How Did You Get Your Pet?

[kilee]

We are so ready for another furbaby and have been for over a year. We got our little Shih Tzu almost 2 yrs ago from a breeder. We are really torn on what route to go w/ this time around.

I know all the reasons for going w/ rescue but we tried that last spring and it was a really bad exp. (I had posted about it here). We did end up having to return the dog to the rescue group after it aggressively bit me and my son. It made me leary, and I actually stopped looking for awhile. After speaking w/ the director of that group at the time she did apologize and admitted the dog hadn't really spent more than a few days in the group and they didn't know much about the dog.

We've been watching the local SPCA's/shelters. It is pitbull alley at all of them. If not a pitbull (which I say 97% of the dogs are) then they are incredibly large dogs. A large, very active dog would not be a good fit for us. So, I don't want to go that route. It would be a mistake that wouldn't be in our interest or the dogs interest either.

So, I'm just wondering how many of you found your furbabies? I really wanted to give a dog "in need" a home, but I'm really torn on this one.

 

[marathonmommy]

We did a rescue . . . I think our baby has some pit bull in him. We have 2 kids and no problems. If you actually research pit bulls, you will find them to be good family dogs. I am not posting to debate the merits of the breed though. Just saying you might not want to rule out a breed based on popular perception . . .
Also, keep in mind that not all rescue groups are treated the same. Ours interviewed us, references, and even did a home visit. It was not a quick process. They wanted the dog to be a good fit for our family as much as we did. If you find a good group, they will work with you and will never put your family in a situation that is potentially dangerous. A dog should not be placed with children unless that are nearly certain that the temperment is conducive to an enviornment with kids. Good luck!

 

[rcraw45425]

Another Shih-Tzu from the breeder here. I agree about the humane society. Here it's all pits and pit mixes. They occasionally get a purebred but raise the adoption fee to close to $200, which to me is insane! You don't get to bring this dog up in your environment, it may have been abused, have an underlying health problem, etc. My breeder gave me 48 hours to have Scruffy checked out, which I think should be the norm.

 

[ElizK]

Go to www.petfinder.com and type in your zip code, tell it what kind of animal you want, what size, and age, and whatever is out there will show up on your screen. That's how we found our puppy Grace!

 

[hiwaygal]

Both of my basenji's are rescues.

For me, as much as I love puppies (and puppy breath)...I simply can't justify buying a puppy when there are so many dogs out there who need homes.

It's a tough choice, and I remember the problems you had kilee...there are no real guarantees with any animal (from a rescue or a breeder).

Not all rescue groups are bad, sometimes you just have to keep looking at different groups.

Good luck with whatever you choose!

 

[poohandwendy]

We adopted our dog and one of our cats from the humane society. We took in one of our other cats when she was pregnant and she gave birth to eight kittens. We kept her and four of them. We then rescued another stray male cat who showed up at our doorstep, this past fall.

We are seriously on some sort of 'that house has suckers who like to give out food' list amongst the strays. Don't even have to leave the house anymore for a new pet.

 

[LadyyRedd]

One of my sister's coworkers had to get rid of him because his 2 year old developed severe allergies. He was doing everything he could to find him a home so he wouldn't have to take him to the humane society. He had had him since he was a kitten.

One look at that face and I was hooked.

Kimya

 

[OK!]

I got my big fat kitty from the Humane Society in August 1997, and my three most recent additions are young African cichlids that I got from a store tonight. I had an "incident" in my aquarium over the summer that mysteriously killed all of my fish (I was gone overnight, so I have no idea what happened.) and hadn't had any tenants in it since then. It's so good to see happy, healthy fish in there again!

 

[poohandwendy]

We've been watching the local SPCA's/shelters. It is pitbull alley at all of them. If not a pitbull (which I say 97% of the dogs are) then they are incredibly large dogs. A large, very active dog would not be a good fit for us. So, I don't want to go that route. It would be a mistake that wouldn't be in our interest or the dogs interest either.

Isn't it a shame?

It happens so often with large breed dogs, they seem so manageable as a puppy and everyone thinks they want a 'guard dog' to protect the house. But, it always ends up more work than many people are willing to put in and these poor dogs are abandoned.

Makes me sad.

I would definitely suggest trying a rescue group again. I understand why you are leery, but there are many really great dogs through the rescue groups. Maybe you could find a dog someone has fostered for a while (so you can get a better feel for the dogs personality/disposition/habits)?

 

[MUFFYCAT]

From a shelter- North Shore Animal League on L.I.

he was actually a dog from a shelter in hurricane Katrina area.

 

[Hedy]

We got Isabelle at a shelter where my DSIL's sister volunteers-about 45 minutes away from us. It was love at first sight.
I found Oscar on Craigslist, sort of. We were looking for a second cat, and I was checking Craigslist, but not finding anything. I was about to give up when I clicked on a listing and noticed the e-mail address was the same first and last name as one of my mom's coworkers. I immediately called my mom at work-turned out Oscar turned up on her coworker's doorstep and she'd tried to find his owners, couldn't, and he was so sweet she was scared to take him to a shelter.
Moral of the story: Networking-it's not just for job hunters.

 

[kilee]

Also, keep in mind that not all rescue groups are treated the same. Ours interviewed us, references, and even did a home visit. It was not a quick process. They wanted the dog to be a good fit for our family as much as we did.

I do think this was a good group w/ good intentions. They did all of the above. The dog was born and raised many years in a puppy mill. To me, and I'm no expert, it just seemed that dog was not going to adjust to being in a family at all. She was violently aggressive and it was the first time I was truly scared of a dog.

As for pitbulls, they intimidate me, so I don't think I'd be the right owner for them. However, I do know 2 different people who own them, and so far they've been very nice dogs. I'm sure it's all in the way they were raised.

 

[candykisses]

Both Albert and Magoo were bought from breeders.

Albert was a Bichon Frise. My aunt bred bichons and was on the show circuit. We fell in love with Albert when we went to visit my aunt.

Magoo is a purebred Sheltie. We waited a long time after Albert died to get another dog. We researched alot of breeds and decided a sheltie would be the best for our family.

 

[kimmar067]

...our cat, Whiskers, was a rescue, but our Morgana, a Sammie, was well-researched [for allergy reasons] on the web...a measely 5-hr drive to the breeders' [in New Hampshire!] and she was ours......

 

[Aimeedyan]

Harley, our Shih Tzu, was from a breeder. A bad backyard breeder we should have NEVER supported but a breeder nonetheless. We paid the price for that one, though he has been relatively healthy for the last year.

Winston, our Heinz 57 mutt, came from the local shelter and is the best dog ever.

When we add another, it will be an adoption. Not only am I not willing to do the puppy thing again, I also can't justify buying another dog when there are plenty of dogs out there. And our next dog will need to be low to no shed, small dog similar to the Shih Tzu but there are still plenty of those out there too. www.petfinder.com is chock full of them. I would rather save another life and help the pet population some. And, going with a breeder again means a LOT more money since we now know what a good breeder is like and that they often charge a little more for their well bred animals

Good luck in your search!

 

[CourtasanSatine]

Cordelia and Doyle(brother and sister cats) came from a yard sale(the family was moving and there was an allergy). They for some reason love the Angel theme song(I named them after characters from the show and one of my dream pairings)

 

[tea4sanity]

Havoc, our 14yo dog, we got at the local animal shelter. His mom was hit by a car and left 7 puppies about 7w old. He is some sort of sheppard/lab mix best we can tell. The best $5 we ever spent!

O'Malley, our 2yo cat, was bought at a pet store for a Christmas present for 2.5 yo dd. We tried to get one from a shelter but no one would let us have them because DD was under 5. It cost us over $100, but in the end he is worth it.

 

[clh2]

We got our dog from a local humane society. DH was wanting an about 2YO female yellow lab mix. We were "lucky enough" to be picked by a dog that was there, an 8 YO male yellow lab mix. There was just something about this guy that was irresistable.

We got this dog in September. He has been wonderful.. Has the best temperment. Didn't need to be house trained, has had some obedience along the way, and he doesn't bark. OK,so that isn't true. In 4 months, he has only barked 4 woofs. That's it


We are very fortunate to have come across this dog.

 

[Disneyland1084]

DH and I got our terrier/daschund mix at the local pound three and a half years ago. He's been such a joy in our lives.

 

[freckles and boo]

Falstaff was a kitten from my mom's cat's only litter.

Hal was a farm kitten. (Falstaff needed a protegee.)

Pumbaa wandered into Mom's house when the door was open. Fortunately her gas problem went away with a regular diet.

Stanley followed us home from the YMCA.

Hal is the lone survivor and misses Pumbaa desperately. We paid nothing to acquire any of our pets (except the $3 fish) but have spent bucketloads on their health and well-being.