don't buy a dog, not any dog at all

tigerlily46514

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
The title probably made you think i don't think humans should live with dogs. Nope, just the opposite, i think almost all humans should live with a dog, THE BENEFITS ARE ENDLESS!!!. You will smile more, laugh more, walk more, be outdoors more, relax more, excercize more, care more, and receive unconditional love, each and every day. That is just off the top of my head, the list of the benefits could fill this whole website..

I would even go so far as to say, our new dog has even improved our family bonds. We bond up over our mutual love of this dog. My family now just laffs even more together, much more to joke around about with Buddy there.

But, i want to illuminate a crisis in america that is killing 17,000 dogs every day, .....and hope that not one of you buys a dog. ADOPT a dog, off Petfinder.com instead.

We have a dog overpopulation CRISIS in the USA, (and most other countries as well, by the way). SIX MILLION DOGS ARE PUT TO DEATH EACH YEAR because no one wanted them.
If you buy a dog, you will be supporting a puppy mill or a breeder (the average humans cannot tell the difference between the two anyway) with your wallet. Thi$ is exactly what keeps them in business, cranking out litter after litter of dogs. Each dog they ‘create’ can--- within even a few years--- reproduce and reproduce, adding 1000s of more dogs to the earth that will probably end up being killed for the crime of not having a human to love it.

The dogs who are being bred and bred... and then $old, to $upport some human$,----- sort of compete with the perfectly wonderful dogs who are homeless,----- for the available humans.....

. Each dog who is "bought" is probably one less dog that makes it
off death row.​


TOP REASONS WHY FOLKS “BUY” DOGS:
“I want a purebred.” Fine, go to Petfinders. Over 40% of the dogs there are purebred. Sign up for email alerts for when the breed/age/size/gender dog you want comes to your zip code.

“I want to ‘know what I am getting’ so I will buy my dog from a breeder, I can see it’s parents then.”


This reason totally cracks me up, as if anyone can “know” what they are getting when they take home ANY puppy!! Like humans, dogs can create puppies much unlike themselves. Ha ha, do ask around, some hilarious stories out there!!
“I want to know it will be healthy.”
Very very few breeders, less than 5%, even screen for health problems, and many AKC registered dogs are bred from father/daughter matings, (unbelievably, the AKC has no issue with that!?) which totally Increases your chances of health problems in your dog.
Your chances of getting a dog with health problems is higher if you buy your dog.
A mixed breed dog is SO much healthier, if it is longetivity and a life free of health problems that you want, get a mixed breed, not a purebred from a puppy mill!!



Looking at the dog’s parents is not reliable indicator of your puppy’s future personality, either. A dog’s personality cannot be known until it is an adult. Some problems do not present until the dog is a lil older.

IF YOU REEEALLY WANT TO/NEED TO KNOW WHAT KIND OF DOG YOU ARE GOING TO TAKE HOME---adopt an ADULT dog from Petfinders!!
You can have the dog temperament tested, many breed clubs and rescue organizations will help you determine the dog’s personality type, if that shelter does not have personnel trained to temp test.

If you adopt a dog on Petfinders that is currently living with a foster family( this mean the dog is in a “rescue” home as opposed to a dog pound/shelter,) well, that foster family can tell you ALL ABOUT the dog you are getting!! EVERY little thing!! What he likes, doesn’t like, what he is afraid of, if anything, how much excercize he needs every day, is he laid back? or hyper?, etc etc, and how he gets on with cats?…kids?…other dogs?…does he shed much, does he bark much?, whatever you wanna know—they can tell you!!!
For those of you wanting a NO-mystery dog, ADOPTING A DOG FROM A RESCUE IS THE WAY TO GO FOR YOU!!!!!

“I want a puppy, I want to be the dog’s first human! I want to raise it from scratch.”


Fine, go to Petfinder.com, there are tons of puppies.
If one has long list of must-haves, they may need to sign up for email alerts for their dream dog to appear. But, it is often faster than buying their dream dog from a puppy mill, whose next litter might not be available for a while.

“I don’t want to adopt an adult dog, cuz he won’t latch onto me the way a puppy would.”

This is complete horse poppy. Nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, an adult dog will be a lil reserved initially, so he will put on his very best subdued behavior as he is unsure what the rules are, and if you are trustable. BUT, once he has sized you all up, he blooms before your very eyes. He will indeed love you more than you love your own self, more than he loves his own life, if you just give him a chance.

When one adopts an adult dog, you miss out on the destructive chewing stage, the ruin-your-carpet house training stage, the biting/nipping stage, the can't be home alone-for-long stage,and all the other stages of raising a puppy that may not fit into your life…..you can take home a well known dog that can fit into your lifestyle, and how great and warm you feel from doing the right thing is undescribable.

Do consider rescuing a dog from Petfinder.com, either from the dogs living with foster families, or, from the dogs at the shelters(dog pounds)


!!!!!!!!!Discourage anyone and EVERYONE YOU KNOW from “buying” any dog, encourage them to look over the dogs on Petfinder.com.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!).



There just isn’t any reason to $upport a puppy mill from contributing to the 17,000 dogs being put down each and every day because no one gave them a chance.

Dogs from dog pounds cost about $50 to $75 on average, some pounds require more. Some are free, the pound/shelter is just trying to get them a chance to live and will waive the donation to help that unwanted dog get a home. Still, I would donate to that shelter anyway.
The dogs in rescue/foster families often cost about $200. There is zero profit involved here, the fosters and the rescue organization do NOT even break even, when one subtracts the vet bills, the medicines, the food, etc etc., but, they ask this fee to help them keep their mission going.


Now, put in your zip code right HERE:, http://www.petfinder.com/index.html

or here: http://www.pets911.com/ AND FIND YOUR NEXT BEST FRIEND!!





~~~~~
 
tigerlily46514

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
If you live in the UK, please use the Dogs Trust. They fully assess the dog when it first arrives. They match the dog's needs and character to prospective owners, to give the best chance of success. They also offer support if there are any initial behavioural problems. They ensure all dogs are neutered before re-homing, and they never put healthy dogs to sleep.
 
tigerlily46514

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
On the same note, EVERYONE spay/neuter your dog!! Do not let your dog have puppies, i dont' care how cute your dog is, we have enough homeless dogs already!
Every puppy your dog creates competes with the already-born, homeless dogs for the available humans.
And every puppy your dog creates can create 100s and 100s of more homeless dogs.

Don't allow your dog to make more puppies!!!
 
snowblind

snowblind

New Member
As a breeder (beginner one still though) and worker of the local animal shelter I wouldn´t say all that. Though there are valid points, many are so-so. Mostly depending of the breeder you choose. I have adopted several dogs in different ages and out of the 11 dogs I have (had), only 2 have come to me from a breeder as puppies so I am not only a theoretic.

Not to discourage anyone from adopting a homeless dog but no need to bash all breeders like this. There are breeders that do health screening and can predict a puppies temperament (to a point ofcourse but also with an adult rescue dog what you see isn´t always what you get in the long run). There are pros and cons to both and all of these should be considered carefully.

But rescues can be wonderful friends that love you to death. There are just magical caracters in the shelter that make you question the value of humanity because if men can´t appreciate these dogs, then who can they appreciate.
 
tigerlily46514

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
//"There are breeders that do health screening and can predict a puppies temperament "//

Well, this is true, however, it is only about five % of breeders (in US) who do any health screening. Few do the entire family tree, to look for inheirited diseases.

The breeders the average person interacts with, is not likely to be of that caliber of rare breeder,:dognowink: who is working to reduce the health problems of purebreds.

Predicting a puppies future adult temperment is fools' task!! Certainly, no doubt, they get some right, but, even experts, can take home a puppy and be shocked when say, dog aggression:dogmad: shows up at around 9 months old. (read "click to calm", her pup did that.... some think it could be inherit, the way extreme shyness is inherit)

but i so agree with you, that adopting dogs is an extremely valuable and rewarding undertaking. I should point out, of course, my post above, is only my very own opinion. just my own thoughts, for whatever they are worth.

If i can talk one person out of $upporting a puppy mill, and instead--- looking over their local dog pound, or Petfinder.com, i'll feel good.:dogbiggrin:
 
leema

leema

New Member
I strongly reject the suggestion that when I breed dogs, this contributes to the destruction of other dogs.

Here is a link to my blog: “Don’t breed or buy while shelter dogs die” | Some Thoughts About Dogs
And here it is, copied and pasted, for those that can't be bothered looking:

"Don't breed or buy while shelter dogs die"

The above mantra, “don’t breed or buy while shelter dogs die”, is one I wish to critique in this follow post. It is undeniable that there are ‘too many’ dogs in the world. Countless dogs are destroyed every day due to the lack of suitable homes. I have worked in an animal shelter and seen first hand the problems we have with dog population numbers. As such, I have constantly been asked to justify how I can also breed animals. To me, the problem is multifaceted.

Firstly, many puppy-buyers are uneducated and fuel the unscrupulous breeding of huge quantities of dogs through purchasing animals from unethical institutions. These puppy buyers often don’t know where their puppy has come from, yet alone how to raise the puppy to be a sound adult dog which they are happy to commit to for 15 years.

To counteract this first problem, I try to involve myself as much as possible in the education role. The obvious is having detailed discussions with potential puppy buyers to establish the suitability of Border Terriers to their lifestyle. Furthermore, through my work, I promote responsible dog ownership in schools. Through the work of “People and Dogs”, which I have volunteered for on numerous occasions, I have attempted to educate people before a puppy enters their lives.

Secondly, I believe the problem is based around an oversupply of undesirable crossbreeds. Working in an animal pound for several years, I saw only one Border Terrier enter the facility. There is not an oversupply of Border Terriers. There are too many dogs of undeterminable heritage, inappropriately raised, and with undesirable behavioural characteristics because of this. I do not feel like I am responsible for the destruction of crossbreed animals by breeding Border Terriers.

Finally, if I am incorrect and breeding border terriers does in some way mean that crossbred dogs in pounds are destroyed, I seek to counteract this damage by being involved in rescue. Not only do I frequently donate to rescue efforts nationally, but also take foster animals into my home. Having privately fostered and rehomed animals in the past, I now volunteer as a foster carer with the Greyhound Adoption Program.

I strongly feel that those involved with breeding should also be involved in rescue, at least in their given breed. As my breed does not tend to make their way into shelters, I support rescue in other ways. In this way, I feel that breeding border terriers is no way contributing to the problems in animal shelters.
 
tigerlily46514

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
I applaud your efforts to help get dogs adopted and to pitch in, in an actual 'hands on' way to help homeless dogs (be they "crossbred" dogs or not) find homes. You sound like a marvelous dog advocate, the kind we need more of.
And you may indeed, be one of the few breeders who does research the genetic trees of the dogs you are mating to help reduce the diseases that are so wildly rampant, so difficult to avoid, in dogs who are not crossbred.
I also applaud your efforts to ensure the ppl coming to take one of your dogs is at least interviewed for suitability prior to placing the dog, good for you!!!! I agree with and admire so so many of your points and remarks and ideas!!!

You may be right, that the breed you are helping produce might be a more rare breed. Honestly, i had not heard of them, off to google for me! However, i'd bet that breed can be found on petfinders, if it is a less common breed = it will be harder to find, and the person aching to rescue that breed may have to drive a bit.
i hear your point on you do not feel you are contributing to dog overpopulation, nor to the competition homeless dogs face, i hear you on this, and hesitate to disagree because i sense you are the rare breeder who does indeed work on decreasing purebred health issues.

Still, there is a well known supply and demand factor, which impacts every 'product' out there, and it even works against the homeless dog, too.

And every dog 'produced' can create HUNDREDS more dogs within a very short time period. YOu may be responsibley choosing dog owners who will spay and neuter, but, the grandchildren of the dogs you are selling may be owned by careless nightmares.

//"Secondly, I believe the problem is based around an oversupply of undesirable crossbreeds."//
This is a mindset, not a fact. And, by the way, 40% of dogs in Petfinder, are purebreds. Even a purebred aficionado can rescue a homeless purebred.

Also, i wish to stand up for "cross bred" dogs, or mutts, as being VERY desirable, and awesome dogs, and tend to be healthier than purebreds. The typically small gene pool purebreds come from increases and condenses the well known purebred health problems.
Slightly off topic, but the dog shows on tv, who have given awards to dogs carrying and even suffering from, inheirtable defects, as well as the AKC, who have zero problem with mother/son matings, do nothing to promote dog health. Dog BEAUTY, yes, but dog HEALTH, NO.

//"There are too many dogs of undeterminable heritage, inappropriately raised, and with undesirable behavioural characteristics because of this"//

It is hard for many ppl to wrap their mind around the fact "undetermindable heritage" is not a major deal to many humans who love dogs. Certainly, there are ppl who want to brag their dog has "papers", and they truly believe their dog is somehow 'superior' for having "papers". I agree this mindset exists. However, such "papers" do nothing to ensure the dog is going to be healthier, in fact, purebreds tend to be more riddled with problems than mutts.

Still, Loving a dog needs zero certification or papers. The other two factors you list have no exclusivity to a dog's breeding whatsoever, zero, nada. Both purebreds and "mutts" can be have undesirable behavioural characteristics and be inappropriately raised.

That said, i do wish to point out,
most dogs in shelters and rescues make fine companions,
and i hope anyone reading along does not walk away with false impression
that dogs in dog pounds are "problem" dogs.
:dognowink:​
 
leema

leema

New Member
I am in a different country, too. In my state there are two major pound facilities, both only destroy animals who are unsuitable for rehoming. To rescue animals I bring them from interstate, where animals are destroyed due to lack of room and lack of homes. In my state, we have plenty of homes and perhaps even an undersupply of dogs.

So, if you look at the Australian PetRescue.com.au, you will see that there are very few purebred animals on this site. There are different trends in Australia. I opened the first five pages, and got 6 pure bred dogs (including 4 greyhounds) out of 50 dogs. So only 12% of the dogs were purebred from my small sample.



"mating to help reduce the diseases that are so wildly rampant, so difficult to avoid, in dogs who are not crossbred. " and ""cross bred" dogs, or mutts, as being VERY desirable, and awesome dogs, and tend to be healthier than purebreds"

Crossbred dogs have plenty of genetic issues because their breeders do not research their pedigrees. A german shepherd with hip dysplasia put to a rottweiler with hip dysplasia is likely to produce a crossbreed with hip dysplasia. Dogs who ARE crossbred are ill as well, and debatably more ill because they are unscrupulously bred.

The problem is if a purebred dog has a health problem, the breed is blamed. If a crossbred dog has a health problem, it is disregarded.

Your reference to the Pedigree Dogs Documentary does not consider that the dogs and breeders shown in the show were, for the most part, unethical breeders. Some were not even registered. I much prefer people get a shelter dog that from one of these people, but I much prefer people get a dog from a registered ethical breeder than a shelter.



I'm glad you don't object particularly to my breeding practices, and I understand that for the most part your posts are not directed at me. On a side note, I can let you know that I have fostered 4 dogs, 9 kittens, and 1 adult cat... Yet have only bred 3 puppies. So I think so far I am at least breaking even. :)
 
tigerlily46514

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
//"Your reference to the Pedigree Dogs Documentary does not consider that the dogs and breeders shown in the show were, for the most part, unethical breeders. Some were not even registered."//

Registration means absolutely NOTHING as far as a dog's health status goes. Nothing at all. zero. nada. zip.

No, these were prize winning, registered, titled dogs, even the "Best In Show" dog at Crufts is in that documentary.

And if one factors in "HEALTH TESTING" and genetic testing of the dog's family tree, on both sides, as criteria to be an ethical breeder,
less than 5% of breeders would qualify as "ethical" breeders.

//"Crossbred dogs have plenty of genetic issues because their breeders do not research their pedigrees"//
This is not neccessarily true at all. There are breeders out there, focusing on reducing dog's health problems by INCREASING the size of the gene pool. The vast bulk of purebred problems come from the SMALL GENE POOL, (same reason humans can not safely produce healthy children with their own relatives, the gene pool is too small).
 
tigerlily46514

tigerlily46514

Honored Member




dawg, today i can't embed videos, :ROFLMAO: BUT DO FOLLOW THAT LINK,
very short,
very sweet and cute seasonal lil song
for all dog lovers who are involving their own life, their own home, in doggie rescue, in helping out homeless dogs, as well as those who are still $upporting breeders amidst a severe dog overpopulation crisis...

edit: ooh, i did it! i did it! i DID embed a video!
 
tigerlily46514

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
lol, the longer i am a member here on DTA, the more i read of the absolute frustrations of those who bring home puppies, => the more convinced i become that more ppl should adopt adult dogs!:ROFLMAO: SO SO MUCH EASIER!!
 
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