Quote:
Originally Posted by labman
Puppies are a lot of work. Often I try to convince people to adopt an older dog instead of buying a puppy. I see many questions, here and elsewhere, from people who would have been better off not buying a puppy.

BRAVO LABMAN!! I AGREE WITH YOU 100%. I BELIEVE,THAT IN MANY CIRCUMSTANCES, UNFORTUNATELY, PEOPLE ARE IMPULSIVE & SELFISH. THEY DO NOT THINK IT THROUGH PROPERLY. IT IS NOT LIKE JUST GOING TO THE STORE TO BUY A PAIR OF SHOES - IT IS A HUGE RESPONSIBILITY - ONE NEEDS TO THINK IT THROUGH AND REALIZE THAT A PUPPY NEEDS SO MUCH ATTENTION, NEEDS TO BE TRAINED, NEEDS TO BE TOILET TRAINED, NEEDS TO BE BRUSHED EVERY DAY, GROOMED, NEEDS TO BE WALKED;FOR A CAT, IS ONE READY TO CHANGE THE CAT LITTER SEVERAL TIMES A DAY AND KEEP THE LITTERBOX SQUEEKY CLEAN, WILL THEY BRUSH THEIR CAT EVERY DAY, AND CAN ONE AFFORD THE FOOD AND THE VET BILLS, ETC. ETC.... IT CAN BE AN APPROX. 20 YEAR RESPONSIBILITY (DEPENDING ON HOW MANY YEARS THE DOG OR CAT WILL LIVE) - BUT I SEE IT ALL THE TIME - THIS IS ONE OF THE MANY SAD WAYS THE DOGS AND CATS END UP AT THE SHELTERS, BECAUSE PEOPLE JUST GO IMPULSIVELY TO BUY THAT CUTE LITTLE PUPPY IN THE PETSHOP WINDOW, OR THE CUTE LITTLE KITTEN IN THE CAGE IN THE PETSHOP. THEY DO NOT THINK OF WHAT IT ENTAILS TO OWN AN ANIMAL. ONE HAS TO BE SELFLESS - JUST LIKE HAVING A CHILD!! RESCUING AND ADOPTING AN OLDER DOG OR CAT, FROM A SHELTER (MOST PEOPLE DO NOT KNOW THAT EVERY SINGLE DAY THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF CATS AND DOGS BEING KILLED, IN SHELTERS ACROSS NORTH AMERICA) RESCUING AND ADOPTING AN OLDER DOG OR CAT, FROM A SHELTER RATHER THAN BUYING A PUPPY OR A KITTEN, IS TRULY WONDERFUL. FIRST OF ALL, YOU ARE NOT SUPPORTING "PUPPY AND KITTEN MILLS"!! ONE CAN RESCUE ANY TYPE OF DOG OR CAT - AND MANY DO NOT KNOW THIS. ONE CAN ADOPT A PURE BREED, OR A MIXED BREED; A LONG HAIR OR A SHORT HAIR,A LARGE OR A SMALL - THERE ARE SO MANY RESCUE GROUPS OUT THERE - IF ONE WANTS A POODLE, OR A GERMAN SHEPHERD, A DALMATION OR A SAMOYED, A TABBY CAT OR A SIAMESE,OR A MIXED BREED,ETC,ETC.PLEASE: RESCUE A DOG OR CAT FROM A SHELTER!! THEY MAKE FANTASTIC PETS. THEY ARE GRATEFUL, THEY ARE ALREADY TOILET TRAINED. ETC. YOU CAN ALSO RESCUE A GREYHOUND DOG (WHEN THEY CANNOT RACE ANYMORE THEY KILL THEM!! YOU CAN ALSO RESCUE A PUPPY OR KITTEN - IF IT IS A YOUNG PET YOU WANT TO ADOPT. EVERY AGE, EVERY TYPE IS AVAILABLE & ALSO, ANOTHER WAY TO GO, IF ONE IS UNSURE AS TO WHETHER THEY REALLY DO WANT A PET, OR DO THEY WANT A LARGE DOG, OR A SMALL DOG, OR MAYBE A CAT, ANOTHER OPTION IS CALLED "FOSTERING".YOU CAN FOSTER A DOG OR CAT IN YOUR HOUSE, AND HELP OUT THE SHELTER OR GROUP UNTIL IT GETS ADOPTED, OR YOU MAY DECIDE TO KEEP THE ONE YOU ARE FOSTERING, OR TRY ANOTHER ONE. ETC. THEY MAY ASK YOU TO HELP OUT AS THEY HAVE AN URGENT SITUATION I.E. THEY MAY HAVE FOUND A PREGNANT CAT, WHO NEEDS A QUIET PLACE FOR A LITTLE WHILE, TO HAVE HER KITTENS, OR THEY MAY HAVE A DOG WHO THEY RESCUED THAT WAS HIT BY A CAR, HAD SURGERY, AND NEEDS A PLACE TO BE NURSED BACK TO HEALTH UNTIL HE IS READY FOR ADOPTION.... THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT PROGRAMS WITH DIFFERENT OPTIONS. EITHER WAY, ADOPTING OR FOSTERING - YOU ARE DOING A GOOD THING! I AM ASSOCIATED WITH A NO KILL SHELTER HERE IN MONTREAL. (I FEEL GREAT, I JUST PLACED AN OLDER CAT,WHOSE OWNER (UNFORTUNATELY AND SADLY) HAD TO GO TO A NURSING HOME. FOR EXAMPLE,THE WEEK BEFORE,A VERY WONDERFUL,AND ACTIVE 91 YEAR "YOUNG" LADY(YES!!!),CALLED ME TO OBTAIN INFO. AS SHE WISHED TORESCUE A CAT,SO I DID THE "INTERVIEW", AND AS FATE HAPPENS, WITHIN A FEW DAYS, SHE IS NOW FOSTERING (IN THIS CASE WITH THE OPTION TO ADOPT) THAT PARTICULAR CAT WHOSE OWNER WENT TO THE NURSING HOME.(PLUS,HER DOCTOR WAS SO PUZZLED AND COULD NOT UNDERSTAND HOW HER BLOOD PRESSURE HAS GONE DOWN!!! = THE CAT!!)I AM SO HAPPY AT HOW IT WORKED OUT FOR ALL. YOU CAN ALSO BECOME A VOLUNTEER - EVERY GROUP OR SHELTER DESPERATELY NEEDS VOLUNTEERS AND THERE ARE SO MANY VARIED, ASSORTED JOBS TO DO. SOME PEOPLE THINK "OH, I COULD NEVER DO THAT, IT IS TOO SAD TO GO TO THE SHELTER AND SEE ALL OF THOSE SAD, TERRIFIED ANIMALS"....BUT INFORM YOURSELF, CALL SOME SHELTERS, GET INVOLVED-THERE ARE SO MANY JOBS AVAILABLE.SHELTERS ARE USUALLY IN DESPERATE NEED FOR VOLUNTEERS. FOR INSTANCE:IF ONE WISHES TO VOLUNTEER AT THE SHELTER-TO WALK DOGS,AND PLAY WITH THE CATS AND DOGS, TO BRUSH AND FEED THEM, CHANGE THE LITTER, OR YOU CAN HELP WITH FUNDRAISING-CAR WASHES, GARAGE SALES, HOTDOG STANDS,OR VOLUNTEER TO DO BOOKEEPING, OR TELEPHONE CALLS, OR PUBLIC RELATIONS, HELPING OUT AT ADOPTION CLINICS, TAKING PHOTOS OF THE ANIMALS FOR ADOPTION, HANDY PEOPLE TO DO REPAIRS, CARPENTERS, VOLUNTEERS TO GIVE MEDICATION, PEOPLE TO DRIVE PETS TO THE VET, ETC. ETC.SOMETIMES WHEN ONE IS RETIRED, IT IS A PERFECT ACTIVITY -HELPING ANIMALS. GET INVOLVED! GET YOUR CHILDREN TO BE VOLUNTEERS - HELP OUT AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE! VOLUNTEERING IS A TRULY GREAT THING!! PLEASE DO NOT BUY ANIMALS. RESCUE A CAT AND/OR DOG. AND PLEASE REMEMBER TO ALWAYS SPAY AND NEUTER YOUR PETS!!!

labman

Finding a good breeder and purchasing a puppy that will make a good pet is very difficult. Almost nobody is intentionally breeding dogs to be nice pets. Most of your so called reputable breeders are breeding for show or something. They may say the puppies they don't keep for their purpose make great pets, but the truth is that the parents were selected for other than health and temperament. Often they keep the puppies in the kennel too long and they miss the important early socialization puppies need to live in the house with people.

Next are the disreputable breeders. They breed any 2 registered dogs they can lay a hold of looking only at the money they can make selling them to pet stores. Pet store puppies are easy to find, but difficult to socialize into nice pets, perhaps difficult to even keep alive. You will not get what you pay for at a pet store.

One of the best sources for dogs with a predictable personality is the rescue
dogs. These are dogs that lost their home, but were taken into a foster home
to be retrained as necessary and placed in the right home for them. You may
find a rescue near you starting at
http://www.akc.org/breeds/rescue.cfm

From Labman's hoard of dog advice he has been posting for years.

becky92029

Amen 100 times over.

becky92029

http://www.almosthomerescue.org/available/available.htm

These guys just leave me weak and suckered in!

becky92029

Adopt A Long Dog!

violet0019

Thanks for all the links - hope others will check them out and spread the word to rescue cats and dogs!!

becky92029

Violet,
Adopting saves you a lot of money, too! All shots, spay/neuter, health checks, temperment check is included. The fees are cheap - figure giving out $1000 - $1200 for a puppy. Add shots. Add spay/neuter. The list goes on and in the end, with a puppy, you don't know what s/he will end up being
personality-wise. I prefer the older dog(s) I've adopted, don't have to train.

--> Here's where I adopted my last two puppies earlier this summer.

Southern California: http://delgadog.com/

To see available dachsunds, click 3rd link from the bottom left, then 'sweethearts'.

(My little black/tan male, D.J. (diamond jim) owns the pink slip on my heart).

Becky

violet0019

HURRAY BECKY!! I hope that from these postings at least 1 animal will be adopted! Also, many people are not aware that one can also adopt or foster other types of animals - guinea pigs, hamsters, birds, turtles lizards, etc. Animals that can be adopted from shelters and rescue groups are NOT always stray animals. They can be abandoned - for example - let's say a girl had a cat for 4 years and now she is moving into an apartment that does not allow pets......so she will ABANDON her cat - she will just THROW IT OUT, leave it on the streets, or even just leave it in the empty apartment when she moves out.....and then - eventually - 2 weeks later (this is a true story that I went through) - we will discover a cat nearly dead, by chance - a neighbour heard meowing - he survived because the lid on the toilet bowl was left up so he drank the water in the toilet ! Or a couple get married, have a baby, and that's the end of Fido their dog.......they no longer want him....Or suddenly, an owner has a girlfriend who has allergies....bye bye kitty cat....or a girl has a boyfriend who hates dogs....bye bye doggy. Also, the very heartbreaking stories of a person who must go to a nursing home and very very sadly cannot take her cat that she has had for 7 years.......Okay, got to go. Take care and PLEASE RESCUE, help out - please VOLUNTEER.

becky92029

Someone removed my cute "Adopt a Long Dog" jpg! Wonder if it took up too much space.

labman

Yes Becky, they do limit images here. However, as far as I know, you can post all the code and URL's you want. The above picture is not posted here, but at www.photolocker.net You can post all the pictures you want there and they have instructions on how to make them come up on boards using common software. So far, I have 10 different images that I can post to 4 of the sites I hang out at. I use my pictures to illustrate ways I am trying to help dogs.

The above picture is from last spring at a gathering of people raising puppies for a dog guide school. It features a Poodle, and has Labs, Goldens, and Lab/Golden crosses. Some people that are allergic to dogs, can have a Poodle as a service dog because they lack the dander that causes most allergies. Good Poodles are hard to find, but make great dogs. I found one once at our shelter, but the dog guide school was afraid he was too old.