"one Nation Under Dog"

OH Bekah, don't feel bad!!! much of what i wrote to try to make Remi feel better fits for you, too, we aren't born knowing about dogs! at all!! i have no doubt in my mind, that both you and Remi are total devoted dog lovers, no question at all,
and all we can do, is try our best and learn as we go.
Many many knowledgable dog owners have had a whoops litter, it's pretty darn hard to prevent those, actually.
and i wish there were low cost "spay and neuter" options for more ppl, too.
I have no doubt, that you did the best you could for those pups, no doubt at all. these things happen.
we just live and learn, and sometimes,
overtime, we gain new perspectives on things and sometimes we change our minds about one thing or another as we go along.
this has happened to me any number of times, on any number of topics.

i think, if ppl don't stop learning or at least, thinking things over,
is sad. At least, you are all reconsidering and mulling over new ideas. maybe you will change your ideas, maybe your old ideas are right for you,
but, it's GREAT to mull things over, is how i see it.


and Bekah, you are spot on right, though, about most puppies in pet stores are from puppy mills, and it's sad. Those customers just don't KNOW, or else, they probably would not have anything to do with it. at all.
 
ANNEKE! i so understood your every word, there, in reply #16!! i think i'd feel exact same way.

//"I did an internship in a shelter for a few weeks(back then I still wanted to start a shelter or a doggy hotel) That made me realise that it is not for me... I wanted to keep all the dogs myself;), didn't think anyone was good enough to care for certain dogs."//

i think i'd feel same exact way!! lol, i'd probably become a dog-nazi, which are not uncommon in the dog rescue orgs, really, i've met a few. :rolleyes:
yes, i'd probably become a dog hoarder of some type, and end up in the news..."Indiana family found to have 200 dogs in their home.":eek: :oops:
 
I can tell you, those 5 weeks were the hardest in my life!!
The one thing I remember most, that made me so, so terribly mad, was about adopting a cat.
This beautiful little kitten, about half a year old, was brought in by the police. Some boys thought it would be fun to strip the skin off it's tail:mad: and it had to be removed. Then when she finally was allowed into the big kennel to rehabillitate(learning to live without the tail is actually harder for a cat, then for a dog) she fell off a shelf and she got a hernia. So again she had to be operated on. She was a georgous little white cat, lovely temperament!
When she was all better, people came in to see the cats. The lady was drawn to her, because she was all white. She was lying on a shelf and as the lady petted her, she got up. The lady pulled back her hand as if she was stung. Well, that cat is deformed, she called out! If she had a tail, I would have wanted her...
I got mad and told them there was no cat for them here. I got a scolding from the shelter owner:D It wasn't just what she said, it was how she said it! Like this kitten with a great personality and yes a handicap(that she could perfectly live with) was some kind of monster...

And yes, if had the space and the money, this house would be filled with rescues... My boyfriend holds me back though:D I fall for the sad cases.
My first dog was a rescue. And maybe my next dog will be a rescue again. I'm seriously thinking about that. But that is in the far future, as my boyfriend won't allow me to own more than 2 dogs:rolleyes::ROFLMAO:
 
tigerlily46514 said:
OH Remi, don't feel bad, we all do the best we can, we can't be blamed for what we didn't know. at all, ever.
It's like Maya Angelou says, "I did the best i could, with what i understood at the time."
You will still love and adore the pup you have, and give that pup a great life, no doubt about it.
Click to expand...
I agree with what you said about the papers meaning nothing. I have always be an advocate for adopting animals, as well as helping people find ways to keep a dog. I just feel like instead of getting Remi as a graduation gift, I or family could have saved a life. I take the blame because he is my puppy, no matter who paid for him.
 
I don't think dogs in rescues are so much of a problem in New Zealand. In the city where I live there are currently 4 dogs at the SPCA (according to their website) all are one year old or younger. And 14 dogs at the dog rescue (where all the pound dogs go), all are staffie sized or bigger.

Holly came from the petshop (probably a backyard breeder).
If you want a small dog you don't have many choices - petshop, backyard breeder or purebred dog breeder (with papers).

I think dogs tied up in backyards and on farms are more of a problem here.
 
Anneke, I totally understand your feelings about the little kitty with no tail who had such a rough start in life (and I hope that since then, is living the good life someplace with it's rescue angel). Both my Germ Sheps came from Shep Rescue. I know the pic is a bit hard to see, but my male has 'soft' ears (they don't stand up). Shep Rescue takes in quite a few 'soft eared' sheps, and they're always the longest finding homes. People want a 'look' when they adopt a GS - and for many, 'soft' ears isn't it. I fostered Alfie for a couple months and fell in love with him - and to me, his ears are just adorable and make him much more approachable (to those who are afraid of GSs). I came close to being a huge glutton for punishment, and went to adopt Makena's best friend the whole time she was at the rescue - which was another female GS with no tail (she was attacked at the pound by a kennelmate before the rescue picked her up, and among her injuries was her tail - all but ripped off ... and the sweet girl still liked other dogs). Anyway, after spending almost a year and a half living at the rescue kennel waiting for a home, now she had two people "fighting" over her. I backed out, as I felt maybe that was the home she had been waiting for all this time (and I really didn't need 3 German Sheps!) :ROFLMAO:

I know a lot of people want the AKC papers - and unless one is going to show (or breed - ugh) their dogs, I don't get the big deal. I've talked to so many people who got their dogs at pet stores or "from a breeder" (who I learned was of the backyard variety) because they wanted a certain breed or wanted a puppy. I wish more people understood they could most likely get whatever breed they wanted, and at whatever age they wanted - if they'd only do some research. Rescues (in the US) are busting at the seams with dogs of all ages from puppies to seniors, and every last dog is so deserving of a good home.

Here's to each of us getting our dream one day - being able to save and home a whole bunch of rescue dogs, and convincing everyone "out there" to do the same!!!!!! :love:
 
//"I got mad and told them there was no cat for them here. I got a scolding from the shelter owner:DIt wasn't just what she said, it was how she said it!"//


oh Anneke, i'd have been right there beside you!! but i did sort of spit out my coffee picturing you telling these ppl "There is no cat for you here.":ROFLMAO::LOL::p


and yes, slightly off topic, but i completely understood about "it's not just what you say, but how you say it" is so true for so many parts of life.
 
To 648117,
it is so cool this website is so international, cuz it's hard for me to even picture the set up New Zealand has, as it seems so opposite of what USA has, (and many other countries as well.) It sounds like New Zealand is doing something right, that they have so few dogs in their dog pounds.:eek:

I do get impression, now and then, that USA seems to be leading the world with dog overpopulation crisis. That is just my own guess. I'm not sure if this is cuz we are large sized country, so our chances of having more problems is increased, or if it is cuz americans are such huge dog lovers and just unaware of the crisis, or what.
but, i often get impression that USA is #1 for dog overpopulation crisis.....:oops:
 
//"I know a lot of people want the AKC papers - and unless one is going to show (or breed - ugh) their dogs, I don't get the big deal."//

I love it when i find someone else who doesn't really "get it" either!:ROFLMAO:
The rest of my remarks are off topic, about having "papers" to show a dog,
but, it's something just to mull over.


I even find dog shows to be generally detrimental to dog health. I know, ppl will now start throwing tomatoes at me,(ducks) but, i think the AKC's focus on LOOKS, and not dog HEALTH, is NOT helping the plight of the purebreds.

If one looks at pictures of dogs of the past, whether it is dachsunds or GSDs, or many many breeds,
and looks at TODAYS modern dogs, there is often a big difference, and the difference is not always good for the dogs AT ALL.

and that change is directly attributed to the "standards" of dog beauty shows.



Humans want increasingly exaggerated features in some breeds, and we now have breeds which can't breathe when they run fast (if if if if if they can run at all) or can't give birth naturally and must have c-section births, dogs who have been so severely mutated from their original function and shape, and dogs that are so so prone to multiple disorders and diseases and problems,
cuz some humans wanted this or that "look" to the dog.


Not all breeds, but many breeds are suffering due to the ARBITRARY "standards" :rolleyes: (read "fads") imposed on the dogs....fads which do NOT increase the dog's function or health. Like the fad we had for many decades, stating GSDs hips should be excessively sloped---til the GSDs could barely walk well and crippling hip problems became rampant among GSDs---but WOW, they LOOKED so cool with those super-sloped hips!!!!


This fad went on for decades, til finally, finally, someone realized this arbitrary "beauty standard" IS ruining the breed, and began to reverse the fad back to a more healthy, more natural shaped hip for a GSD.
This is just ONE (1) example of what the 'AKC beauty show' fads for dogs can do to a breed: (we could show similar videos for MANY breeds, when extremism in dog features or body shapes are desired by the AKC beauty shows....which one DOES need those "papers" to participate in...)




 
anyway, i think in USA anyway, a human's belief that "papers" somehow increases the value of their dog, contributes to the reluctance of some humans from rescuing a dog who has lost his papers, or never had any "papers".

I just sort of wish, more humans would stop and think over if "papers" truly increase the value of that tail-wagging greeting you get at your door
or not.
I could be wrong, but, i do think part of the reason almost 80% of americans "buy" their dogs (sometimes spending $1,000s!)
is to get that "paper". I always smile when ppl tell me how their dog has papers (but out of politeness say nothing)....but their pride in that paper always strikes me as amusing.
 
tigerlily46514 said:
I do get impression, now and then, that USA seems to be leading the world with dog overpopulation crisis. That is just my own guess. I'm not sure if this is cuz we are large sized country, so our chances of having more problems is increased, or if it is cuz americans are such huge dog lovers and just unaware of the crisis, or what.
but, i often get impression that USA is #1 for dog overpopulation crisis.....:oops:
Click to expand...

The USA is probably #1 but Mexico and Puerto Rico are actually really high in stray dog population, most just don't get picked up by animal control. In fact in Puerto Rico there is a beach called Dead Dog Beach where owners will drop their dogs off when they no longer want them. You should read the book Street Dogs by Traer Scott. He also has a book called Shelter Dogs. He's a photographer but he tells you whats going on here (in Shelter dogs) and the crisis in Mexico and Puerto Rico (in Street Dogs). I find it amazing many of the dogs that get adopted from Mexico and Puerto Rico are from the USA, when our shelters are overflowing with healthy dogs. But hey at least some unwanted dog is getting a home, that always a good thing.
 
I'm hopefully (will hopefully know after next week) be getting a dog with papers and will be spending quite a bit on it (compared to what I would pay for a rescue, mind those prices have skyrocketed too). However, I know what I'm getting, and have good reasons why. Papers are a brilliant thing when they actually mean the dog comes from health tested, fit and healthy parents. The show ring has been horribly detrimental to dog breeding and I'm glad the breeds I like are working breeds and get breed because they are fit for purpose rather than the froggy GSDs. Working lines of GSDs are lovely with their straight backs, I just wish that would be classed as the "correct" form for them rather than the frogs. I would never had thought previously of getting a "breed" dog and thought that I would always get rescues. What I find terrible is people buying designer breeds from people who are just in it for the money and saying "I have a pedigree Patterjack, see I have the papers, he cost me £1500" or "I have a really rare malamute cos he has blue eyes" Those people really need to do their research first but won't because it's too much effort, they just want a fashion statement. I'm not trying to be mean to owners of these breeds who knew what they were getting but it's the idiots who get them on a whim and end up rehoming or putting them down as they are too much trouble/not in fashion. Sorry rant over hope I didn't offend anyone :)
 
// In fact in Puerto Rico there is a beach called Dead Dog Beach where owners will drop their dogs off when they no longer want them.//

:eek::cry::mad::( HOW can anyone do this? i can not even picture, not for a second, doing this to any dog, ever....
 
//"Papers are a brilliant thing when they actually mean the dog comes from health tested, fit and healthy parents. "//

Wouldn't THAT be something, IF that is what papers indicate? That IS a brilliant idea, and there ought to be such a paper! I'd stand up and cheer for such a paper, but, so far as i know anyway, there is no such paper.
Now, in addition to getting registration papers (which IS what i am referring to by papers)
one can get add'l papers stating the parents were certifiably free of this disorder or that disease, etc etc, but, plain ol' AKC papers are doled at puppy mills by the millions....at $25 each. AKC makes a ton of money doing that, and the owners can now sell that dog for $1000s now, cuz it has a paper....


and yeah, more ppl ought to research the dog's breed (if known) before getting a dog...but, i sometimes think the typical dog owner goes by their heart, or the dog's cuteness, etc, unaware that mastiff can not jog with them, or that border collie does not want to watch tv with them, and that BABY dog is gonna be a lot of work for a year or so....

I'm not particularly against "designer" dogs. Many of these are being bred to help ppl with allergies have a dog. If i had a child with allergies, or had allergies myself, i'd be grateful for breeds which might help us have a dog.
ALL dogs are designer dogs, all of them, with the possible exception of dingos.
 
Tigerlily- Papers don't mean anything at the end of the day. The value of a dog is what it means to you, and what they do for you in your life. A piece of paper telling you your dog is worth more is stupid, you should love your dog for the happiness that they bring to your life, not the papers it has.

I think people care more having something better than everyone else, that's why they care for getting papers. Its a competition for any people, they want to be able to tell everyone my dog has this and that; they want their dog to be better than everyone else's. At least from experience many times at the dog park or on a walk when I tell someone my dog do something like a cool trick, they have to show me up and tell me that their dog can do ten things more then my dog. It just seems like everyone is trying to be the best and have the best. Even if in their minds its the papers that make their dog the best. Its stupid in my opinion.
 
//"or on a walk when I tell someone my dog do something like a cool trick, they have to show me up and tell me that their dog can do ten things more then my dog."//

aw, i HOPE the person is only trying to share their enthusiasm about dog training with a like minded dog owner! come on, finding ANYONE who IS much into dog training is kind of fun!!
So few humans seem to appreciate it, really, well, maybe i exaggerate there, maybe, but not everyone does appreciate dog training. And those of us who ARE into it, tend to be pretty enthusiastic about it, near as i can tell.:ROFLMAO:

My dog seems to have to set his mind against me becoming too much of a show off, and the times i most want to show off his tricks,
are the times he sits there smiling at me, like, "No idea what you want there, mom, let's just go look for bunnies."
:ROFLMAO:

but yeah, i hear you, i think the same thing about having pride in a dog's papers, Remi, i think there is some type of pride for some ppl about those papers....but, it really does not have anything to do with how much that dog means to you, or how much that dog has taught you, or how much joy and laffs that dog brings to you every day.....those joys of having a dog in your life have nothing to do with papers....




DOGS don't even know if they have papers, or if other dogs have papers.:ROFLMAO:
 
tigerlily46514 said:
:eek::cry::mad::( HOW can anyone do this? i can not even picture, not for a second, doing this to any dog, ever....
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I know. There are a few organization that do their best to help but most of the time they just spay and neuter then release them back on the beach, or the streets. Its sad many times people will go to the beach just to beat and kill dogs. We many have more dogs here in the USA in shelters but the dogs in Mexico and Puerto Rico have it hard, their treated like their just a game/toy for many people to beat up. It's heart breaking how heartless and cold some people can be. :(
 
//"Its sad many times people will go to the beach just to beat and kill dogs"//


:eek::cry::mad::sick:
are there no anti-cruelty laws there to protect the dogs? so others can call the cops?
just horrible...
I love the quote section on homepage of DTA, and i've seen several going by which make a point something about you can tell a lot about a person by how they treat their animals....



//" We many have more dogs here in the USA in shelters but the dogs in Mexico and Puerto Rico have it hard, their treated like their just a game/toy for many people to beat up. "//




just horrible...in USA there are animal abusers here, too, yes, there are....i don't think i'd call it "common" really, but, it's not unheard of. Idiots can be anywhere....
 
tigerlily46514 said:
aw, i HOPE the person is only trying to share their enthusiasm about dog training with a like minded dog owner! come on, finding ANYONE who IS much into dog training is kind of fun!!
So few humans seem to appreciate it, really, well, maybe i exaggerate there, maybe, but not everyone does appreciate dog training. And those of us who ARE into it, tend to be pretty enthusiastic about it, near as i can tell.:ROFLMAO:
Click to expand...
The people that try to show off are always, for me, the ones being dragged down the street, or chasing their dog around the dog park because they have no control over their dog. I wish I could come across more people who appreciate training like me! We'd be immediate friends! :ROFLMAO:
 
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