Does anybody else here share my concern about the 10,000,000 dogs slaughtered every year for lack of homes? Many of them live short, miserable lives before a less than humane death. This is graphic, Brightlion | In Hope The dog forums I have been a part of are uniformly anti breeding. I don't see how anybody that knows and loves dogs can help it. I am very disappointed with those gushing concern and caring on other issues here, not opposing breeding.

I pick up an occasional red square for my troubles, but nothing is going to stop me from speaking out on this issue. It is true much of the trouble comes from puppy mills and back yard breeders out for the money, but accidental breedings are a big problem too. I doubt many of the mixed breeds choking our shelters were bred by somebody looking to make a buck. Part of the problem is vets failing educate pet owners. So much for the idea they are a bunch of money grubbers pushing unneeded services.

Maybe I have had a bad week with question after question on another site from the totally clueless. Many of them don't give enough details to know why they are asking. But they are questions that if you don't know the answer, you should have had your dog fixed by 6 months.

Dogsareme

I know how you feel. It's a constant battle where I live and I am all the time speaking against the irresponsible. I have even had friends whom I have bantered over and over about not breed their mutts. Many get mad at me for it, but in the end I seem to prevail.

I live in a place very out of the times. It's so horrible around here especially on the reserves. Three times a year the shelters here hire groups of people to do to the dozen different reserves and euthinize all the stray dogs. One every reserve they put down at least 200 dogs, and when they go back 4 months later it's just as bad. People even ask them to take their chained up dogs and put them down because they want to take one of the puppies that are running around. They pull dogs and puppies out from the woods, and underhouses and people even surrender them to be put down, only for them to go back and have those same people handing them another dog again. Many of the people who volunteer for this job only go back about 2 times before they just can't do it anymore. It's a slaughter house. The dogs are not respected and just thought of as disposable.

You would think that eventually seeing all these dogs needlessly dying all the time they would try spaying or neutering them, but it never seems to happen. Some people just don't care.

It's a constant battle and I don't know if we will see the end any time soon. I currently own 4 dogs of my own. One is a product of bad breeding, his legs where badly screwed up at the age of 4 months(rescue), one was rescued from an abusive/neglectful home, the other is a product of an irresponsible owner and was going to go to the reserve until I offered some money for him (amazing what $30 can do to change someones mind) and the third is from a BYB ( I got him when I was 15 and was not aware what I was supporting).

I am also an activist for the DogsDeserveBetter Organization, which works to free dogs chained 24/7. Alot of these dogs are not spayed or neutered and many of the females end up getting pregnant and having many litters while tied.

I understand your frustration labman. It's people like us who need to work and raise awareness of these situation, and the more awareness we raise the more dogs are hopefully saved.

Unfortunately we don't get to see many happy endings as we dog disastrious ones, which seems to really wear on your after awhile, but keep working away because eventually it will make a difference.

cut_ie

I think I'm gonna be sick

froggy7

Back when I was working with a cat adoption group, there was one woman who had quite a reputation among the locals. She'd go and adopt kittens, about 8 weeks old. Then, when they got to about 6 months and lost that "kitten cuteness", she'd turn them back in and try and adopt another kitten. It didn't take long for her to get black listed.

tigerfeather

I too am completely against unlicensed careless breeding, random or otherwise. I have people that come into my store almost on a daily basis asking me or my cashiers (and none of us are vets, in case you didn't know) for advice on breeding their dogs or getting word out that they're selling dogs. Unfortunately I cannot be blunt with them and tell them that it's wholly irresponsible to do what they are doing. I actually advocate kitty and doggy abortions.

I also get in a lot of people who don't do their homework and buy puppies for inflated prices out of the newspaper. My favorite question? "Does this look like a purebred ________?" I want to answer with: "Well, you were a freaking idiot for paying $1400 for a 'Yorkie' with no papers and without being able to see the parents first." It's these sorts of things that make me very angry when I know that every day, every minute, some animal is being put down because of this carelessness.

The company I work with does a lot in the way of animal adoptions and has a large charity subsidiary that donates food, beds, and money to adoption groups. Unfortunately, the remedy is not enough, and we all need to be doing preventative work rather than fix-its. I'm all for spay and neuter laws (and not just for selective breeds), and I urge everyone I know to get involved with local humane organizations and shelters. Even if you don't have time, a $20 donation, a gift card to a pet store, or even old pet beds and bowls and such are greatly appreciated and will be put to good use.

I agree with Ruby, if everyone had to spend at least one day in a shelter, and witness one pet loss, then I'm sure the tune would change. I've spent years doing volunteer work for local city shelters and private organizations, and it breaks my heart every time.

Kudos for bringing this up, hopefully the message can get out to at least a few more people.

froggy7

I have to say that one thing that boggles me about Texas is that people sell dogs _on the side of the road_! You go driving along any major road on the weekend and there are cars parked there with signs saying "puppies for sale", generally listing the breed. (I'm pretty sure that this illegal, btw. I'm also pretty sure it's low on the list of things that the cops get involved in.) But I'm just stunned that people apparently will stop at some random stranger's car to buy a "purebred" puppy!

SnB

People do share your concern, however it's your poor attitude that's the problem. You get more bee's with honey. You are not nice in your responses. You treat people like they are stupid, and like they are TRYING to over-populate the world with animals. Maybe if you tried being nice, you'd get through to more people. I agree with your stance, I do not like the way you display it. I'm sure I'll get a rude reply though.

shygrneyzs

I do care about the animals put to death every year for lack of homes. Honestly. Every dog my ex and I owned was spayed or neutered at six months old. If we had a dog that did not work out, we found a home that did not require what we required of a hunting dog. There was only one dog that we did end up putting down. It was either us or the game warden who was going to do it, she kept running after deer and would not learn otherwise.

I do have a question though, just how long is long enough to keep an animal in a shelter? What are the chances of an animal being adopted who has been in a shelter for a year, or two years?

RubyPitbull

Shy, each shelter sets their rules as most businesses do, but many follow the general guidelines set by the Humane Society and/or the ASPCS. I can tell you that if it is a kill shelter, the likelihood of an animal lasting six months, let alone one year, is slim. They are usually euthanized if not adopted within a reasonable period of time. There just isn't enough room to house all these animals.

labman

Years ago, on the original AskMe, the one member was in shambles one Monday. Her shelter had to euthanize 300 dogs over the weekend. We all struggled to put her back together.

I would hope if I went to the dating forum and asked how to pick up teeny boppers, I would get beaten up.

bushg

We have so many brainless people here in the greater cincinnati area that are just sometimes to lazy to get their cats spayed/neutered. Very little to do with money. We have program after program that offers voucher's to help with a spay/neuter. I personally am taking a bunch of cats for someone to get spayed. this lady has allowed stray cats to take over her porch and keep having babies. I drive past her house everyday taking my kids to school. I saw her out last week taking pic's of about 6 kittens, I asked her if those were her's she. said why do you want to know? I told her that I help people get their cats spayed would she like some help. She said yes, as long as you are not the lady that has been stealing my cats and are not the one leaving brochures on my doors. hehe it wasn't me but I know who it was, sometimes we resort to going when people are not home and taking as many as we can, grabbing up as quicklyas we can, this is extreme case where ther are 10, and 20 or more kittens. We have been reported to the police but they turn their heads on this one. This lady was well dressed, nice house , nice car and was going to school studying something in the medical field (had lab coat on with name of school). People on my street know that I will steal their unspayed/neutered cat and get it fixed and release it back on the street, if I get the chance. That is how strongly that I feel about it,maybe I'll change my mind if anyone ever prosecute's me. I understand that the older members that have been here for years and have answered thousands of questions are tired of people and their ignorance on breeding animals. But as SNB said you can get somewhere quicker with people if you are nicer and don't be so quick to jump , even if they are breeders I say try a nicer approach to begin with, offer up, websites as labman did (above) ask what state they live in, give them info on how to find out how many dogs or cats that are humanely killed each year, lead them to a resuce site for that particular breed, maybe this will help change their views about breeding. I know I am probably going to get blasted for this but, thats my solution rather than a quick hateful retort about irresponisble breeding.peace