[spitvenom]

GREAT POST!! I don't have a dog but I rescued my kittens (they are brothers) well they are cats now. Funny cause my fiancé argued with me cause she wanted a cat RIGHT NOW!! And I kind of said the same thing Star said to her just not with as much impact.

[gmschofer]

Thank you for posting this Starbuck, it was very moving and a great way to show how devastating buying from a pet store can be.

I am sending it to everyone I know and I hope it reaches as many people as possible.

Thanks again!

[starbuck8]

Thank you for posting this Starbuck, it was very moving and a great way to show how devistating buying from a pet store can be.

I am sending it to everyone I know and I hope it reaches as many people as possible.

Thanks again!

Please DO send it around! I think some people just don't realize what they are contributing to when they step foot into a pet store, or buy from a backyard breeder. A lot just don't know! Thanks for passing it on! :)

(Niki says "woof" ;))

[ZoeMarie]

I like to go to petsmart because at the checkout you can donate to homeless pets. Sometimes I'll go in there and just buy a bone for Zoe so that I can donate. I try to get in there once a week or more.

[starbuck8]

Yes, I'm really happy that they do that too. Has anyone ever seen these sites? I'll post the links. Everyday they remind you to click. It only takes a second, and you are providing food for animals. They have sponsors that donate food for every click! It's such a simple way to help just a little more. All you have to do is sign up. I've been clicking everyday for the past year. It's the first thing I do in the morning, while having my coffee. :)


http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/c...ERA_121608_ARS

Freekibble

[starbuck8]

Oh my gosh ZoeMarie! That was so sweet! Thank you! That was so nice of you to say! :)

Niki sends Zoe puppy kisses! :D

[ZoeMarie]

Zoe sends Niki puppy kisses back! ;)

[starbuck8]

Niki says WOOF! (I guess that means thanks ;)) She's little miss grump today, because mommie won't let her go outside for more than a few minutes. because it's -28 degrees! Yuck!

[ZoeMarie]

Oh wow! That's cold. You know I couldn't get Zoe to stay outside to go potty because it was so cold a few weeks ago. We had to buy her a sweater just to stay outside for a couple min. lol. She won't be fitting into any sweater for very long though being a great dane.

[starbuck8]

If anyone is interested, the first link I gave in my post above is having a one day deal. If you make a purchase, (2 day delivery in the US) you will feed a shelter dog for a week, plus the everyday deal of when you purchase something, they give a dog 14 bowls of food.

They've got some pretty cute C'mas stuff on there, as well as everyday things.

I not affliated in any way with the company. I just like the idea of buying something, and at the same time, helping a hungry dog.

Oh, they do have items for cats and other pets too! :)

[ZoeMarie]

I was looking for that link. I must have missed it.

[starbuck8]

It's back on post #25. It's the first one! I just thought it would be cute for anyone looking for last minute gifts or stocking stuffers! :)

[asheridan]

I strongly agree with the idea that puppies should never be sold in pet stores. In order to get the purebred and designer dogs they need they must go through brokers and puppy mills. Reputable breeders will never sell a dog to a pet store or knowingly sell one to a puppy mill. When they learn that one of their dogs has somehow ended up in a shelter or puppy mill they will go through any kind of hell and expense to get the dog back. Reputable breeders will never sell a pet quality dog without a spay or neuter agreement. The backyard dog breeder problem can be directly traced back to puppymills as no dog of high quality is going to be sold unconditionally.

However as a zoologist and someone who worked as a city animal control officer for four years in the early 90's I have a somewhat less sentimental attitude towards the problem. Pushing people to run down to the shelter with somekind of savior attitude is the equivalent of treating a severed arm with a bandaid and to a certain extent perpetuates the problem. A dog is or should be a huge commitment and no one who has always wanted a purebred German Shepherd pup should be guilted into adopting a chow mix just to save a life. They should however be given guidance about not purchasing an overpriced puppy mill puppy at the pet store, but rather sent to a reputable breeder who will also be a mentor for them for the lifetime of their dog.

If someone wants to do some serious good the problem needs to be nipped in the bud which means tougher state laws that puppy mills have a hard time complying with. Our state has laws that don't penalize the hobby show dog person who breeds an occasional litter that is usually spoken for before the puppies are even born - but makes it very difficult for someone to breed enough to actually make a living at it. Pet stores can't make it on the sale of puppies and kittens alone. They have to sell a lot of supplies and pet food and the big box stores like Pets Mart are killing them in these areas. Small pet stores are slowly falling by the wayside and once they are gone the puppy mill business will slowly dry up also.

It would be nieve to think that the dirtbag dog people will eventually go away. There is always going to be a segment of society that acts irresponsibly towards animals. We have to be careful that we don't allow the bad behavior of the few to penalize responsible people and allow emotion to undue thousands of years of selective breeding where our dogs are concerned. It might be sad but the truth of the matter is that not all shelter dogs are good pets. It isn't their fault - the combination of genetics and environment has made them what they are. It is the fault of the jerk who failed to spay the mother and neuter the father of course but should someone who wants a standard poodle for whatever reason have to take on a pit bull - lab mix because of the actions someone else. I say no they shouldn't. I personally foster and find homes for retired greyhounds but if someone has their heart set on a golden retreiver puppy I would never in a million years dream of talking them into a three year old greyhound. They would not be happy and it would end in disaster for all involved.

Big kudos however for anyone who works at getting help for people to spay and nueter their pets. Just being poor should not preclude someone from the joy of owning a pet. Keep up the good work there.

[starbuck8]

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL FROM NIKI!!...and mommy!
(It's her fave song... lol)

YouTube - Dogs with Blogs-- Do They Know It's Christmas?

[Alty]

I really think we need to keep this thread alive and post more info about shelters, puppy mills, backyard breeding, etc. etc. etc.

This is an important topic, and one that should be available to anyone thinking about breeding their dog.

Maybe, just maybe, someone will read all of this and decide that their dog doesn't need a liter, because it's the wrong thing to do.

[Wondergirl]

Dog fighters buy, steal, adopt, and even breed dogs as training bait. Puppies and adult dogs, some badly injured and later euthanized because they can't be saved, have been rescued by police who raid suspected dog fighting locations. Dog fighters buy puppies from mills or do their own breeding, and train these dogs to be the fighters. Even if the dog fighting ring gets broken up, those dogs are rarely able to be adopted out because of their killer training.

So dog fighting presents two big losses--the injured bait dogs and the fighting dogs. A human loss is the teens and smaller kids who come to these "events" and think it's so glorious and exciting to see dogs fight and kill each other.

[Alty]

Wondergirl, that is one thing we missed mentioning, I'm glad you brought it up.

There are so many things that human beings do to animals that are not only inhumane, but leave these poor animals with no hope for a better life, for rehabilitation.

It's horrible to know that people like this are out there, doing this, and making money off it. Those poor dogs, they never had a chance. :(

[starbuck8]

Hi asheridan, I just wanted to say thank you for posting. I had missed it somehow. I agree with what you said about it only being a bandaid solution. However, we do have to start somewhere. Education is key! If more people understood that one litter, isn't just one litter! If they knew that the dog that they buy from the pet store came from a puppymill or backyard breeder, where they had to live in absolute deplorable conditions. Many are born without limbs, without eyes, with their brains outside of their skulls, and many other horrible things. Do they put these dogs out of their misery? Usually not! They can still breed them. So this dog without a brain or any eyes has to live her "existance" to be a puppy factory. These new puppies are now sold to the public, and they are bred over and over again.

If the dogs come from a reputable licensed breeder, who is trying to preserve a bloodline, then that person is trying to do the right thing if all of the rules, regulations, and standards are followed. Also, it should be mandatory for every dog to be altered once it leaves the breeder, unless of course it is going to another licensed breeder. If it is a family pet, it should ALWAYS be spayed or neutered, or the whole problem starts all over again.

However, 10% of the millions of dogs in shelters, are purebred, in data provided by the HSUS. Now this is just the US alone. No one should be forced into taking home a breed that they don't want. But the breed that they DO want IS available. There are MANY breed specific shelters. People just really have to do their research. I'm not naïve enough to think that we are going to change everyone's opinion here. It's that ONE person I want. One person that may tell 2 of their friends, that tell two of their friends, and so on.

I have neighbours on my block, that had 3 dogs. They got them from the shelter before it became their policy here, that an altered dog did not leave the shelters. They let all 3 dogs have several litters. The mothers were all kept chained outside. They would be out in extreme temperatures, and left with no food or water. They let him each have 3 or 4 litters each. I had called the SPCA and Animal Control many times. They were only given warnings, and no one came around to check again. So sometimes even the people that are suppose to police this, don't do anything about it. I live in a relatively small town, so it is not that they are overwhelmed. These neighbours have now dropped their 3 dogs (and who knows how many puppies) off at the shelter. Just before Christmas, I saw that they have 3 new young dogs.

I know that this process is now going to start all over again, and I feel helpless to stop it. I am getting together a petition, and going to try my best to get it circulated around the city. I will then send the signatures to the City, Animal Control, SPCA, Humane Society, Editor of our Newspaper, and other venues that we have available. Perhaps starting with having one person put on the radar, will show other people that the people in our city will not tolerate this kind of abuse.

I've also started a group on Facebook, with the help of another person in my city. We are raising funds to try and help out families that can't afford to get their pets spayed and neutered. It's slow going, but in a few short months, we have already raised enough money to have 4 dogs and 1 cat, altered. We are working on other fund raising opportunities to raise awareness also. Hopefully we can do our small part in this huge problem.

I'll keep on talking about it until I'm blue in the face, if that's what it takes. I made a promise to my dog when I adopted her, that I would do my best not to leave her friends behind. :)

[starbuck8]

Dog fighters buy, steal, adopt, and even breed dogs as training bait. Puppies and adult dogs, some badly injured and later euthanized because they can't be saved, have been rescued by police who raid suspected dog fighting locations. Dog fighters buy puppies from mills or do their own breeding, and train these dogs to be the fighters. Even if the dog fighting ring gets broken up, those dogs are rarely able to be adopted out because of their killer training.

So dog fighting presents two big losses--the injured bait dogs and the fighting dogs. A human loss is the teens and smaller kids who come to these "events" and think it's so glorious and exciting to see dogs fight and kill each other.

Yes, we need to look at the kids that are influenced by people like MICHAEL VICK! They see someone that has celebrity status, and a sports "hero," (I use that term very loosely!) being involved in dog fighting. The kids think,. "well he's cool!...he make millions of dollars!...he has hot cars, hot women, big trophies...everyone wants to be his friend because he has it ALL!" Who wouldn't want to be that guy?

That is what the young people see! They don't see what goes on behind closed doors. They don't see the violence and abuse! All they see is the guy who has everything! I think it is the responsibility of every parent to teach their children that just because someone has "stuff," is doesn't mean that they are a good person. Of course it isn't just Michael Vick, but when someone like him is involved, it just glorifies it.

Just as I'm writing this, there is a commercial on TV from the Toronto Humane Society! (I am watching the dog whisperer) It's making me so sad to see the animals that they are showing. Some that are blind, some that need makeshift walkers to move, etc. They have no Gov't funding, so they need to appeal to the people to donate, of course. Just in one Toronto shelter alone, just over 16,000 dogs were euthanized last yr. That is ONE shelter!

I think I need to take a break from this today for just awhile. It's getting so depressing! :(

[Alty]

I think I need to take a break from this today for just awhile. It's getting so depressing!

Mean Alty is coming out to play Starby.

I understand the need to walk away, it is depressing, but, and don't hit me, but, the animals in the shelters right now can't take a break, they don't have a voice, that's were we come in.

Okay, take a swing, because it's really easy to say what I just said, but if you're human, caring, loving, yes, all of this stuff can get to be too much.

Hug?