If you are interested in adding a pet to your family, please, please give rescue adoption a chance!
Petfinder is a national website that will show you animals in your area that you might be interested in. They list dogs from nearby 'rescues' as well as the local animal shelters. In most cases, you see pictures of the dog, and get information about the dog, such as housetraining, disposition towards children and other pets, age, habits, fears, tricks, and sometimes background info, like how the dog was found.
We have one dog from a 'breeder'. She had parasites, worms, was horrified of grass - telling us she never left her back porch that was covered in newspaper. She isn't social, and she has never totally 100 percent house trained. We have to keep our eyes on her all the time! I suspect we got her well before she was 8 weeks old. She looked like a standard chihuahua puppy, but now that she is grown, she has the stature of a pug, and is much larger than expected. I think we may have gotten her before she was ready to be weaned, so her small size could pass off as a smaller dog, like her mother (if that was really her mother). We're lucky she didn't suffer more health problems.
Our second addition came from Petfinder. We typed in our zip code and searched for a boy chihuahua to keep Truffle company. She felt lonely, and was afraid of other dogs, but thought if she had a brother (we were warned to not get another girl, especially since she was yappy and scared around other dogs) that she would be happier. So we found Ripley, a 4 hour drive from here. We paid $300 (that is the high end - in general, it is less expensive) and he was hand delivered by a rescue caravan. That is when people volunteer to pick up rescue dogs at a location, and drive to another location to either give the dog to the new owner, or to pass off to somebody else picking up another leg of the trip. That isn't always available, so we were lucky. He came to us neutered, tested for heartworms, and up to date on all vaccines. We already knew from his foster mother than he got along well with other dogs, was housetrained, and that he made cute little noises when he wanted to be picked up and loved. When they opened the door to the van, he was looking right at us, wagging his tail. He rode home on my husband's lap, and enjoyed a good nights sleep between our feet. He was very skinny, and for several months, he wagged his tail the whole time he ate. About 4 months after we got him, he started to excite-pee when we came home. That broke my heart, because I knew then it had finally sunk in that he loved us, and was happy his family was back home! He got over the excited pee soon, and now he's just super happy and best buddies with Truffle, and madly in love with us. He curls up with us and lets out the most wonderful relaxed sigh at night. It's great to know we made such a difference in each others lives.
I love both of my dogs the same, even though I talk at such length about my rescue dog. It is just an emotional story for me though, because I wonder so many times, how did he end up in a shelter? How did he get passed up day after day, and wind up within a day of death before his foster mother took him in? What did he go through before we got him? Was he scared and cold? That is what I think of when he does his content-sigh, because I know he is uber-happy!
I haven't been able to talk my husband and son in to getting a 3rd dog yet. So instead, I donate money whenever I can to rescue organizations. The lady that rescued Ripley spends all of her extra money on saving animals. She pays the fee at the animal shelters, gets vet care, and feeds and cares for the animals. The fee we pay for the pet barely covers all of the expenses they have. The more money the rescues have, the less dogs will die or suffer. I either send her checks, or I paypal money to dogs I see on petfinder that need operations, or special care.
You can find all kinds of animals on petfinder, and they range from babies to senior pets, just looking for somewhere to comfortably spend their retirement. You can find a pet that is a good fit for your family, whether you want a rambunctious, playful friend, or just a lap buddy.
Whatever you do, do not buy pets from a pet store. If you want a particular breed, or a 'show' pet, find a local breeder that has good living conditions for the pets, where you can see where the dog lives and how it has been raised.
Many breeders love their animals like their family, and do it for the love of the breed, and not just to make money. Some breeders are bad, like the one I used. I didn't know any better at the time.
Some pet stores frequently purchase (sometimes unknowingly, sometimes not!) dogs from puppy mills, where the dogs are kept pregnant as much as possible, and are kept in cages, where they never get exercise, love, treats, or the chance to play, chase a ball, hunt, sniff grass, roll in the dirt, or sleep in a soft place. It's so sad, and most people don't know this happens.
I got my cat from a friend when he was a kitten...his mother was a pregnant stray they had taken in. He's darn lucky to be with me...between the others running away or getting hit by cars, I think he's the last one of his "clan." All 15 pounds of him.
I donate to a couple of smaller, localized rescue places, the ones that tend not to be as well known and probably don't get as much funding. One rescues elephants, the other a variety of non-wild animals.
There's a commercial running here now for one of the national organizations, I think, with Sarah MacLaughlan (sp) singing "In The Arms of the Angels." The images rip your heart out...
If I should have another pet after Bogie (whom I hope lives a very long life!), I would def go to a shelter or adoption center.
Did you see my recent post? I actually found the rescue organization through petfinder and saw my dog on petfinder but wanted to see her and other dogs through the rescue organization's adoption event. 4 more days and my doggie will be coming home.
I think adoption is AWESOME. I worked for 3 years in the military as a vet...and one of my jobs was to manage the stray facility (aka pound). I killed hundreds of animals a year due to people abandoning them, not spaying/neutering and just overall...not realizing what pet ownership means (responsibilites, money etc). Its sad to think how many wonderful animals were killed for stupid reasons.
I love pet finders...my mom got her last dog there. My 2 cats i have were obtained from a shelter...and my dog is a stray i found on the street. All my animals are not purebreds...but what i always tell people, if you want a purebred...and know what problems are associated with that breed either look on petfinders.com or do a google search for the breed you want...there are so many rescure organizations out there...and most of the animals are healthy and sound. In addition, i personally preferr mutts...i think they are great...but everyone has their own opinion and neither is right or wrong. you can get some great purebreds as a rescue. I think rescue animals are great!!!!!
Jennifer - i think its awesome you adopted an animal...so many are unwanted...and need loving homes like yours. Congrats and keep up the great work!
btw - trekie girl...the commercial you are talking about is for the Humane society...and yes i cry every time i see the commercial....i have a soft spot for shelter animals.
One of my dogs came from a breeder. She was very expenisize but thats the kind of dof my family wanted. Shes very old now about 14. Shes blind, and has seizures. But shes still alive and knows where she is and still plays and is happy. My other dog I got from a mall where they were they taking pictures with little kids. The guy who was doing the pictures sayed they have no purpose for the dogs after that becuase they wont be so little and cute to take pictures with. My dog is the most weirdiest dog Ive ever have had. Shes adorable. She makes weird noises. Sleeps under the covers with me. I couldnt imagine another dog. Shes very unique.
My dog didn't come from a rescue, but she was rescued. She was found wandering the hospital parking lot. My son was dating a girl who's mother was a nurse there, and she said no one claimed the little thing and they gave her to my son. The vet estimated her to be about 7 years old, and we've had her for 7 years since. She's a chihuhua and weighs less than 3 pounds, is completely toothless, blind, and very frail. But she's the love of my life I hate to imagine what might have happened to her in that parking lot Why didn't anyone claim her? She's so sweet, never makes a sound, and is extremely gentle.
This is the dog I saw yesterday, I was going to try to convince the ILs to visit her but apparently huskies aren't good with cats and even though she is a husky mix, it may be a bit iffy.
http://search.petfinder.com/petnote/...?petid=8910040
She is a sweet loving dog though, I petted her and played with her for a bit. I talked to her foster mother who has 2 other dogs in the house and she is good with other dogs. If someone in the VA/MD or just Mid atlantic region wants a friendly, loving sweet girl, I recommend her
One of my dogs (see avatar--the yellow one) is a rescue--but not from a rescue organization. My friend in Arizona saw him get hit by a car. He took him to his vet (just cuts and scrapes--nothing broken) and then took him home to his 3 yellow labs. He advertised everywhere and no one claimed him. He didn't have room for 4 labs. At the time, my DD wanted a puppy who would sleep with her (she was turning 5). Although he wasn't a puppy (besides, puppies can nip and bite and jump on you) I knew he'd sleep with her, so we "took him off their hands." 11 (almost 12) years later he's still with us. We estimate he's around 13 or 14 years old now.
The second dog (see avatar--black dog) was liberated from a pet store. I say liberated because he'd lived there almost a year! They were very good to him, though. He was very well trained (everything but potty trained) and had already been neutered. He was a "replacement" for our Golden who had to be PTS a few months earlier leaving the yellow dog hopelessly sad.
I've had rescue kittens in the past (all passed on, unfortunately, but very loved and spoiled in their short lifetimes ), and have three cats that we got from a no kill shelter back in December. I just can't believe that our male black cat was overlooked for 10 months- he is just the sweetest, most lovable cat and does cute little head butts. He also jumps on your back to get your attention, LOL. Everyone just adores him, and he is my "widdle puddin' face."
One of our female cats was scared to death when we brought her home. She hissed and growled at all of us, and even bit us if we didn't back off fast enough or try to pet her. My 13 year old son felt sorry for her, and everyday, he talked soothingly to her. Eventually, she let him pet her, then the rest of the family did the same. It took around 7 months, but she now comes over and purrs, rubs her face on our hands and every night, she sleeps on my chest- her face is very close to mine. I get nervous that one of these nights she'll bite my head off, lmao, but I love her and wouldn't trade her for anything.
Our other female cat is a sweetie- she's the younger of the three, very playful and sweet. Very curious little darling and I believe she's still in a kitten stage- it lasts for two years I believe?
We also have six dogs, but none of them are rescue dogs. So sad, to see the shelters loaded up with abandoned animals- I can't go near them (or view websites with animals that need homes), or I will bring home one, or two, or maybe three....... If we had had enough money back in December, we would have five or six cats instead of the three we were blessed to adopt.
I adopted one of our cats, Jinx, when she was 3 (she is 8 now). Even though she was older when adopted, it was as if she was saying "thank you for adopting me!". She adores us, loves to be pet, and is somewhat of a lap cat. Although, when she doesn't want to be petted, she lets you know
Another, Chloe, we got from someone I work with. She was a little over a year when we got her and is now almost 3. She's shy around other people, but loves the company of our other cats.
The other, Bailey, we got when she was only 8 weeks old from an advertisement for kittens (she's 5 now). She was VERY sick when we got her - ear mites, fleas, and an upper respiratory infection. I can't believe the people who had her let it get as bad as it was. In a way, I feel as if we "rescued" her as well. Bailey is VERY dependent for a cat, but I think a lot of it has to do with her being so sick when she was very young. We had to hold her a lot to give her medication, and she slept with us a lot as well. She continues to sleep on the bed every night, and sometimes likes me to put my arm around her and cuddle. Its cute sometimes, but other times can be annoying, especially when she walks all over me or purposefully wakes me up because my arm isn't around her!
Thanks to this thread, I went to check out the shelter we brought our cats home from. Of course, I just HAD to see all the kittens that were dumped underneath some brush and they are looking for donations to help support them, there are twenty six kittens in all.
What the is wrong with people? How can they be so mean?
I couldn't agree more. We are in the process of adopting a cattle dog (blue heeler) from a local cattle dog rescue group, which we found through petfinder! If you can't find a dog on petfinder, you aren't looking hard enough! It's sad, really, when there are thousands and thousands of pets on that site. They ALL need a good home
We got our cat by chance, out of a box in front of the grocery store
We got our latest dog from Golden Retriever Freedom Rescue
and we love him!! They come and inspect the house, interview you and then you go meet your dog and see if it's a fit. All the dogs live in foster homes until they are adopted. It's an amazing program.
I wish I had a bigger house so we could adopt more!!
Save an animal!
When they opened the door to the van, he was looking right at us, wagging his tail. He rode home on my husband's lap, and enjoyed a good nights sleep between our feet. He was very skinny, and for several months, he wagged his tail the whole time he ate. About 4 months after we got him, he started to excite-pee when we came home. That broke my heart, because I knew then it had finally sunk in that he loved us, and was happy his family was back home! He got over the excited pee soon, and now he's just super happy and best buddies with Truffle, and madly in love with us. He curls up with us and lets out the most wonderful relaxed sigh at night. It's great to know we made such a difference in each others lives.
is wrong with people? How can they be so mean? 
