for.

C) We spend too much time focused on the current issue and not enough on improving it. What I mean by that is, you can run a campaign of “adopt, don’t shop.” That will get animals out into homes. But then more come in. And you adopt them out. Then the next batch comes. Some of these are dogs that you’ve adopted out already. The idea should be to keep dogs out of shelters. These dogs that are going into the shelters are coming from one of two main sources:
Puppy mills
And uninformed owners that don’t entirely know what they are doing.
If we were to take care of one, it is likely that the other would take care of itself. Puppy mills, however, have proven to be a difficult issue to stop. So how do we take care of this? Education. Education, education, education. We need to tell people not just to spay their dogs. We need to tell people to do their research and find good breeders who will support their dogs no matter what. We need to tell people how to get their dog trained. We need to tell people how to select a dog breed based on lifestyle, not just looks. Et cetera. Only then can we reduce the dogs going into shelters.

As for me, I personally will not be adopting from a shelter, and instead will seek out dogs that are being rehomed by their owners if I choose to rescue, as it helps both the dog from going into a stressful environment, and the owner, who cares enough about the dog to find a home themselves.

This has been a long-winded essay/rant by FloofyPoodle.
 
#8 ·
Also this:

I see pits being marketed as lab mixes all the time.
I've met multiple "lab mixes" adopted by people who (right or wrong) vehemently didn't want pits.

Fact: If you can't recognize obvious pit characterics in the dog you're about to adopt, you're probably not dog savvy enough to rehabilitate him or her.
 
#7 ·
While some folks are driven by a passion for saving dogs, I'd say just as many (if not more) are looking for a cheap dog. That's why so many of them, when they can't find the shelter dog of their dreams, turn to backyard breeders and puppy mills.

I think the average well-intentioned person shouldn't be trying to "rescue" anyway. Most barely have the time to walk a dog daily, let alone rehabilitate one. And few of us (myself included) have the necessary skills.

Families should be encouraged to choose a breed that is well-suited to their community, lifestyle, and abilities, and then support responsible breeders.

The dogs that pass through our local shelters are, for the most part, not well-suited to the average household. Just talk to the trainers in your community. They'll tell you the truth about some of those "happy endings" in rescue newsletters. It'll break your heart.
 
#9 ·
I have not yet owned a shelter dog. My family has had many ' second hand' owner rehomed dogs, but never a shelter dog. We applied when I was small, we were turned down for "not being sure enough," after my mother wanted to wait two days for my dad to be home from a business trip to meet the dog prior to adopting (to me, all members of the family meeting a dog sounds like a good practice!) and got a pet store puppy shortly there after.

However - we have never brought a dog to a shelter either.

There is this societal guilt placed on those of us who do not take in shelter dogs that I think is unwarranted... I struggle personally with the idea that I ought to take responsibility for fixing others mistakes. I also have seen lots of damaged shelter dogs who are placed with families completely incorrect for them, with no understanding of dog behaviour. I would support a requirement for a training course on dog ownership prior to adopting a dog, instead of these requirements for fenced yards, stay at home people, no children, etc.

I dont feel guilty for not having a shelter dog. I got a responsibly bred poodle form an ethical breeder with a "dogs must be returned to the breeder" clause in the contract. I am in no ways contributing to the shelter issue, Annie has a forever home with me, or, if I was to die or become incapacitated, a friend or her breeder.

I would not have qualified for a shelter dog when I got Annie. I rented, have no backyard, worked long hours, etc. Besides, any non shedding dog available has either major behavioural issues or major health issues and I need a non shedding dog. I would have considered a shepherd cross, the most common breed in our shelters, but.... very allergic and no shelter would put a high energy breed in an apartment.

My choices were therefore not between shelter vs ethical breeder. They were between a) no dog, b) owner rehome, c) ethical breeder, or d) unethical breeder. I would have been unhappy with option A, option B is in high demand in my desired breed, and the one I looked at was NUTS, option D would not have set well with me. All in all, i am happy with option C as the best choice for me at this time.

Here in Canada, anyway, it's a fallacy that there are "tons of good dogs waiting in the shelters". We adopt dogs in from abroad now, even bring them to the local humane societies because there arent enough owner surrenders to fuel the demand for dogs. Even with that, there may only be one or two dogs available, and if they are decent, they go quickly. I think at this point, a responsible breeder is a responsible choice for pet ownership.
 
#10 ·
I'm still in waiting for my poodle-- potential puppy could be born this weekend! otherwise fingers crossed for an October litter-- so even though I've made my choice for this dog, I still feel kind of stuck in limbo with this question. Maybe because I have to justify my decision to people so frequently. (I guess I don't HAVE to, but you know what I mean.) We live in an area where shelters are ALWAYS bursting at the seams. Several volunteer-based rescues around here have fairly extensive programs of pulling dogs from shelters for a two-week home stint before they get shipped north to areas where apparently there aren't always thousands of homeless animals available for adoption. I've lived here long enough now that such a place sounds impossible. There are so many unwanted dogs and cats here. Consequently we have a lot of fairly militant rescue people around.

I've waited for this dog for a long time. It will be my first dog as an adult in my own household. I'm 41, so obviously I'm not rushing into this. My husband is a cat person, and we've always had cats. (We each had two when we met, so we've always had multiple cats, even.) He wanted me to look into getting a poodle, as his family had a large toy when he was an adolescent and young adult, and that was his absolute favorite of all the dogs they ever had. I've never bought an animal from a breeder, and (similar to OP) I didn't think I was the kind of person that did that. But I've spent nearly a decade now slowly convincing my husband we needed a dog, and during that time I've spent a lot of time and energy thinking through what we needed. Turns out, finding a responsible poodle breeder is exactly what we need.

Size, socialization, temperament, energy level, drive, shedding, amount of doggy odor, tendency to bark incessantly-- you can't get what you want in all these areas with shelter/rescue animal. We have cats that have never been around dogs, so getting a "cat-friendly" rescue dog won't help, because our cats will still be so stressed that at least one of them will probably never recover. A puppy we can introduce and socialize appropriately with our cats would be best, but then with a rescue pup you have no way to know what you're getting. And besides all this, during the figuring-out process we also figured out that I have decently severe environmental allergies. To a lot of things, including moderate reactivity to dog. So now we have even more need to consider what kind of coat our dog will have.

This dog will be a member of our family. I've long dreamed of obedience and agility work, of possibly someday training service dogs. I don't want to bring home a reactive, poorly socialized, low-confidence dog. Many blessings on the people who do that work. We have a poodle rescue here. I've spent the past few years watching their adoptable dog listings. Happy, well-adjusted poodles from good breeders don't end up at the breed rescue. Obviously, because any poodle from a good breeder will go back to that breeder in the event of some catastrophic change in circumstances.

So I still feel guilty sometimes that we're not adopting from a rescue or the local shelter. But I remind myself of all of the above, and I know that the choice I've made is maybe the most responsible one I can make. I too am fighting overpopulation of unwanted animals, just in different way.

TL;DR If you've done your due diligence in choosing breed and breeder, you can't get what you're looking for in an animal shelter. I should stop feeling guilty about choosing to go with a responsible breeder.
 
#11 ·
I decline to feel guilty about buying a poodle from a good breeder. A dog of her quality (physical structure for agility plus good temperament plus non-shedding/hypoallergenic) is not to be found at a rescue or shelter 99.99% of the time.

My local shelters are full of dogs that are not appropriate for me. I will never want a pit mix or a large shedding dog. However about six years ago I did do an exhaustive search of area shelters to try to find a little dog. I drove to another city to look at a dog who seemed like a close fit for me at that time. He was a scared little guy and appeared to be looking for his original owner (always looking out windows and behind doors like he had lost someone). I wasn't able to take him home that day because he was supposed to participate in a week long shelter children's day camp as one of the children's trainee dogs (I had no choice in this). They told me I could put down a deposit if I wanted to, so I plunked down the small deposit. Over the course of the next week I was called twice by the shelter asking me if I really wanted the dog because they had 12 other families wanting him. I had already told my little daughter he was coming home, and YES we wanted him. When his camp responsibilities ended, the little guy we named Navy came home. And that is how I came to own a Poodle-Lhasa mix who just happens to be low-shedding- and is a sweet pup who was house-trained from day one. The point here is that Navy was always going to go to a home- if not mine there were 12 others ready to take him. He's cute and fluffy and small. He convinced me that I really needed to look closer at purebred poodles, and I showed up at Poodle Forum in order to learn about poodle coat care- and ended up learning so much more!

The cream colored dog in this photo is from the shelter, the black is from a breeder. No guilt or shame in either purchase, and no extra angel wings for either purchase. Each one was the right choice for me. I probably will continue to buy all future dogs from good breeders, and I will never contribute to the shelter population. Here is my lifetime score card: three dogs from shelter/rescue, two dogs purchased from quality breeders, no dogs given to the shelter (or returned to breeders). There is nothing here to feel bad about.

I would feel bad about buying a dog from a shelter or a rescue that I couldn't handle and didn't enjoy.
 

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#15 ·
I think the rescue vs breeder controversy also ignores the fact that there is some elasticity in the supply of pet homes. An apartment dwelling family with an asthmatic teenager simply will not go home with a Plott hound. The breed is totally unsuitable for their needs. If the rescue has nothing but a bunch of Plott hounds and curs, that family will remain dogless. So, the solution isn't to tar and feather the responsible poodle and Portuguese water dog breeders, whose dogs for the most part aren't cluttering up the rescues. The solution is to go after the indiscriminate Plott hound and cur breeders.
 
#16 ·
You can both recognise that a decision is necessary, ethically sound and sensible while also be a bit sad about it.

I wish that I could have found what I was looking for in a shelter but I couldn't.

Before deciding on a mini breeder I did spend a few months looking at rescues and shelters. My plan A was to get a small breed adult dog who does not have separation anxiety, is ok with other dogs (very important) and ok with living in an apartment. Now I could write a whole book about how that quest went and the unexpected issues. But the subject of feeling guilt or reconciling with this decision emotionally isn't necessarily about facts and making responsible decisions.

I have to get a small dog because of my landlord and my disability. But this one time that we went to our local shelter there was this beautiful German Shepherd. He reached out with his paw from the underneath his kennel, clearly desperate for human attention and affection. My heart melted into his dark almond eyes.

I knew that adopting him would be disastrous for us both, I knew nothing about him except that he looked sweet. We live on the 4th floor with no lift, we would have been screwed if he developed joint problems, assuming that we wouldn't have been evicted by the landlord by then.

Not adopting him was a good sensible decision for everyone involved. But my heart still ached when I walked out that door without him.
 
#17 ·
You can both recognise that a decision is necessary, ethically sound and sensible while also be a bit sad about it.

I wish that I could have found what I was looking for in a shelter but I couldn't.

Before deciding on a mini breeder I did spend a few months looking at rescues and shelters. My plan A was to get a small breed adult dog who does not have separation anxiety, is ok with other dogs (very important) and ok with living in an apartment. Now I could write a whole book about how that quest went and the unexpected issues. But the subject of feeling guilt or reconciling with this decision emotionally isn't necessarily about facts and making responsible decisions.

I have to get a small dog because of my landlord and my disability. But this one time that we went to our local shelter there was this beautiful German Shepherd. He reached out with his paw from the underneath his kennel, clearly desperate for human attention and affection. My heart melted into his dark almond eyes.

I knew that adopting him would be disastrous for us both, I knew nothing about him except that he looked sweet. We live on the 4th floor with no lift, we would have been screwed if he developed joint problems, assuming that we wouldn't have been evicted by the landlord by then.

Not adopting him was a good sensible decision for everyone involved. But my heart still ached when I walked out that door without him.
Boy, I feel your pain. GSDs make me weak in the knees, and if my family wasn’t allergic, I’d probably go out and find one right now. There’s a breed specific rescue near where I live, and most of the dogs there have hip dysplasia, behavior problems, or both, so I agree that you made the right and smart choice. So sad though 😢
 
#18 ·
I'm in Ontario, where there are not many dogs in rescue- or rather, those that are mostly come from other countries. It's very difficult to get a rescue dog- to the point that a vet I worked with was turned down (for not having a fenced yard).
My first two dogs were rescued, one was abandoned at my vet clinic and the other was a very sick puppy that the owners were going to let die at home. I offered to take her instead.
Since then I've had kids, and while my kids are young I don't feel comfortable bringing in a dog with unknown history. In 5 or 10 years I will be open to a rescue again.
Have to admit though, having been able to choose my puppies from a well-raised litter is going to make it really hard to go back! No guilt if I don't though, because conscientious breeders should be supported as well. As long as I am not supporting puppy mills or bybs I am happy.
 
#19 ·
Ya know, I 100% understand you. I cannot say my family “rescued” dogs, but we surely took in a lot of dogs that friends of family did not want to keep. I enjoyed every dog as a child, but it is hard re-training a dog (I don’t know if that’s a word) after someone neglected it. Sometimes, it was too hard on my family. It takes a special person to rescue a dog at times! Again, I say rescue lightly due to the circumstances the dogs came to us in. My dad new a bunch of byb and whenever a puppy didn’t sell or whenever they were just done with a dog, they gave it to us.

I kind of carried on the tradition too, quick to take in a dog I felt needed a home.

In no way is buying a dog better than rescuing one and vice versa. I think everyone should get the dog they so desire! No guilt attached.

Get yo dream dog!
 
#21 ·
A friend of mine got a lovely big mutt puppy from a rescue, and wound up spending $7k on painful surgeries for his hips, poor baby. He looked mostly like a pittie mix, but the vet thought he had a lot of GSD in him too, and he went through a LOT with those surgeries so he could still keep active. It was the first time I realized that if you don't have good breeders health-testing and breeding carefully, all the dogs in the rescues will be descended from the puppy mill and backyard breeder dogs eventually, and that as a result, hip dysplasia isn't just confined to overbred pedigree dogs, as I'd thought before.
 
#22 ·
I personally believe that the decision for a "rescue" dog or breeder dog is a individual, personal decision. Period. There's no right or wrong decision.

With that being said, I will talk about my experience with rescues to try to give another perspective. There is always more than one side to a story. I've volunteered at a popular, well established animal shelter. I'm happy, relieved and grateful when puppy mill puppies, abused dogs, senior dogs who have only ever had one owner, neglected dogs, dogs with ongoing expensive medical issues leave the shelter to go to their new homes and the behaved, next-door-neighbor dog goes to their new home.

Yet I'm perplexed as to why there is a push for shining the spotlight on "rescue" dogs and almost no effort in the spotlight about efforts to reduce and prevent "rescue" dogs in the first place.

1. At the shelter I volunteered, the two most common age groups of dogs who were given up were 1-4 years old and seniors. A common reason for young pups to be dropped off is their owners can't handle them anymore. There's nothing wrong with the dogs. They just hadn't been trained not to be mouthy, not to jump, etc.

Suggestion: A campaign to educate the public about the benefits for dog classes and DIY training resources.

2. At the shelter, puppies are rescued from puppy mills on a regular basis.

Suggestion: Focus efforts to prevent and shut down puppy mills. Educate the public about not buying from puppy mills. I realize there are other driving factors like low-cost puppy and availability.

3. Abused and neglected animals.

Suggestion: The spotlight only shines on the animals being "rescued" but what about shining the spotlight on why it happens, where it happens, how to reduce it from happening.

4. There are perceptions that a "rescue" is the better choice over breeders. The focus on "rescue" perpetuates "rescue". Granted there is a percentage of "rescue" dogs that will always happen; however, there is a percentage of "rescues" that could have been prevented.

I was in a meeting for volunteers and gained some insight into the organization. They're primary focus on how to raise money was endowment gifts. At the time they stated they had one million dollars in their account.

The dogs are only walked by volunteers. If not enough volunteers are scheduled are don't show up, the dogs remain in their kennel. Some dogs get kennel stress and become mouthy. Many volunteers are uncomfortable leashing up a mouthy dog so they are passed by and left in the kennels until staff or another volunteer takes them out.

I've walked a dog who was mouthy when I took him out of the kennel but had stopped being mouthy after being outside for 15 min. Another dog, remained mouthy, and it was so stressful for me, to feel his teeth (gentle, no scratches) against my thigh (I wore jeans), knowing he does not intend to bite, hoping that this it truly just mouthy behavior, that I returned him to the kennel. The staff is busy working. Yet there is not one staff who is dedicated to walk the dogs if and when there is not enough volunteers. Yet they have one million dollars in their account (at the time of the meeting).

The focus on "rescue" is good, it sounds good, it attracts money.

The dog or cat who needs to be "rescued" also wishes it could have been prevented in the first place.

Prevention is not in the spotlight as much as "rescue".
 
#23 ·
I’ve been saying that for years! Why are we shaming people for buying versus adopting, instead of emphasizing the importance of properly caring for a dog? As well as choosing a dog that is for you.

I personally think there are a lot of people who do not know the importance of researching a breed and making sure it is for you—that includes rescuing a dog too. I’ve seen and heard of a lot of people, some first time dog owners, that give in to the whole “adopt don’t shop” rule, they get a breed that just isn’t for them (pitbull/pitbull mixed, chihuahuas, lab mixed). They think doing the “right” thing only matters and don’t want to be shamed for their decision and in the end, they’re just kind of unhappy because that dog’s temperament isn’t working out for them.
 
#24 ·
I listened to a podcast that really struck me about this issue. It was about how the shelter problem used to center around litters of pups from unfixed dogs. That's relatively not the problem anymore. Now it's mainly dogs with behavioral issues. The problem is that dogs keep coming in. We need to stop dogs from coming to shelters. That means more focus on setting dogs up for success. Supporting good breeders that breed for temperament who offer continued support and take back their dogs. Supporting low cost and free training classes for low income families. I would add that we should end pediatric spay and neuter because these are shown to increase behavioral problems.

Buying from a top quality ethical preservation breeder IS helping the shelter problem. Educating new forum members on how to choose breeders IS helping the shelter problem. I think these things are much more beneficial than trying to shame people into getting dogs that aren't right for them. Sometimes a rescue is a great choice or even better choice than a breeder dog. But often it isn't.
 
#27 ·
In addition to lack of training, many people buy a purebred dog for its looks with no idea about the typical personality of that breed. For example, if you are dedicated to having a picture-perfect yard, you should not buy a dachshund or a terrier! If you are a couch potato, don't get a breed that needs lots of exercise. If you don't have a tall fence around your yard you should not buy a dog who excels at jumping and running. If you cannot afford frequent trips to a groomer and don't want to do it yourself, you don't need a poodle or any other breed that requires trimming. Etc.
 
#30 ·
One of the shelters near me has an extensive training program. It's pretty much all the intro classes for AKC certs (CGC, Agility, Scent, etc.) plus a puppy socialization class and a behavioral remediation class. The fees from these classes go back into supporting the shelter mission. Win-win. Owners get support with their dogs, and more dogs get helped.
 
#34 ·
I have had second-hand dogs, for sure, and a couple of free mixed-breed puppies from unplanned litters. They were good dogs, with no particular issues, and I kept them all their lives (the remaining rescued dog is 14 or 15 years old now).

However, what I wanted to do was competition obedience, and the rescued dogs weren't capable of getting beyond Novice or Open, and only in venues with no out-of-sight stays. (This was when there were still out-of-sights in AKC.) That's what a carefully bred dog should be capable of doing, given a thoughtful trainer/owner.

Going to an ethical breeder adds a lot of predictability to your selection. First, the parents will be tested for genetic diseases. Also, heart, eyes, hips, elbows, and thyroid are tested as often as recommended. A dog with a bad temperament will not be bred. Who knew temperament could be inherited? Breeders know. If you want a particular kind of dog to do a particular job, look carefully at the parents for a preview of the possibilities.

A rescue group probably won't see a puppy at 6 weeks to do Volhard tests, but an ethical breeder will. They won't have the litter to do Puppy Culture environmental stimulus from birth, but an ethical breeder will. And an ethical breeder will require you to return the puppy at any time if you can't keep it. Then she'll keep it or try to place it herself to a home that will appreciate it.

I absolutely support anyone's decision to get a rescued dog. But what you'll get is a little like buying clothes at a thrift shop ... it's not impossible that you'll find Chanel or Dior on the racks, but it's certainly not a high probability.
 
#35 ·
And one more thought, which I didn't want to mix in with my response above ... a rescue group should face legal consequences for knowingly sending out a dog with a bite history. Not every dog is safe in a family setting. If the rescue doesn't believe in euthanasia, then the dog should be safely confined for the rest of its life.

I have a couple of friends who pulled a mixed breed with dog aggression from a shelter and brought her home. The dog could never be turned loose with their other four dogs. She received medications appropriate for human mental disorders. They built her a separate kennel and rotated her time in the house in their company to times when the other dogs were in the basement's "dog room." The dog lived out her natural life that way. I've never heard of anyone else going to these extremes to keep a pet dog alive--but that's what my friends have always done. Every dog in their care has a permanent home. (God love them!)
 
#36 ·
THIS.

I feel like the goal for rescues is to put them in a home that fits their personality and needs as well as any issues the dog might’ve had in the past. I’m on another forum, a person there recently posted a VERY traumatizing story about how their chihuahua was furiously attacked by a pitbull at a dog park. No provoking involved btw. I cannot even describe the story because it just hits too close to home (I have a chihuahua and live in a neighborhood where pit bulls are the common breed). Get this though, the owner of the pitbull told her that she just got the dog a few months back from a rescue that told her the dog spent almost her entire life in a puppy mill. The owner is clearly at fault, but I personally think the rescue shelter is too.

This dog clearly lacks social skills, that’s pretty much clear to anyone except this person who’s, in my opinion, clearly not experienced. I feel like there’s a chance that the shelter did not give this person specific instructions on what to do and what not to do with this dog either, something I find to be a problem as well. Even if they did, I feel like shelters should hold on to these dogs and grill those interested in the dog to see if they have what it takes to care for it.
 
#38 ·
WOW very interesting subject for sure. I have mixed feelings since I have two wonderful rescues sleeping here in the computer room with me now (as well as my SPOO). Rusty is 12. I adopted him when he was around 4 months (he's 65 lbs now). Suppose to be Shepherd/Beagle LOL. Trish is 3. Adopted when she was 1 (my very first small dog 16 lbs.) Both of the rescues I have now are GREAT dogs. It is a little harder with Trisha because there are things she can't do with me (like go horseback riding) but I don't ride as often now that I am older. I have to shovel a portion of the pen in the winter so she can go to the bathroom. I wanted a no shed breed. AND I wanted a 8 weeks old baby to choose and bring home. Since this is the first puppy I have had since retirement (my SPOO) I have enjoyed the whole experience so much more. One thing that another person mentioned was the VERY early spay/neuter that the adoption agencies do. I do not believe (although I understand their reasons) in that.
 
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