One option that’s not being discussed here: talk to your local vet.
It’s sadly not uncommon for animals to be abandoned at the vet, or for a local vet to decide to give a last chance to a nice animal with some issues that the shelter has given up on.
If you are being rejected by the local rescues and shelters because you don’t meet certain criteria, but have a good relationship with your vet, that can be a good option.
Tried to adopt through a breed rescue once. Have a fenced yard , work part time, vet references are excellent heck my profession has been as a vet tech mostly in referral and emergency practices.
Declined flat out because at the time my daughter was under 9 years old. Same daughter who’s had dogs cats horses and every manner of convalescing animal dragged into her world since she was born. No consideration for unique circumstances just a big N to the O . Yet there they still are on FB begging for donations and pleading for adopters.
So I bought a puppy from a great breeder. Was so happy with her I went back and bought a second.
For those of you who can’t adopt through your local shelters, where do you live? I am in CA, and most of the progressive, well-run, open admission shelters I know here and country-wide have worked hard to remove the barriers to adoption. Most don’t even have adoption applications any more, and most do same-day adoptions. Rescue groups tend to be more stringent (especially rescue/hoarders, but that’s another story), and breed rescues are often even tougher.
But it does a disservice to say “it’s harder to adopt a shelter pet than a kid” when you’re just talking about a limited experience with a handful of rescue groups. It turns others away to consider your experience to be universal, when all shelters, rescues, SPCAs, and Humane Societies are independent and operate under different policies.
Yes, there are shitty rescues out there, and there are shelters that import puppies just to make a good profit. But there are a lot of decent, hardworking, wonderful shelters too. So instead of saying “all shelter/rescues suck”, perhaps it would be better to say “Bob’s Puppy Rescue” or “the Humane Society of Whoseewhatsittown” won’t adopt to me. “All” is a tough argument, and a disservice to the decent, amazing, hardworking shelters.
[QUOTE=BLBGP;8215674]
For those of you who can’t adopt through your local shelters, where do you live? I am in CA, and most of the progressive, well-run, open admission shelters I know here and country-wide have worked hard to remove the barriers to adoption. Most don’t even have adoption applications any more, and most do same-day adoptions. Rescue groups tend to be more stringent (especially rescue/hoarders, but that’s another story), and breed rescues are often even tougher.[/QUOTE]
Not a lot of puppies in shelters, not young ones, anyway. That’s the problem. People want puppies but they don’t want to pay for a well-bred one, and they are annoyed when rescue groups turn them down. The rescue groups I know usually have a long waiting list for puppies, so they can pick the perfect match…not surprised that most people don’t get a puppy through rescue.
There are many older dogs in shelters that would be easily adoptable, but they are no longer “cute.” They were the ones that someone got from a BYB, and no longer want. 
The real problem it seems is that byb/puppy mills have NO standards and ask NO questions or qualifiers. Pay them $X and you are out the door with puppy. Since virtually all the dogs in shelters or breed rescues were gotten when young, THIS seems to be the problem., that it is too easy for most people to get a puppy, not that certain rescue organization make it too hard. Each time someone buys a puppy from a byb/puppy mill, the encourage the breeding of another one.
Of course the continued problem is that there are no ramifications to people who tire of pets and walk away/dump them at shelters. Sometimes it is unavoidable they have to give a pet up but most times its just inconvenient.
I dunno, the Facebook sites I was a member of are full of people who bought dogs at a breeder, or adopted from a shelter, now seeking to “rehome” those dogs. And here I am, buying from a BYB, gonna keep puppers forever.
The cattle jack is my kind of dog. No purebred is going to fill it’s nitch for me and no random, roll-of-the-dice mix breed is going to suffice. I’ll want to own at least one cattle jack (or cattle rustler, lol) for as long as I am able to have dogs. I have no problem supporting the breeding of this mix any more then, say, Boxer enthusiasts supporting the breeding of Boxers.
Again, no one is going to put even a small dent in the pet overpopulation problem single handedly. There’s been a huge, mainstream, cultural push to adopt rather then buy puppies for at least 40 years. If it was going to work it would have by now. As it is, the puppy mill industry is thriving and there’s a bazillion dogs out there looking for a home, and bazillions more euthanised daily. Perhaps rescues, shelters, and even breeders, need to examine their business model if they’re really in it to make a difference. Considering story after story mirroring my own experience…
Of course breeders have to reexamine their business model. Such as breed once every three years instead of every year, for example. Puppy mill and byb who dont’ care will keep pumping out puppies as long as there are buyers. I don’t know what they do with the pups who find no buyers, either they kill it or dump them at a shelter or hoard them in terrible conditions. Anyone breeding knowing about the over population of pets and not putting a limit on what they breed is part of the problem.
There should be licenses and limits on breeding. If that means people who want a puppy have to wait a few months , or save a few months more to get one so be it.
Your puppy is one of the lucky ones having an owner who means what she says about a lifelong home.
[QUOTE=Sswor;8215812]
I dunno, the Facebook sites I was a member of are full of people who bought dogs at a breeder, or adopted from a shelter, now seeking to “rehome” those dogs. And here I am, buying from a BYB, gonna keep puppers forever.[/QUOTE]
You may keep a puppy forever, but many people don’t. And your “breeder” might not give a crap if you do or not. And many BYBs will not take a puppy back if you don’t keep it forever.
GOOD breeders follow up with their puppy homes, and will take one back immediately if there is a problem or if the family no longer wants one. I am a member of a FB site for my breed and anytime someone posts a dog for rehoming they get about 75 people telling them to contact their breeder first. A good breeder would be devastated to see one of their puppies being hawked 2nd hand on Facebook.
It’s really no surprise that it may be difficult to get a good puppy from a good breeder - because so many people are idiots.
No one can ever convince me that supporting BYBs or pet stores is a reasonable option. They perpetuate the cycle of disposable dogs. Unless your breeder will take a puppy or dog back if you no longer want it - they are a bad breeder.
(And I mean “backyard breeder” in the derogatory sense; I realize that many good breeders breed “in their backyard.” In fact, my stud dog recently bred a bitch in my very own backyard. LOL.)
See? This is what I mean. Waiting for me would have meant getting the right puppy at the wrong time. Dogs die unexpectedly. There’s no good reason for waiting to get the right puppy if the time is right RIGHT NOW.
I’m not the only person on the face of the earth under these circumstances.
Waiting for me would have meant introducing a new puppy to my home at the wrong time. I want to give my puppy the best start on all things in life and that means bringing him into my house under very controlled circumstances including a non-negotiable start date.
Right puppy, right time; anyone seeking to mess with that isn’t concerned about the welfare of the dog. I think there’s a big control thing going on with a lot of these rescue people. I want to control the circumstances surrounding me getting a new puppy. Rescue people seek to control the circumstances surrounding OTHER people getting a new puppy. Which is fine, go on with your bad selves, but don’t be surprised when people tell you it’s a big turn off.
Rescues want people to wait. Having a dog that JUST died is a major reason for rescues to want you to hold off on getting a puppy. People make rash emotional decisions when they’re grieving. Getting a puppy now may not be the right thing for them but they’re too upset that their dog died to realize it. They want to fill the void NOW. If rescues adopted to these people, the puppy would end up back at the shelter in 3 months when the new owner realized they only got the puppy to fill the void of their dead dog. Most people are stupid. You realize that when you work in rescue. Rescue’s policies are for the lowest common denominator because that’s what you see the most of. If you think you’re an exception, write it on your app. Call the person assigned to help you. Discuss why you feel now is the right time and why you will make an excellent puppy home.
As many have said before, people return puppies when they stop being cute. So the rescue gets an unsocialized, untrained adolescent dog that is hard to place. Even more than we don’t want our dogs back to have to adopt them out again, we want them to have forever homes. We adopt to the people who have the ability to set the dog up for success so they don’t come back. Maybe for a particular dog we will wait for the perfect home. But for most, we wait for a good home that we feel will care for the dog and not give it back when they can’t housebreak it or when it nips at Junior when he sticks his fingers up its nose.
Honestly, OP, I’m not sure my rescue would have adopted to you. We have pretty low standards. We do vet checks, but not a home visit. We don’t require a fenced yard. We don’t allow dog doors for any dog under 30 lbs and we request you close off the dog door for any dog. We don’t want them being hawk bait. We do not do same day adoptions, but usually you can adopt within a week. Your attitude of instant gratification would rub me and many other volunteers the wrong way. We know you will get another dog somewhere, and maybe you would be a great home. But we have that moment of doubt, and our dogs deserve the best.
And that’s why I’ll never patronize another rescue. And I’m not the only person who feels this way. Rescue people will never get it.
[QUOTE=BLBGP;8215674]
For those of you who can’t adopt through your local shelters, where do you live? I am in CA, and most of the progressive, well-run, open admission shelters I know here and country-wide have worked hard to remove the barriers to adoption. Most don’t even have adoption applications any more, and most do same-day adoptions. Rescue groups tend to be more stringent (especially rescue/hoarders, but that’s another story), and breed rescues are often even tougher.
But it does a disservice to say “it’s harder to adopt a shelter pet than a kid” when you’re just talking about a limited experience with a handful of rescue groups. It turns others away to consider your experience to be universal, when all shelters, rescues, SPCAs, and Humane Societies are independent and operate under different policies.
Yes, there are shitty rescues out there, and there are shelters that import puppies just to make a good profit. But there are a lot of decent, hardworking, wonderful shelters too. So instead of saying “all shelter/rescues suck”, perhaps it would be better to say “Bob’s Puppy Rescue” or “the Humane Society of Whoseewhatsittown” won’t adopt to me. “All” is a tough argument, and a disservice to the decent, amazing, hardworking shelters.[/QUOTE]
I am sorry, but this is becoming he standard complaint.
Naturally one seldom hears of adoptions gone smoothly, but the complaints are on the rise.
Heck, tons of decent animal owners are being turned down!
The rescues seem to adopt a more radical approach as time goes by.
Sure, people suck. The more people are raised without contact to the natural life, without exposure to animals at a young age, the more people w will raise who are completely unaware that animals do not come pre-trained, or even that training can erode over time.
Many seem to look for the ‘perfect’ home.
Which of course does not exist.
There will always be BYBs.
because people do not want to be tied to strangers for the next decade and a half.
There will be puppy mills, as long as we are gullible for the next ‘designer’ mutt.
the animal rights folks have worked long and hard to skew our perspective, about what is good and decent. They don’t make a distinction between puppy mills and reputable breeders.
Matter of fact, much of what they do hits the honest guy much harder than the for profit outfits. And I think it’s by design!
After all, they need the flood of poor puppies to keep the money rolling in.
The animal industry attracts all kinds of whack jobs, many with poor or no social skills or an inert hatred of humans.
And of course the god complex, that they, and ONLY they provide adequate care, or can determine what is the correct environment for the animal.
Don’t get the sentiment often on COTH, but sometimes it bleeds through, urbanites subscribing to the philosophy, and disparaging any dissenters.
[QUOTE=Alagirl;8216005]
I am sorry, but this is becoming he standard complaint.
Naturally one seldom hears of adoptions gone smoothly, but the complaints are on the rise.
Heck, tons of decent animal owners are being turned down! [/QUOTE]
Just because someone is turned down doesn’t mean they are a bad owner - it might just mean that the rescue has better owners on their waiting list.
[QUOTE=Alagirl;8216005]There will always be BYBs.
because people do not want to be tied to strangers for the next decade and a half.
There will be puppy mills, as long as we are gullible for the next ‘designer’ mutt. [/QUOTE]
I agree that there will always be BYBs and puppy mills - but not because of “being tied to strangers” as much as instant gratification and not wanting to spend money on a well-bred dog. “What crazy person would spend $1000 on a dog??”
And instead buys a $400 dog from someone that cranks out puppies twice a year from every bitch they own…with no selection process for breeding animals or owners, and that won’t take a puppy back when it is no longer cute, or when it’s poor temperament or health problems emerge.
Last year my kids were in a 4H obedience class and there were two Cavaliers with terrible temperaments - one was so shy it was literally dragged into the room every week, and the other was aggressive toward dogs and humans. The owners told me they got the shy male to breed to the female, but he wouldn’t breed her. So they were waiting for their new 4 month old puppy to get old enough to “do the job.” Gag. :no::mad:
I’m sure if you look in Cavalier rescues in my area you’ll find some of the puppies…:no:
See? This is what I mean. Waiting for me would have meant getting the right puppy at the wrong time. Dogs die unexpectedly. There’s no good reason for waiting to get the right puppy if the time is right RIGHT NOW.
Boo hoo if you had to wait another month or so. Your impatience and need for instant healing led you to support a bad industry ( puppy mills and irresponsible by breeders) Own up to what you did at least.
[QUOTE=Countrywood;8216025]
See? This is what I mean. Waiting for me would have meant getting the right puppy at the wrong time. Dogs die unexpectedly. There’s no good reason for waiting to get the right puppy if the time is right RIGHT NOW.
Boo hoo if you had to wait another month or so. Your impatience and need for instant healing led you to support a bad industry ( puppy mills and irresponsible by breeders) Own up to what you did at least.[/QUOTE]
Totally uncalled for!
[QUOTE=Perfect10;8215974]
People make rash emotional decisions when they’re grieving. Getting a puppy now may not be the right thing for them but they’re too upset that their dog died to realize it.
Most people are stupid.
Rescue’s policies are for the lowest common denominator because that’s what you see the most of.
people return puppies when they stop being cute.
Honestly, OP, I’m not sure my rescue would have adopted to you. We have pretty low standards.
our dogs deserve the best.[/QUOTE]
Obviously not. If your priorities are truly as you claim, your jaded attitude combined with the preconceived notions that you are full of, is doing your organization a huge disservice. Perhaps it’s time for a new hobby since you’re so burnt out. Best regards.
[QUOTE=S1969;8216020]
Just because someone is turned down doesn’t mean they are a bad owner - it might just mean that the rescue has better owners on their waiting list.
I agree that there will always be BYBs and puppy mills - but not because of “being tied to strangers” as much as instant gratification and not wanting to spend money on a well-bred dog. “What crazy person would spend $1000 on a dog??”
And instead buys a $400 dog from someone that cranks out puppies twice a year from every bitch they own…with no selection process for breeding animals or owners, and that won’t take a puppy back when it is no longer cute, or when it’s poor temperament or health problems emerge.
Last year my kids were in a 4H obedience class and there were two Cavaliers with terrible temperaments - one was so shy it was literally dragged into the room every week, and the other was aggressive toward dogs and humans. The owners told me they got the shy male to breed to the female, but he wouldn’t breed her. So they were waiting for their new 4 month old puppy to get old enough to “do the job.” Gag. :no::mad:
I’m sure if you look in Cavalier rescues in my area you’ll find some of the puppies…:no:[/QUOTE]
Take some Pepto.
You won’t change human nature
and you don’t get to dictate their lives.
Some people are useless as pet owners.
You want to legislate them out of ownership?
[QUOTE=Countrywood;8216025]
See? This is what I mean. Waiting for me would have meant getting the right puppy at the wrong time. Dogs die unexpectedly. There’s no good reason for waiting to get the right puppy if the time is right RIGHT NOW.
Boo hoo if you had to wait another month or so. Your impatience and need for instant healing led you to support a bad industry ( puppy mills and irresponsible by breeders) Own up to what you did at least.[/QUOTE]
What are you, the Dog God?
Sorry if I was harsh in last post but our actions to determine what happens with byb and the whole situation is sad. I wish the hard line rescue organizations were more tolerenat but they are not the cause of the problem.
The craze for designer mutts is a joke and the puppy mills are laughing all the way to the bank. Most people don’t know any better so they buy the fad of the moment…used to be poodles, then it was cocker spaniels, now it’s toy designer mixes…the castoffs when the fad gets stale end up in the shelters and breed rescue group. The rescue I looked at ( not the one I got my dog from) had lots of little dogs (some young) rescued from a breeder/hoarder that was specializing in this kind of little cross. They are all over the place on craigslist now and many buyers don’t understand many of these small dogs need extensive grooming, eye care etc .
[QUOTE=Countrywood;8215786]
Of course the continued problem is that there are no ramifications to people who tire of pets and walk away/dump them at shelters. Sometimes it is unavoidable they have to give a pet up but most times its just inconvenient.[/QUOTE]
I agree with this in theory, but the problem is that if you penalize people for returning pets to the shelter, they just dump them on the street instead.
And, assuming that you could “force” someone to keep a pet they wanted to get rid of, I can’t imagine that pet would have good quality of life. If the owner really is willing to dump the pet as soon as it hits the “no longer cute” or “inconvenient” stage, then it’s probably in the best interests of that animal to go to the shelter, rather than stay and be neglected.
Of course, it would have been better if the pet hadn’t been adopted/acquired by that owner to begin with, which brings us full circle.
For my part, I think there’s a balancing of two concerns here. The human’s “right” to adopt a pet versus the animal’s “right” to a lifelong happy home. And the rescues are erring on the side of protecting the animals, even if that means that some potentially awesome owners are excluded. And honestly, I prefer that they err on that side.
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