Things to Consider Before You Adopt a Dog

puppies_animals-1509196_1280WARNING: controversial content

IF YOU'RE A NEW PET PARENT STANDING THERE WONDERING WHICH WAY TO GO=> <=

Or If you’re anything like me and you want to have a happy dog, that in turn will make you happy, you need look no further, here you’ll find info and great resources for new and experienced dog owners.

I would like to advocate for dogs as a whole, and that they ALL NEED GOOD HOMES! The backbone of good dog ownership is knowing what kind of dog suits your lifestyle, what you can offer in terms of time, money, care, and what are your expectations for the dog.

Most people have the best intentions when they bring rescued pets into their homes. But for a number of reasons, the new residents might not be good matches for those homes. If it’s not a good match for the person, then it’s probably not for the pet, either…

Adoption will always be about finding the right match for an adopter and a pet! An adoption is always a heartwarming thing… It’s a noble thing to adopt an animal in need, but sometimes the best intentions can lead to a difficult situation… Check out this pet adoption nightmare… An East Bay woman says she adopted a dog, only to have an animal rescue group take the poodle back – by force. (Published Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2016). “I fed him and loved him and I knitted him a little jacket,” Schwartz said. “I treated him like he’s my little boy.” But three weeks later, a HALO rescue representative came to her Oakley house, insisting the poodle needs a “stay-at-home mom and pet companions”. Therescue representative even complained about Blinky’s new name…

It’s a little disconcerting when the road to adoption and the road afterwards is so difficult – tough to reconcile with the nice ads and such to encourage adoption…  They don’t mention months and months of searching and filling out long over drawn applications that often yield dismal results and/or the rejections from rescues … you have small kids, cats, no fence (this one’s a real biggie), etc…

pet-adoption-testimony

Pet Adoption Testimony

Making Decisions without a Blindfold

Consider where your animal came from. If your answer involves pet store, backyard bred, out of a newspaper or from a shelter/rescue usually these dogs have either been badly bred or neglected/abused. And let’s face it, most people just can’t afford a $10,000 vet bill for a rescue dog and the heartache that goes with it when that rescued pup gets  diagnosed with a chronic illness or whatever genetic disease that was passed down to it from its poorly bred parents. Most people weigh their options and well, they only invested a couple hundred bucks so let’s take it to the shelter and it can be someone else’s problem. Unfortunately, this happens every day! The reason? poorly bred dogs, with poor temperaments, poor health, and not given the proper start to ensure a successful home placing.

Most rescues are great during the process (as time consuming as that process is) but when you end up (surprise, surprise) with a behaviorally damaged dog, or a health damaged dog, they provide no support, at least not support that is helpful. Too often pets are surrendered because of mounting vet costs for an untreated medical condition… Without that key support/resources these rescued dogs are going to get dumped right back into the system.

There have been many shelters in recent months who have been busted for the worst incidents of abuse and cruelty. Check the YesBiscuit blog, you will be shocked.

And let’s not forget that many of the issues that occur in rescue dogs can be the direct result of the need of shelters to spay or neuter AT ALL COST! And there is a cost in far too many cases…

Castration and Hysterectomy Have Costly Health Consequences

When you rescue, you don’t have any choice about when and whether to spay/neuter. All rescued dogs are sterilized/desexed prior to adoption. Most rescues by policy neuter all animals in there care. And all animals must be spayed or neutered before they leave a shelter or rescue. Many are desexed as juveniles… I cringe at the early age rescue puppies get spay and neuter  (6 weeks of age)… when there is direct evidence linking healthy joints to full maturity/development. Many of these dogs end up with growth abnormalities, osteosarcoma and endocrine problems… Metabolic & hormonal endocrine disorders such as Addison’s Disease (Hypoadrenocorticism) Cushing’s Disease (Hyperadrenocorticism), which require expensive treatment “for life”. Check out Dr. Becker: The Truth About Spaying and Neutering. Learn More Here.

If sterilization is such a healthy choice, doctors would be recommending it for humans. Obviously, that isn’t happening!

The shelter demand generated by the "feel good" marketing 

Many nations do NOT have any crisis of pet overpopulation, even though few practice spay-neuter. To quote a former president of the CVMA, Dr. John Hamil, “Being intact does not equate to being bred!”.

There is no evidence to prove that any reduction of the unwanted pet population is linked to spay and neuter. While many people still believe that and that sterilization is the correct thing to do, many critics believe overpopulation is just a profitable myth and that there’s no overpopulation problem... Could the problem be that there’s a billion-dollar business in trucking dogs across country to supply shelters that actually import strays from offshore in order to sell them to unsuspecting, goodhearted families?

In the US almost every dog gets neutered… Why there are so many dogs in shelters then? They obviously were not all impregnated by immaculate conception… Well, I could mention RETAIL RESCUE! But that’s a discussion for another post… (Check adoption fees below. And I’ve seen higher).

Adoption fees: $425

poms-for-adoptionTed Kerasote, bestselling author of ‘Merle’s Door’, ‘Why Dogs Die Young’, Pucca, and several other wonderful books researched the effectiveness of U.S. shelter operations. He wanted to know why, in America,  we’re still euthanizing an estimated two millions dogs each year. What are the key factors? Ted talked to a lot of people in shelter leadership positions, and it seems the problem is becoming more one of SUPPLY AND DEMAND rather than that no one wants those two million homeless dogs. It’s more a problem these days of connecting people with the dogs they want – getting the right dogs to the right shelters for the people who want to adopt them. Check it out…

The truth of the matter is, as long as there are people to adopt poorly bred dogs; people who support bad breeders; and people who aren’t properly educated when getting a dog, the overpopulation issues will remain. Europeans seem to have managed both neutering and unwanted pet issues better than we. People there can generally prevent their dogs from breeding without having them undergo surgery. In many European counties it is not legal to neuter or spay a healthy dog as it is seen as a form of mutilation. It is seen as being unethical to neuter animals to make them easier to handle! Perhaps we could learn a thing or two from them…

 The core of the problem: 
America has become a nation of disposable pet owners

Any volunteer at your local humane society would tell you the majority of the dogs are taken in because of owner surrender. Either they’re too much work, too much responsibility, too big, etc. Very few are brought in as strays.

Buying pets on impulse is a major cause for Abandonment of pets. Do not buy a dog on a whim. Particularly not a puppy kind of dog. Puppies should never be bought as an impulse! If so there’s a big chance of keeping them through the cute puppy phase, and then, when it becomes “inconvenient” to have a dog, toss them away to the shelter. “Inconvenient” can be any number of reasons, like moving to a new apt/house, a great vacation, a new job opportunity, the puppy is no longer so cute as an adult, and the all-time best, having a baby so the dog’s gotta go.

People that buy a puppy on impulse usually invest little to no effort in training/socializing their puppy, so of course behavior problems are probably present as well, making it that much easier to let the poor dog go.

This is NOT a breeding issue… It is a responsible ownership issue…

Responsible breeders are not rare. Pet owners that are responsible are not as common though… So, what is the answer to animals who are the product of owners/people who decide not to care anymore?

How about if …
– Instead of debating what constitutes a responsible breeder, we start talking about what constitutes a responsible OWNER?

– Instead of penalizing someone for breeding a dog, how about we start penalizing the people who are dumping those dogs in the shelters? It is not the fact that a pet is un-neutered that causes pet over-population any more than dogs having teeth is the cause of human dog bites.

– Instead of, or in addition to, charging a fee for adopting a shelter dog, shelters charge a fee for surrendering a dog! The number of dogs being produced each year is not the issue; the number of dogs being surrendered by owners who “could no longer be bothered” IS.

– Owner education and stiff fines for people whose pets run at large are much more effective in controlling pet over-population than surgical procedures.

Responsible, ethical breeders and people who purchase puppies from them are NOT the real problem in this situation (yes, responsible breeders aren’t the only ones alienated by many, so are the people that are getting pups from them), the real problem is the people who aren’t properly educated when getting a dog, people who don’t understand how much effort and responsibility a dog is, or how much money owning a dog costs. People who don’t understand dogs need companionship and more attention than a potted plant!

Buyer Beware - Pets are NOT fashion accessories! 

Some breeds are unhealthy and should not be bred in the first place. “Teacup” breeds are bred by taking the runt of one litter and breeding with the runt of another resulting in unhealthy dogs with very short lives! Some (but not all) litters contains a so-called “runt” — that is, a baby animal considerably smaller than his litter mates and often prone to health issues. These puppies are really small but they are not “teacup”… Due to its small size, a runt in a litter faces obvious disadvantages, including difficulties in competing with its siblings for survival and possible rejection by its mother … Most healthy well nourished litters don’t have a runt.

             Buy from a reputable breeder, not a broker

Brokers are a key part of the puppy mill supply chain as most pet stores obtain their puppies from brokers, and not directly from the breeders. Brokers often ship large quantities of puppies at a time for long distances in crowded conditions, creating a significant risk for the puppies and the spread of illness. Nothing is guaranteed in this world, but purchasing a dog from a responsible breeder certainly improves the odds. And well worth the cost…

Being a responsible breeder costs money...

… And there is reason why their puppies cost more. A truly responsible breeder maintains responsibility for every pup he or she raises. “Responsible breeding” is very, very hard work. These breeders carefully select a mating based on genetics, physical and behavioral health, then care for the dam and the litter as they should be cared for, provide an enriched environment for the maturing pups, sell only to the best of homes and act as a resource (and possible home) for the rest of the dog’s life… well, that’s a huge commitment. “Responsible breeding” is a labor of love!

Genetic canine health is really important! Good breeders select for phenotype and genotype to preserve health, structure, and temperament. The cheaper the rates the more corner cuts in many factors, where dams are owned purely as pup making machine, not cared as per the breed requirement (puppy mills)… On the other hand, the price you pay in a pet shop is usually 2 to 3 times higher than what you pay a reputable breeder for a puppy of similar (or usually better) quality.

Unfortunately, in Americas AKC registrations continue to decline and the push to legally and/or contractually require spay and neuter of most every dog will only worsen that situation. If you find a well bred, purebred dog in the U.S. and the breeder is demanding you sign a spay or neuter contract, offer to pay extra to reserve the right to allow YOUR dog to remain intact or to extend the age of neuter from his/her usual time frame on the puppy contract. If you decide you must neuter your male dog, do not do it until well into their second year. Wait until the puppy reaches maturity before having sterilization surgery performed.

If you are a responsible pet owner and don't want to buy your purebred dog on spay/neuter agreement, if you want an intact animal, Look abroad! 

If you don’t want to pay extra to reserve the right to allow YOUR dog to remain intact and undamaged, look abroad. That’s what I did after Pepe passed away…  I decided to travel abroad. Found some amazing breeders over there and the cutest puppies ever raised with lots of tender loving care!


For the Love of Fido – Paving the Road to DOG TRAINING Success

one Treat at a Time

Things to Consider Before You Adopt a Dog

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9 thoughts on “Things to Consider Before You Adopt a Dog

  1. By far essentially the most concise data I have found on the topic of pet adoption. I’m glad that I navigated to your page. Appreciate all the info here.

  2. Really liked what you had to say in your post, Things to Consider Before You Adopt a Dog, Thank you for an enlightening article.
    — Parker

  3. By far essentially the most concise data I have found on the topic of pet adoption. I’m glad that I navigated to your page. Appreciate all the info here.

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