I wish they would incorporate a law saying people HAD to take training classes before taking on a cat or dog! Sign legal papers that they will care for the pet and take dogs to obedience, and if they don't plan to breed them purebred, to have them fixed! I mean legal papers that they will keep them for life.
I wish for those that take on a pet because they are "oh so adorable!" that they could try it out for two weeks, see what it's about, and give back to where it came from if it doesn't.
I just wish there was something more we could do to stop idiots (and it amazes me at how many there are) from ever owning a pet!
I did adopt a dog from an animal rescue. Your concerns are valid and the animal rescues I looked into met those qualifications. I live in California so I don't know if this is true in all states.
I think a big issue is this instant gratification society we live in.....
I breed occasionally, only when I want a puppy to show for myself. The average wait for a puppy of mine is 8 mos. I have a waiting list prior to the puppies ever being conceived. I have a litter due NEXT summer if all goes well and I have a waiting list for that litter at this point....
the problem is that people don't do their homework.... they don't know what they are getting themselves into. And just because a dog is a purebred dog doesn't mean it should be bred..... each of my dogs has to prove to me that they have something special that would benefit the breed in order for them to be bred. I have a couple of dogs here that will never be bred and one that is still up in the air until we see the clearances....
I screen extensively..... I don't allow people to pick their own puppy, I match puppies to families, I MUST meet ALL members of the family..... even the little ones, I make them sign a seperate right of first refusal which means if they EVER can't keep their puppy I must get that puppy back..... I check references. I don't place puppies on a first come first served.... I place them based on how experienced the family is and I always go with my gut. I require TWO levels of training class and spay/neuter...... I lay out rules for food (I prefer a raw diet but will let families pick from a list of holistic premium kibbles)..... I don't take deposits until I know that I have a puppy for the person and their family and it is in their best interests to come and visit the pups a few times before they go home. I never ever ever ship a puppy. I could go on and on......
My personal opinion is that puppy hood is over rated..... sure they are cute.... its evolution .... gotta keep the little buggers alive long enough to grow up and if they weren't cute you would wanna kill them..... (as you know)
we are an instant gratification society.....and until that changes and people are willing to wait and not be impulsive... I fear nothing will change.
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36, as a breeder you are doing the right thing, and a lot of breeders have the same expectations and prehoming rules... but I fear there are just as many, or more, that do not, as well as private owners that don't fix their *****es and welp pups and just give them away. Any given day you can visit craigs list or local news papers and find unwanted pets and puppies going for 'free" or whatever, all you do is have to raise your hand. I know when I picked up Jade, they made me sign a return paper, if I couldn't keep her to bring her back to them, and have her spayed, but that was it. they say they do home inspections, a year later and not even a phone call from the agency!
Our humane society does much the same. They have requirements, but sometimes don't follow through. However, hubby and I volunteer at the shelter and we know they're doing the best they can, and to a very large degree have to trust people to do the right thing. Their application is long and detailed - asking you how you would deal with behavioral problems, etc. So they're better at screening than follow up (but I'd prefer that to the reverse).
I have a friend who was VERY upset with the humane society because they wouldn't just "give" her a dog without her husband having to come to the shelter or at least calling and talking to the shelter staff ("he works" during their business hours). To her way of thinking, these dogs "need" homes, so they should be anxious to give the dogs to anyone who wants them.
I tried to tell her what I had seen, and learned volunteering for humane societies about what happens when shelters DON'T screen, but she continues to badmouth the local shelter, so I know it didn't sink in.
I also encourage people whenever they're considering a pet, to use the shelters and to get an older animal. In April our cat died (she died of an undiagnosed heart defect, she was only four, and we'd had her only two years). We returned to the same shelter, and brought home ChubChub. Or friends were shocked that we brought home an 8 year old, very fat cat. They asked us if we didn't want a kitten to reduce (or at least postpone) the
chance of having another cat die on us. We told them that our agreement when going to the shelter was to pick the cat that chose us, and this was the cat that chose us.
It was actually funny, because we knew that some cats that would be shy at first, would warm up to us later, so we knew we might be passing up some very nice cats. But we're home most of the time, being forced into early retirement by disability, and we wanted a cat that was VERY social. Our ChubChub (then named Joker) was so LOVEY we had to take her home - and then we hardly saw her for three days (she hid under the bed). We were afraid we'd made a mistake, that this was a cat who didn't like people, but once she got her bearings she has been a big lover. Our little KiKi h ad been so clingy and dependent (maybe because she knew there was something wrong with her) and ChubChub is much more independent - demanding actually. I've never regretted our decision (though I was very surprised that she was the cat that picked us).
I agree that too many people don't think things through. A puppy is an impusle buy, far too often. If there were a mandatory "waiting period," (and for many shelters their are) maybe many people would give it a little more thought. I encourage my friends to volunteer at least one day at a humane society. I know it gave me an entirely different perspective of pet ownership, as I saw dogs and cats that had been abused, abandoned in apartments, "traded in" for a new pet. Our shelter gets so many elderly animals in - some because their owners have died, but many I suspect because the owners don't want to face their pets death. One small elderly dog recently was given away because it didn't get along with the "new puppy." I just want to smack people sometimes. My biggest pet peeve is people who give up pets that violated their landlord rules, those that sneak in a cat or dog to a "no pets" apartment, or buy a dog that will grow to exceed the landlord's size requirements (just because it was under 25 lbs when you brought him home - you knew a german shepherd wasn't going to stay under 25 lbs).
I too wish that was the case, I wish people understood what they were getting into. Pet's aren't disposable items, although alot of people treat them that way.
I too wish that was the case, I wish people understood what they were getting into. Pet's aren't disposable items, although alot of people treat them that way.
i sort of have the same view about having kids and pets. I feel that before anyone has a kid or a pet they should have lots of education. Trust me, i think a lot of people should not have kids...and yes i do see a lot of people who treat kids as disposable also. But i didn't want to step on anyone's toes
i sort of have the same view about having kids and pets. I feel that before anyone has a kid or a pet they should have lots of education. Trust me, i think a lot of people should not have kids...and yes i do see a lot of people who treat kids as disposable also. But i didn't want to step on anyone's toes
I guess when it comes to kids, perhaps we should step on a few more toes! Perhaps a few childrens lives would be saved, wether physical, emotional or what not!
If anyone doubts this is true, they only have to check out the "pets" section of Craigslist. I cannot believe how many people are "moving and can't take the dog/cat".....when you open it up, it's a puppy or kitten. I mean, who is stupid enough to believe that? Obviously they got a puppy or kitten without having a clue how much of a commitment they have to make, or how much work they are. So they just throw them on Craigslist. And the worst ones are turning into a money making scheme, charging outrageous "rehoming fees". It's sick that someone would try to profit from dumping an animal they thought they wanted a month ago.
Carina, another favorite to use is "I've grown allergies".. I found an 8 yr old chocolate lab that I picked up for my sis and her family, according to the owners they got the dog 3 years ago, and the mother just developed allergies. Mind you, Biko (unlike my tucker) was trained... But becky could teach him a few more things. Biko is a goood pup in that he stays with you when outside, doesn't run off, he sits, bye bye car, loves to swim, and knows drop it. But he needs work on the drop it. But becky being the third owner... it's a little sad.
Tucker stays with me too... Thats one good quality about him. I just did an hours worth of work out in the yard and he was not tied up. he staid right near me! And I only have one leash so I tie Jade up, but Tucker stays in the yard. A few times he started going out of the yard I called him back and he came hopping, glad to be called!
I wish they would incorporate a law saying people HAD to take training classes before taking on a cat or dog! Sign legal papers that they will care for the pet and take dogs to obedience, and if they don't plan to breed them purebred, to have them fixed!
ummm...what makes people that want to purebreed dogs saints and exempt from spaying or neutering?!? my .02:
a) puppymillers are also purebreeders
b) purebreeders make money exploiting animals
c) purebreeders are still bringing more dogs into a country that has millions upon millions of more pets than it can handle
A couple months ago, we got a dog from the shelter. We were actually his 3rd family through the shelter, he is 2.5 years old. The shelter screens people but each of the previous owners only had him 3 months before they gave him up. We did an extensive application and home interview and from the point where we found him to when we took him home was about 2 weeks.
So some shelters do screen but still that doesnt mean a lot. If was up to me, breeding would be extremely limited because there are just too many dogs/cats in the world. I actually prefer mixed breeds myself and if given the choice, I'd choose a mixed breed dog over one that was purebred.
Rescue groups are generally more stringent on who they will allow to adopt their animals (more so than most humane societies IMO). Reputable breeders are also pretty stringent. Both rescue groups and reputable breeders usually take back animals that owners cannot/will not keep (better than turning the animal to a humane society where it's future is unknown). Mind you I said reputable breeders--no puppy mill breeders. These are two DISTINCTLY different groups. I know reputable breeders that often only have a litter every two or three years and rarely have more than two or three litters from the same mother.
Informing people before adoption
