Those of you who rescue...and those of you who buy..
- Thread starter Criosphynx
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Those of you who adopt (got it right this time?:lol-sign
... do you go through the shelter system or through a private rescue....why/why not?
... do you go through the shelter system or through a private rescue....why/why not?
i think it very much depends on the rescue. i might consider a bc from a rescue in the distant future. i don't know if they'd place one with me or not.
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All my dogs have been purchased from breeders or something resembling a breeder.
All my cats have been from the humane society except one who was rescued by my vet and then adopted out to me.
Im not pointing out the issue of the cats to make purchasing dogs sound better, my point is I have nothing wrong with adopting, I dont need to go to a breeder, however, small dogs are the only kind that fit my lifestyle. Shelters here never have small dogs, so I had tried to go the rescue route and honestly most (NOT ALL) rescues make it their mission to make adoptions as hard as possible. A dog in my house would be better off than a dog in a lot of other houses... yet NO FENCE, NO DOG with alot of rescues here. Nevermind the fact that my dogs get walks, they go to the dog park, they play together, etc... NO FENCE, NO DOG FINAL ANSWER, that seems silly. They dont want to call my vet and see how well they are taken care of medically, they dont want to call the groomer and find out they come every 6 weeks without fail, they dont want to know what kind of food we feed or training we do, or how much time we spend with them. I have said it before but many rescues are sending people running into the arms of irresponsible breeders (because many people wont take the time to research good breeders or dont know what a good breeder is and they end up at a pet store or a BYB).
So, I would be happy to rescue my next dog, I will probably be looking next year for one, and I will try my hardest to get one from a rescue. But I will not be told that I can not own animals because I dont have a fence, so if the rescue thing doesnt work out I will be finding a breeder instead.
So I guess after my small rant, to answer your question, I would be more than happy to rescue, if the rescue would like to find their dog a good, forever home.
All my cats have been from the humane society except one who was rescued by my vet and then adopted out to me.
Im not pointing out the issue of the cats to make purchasing dogs sound better, my point is I have nothing wrong with adopting, I dont need to go to a breeder, however, small dogs are the only kind that fit my lifestyle. Shelters here never have small dogs, so I had tried to go the rescue route and honestly most (NOT ALL) rescues make it their mission to make adoptions as hard as possible. A dog in my house would be better off than a dog in a lot of other houses... yet NO FENCE, NO DOG with alot of rescues here. Nevermind the fact that my dogs get walks, they go to the dog park, they play together, etc... NO FENCE, NO DOG FINAL ANSWER, that seems silly. They dont want to call my vet and see how well they are taken care of medically, they dont want to call the groomer and find out they come every 6 weeks without fail, they dont want to know what kind of food we feed or training we do, or how much time we spend with them. I have said it before but many rescues are sending people running into the arms of irresponsible breeders (because many people wont take the time to research good breeders or dont know what a good breeder is and they end up at a pet store or a BYB).
So, I would be happy to rescue my next dog, I will probably be looking next year for one, and I will try my hardest to get one from a rescue. But I will not be told that I can not own animals because I dont have a fence, so if the rescue thing doesnt work out I will be finding a breeder instead.
So I guess after my small rant, to answer your question, I would be more than happy to rescue, if the rescue would like to find their dog a good, forever home.
Most of my dogs have come from breeders. My next will probably be a corgi from a breeder. After that, I don't know what I'll get.
I doubt I'd get one from a shelter and I definitely wouldn't take in a stray. I want something that will be able to compete, and that's too difficult to evaluate at a shelter.
I also would like to become involved with fostering corgis at some point in the near future.
I doubt I'd get one from a shelter and I definitely wouldn't take in a stray. I want something that will be able to compete, and that's too difficult to evaluate at a shelter.
I also would like to become involved with fostering corgis at some point in the near future.
No one could be a more breed snob that I !! For newbies here , I bred and raised Goldens for over 50 years . When I released my Chip to the Golden Bridge I was heart broken . He was picky eating on a Saturday , refused food on a Sunday . Into vets on Monday , Tuesday was the 4th of July and he had ultra sound on Wednesday ... major cancer so I let him go . That night sucked !!! First time I didn't have a fuzzy to cuddle with . I went on Petfinder at 3:30 AM and up popped Ollie . I got him on Friday ! He was listed as Golden/poodle but he screamed Golden ! I think his other 1/2 is Chessie . Sorry to those who know the story !
My family has both adopted dogs from rescue and bought from breeders. For now though, I prefer the predictability of getting a dog from a reputable breeder... and I hope to be able to breed someday as well. I like knowing the parents were health tested, I like knowing the parents were of sound temperament, I like the support for the life of the dog, etc. There are tonnes of things I like when it comes to getting a dog from a breeder. I've had my share of rescues/fosters, and will probably adopt someday again, or at the very least, foster.
If/when I do go the rescue route again, chances are that due to a really bad experience with my local shelter, I'll seek out an actual rescue organization. Either breed specific rescue (as we did with our last two adopted dogs), or something like ARF (Animal Rescue Foundation) that takes in all sorts of dogs.
If/when I do go the rescue route again, chances are that due to a really bad experience with my local shelter, I'll seek out an actual rescue organization. Either breed specific rescue (as we did with our last two adopted dogs), or something like ARF (Animal Rescue Foundation) that takes in all sorts of dogs.
All of our planned dogs in the near future (next 5-10 years) will be from a breeder. We fostered a lot before Aurelia was born, and no way could I bring something with an unknown history around her. Adopting puppies is all well and good too, but the reason we decided against it is because with mixed shelter puppies you can't tell at that young age what they will look like they are mixed with, and we're still in a renting phase of our lives so can't deal with breed restrictions.
Once we buy a place with acreage Robert and I do plan to adopt a senior sibe. I feel like one would get along well with our hounds, and the old dogs definitely need homes. We've always loved sibes and giving a senior rescue a good home for it's last few years sounds like a good fit for us.
Once we buy a place with acreage Robert and I do plan to adopt a senior sibe. I feel like one would get along well with our hounds, and the old dogs definitely need homes. We've always loved sibes and giving a senior rescue a good home for it's last few years sounds like a good fit for us.
I got Luna from a "friend" who got her a few months before from a shelter.... so I still call her a rescue. I was planning on going to the shelter myself, but my friend heard that I was looking for a small dog to be my demo dog, and she was trying to find a new home for Luna, so there you go.
In the future I'd definately be open to adopting a dog straight out of a shelter. I do a lot of shelter evaluations with work, and feel like I have a pretty good idea of how to find the dog I'm looking for. I'd rather go through a shelter than a rescue, just because it frees up the rescue to adopt to someone who doesn't have shelter screening experience.
Or, like I said before, if I'm looking for a specific breed and can't find it in any shelters, my next choice would be to go to a breed rescue group.
I do agree that the best choice for JQP looking to adopt a pet dog would be to go through a rescue. If that's not possible (too rigid adoption requirements or whatever), the next option would be to hire a trainer to help him do shelter evaluations to find the right dog in a shelter.
In the future I'd definately be open to adopting a dog straight out of a shelter. I do a lot of shelter evaluations with work, and feel like I have a pretty good idea of how to find the dog I'm looking for. I'd rather go through a shelter than a rescue, just because it frees up the rescue to adopt to someone who doesn't have shelter screening experience.
Or, like I said before, if I'm looking for a specific breed and can't find it in any shelters, my next choice would be to go to a breed rescue group.
I do agree that the best choice for JQP looking to adopt a pet dog would be to go through a rescue. If that's not possible (too rigid adoption requirements or whatever), the next option would be to hire a trainer to help him do shelter evaluations to find the right dog in a shelter.
well...seems I have a variety--
dog #1 from a breeder (Traveler)--wanted specific breed,stable temperament as she was a puppy for our young children
dog #2 from a local Rescue group (Libby--RIP)--wanted adult dog, that would get along with dog number one!
dog #3 from a local shelter (Baxter)--wanted adult dog that would get along with dog number one!
dog #4 a rescue from kill shelter (Wilson)--what was I thinking? :rofl1: He just grabbed my heart, and I knew I had to do something.
I don't know that I will actively seek out another dog anytime soon--so not sure if/what a future dog would be!
Oh--and I wanted to add that out of all four of those dogs, Wilson cost me the most in terms of laying out my own cash....for vetting, neuter, vaccs, etc. Funny, eh?
dog #1 from a breeder (Traveler)--wanted specific breed,stable temperament as she was a puppy for our young children
dog #2 from a local Rescue group (Libby--RIP)--wanted adult dog, that would get along with dog number one!
dog #3 from a local shelter (Baxter)--wanted adult dog that would get along with dog number one!
dog #4 a rescue from kill shelter (Wilson)--what was I thinking? :rofl1: He just grabbed my heart, and I knew I had to do something.
I don't know that I will actively seek out another dog anytime soon--so not sure if/what a future dog would be!
Oh--and I wanted to add that out of all four of those dogs, Wilson cost me the most in terms of laying out my own cash....for vetting, neuter, vaccs, etc. Funny, eh?
Well, if we are playing the semantics game - Meg was given to me! GASP! You should NEVER give/get a dog as a gift, right? I had no idea I was such a terrible person!
Meg was pulled from a high-kill southern shelter for me from my best friend, who runs a local private rescue. She came up as a "see if you like her, if not, I'll just place her and we'll try again" option; needless to say, she stayed. I never did give my friend the money for the pull-fee.
As for future dogs, almost all will probably come to me the same way. My friend knows me very well, and will be trusted with finding the right dog for me. I get way too attached too easily - I nearly kept the beagle/whippet mix I fostered before I got Meg. I needed someone a bit separated from the situation to say "this is a bad, bad idea for you".
Depending on when the next dog comes along, I MAY get it from a breeder. Not because I don't think I could find what I want in rescue, but because I don't think I'd be able to recognize it. I have to go the puppy route because of Meg's issues, and I think it is very hard to really evaluate a puppy. I've got friends in the right places to help me find a litter that will be pretty likely to produce the dog I want.
Meg was pulled from a high-kill southern shelter for me from my best friend, who runs a local private rescue. She came up as a "see if you like her, if not, I'll just place her and we'll try again" option; needless to say, she stayed. I never did give my friend the money for the pull-fee
. As for future dogs, almost all will probably come to me the same way. My friend knows me very well, and will be trusted with finding the right dog for me. I get way too attached too easily - I nearly kept the beagle/whippet mix I fostered before I got Meg. I needed someone a bit separated from the situation to say "this is a bad, bad idea for you".
Depending on when the next dog comes along, I MAY get it from a breeder. Not because I don't think I could find what I want in rescue, but because I don't think I'd be able to recognize it. I have to go the puppy route because of Meg's issues, and I think it is very hard to really evaluate a puppy. I've got friends in the right places to help me find a litter that will be pretty likely to produce the dog I want.
I don't know if you'd call Alexa a rescue or a purchase. I got her from our neighbors who had an "oops". They had a purebred Rottweiler who wasn't fixed and they rescued a lab. When they took her in to get spayed, they found out she was pregnant. They still don't know how it happened because they kept the dogs separate. When I got Alexa from them I paid them for the shots they gave her and the dew claw removal and that was it.
Past dogs that I had were from breeders. One was an Irish Setter and the other a Border Collie. In the future I want a dog from a good breeder but if there's ever a dog in a rescue nearby that pops out at me, I'll probably take it home.
Past dogs that I had were from breeders. One was an Irish Setter and the other a Border Collie. In the future I want a dog from a good breeder but if there's ever a dog in a rescue nearby that pops out at me, I'll probably take it home.
All but one of my dogs have been from rescue. Most of them were private rescues. That means I am the one that actually took the dog out of bad situations. Usually with the help of the police or ACO but not coming from a humane society or anything like that.
I do currently have one dog from a humane society right now. He was supposed to be a foster. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time when he was brought in to be euthanized. His owner was given the option of putting him to sleep humanely or having the wounds that he (the owner) inflicted on the pup treated by a vet. Since the man was unwilling to spend the money to treat the pup (4 1/2 months) he brought him in to be put to sleep. I told them, I would foster him and get him to the vet. They agreed to let me. I paid well over $1,200 for that dog and then with the humane societies "no background checks" adoption policy they were going to adopt him to someone that wanted him to live in their milk house. I was like.... I just spend a ton of money to fix this poor dogs leg and now you want to take him half healed and toss him into a stupid milk house to be ignored? I adopted him that day and guess what? They charged ME and adoption fee.
I won't be adopting from that shelter ever again. I can't say I won't go to a different shelter that lives the mission a bit better though. I have had some amazing dogs and they have all but one been rescues.
The one dog I got from a breeder is wonderful too. I guess time will tell if I save money on vet bills like the breeder people say. :lol-sign:
I do currently have one dog from a humane society right now. He was supposed to be a foster. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time when he was brought in to be euthanized. His owner was given the option of putting him to sleep humanely or having the wounds that he (the owner) inflicted on the pup treated by a vet. Since the man was unwilling to spend the money to treat the pup (4 1/2 months) he brought him in to be put to sleep. I told them, I would foster him and get him to the vet. They agreed to let me. I paid well over $1,200 for that dog and then with the humane societies "no background checks" adoption policy they were going to adopt him to someone that wanted him to live in their milk house. I was like.... I just spend a ton of money to fix this poor dogs leg and now you want to take him half healed and toss him into a stupid milk house to be ignored? I adopted him that day and guess what? They charged ME and adoption fee.
I won't be adopting from that shelter ever again. I can't say I won't go to a different shelter that lives the mission a bit better though. I have had some amazing dogs and they have all but one been rescues.
The one dog I got from a breeder is wonderful too. I guess time will tell if I save money on vet bills like the breeder people say. :lol-sign:
Maya was purchased from a pet store. She was advertised as a rescue (she's a mutt), but basically the pet store takes unwanted litters and sells them for a profit. I was not as well educated about puppy mills etc when I bought her. She is my first and last pet store puppy, but I can't imagine life without her. She cost more than Murphy (who is a purebred boxer), who came from a shelter.
I fully intended to go to a local boxer rescue when I was ready to adopt. We were at the shelter helping my husband's grandmother look for a dog when we came across Murphy. It was pretty much love at first sight and within 5 minutes of having him in the room I told my husband to go adopt him. I am grateful every day that we were able to give him a good home. I get teary eyed when I think that he could have been euthanized or adopted by someone unsuitable. In the future, if we have a specific breed in mind I will probably look in both shelters and in rescues. Whichever dog we get that connection with will come home with us.
I've considered getting a boxer from a reputable breeder, but I probably will not. Since I don't want to show, I don't have a real reason to go to a breeder, but it's always a consideration. If we eventually get the english bulldog my husband wants we may consider a breeder though. They are not very common in the shelters around here and with all the health problems we may decide to go with a breeder.
I fully intended to go to a local boxer rescue when I was ready to adopt. We were at the shelter helping my husband's grandmother look for a dog when we came across Murphy. It was pretty much love at first sight and within 5 minutes of having him in the room I told my husband to go adopt him. I am grateful every day that we were able to give him a good home. I get teary eyed when I think that he could have been euthanized or adopted by someone unsuitable. In the future, if we have a specific breed in mind I will probably look in both shelters and in rescues. Whichever dog we get that connection with will come home with us.
I've considered getting a boxer from a reputable breeder, but I probably will not. Since I don't want to show, I don't have a real reason to go to a breeder, but it's always a consideration. If we eventually get the english bulldog my husband wants we may consider a breeder though. They are not very common in the shelters around here and with all the health problems we may decide to go with a breeder.
Most of my future dogs will be from FOHA/county shelters or whatever. I do want at least one purebred pup from a good breeder. I only have one breed in mind that I want (and I'm sure a lot of people on here can guess what it is ). I want to know what its like to have well bred pup and raise it to be a well adjusted adult dog. I've never known what its like to have a normal dog. And I guess I want to prove it to myself that I can raise a normal dog.
I like the idea of getting dogs from FOHA because I can bring my dog up there and see if she gets along with the dogs before bringing them home. The Fauquier SPCA also lets you do that, but I don't think that PW Animal Shelter or City of Manassas let you do that. You have to really know dog behavior in order to pull a good dog from the kill shelters around here. Most of them don't know anything about the dogs they have. Their little form that you sign when adopting has a disclaimer on it that says they make no claims as to the behavior of the animal, cannot be held legally accountable, etc. etc.
With a good private rescue who knows what they are doing, you have some assurance that you are adopting a good dog.
). I want to know what its like to have well bred pup and raise it to be a well adjusted adult dog. I've never known what its like to have a normal dog. And I guess I want to prove it to myself that I can raise a normal dog.I like the idea of getting dogs from FOHA because I can bring my dog up there and see if she gets along with the dogs before bringing them home. The Fauquier SPCA also lets you do that, but I don't think that PW Animal Shelter or City of Manassas let you do that. You have to really know dog behavior in order to pull a good dog from the kill shelters around here. Most of them don't know anything about the dogs they have. Their little form that you sign when adopting has a disclaimer on it that says they make no claims as to the behavior of the animal, cannot be held legally accountable, etc. etc.
With a good private rescue who knows what they are doing, you have some assurance that you are adopting a good dog.