Why Adopt?
This Crazy Dog Lady is going to bring a little controversy into your Friday. I'm going help you understand why I am the Crazy Dog Lady and not just the Dog Lady.
I'm going to write about something that I am very passionate about but I usually keep it quiet since it can piss people off. I understand that not everyone agrees with me and that is completely fine. We all have our opinions and beliefs. I just hope that by getting this out it might inspire a few people to change their minds or future actions.
For us dog people, there is almost nothing better than bringing home a puppy, going to the pet store and getting him everything he needs to set him up in his new home. He is cute and cuddly. He is a big ball of adorable energy. His family just can't handle all of the cuteness. Then he starts growing into his big floppy ears and starts getting bigger. It gets harder to give him as much attention as they used to and walks with him become less common. They are just busy "now". He spends more time outside and less time inside with them. The kids get tired of him and start getting interested in the next thing that comes along.
He feels it. He feels that rejection but figures HE did something wrong. He might start showing signs of stress and misbehave more and more. He gets anxious and gets out of the yard and bolts. He then ends up at the shelter. No one bothers to look for him because they are "busy". Or he might have absolutely no control; his family is moving and they can't take him with them. They have "no option" but to surrender him to the shelter instead of placing him in a home and now he is up for a death sentence for which he did nothing wrong.
Obviously, I know that dogs end up in the shelter for a lot of other reasons (sickness, monetary issues, strays) but the two mentioned above are so common in this country. Mindy and Lola were both surrendered by their owners and Bruce was picked up on the street and his former owners never came looking for him (and no, he definitely was not a wild dog).
This brings me to my point. There are so many dogs in shelters across the country that don't deserve to be there. They are waiting for their owners to come get them but it will never happen. These are dogs that are perfectly capable of being in a home, being trained and perfectly capable of love. They were puppies at one time but grew out of that cute and cuddly stage but most don't need potty training and they are already neutered or spayed. They are micro chipped and ready to go home with anyone who just gives them a chance.
Now here is where it gets controversial. If there are so many amazing dogs in the shelter why are people "shopping" for dogs. For an adoption fee that is way less then paying for a purebred, a perfectly good shelter puppy or dog can become part of a family. I just ask that if you aren't set on a specific breed please consider visiting your local shelter and giving a homeless pet a chance.
I am absolutely taken aback by how many breeders there are just breeding dogs all will-nilly for an immense profit. Shouldn't there be some kind of license that breeders have to apply and pay for to breed a dog? Shouldn't there be a tax that they have to pay the local shelters (instead of a tax write-off) since a chunk of those dogs will end up there anyways. Shouldn't there be a requirement for each puppy to be spayed or neutered unless you have one of these licenses? Isn't there a way to regulate all of this a lot better?
Yes, perhaps but there would probably be a way for people to cheat the system so let's just start with this...
While I know people have their favorite breed and love that breed for different personality traits or unfortunately, looks, I can guarantee those people that there is a dog (if not 100 dogs) in a shelter that can be just as good as that purebred (or "purebred"). He might be just as good as the puppy at the pet store but he also could be better. There is so much appreciation and love in a dog's eyes when he is taken from the shelter and welcomed into a home. He will be loyal the rest of his life for being busted out of that cage, offered a home and given a second chance.
If you don't read my long soap box speech, at least read these two key points.
I'm going to write about something that I am very passionate about but I usually keep it quiet since it can piss people off. I understand that not everyone agrees with me and that is completely fine. We all have our opinions and beliefs. I just hope that by getting this out it might inspire a few people to change their minds or future actions.
For us dog people, there is almost nothing better than bringing home a puppy, going to the pet store and getting him everything he needs to set him up in his new home. He is cute and cuddly. He is a big ball of adorable energy. His family just can't handle all of the cuteness. Then he starts growing into his big floppy ears and starts getting bigger. It gets harder to give him as much attention as they used to and walks with him become less common. They are just busy "now". He spends more time outside and less time inside with them. The kids get tired of him and start getting interested in the next thing that comes along.
He feels it. He feels that rejection but figures HE did something wrong. He might start showing signs of stress and misbehave more and more. He gets anxious and gets out of the yard and bolts. He then ends up at the shelter. No one bothers to look for him because they are "busy". Or he might have absolutely no control; his family is moving and they can't take him with them. They have "no option" but to surrender him to the shelter instead of placing him in a home and now he is up for a death sentence for which he did nothing wrong.
Obviously, I know that dogs end up in the shelter for a lot of other reasons (sickness, monetary issues, strays) but the two mentioned above are so common in this country. Mindy and Lola were both surrendered by their owners and Bruce was picked up on the street and his former owners never came looking for him (and no, he definitely was not a wild dog).
This brings me to my point. There are so many dogs in shelters across the country that don't deserve to be there. They are waiting for their owners to come get them but it will never happen. These are dogs that are perfectly capable of being in a home, being trained and perfectly capable of love. They were puppies at one time but grew out of that cute and cuddly stage but most don't need potty training and they are already neutered or spayed. They are micro chipped and ready to go home with anyone who just gives them a chance.
Now here is where it gets controversial. If there are so many amazing dogs in the shelter why are people "shopping" for dogs. For an adoption fee that is way less then paying for a purebred, a perfectly good shelter puppy or dog can become part of a family. I just ask that if you aren't set on a specific breed please consider visiting your local shelter and giving a homeless pet a chance.
Yes, perhaps but there would probably be a way for people to cheat the system so let's just start with this...
While I know people have their favorite breed and love that breed for different personality traits or unfortunately, looks, I can guarantee those people that there is a dog (if not 100 dogs) in a shelter that can be just as good as that purebred (or "purebred"). He might be just as good as the puppy at the pet store but he also could be better. There is so much appreciation and love in a dog's eyes when he is taken from the shelter and welcomed into a home. He will be loyal the rest of his life for being busted out of that cage, offered a home and given a second chance.
If you don't read my long soap box speech, at least read these two key points.
- Think before getting a dog in general (shelter or bred). He is a commitment and deserve the best. He is your dog for the rest of his life. Not until you are bored of him, not until you have kids, not until you have to move. He relies on you but you have to earn his love. Don't get a dog if you can't promise.
- If you are interested in adding a dog to your home consider adopting before buying. There are so many amazing dogs (and other pets) at your local shelter. That's the answer to the question "why adopt?"
This is in no way my attempt to bash any of you loving dog parents who bought a dog from a breeder. This is just me putting out another point of view to get people thinking.
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