Pet adoption...

[dvcgirl67]

The issue isn't getting a puppy from a responsible breeder. Generally, if you want a purebred puppy that's where you should go. I worked at a shelter for many years, and we suggested people to go to responsible breeders all the time.

I actually meant those specific photos are puppy mill puppies. They're clearly from the same website. A responsible breeder won't have 5+ breeds for sale. And if those are photos from a pet store, they are also puppy mill puppies.

There's a big difference between getting a puppy from a responsible breeder vs getting one from a puppy mill. Even a backyard breeder that at least only raises 1 litter at a time is better than a puppy mill.

I've owned/operated a pet sitting/dog walking company for over 19 years and so I've seen literally hundreds of new pets come into families as puppies and rescues. I volunteer as a dog walker at our local ASPCA when my schedule allows and pet rescues are the largest line item in our "giving" budget. I say all of that just to point out that this is kind of my wheelhouse...at least with respect to my passion and what I do for a living.

And I do believe, as you do, that there are terrible puppy mills out there that are just churning out puppies of all breeds to sell on the internet. However, there are also *plenty* of AKC approved breeders that are churning out tons and tons of puppies....with the necessary health checks, etc....that just happen to focus on one breed. Often, the females aren't living in the household with the family, but in more of a kennel situation. The dogs spend lots of time away from the family with the trainers and handlers on the road....in crates, being groomed endlessly....etc....in order to get points towards becoming "champions". So, the parents of those puppies aren't always living an ideal life either.

I try not to judge how people end up with their pets. Most people decide that they want to get a puppy, and they get one as soon as they possibly can, not getting on wait lists which would be the standard if you're purchasing from a true "reputable breeder"....because their puppies are usually spoken for long before the birth. The other obvious issue with rescuing is that many shelters are filled with pitties and they aren't always a good fit for every family. Some rental units and HOAs won't even allow them. I usually try to steer people toward a local rescue organization the specializes in a breed that they are interested in to see if there may be a good fit. If they end up purchasing a puppy, then so be it. As long as the puppy/dog is well cared for and loved, that's all that matters. Anyway, just my 2 cents.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I think the #1 problem with pet overpopulation right now is people not spaying and neutering their pets.

I think the #2 problem with pet overpopulation right now is that people who have no business “breeding” dogs are breeding them. The vast majority of those dog probably should not be bred.

I follow a lot of rescues and am absolutely heartbroken that we’re euthanizing so many unwanted pets right now. It’s a national disgrace. I started a thread about this a couple of months ago, but so many people who got pets during the pandemic have now “gotten rid” of them. I am also completely appalled at anyone who would drop a senior dog off at at a shelter rather than see them through to the end, no matter how difficult it is. What an animal goes through at a shelter is absolutely devastating and terrifying to them. Think of it from the pet’s perspective.

I think rescues might be easing up a little on their requirements to adopt, and that’s probably a mixed bag, IMO. But I will say that, as an almost ideal dog owner, it took me six years, and about 70 applications, to adopt the German Shepherd I’ve had for almost two years now, and the only reason we were able to get him, I believe, is because they’d made a mistake with his age and listed him as much older than he actually is and no one really wanted an old dog, but we didn’t mind. When we got him and I saw his teeth were still white and he was still chewing shoes, I was shocked!

He went from this and this (trip in rescue van and first moments with us)



To this and this (first weeks home)



To now this



I keep assuring him he’s home forever, but i can see that sometimes he still worries. Some of the differences i see between him and the puppies I raised make me a little sad, but at least he’s learning now that it’s all good. i wish that whoever raised him could’ve kept him, but apparently that wasn’t possible. i sometimes wonder if he misses his special person.


To anyone that does rescue work, i salute you. it’s got to be one of the hardest jobs out there if you’re an animal lover.

 

[dvcgirl67]

I think the #1 problem with pet overpopulation right now is people not spaying and neutering their pets.

I think the #2 problem with pet overpopulation right now is that people who have no business “breeding” dogs are breeding them. The vast majority of those dog probably should not be bred.

I follow a lot of rescues and am absolutely heartbroken that we’re euthanizing so many unwanted pets right now. It’s a national disgrace. I started a thread about this a couple of months ago, but so many people who got pets during the pandemic have now “gotten rid” of them. I am also completely appalled at anyone who would drop a senior dog off at at a shelter rather than see them through to the end, no matter how difficult it is. What an animal goes through at a shelter is absolutely devastating and terrifying to them. Think of it from the pet’s perspective.

I think rescues might be easing up a little on their requirements to adopt, and that’s probably a mixed bag, IMO. But I will say that, as an almost ideal dog owner, it took me six years, and about 70 applications, to adopt the German Shepherd I’ve had for almost two years now, and the only reason we were able to get him, I believe, is because they’d made a mistake with his age and listed him as much older than he actually is and no one really wanted an old dog, but we didn’t mind. When we got him and I saw his teeth were still white and he was still chewing shoes, I was shocked!

He went from this and this (trip in rescue van and first moments with us)

View attachment 818256 View attachment 818257

To this and this (first weeks home)

View attachment 818258 View attachment 818259

To now this

View attachment 818260 View attachment 818263

I keep assuring him he’s home forever, but i can see that sometimes he still worries. Some of the differences i see between him and the puppies I raised make me a little sad, but at least he’s learning now that it’s all good. i wish that whoever raised him could’ve kept him, but apparently that wasn’t possible. i sometimes wonder if he misses his special person.


To anyone that does rescue work, i salute you. it’s got to be one of the hardest jobs out there if you’re an animal lover.

Great rescue story Pea-n-Me....and as you know, there are often bumps in the road. But your very handsome boy....you can just see the change in his eyes over time. He knows he's home .

 

[nw6675]

I'm sorry I was so snarky. A large pound dog would not fit in our home. DH always has said we will buy the breed we want and that's that. I know there are puppy mills, but I also know I'm giving a loving home regardless. Everybody isn't bad in this world. I love my shelter kiddies as much as my diva dog. And lord knows I've spent $1000s on them too!

 

[dvcgirl67]

I'm sorry I was so snarky. A large pound dog would not fit in our home. DH always has said we will buy the breed we want and that's that. I know there are puppy mills, but I also know I'm giving a loving home regardless. Everybody isn't bad in this world. I love my shelter kiddies as much as my diva dog. And lord knows I've spent $1000s on them too!

We can all get our backs up a bit when it comes to our family members....the furry ones too . And yes, the "price" of the pet....whether it's a big donation to a rescue organization or larger check to a breeder will always been significantly dwarfed by the vet bills over the lifetime of the pet. I was never a big believer in pet insurance until my two oldest dogs that we have now have literally cost us tens of thousands over the last four years. So...they don't qualify, but my 5 year old miniature schnauzer has a policy....thankfully no health issues yet .

 

[mjkacmom]

We can all get our backs up a bit when it comes to our family members....the furry ones too . And yes, the "price" of the pet....whether it's a big donation to a rescue organization or larger check to a breeder will always been significantly dwarfed by the vet bills over the lifetime of the pet. I was never a big believer in pet insurance until my two oldest dogs that we have now have literally cost us tens of thousands over the last four years. So...they don't qualify, but my 5 year old miniature schnauzer has a policy....thankfully no health issues yet .

I chose to self insure our 13 year old rescue (minpin/jack Russel), got her at 3 months, I think I’ve spent less than $1000 total on things that might’ve been covered by insurance, so I’m well ahead of the game.

A friend had an older rescue that she adopted as a puppy, got a golden retriever from a breeder. A year later, totally unprovoked, the retriever disemboweled the little old dog.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Yikes! Scary story @mjkacmom! I take it the little dog didn’t survive? That’s awful.

We’ve had pretty good luck not spending a lot at the vet’s other than for routine care. However, the cost of that has really gone up in the past couple of years. (Is routine care covered by insurance?) My Cairn Terrier just turned 10, and he’s having some skin issues now that he never had before. Idk if it was a change in food, something in his environment, old age, or what, but I’ve taken matters into my own hands as far as treating it goes. It’s a lot of work but he’s doing ok now. It seems like they just want to keep giving him more and more serious meds. The Shepherd is also having an issue now that I may have to take him to a specialist to treat. I thought it was what one of my other Shepherds had that was very easy to treat, but my vet is calling it something else. So I think I may have to see what the specialist says. Gearing up for the cost of that. I am worried about vet costs for so many people who can barely afford to buy groceries.

 

[mjkacmom]

Yikes! Scary story @mjkacmom! I take it the little dog didn’t survive? That’s awful.

We’ve had pretty good luck not spending a lot at the vet’s other than for routine care. However, the cost of that has really gone up in the past couple of years. (Is routine care covered by insurance?) My Cairn Terrier just turned 10, and he’s having some skin issues now that he never had before. Idk if it was a change in food, something in his environment, old age, or what, but I’ve taken matters into my own hands as far as treating it goes. It’s a lot of work but he’s doing ok now. It seems like they just want to keep giving him more and more serious meds. The Shepherd is also having an issue now that I may have to take him to a specialist to treat. I thought it was what one of my other Shepherds had that was very easy to treat, but my vet is calling it something else. So I think I may have to see what the specialist says. Gearing up for the cost of that. I am worried about vet costs for so many people who can barely afford to buy groceries.

The dog didn’t survive, died after surgery, I do not like having an older dog, just because I know her time is limited.

 

[tinkerbellandpeterpan]

Yikes! Scary story @mjkacmom! I take it the little dog didn’t survive? That’s awful.

We’ve had pretty good luck not spending a lot at the vet’s other than for routine care. However, the cost of that has really gone up in the past couple of years. (Is routine care covered by insurance?) My Cairn Terrier just turned 10, and he’s having some skin issues now that he never had before. Idk if it was a change in food, something in his environment, old age, or what, but I’ve taken matters into my own hands as far as treating it goes. It’s a lot of work but he’s doing ok now. It seems like they just want to keep giving him more and more serious meds. The Shepherd is also having an issue now that I may have to take him to a specialist to treat. I thought it was what one of my other Shepherds had that was very easy to treat, but my vet is calling it something else. So I think I may have to see what the specialist says. Gearing up for the cost of that. I am worried about vet costs for so many people who can barely afford to buy groceries.

The costs are crazy. We just spent $800 to determine our cat DIDN'T need surgery. You can imagine if he did what the costs would have been and that was with declining the blood work because it really wasn't necessary at that stage. Of course we would have done it if he was going to have surgery. I'm just grateful the specialist recommended against surgery which I was shocked. It still cost $250 for a 5 minute appt for her to tell us that. It adds up so quick!

 

[nw6675]

My bad cat ate 3 FEET of Christmas ribbon. $1300. The weirdo vet (not his usual) sent home a sample. Who does that lol

 

[dvcgirl67]

I chose to self insure our 13 year old rescue (minpin/jack Russel), got her at 3 months, I think I’ve spent less than $1000 total on things that might’ve been covered by insurance, so I’m well ahead of the game.

A friend had an older rescue that she adopted as a puppy, got a golden retriever from a breeder. A year later, totally unprovoked, the retriever disemboweled the little old dog.

We were always ahead of the game too mjkacmom....even with our first three dogs who had the chronic renal failure and congestive heart failure. We had a couple of hospitalizations....some specialty care...etc, but it was all medical management and then palliative care. We've always kept a $5,000 "vet fund" for the unexpected health issues and just paid for the regular check-ups/dentals out of our regular budget.

But then we had a 10K+ spending year 2019....15K 2020...and over 20K in 2021. We're happy we went through with those procedures as our girls bounced back....one with chronic health issues, but we felt it would have been premature to say goodbye. Now they're 9.5 and 12...and I don't see us doing any additional big spending as they are both within the "end of lifespan" window. We'll see how it goes.... but the price of vet care has just gotten insane! We're currently diverting some other spending we had in mind to rebuild the "vet fund" to get our older girls through the finish line. They bring us a lot of joy....so there's that, but if our finances couldn't handle this....we would have had awful decisions to make.

So sorry to hear about your friend's little dog. Unfortunately....these kinds of horrible things do happen. It's rare, but so sad when it does .

 

[dvcgirl67]

My bad cat ate 3 FEET of Christmas ribbon. $1300. The weirdo vet (not his usual) sent home a sample. Who does that lol

Did your cat need surgery as a result? Ribbon and string are really dangerous for. both dogs and cats, but cats are super into it....and end up having that string tie around their intestines causing a not so fun result...oy. It's amazing we can keep any of them alive to be honest .

 

[nw6675]

Did your cat need surgery as a result? Ribbon and string are really dangerous for. both dogs and cats, but cats are super into it....and end up having that string tie around their intestines causing a not so fun result...oy. It's amazing we can keep any of them alive to be honest .

Yes, that was the $1300

 

[lifesavacation]

We've always been a dog family, but over Thanksgiving we rescued a stray cat. She's still in isolation in our house because she has/had parasites, fleas, and mites. She's seen the vet for treatment and will be spayed soon. She is the most grateful animal ever and just wants loves. We found a home for her early in the process and I'm really wishing we could keep her ourselves. So my vote is for the kitten.

 

[dvcgirl67]

Yes, that was the $1300

Ugh...that darned string! I had a customer text me about 2 months ago with a Maltese....had eaten some string and the owner was asking if I thought it was something to be concerned about. I told her...."you need to take Mia to the emergency vet now....it can be life threatening". $3,000 later....string removed....infection followed....lots of meds and recovery, but thankfully she made it.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I am a cat person so I naturally vote CAT