Four in 10 fear cats, dogs bought at stores would be ill
Article Source: msnbc.com
from:msnbc.comPoll: Most prefer pets from shelters
Seeded on Wed May 12, 2010 5:45 PM EDT (msnbc.com)
— Filed under: business, today, today-pets-animals, lifestyle, social-affairs, pets, social-issues, animal-welfare, pets-animals, pet-care
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There are other options. Dedicated breeders offer pets that are well bred and healthy. If you want a purebred animal, finding a serious breeder is the only way to go.
If you plan on showing or breeding, I agree. For plain old pets, go to your local shelter. There are some wonderful animals there, and sometimes even papered purebreds.
Or you can adopt a greyhound. Purebred, but still not as expensive as buying from a breeder. That's what we did. He's a retired racer - already leash and kennel trained. Super laid back. He's like an overgrown cat.
I think people feel better about themselves when they buy from a shelter. Funny thing is most of these people would never consider adopting a child.
The best way to get a good dog is to buy direct from a breeder. Go to the house/kennel and see the conditions for yourself.
Few people realize that dogs aquire permanent habits in the weeks between 8-12 weeks old. This is when it is easy to teach them good habits... or bad. Most shelter dogs had owners who did not care about the animal, teach them bad habits, and drop off the dog at a shelter.
Caring for a dog and caring for a human are hardly the same thing. I rescued an abandoned collie who's blind in one eye from an accident from my animal shelter, but I sure as hell am not interested in adopting and raising kids. So I guess that makes me selfish.
struck a nerve, huh?
Many people like controling things and animals must obey while children have minds of their own and make choices. These controling personalities are usually animal lovers/savers. USA even prevents use of animals for research that could save children's lives...I disagree with these priorities!
You've got to be kidding me. Why go to a breeder when there are perfectly good animals at shelters? And I seriously doubt that all pet owners are up to adopting a child. I'm 21 and have two cats, but no way could I adopt a child. Not to mention, they hardly ever let young, single people adopt in the first place. A lot of places won't even let gay couples adopt. There's no way you can even compare pets to having children, it's totally different. Besides, it's not like you can birth your own pets, but you can birth your own children. Your statement is ridiculous and not analogous at all.
Adopting a dog and adopting a child are two separate things and cannot be compared. A dog and a child are very different entities. While both need a lot of care and affection, they require more than this and human children require much, much more. I am in my late fifties and while I would not hesitate to give a dog or cat a home at my age, I would never adopt a child. A pet has a much shorter lifespan and I don't have to put them through school, college or worry about them dabbling in drugs or alcohol while I'm dealing with getting through my 60s, 70s, etc. My child-rearing days are behind me and I have been quite successful at raising children.
I currently have two shelter dogs and while they keep me busy, the responsibilities of raising them are much less than with children. I would never confuse a dog with a child, that's just utter nonsense. Both pets and children give you love, but in different ways and are beneficial to humans and animals alike. This article is about shelter animals, not adopting children, so stick to the subject.
Chief - you have no idea what you're talking about. Yes, children have minds of their own, but you still have to raise them and guide them in the ways you want them to go for their own benefit and well-being, so they can make the right choices. They don't make the right choices on their own, that's for sure, without a lot of help and love. I'm guessing you have absolutely no children and no pets, so your opinion means absolutely nothing to me and bears no credence whatsoever.
Hmm...I did not get my dog at a shelter. She was out of a litter that the owner did not want and was going to either crush the heads of the puppies who did not get a home or leave them on the side of the road. This was on the reservation, so it is very common. So I took one in any my sister took one in. All but two got adopted and my uncles dog killed them. So even though I did not rescue my dog from a shelter, I still consider her a rescued dog. As for the adopting a child thing, I do not consider myself selfish for not adopting a child. I am single, going to college, living in an apartment, and barely making it for the both of us. I needed a companion and so I got my dog. Not only could I not qualify for being an adopted parent, I have nothing to give a child. If anyone who thinks love is enough to raise a child, they need to jump back into reality. Children cost more and need more attention than dogs, so I am not sure who would be idiotic enough to even compare the two.
Troll alert, but obviously an amateur.
I dont think that you can even make a comparison about adopting a child or adopting a rescue animal.....I have always had rescues and they have been any where from 9 months old to 3 years old and have had no problems. I am not a puppy person and dont want to train a pupppy, so I always adopt a little bit older dogs..It works for me.
I bought my Aussie at a pet store becuase he was affordable and I thought I would never be able to buy one. He was reduced in price becuase he was 4months old and getting too big for the kennel he was in. He did come with kennel cough and worms but also a free vet visit. The store paid for the treatments he needed. The problem with shelters is that you seldom find out about behavioral problems until youget them home. Public shelters should have foster programs like the private shelters do. This would reduce the crowding and the dog would be aknown entity when adopted.
Shelters also have MAJOR problems of their own too when it comes to adopting. I personally have adopted several animals from the pound and have been hurt emotionally many times. They have diseases like distemper and parvo which run rampant in the shelters and just about the time you let your heart go out to one of these pets it either passes away on you from one of these diseases or has to be taken back for one reason or another. As for the behavioral problems, alot can be taken care of with just ALOT of patience and even more than alot of love, Love and MORE LOVE. However when i got my little pomeranian i knew what i was looking for and knew that the only place to get it ws a breeder who was honest and concerned about the breed and its further conformation status. So when i got him i went straightfor the breeder and ot t an AWESOME PUP. as far as going to a pet store the answer to that one is HELL TO THE NO......
RUFUS< I think you just lucked out with your little Aussie that he didnt have more problems than he did have from the pet store. I have also seen several Aussies in shelters too, sadly enough. But HONESTLY, I am happy that you and you little puppy are now just fine........every pet deserves and NEEDS a good home and someone to love them and someone for them to love.......UNCONDITIONALLY in both instances.....:GOOD LUCK and a happy life of friendship and love for both of you !!!
They should put the animals to sleep painlessly and people should spend their money and time on needy children. $50 billion dollars a year are spend on animal pets while children are hungry and need medical attention all over the world. I suggest a re-evaluation of priorities and place people on a higher level than animals!
And the poor shall alwasys be with us I know. To each his/her own.
Chief - Again, you have no idea what you're talking about. Many people in the world have pets and guess what? Many of these same people also contribute to charities helping children all over the world.
What are you doing to help these children? Do you contribute to the American Red Cross, Save The Children, your own local charities?
As far as I'm concerned, I contribute to several charities and volunteer at local food shelters when I can. Plus, I have saved two animal lives who show their appreciation every single day when I'm home and love me unconditionally.
Who says you can't help all species? Why do you need to put people above animals? We all live in the same world and should learn to share it with all species put here on earth.
Troll #2. Man, they're thick in here.
CHIEF, this is YOUR IDIOTIC OPINION and not necessairly the opinion of others. So why dont we just politely agree to DISAGREE and let it sit at that. We all know that you can do both. If you havent figured that out yet then it is your problem not ours......
Both of our cats were strays. I'm glad people seem to prefer shelters to anything else.
We adopted the best cat ever from a shelter. I LOVED that cat!! We had to return him after 1 week though because I found I'm severly allergic to cats :( . We hope he found a good home.
All of my animals are rescues, except for the chinchilla.
They make the best pets!
I have two cats, and neither are from a shelter or from a store. Each showed up in a parking lot, one at my home, the other at my place of work. They're my babies. :)
I also sponsor a child in Africa, so I'm not abandoning children either. And I donate to other charitable organizations that aid poor children, as well. It's not either/or between children and animals - it's both/and.
I have had wonderful pets from the shelter, and have two now. One was 3-1/2 years old when I adopted him and you could not ask for a better family dog. I wish the President and his family would have adopted a dog from the shelter to help set a good example. There are many wonderful dogs and cats ready to be adopted. The shelters take great care in evaluating the temperaments and know how to place the dogs.
Every pet deserves a good home and fair treatment regardless of where they are from.
Very well said! Bravo!
I have both a shelter pet and a breeder pet. The problem that I find with shelters is that sometimes, adopting can be a grueling process, and I wonder if adopting a human baby may be easier. I am not speaking for all shelters, but many shelters will turn down a potential pet owner because of ridiculous reasons. For instance, my friend and her husband were recently turned down by a shelter because they did not have a fence around their yard. They are very caring, well-to-do people who would have taken great care of that little dog, and they even planned to walk it every day, as opposed to just let it sit in the yard, but no fence, no dog. So, they went and bought a puppy from a breeder. I know another person who was not permitted to adopt a pet because she wanted to have the kitten declawed. I agree the declawing is mean, but it's up to the person who owns the animal to do what they feel is right for them and their pet, and declawing is not illegal; she went and bought a cat from a retail store, and so on. My point, if shelters would rather euthanize a pet or let it live in a cramped cage rather than give it to a loving home because of several extremely petty issues, then they are just as bad as the puppy/kitten mills. Unfortunately, many of the pet shelter volunteers that I personally know, are people who do not have much education, and they get a power trip from having the ability to make a decision for someone else. It's their little taste of being a manager if you will. So, sometimes they take pleasure in being the "shelter police," and turning people down, or making them jump through hoops. Good intentioned people need better and easier access to shelter pets.
I think once we see the shelters relax a bit in their adoption policies, we will see more people adopting from them and less from breeders and stores.
I adopted my domestic short haired cat 2 years ago from the humane society. She was approximately 3 years old at the time of the adoption. Shes the best friend I could ever ask for. Shes been awesome. These animals are down on their luck and are in a very uncertain place and they need our help. Ive never regretted adopting not once.
So tell me, if we stop buying from reputable breeders, where will the next generation of puppies and kittens come from? We need to support the reputable breeders.
BINGO! If we eliminate the responsible breeders, we'll have "black market" and imported pets (higher priced and potentially poorer quality and/or diseased); fewer people with pets (pets *proven* to be beneficial to people's mental health); and a society envisioned by the *humaniacs* (H$U$, PeTA, et al) that place animals above people. Why don't people use common sense and reasoning and see through the "propaganda mill" BIG LIES being foisted on the public by the "animal rights" INDUSTRY (H$U$, PeTA, et al)????? Is this America or AR-crazy land?
Shelters or Dog pounds were initially formed as a health initiative to pick up diseased or stray aggressive dogs that were creating health problems in the city by passing on on to humans more than 150 diseases such as rabies, the plague(which still resides in all Western States and is kept in check by feral cats) Bordetella bronchiseptica, Brucellosis, Chagas disease (trypanosomiasis), Dermatophytosis (ringworm), dermatophilosis, sporotrichosis, Malassezia and Rhinosporidium infections, Ehrlichiosis, Salmonella, Yersinia, Giardia, Cryptosporidium, Pentatrichomonas hominis, Tritrichomonas fetus, Enterocytozoon bieneusi, Hepatitis E virus, Influenza viruses as zoonoses, Larva migrans and Echinococcus hydatidosis, Leptospirosis, Lyme disease, Tuberculosis, Schizophrenia and Borna disease virus,West Nile virus, and many more. Many shelter dogs will be returned according to the most recent study about 47% that have been sold due to behavior or health problems. What people don't realize is that the shelter dog is not the healthy animal the animal rights people claim it to be. Many carry various diseases that can be transmitted to humans. A young boy lost his eye to a worm infection he got from his shelter puppy. Shelters cannot afford more than a cursory check of their animals and they provide no follow up training as do responsible breeders. Also studies show that mixed breed dogs have more than 150 possible genetic issues more than responsibly bred dogs do. So I am all for adoption but be very careful as I am tired of telling people that their new dog has an expensive or untreatable illness they just got from the shelter. Be extremely careful if you have an infant or toddler in the home as a shelter dog is rife with diseases. If animal rights radicals get their way there will be no companion animals within the next ten years.
EXCELLENT explanation of REALITY (not "animal rights" BIG LIES). The 10-year projection is chilling and possible, except that I don't believe the American people will stand for it once they are awakened--and they are waking up! The strategy is incremental legislative steps to elevate animal legal rights and of course, who better to stand up for those "rights" than AR *true believers* who are at their core people-haters and controllers. David Favre (ALDF) stated the legal incremental strategy at a conference I attended and that he hoped it would happen in his lifetime--so I bet he's thrilled with the past few years (esp. since Pacelle took over H$U$ in 2005 and began *aggressively attacking* all animal industries--pets, livestock, etc.).
Please read our story about trying to adopt a pet from craigslist that turned into the rescue of a kitten: http://i-am-is-my-blog.blogspot.com/2010/07/blue.html.