It amazes me that with so many animals living in shelters that we STILL have a need for pet stores and puppy breeders. It bothers me on so many levels. Even people who don’t profess to be “green” will often talk a good game about recycling and reusing because it is smart and efficient. But that’s resources. We can’t waste resources. But can we waste lives either? Why on earth would we choose to buy “new” when there are living, breathing, animals in shelters waiting for adoption. They go on waiting for homes while people who have to have a certain breed choose to shop at pet stores (many of which treat their animals badly) or they patronize breeders (many of which run their operations like factory puppy mills). It boggles my mind that we even have an industry for breeding specific animals or selling expensive animals when anyone who wants a pet can go right into their local shelters and adopt a pet for cheap… a pet who NEEDS you. Even if you think you HAVE to have a specific breed you may be able to find a rescue operation that caters to specific breeds. They have greyhound rescue centers, Labrador rescue centers, Rottweiler rescue centers, etc. You may just have to travel if you want a dog that way.
We have a new puppy in our lives (not ours, a relatives) and I love her like crazy but I admit I was a little peeved when I found out she came from a breeder. I mean you DO have a shelter less than 2 minutes from your door, hint, hint! I generally don’t like to guilt people but in this case… they can wallow in the guilt till their fingers get pruney.
Anyway, this new puppy has been making me want one and I swear I never thought I would. My two labs that I had since I was a kid died last year. One was a shelter animal who had been abused and the other was her pup. I found my relationship with them changed after I had kids… and I feel guilty saying it but they seemed like more work I had to do and I resented them after awhile. I thought I would never want another but now that my kids are growing up I am feeling that twinge of puppy love. Alas we rent at the moment and are not willing to pay $600 to a landlord annually (extra rent) just to own a pet. If we could though, I would be all about shelter shopping.
According to the Shelter Pet Project:
- Each year approximately 4 million pets are adopted.
- Of the 8 million pets that enter animal shelters each year, approximately 3 million healthy and treatable pets are euthanized.
- It is estimated that 17 million people will acquire a pet within the next year.
- To save all the healthy and treatable pets that are euthanized, we just need 3 million of these people to adopt.
So if you are looking to get a pet… got to a shelter. If you know someone who is thinking about getting a pet… encourage them to go to a shelter. Email them sad puppy photos if you have to! This is too important an issue. Anyway I got an email about this shelter project and had to write a quick post about it. If you are a die hard teacup poodle person and you breed or buy from breeders sorry to offend but animal shelter animals need to come first. With 17 million people buying pets there is NO reason we should ever have to euthanize good pets because nobody wants them.
Thanks for this post. I’m a die-hard shelter animal person. Besides all the reasons you stated above, pure bred animals (especially the puppy mill ones) tend to have more health and temperament problems than the good ol’ mutts you find at the shelter.
That’s actually a myth that purebreds have more health problems than mutts. What it really comes down to is poorly bred versus well bred. A well bred purebred (who’s parents and grandparents were screened for genetic health issues) will be healthier than both a poorly bred purebred and a mutt, which mutts by nature are always poorly bred.
Many purebreds and all mutts are the result of irresponsible breeding, which also follows that the dog’s parents weren’t screened for genetic health problems.
As far as temperament problems; training and socialization are key, regardless of breed.
I’m not trying to put down shelter dogs, they can be great pets. (I have a shelter dog myself.)
But I see a lot of backyard breeders and puppymills trying to sell mixed-breed dogs saying they are “healthier” or have “hybrid vigor” as a selling point, and I don’t want people to fall into that trap. That’s why I bring it up.
I agree that if you are able, you should adopt from a rescue or breed-specific rescue.
HOWEVER, when we were looking to get a new dog last year after our golden retriever passed away, we quickly found that many shelters and rescue groups will not adopt out their dogs to people with children 3 and under, even if they have had experience with dogs.
Also, I know some people, myself included get puppies from breeders because we can be sure of the temperment of the pup as we raise them from 8 weeks on. Sometimes with dogs that are adopted, they have a past and can be unpredictable and that is something our family cannot have with a 3 year old.
Obviously that is not the case with all shelter pets, but I wasn’t willing to take a chance. I support many breed rescues in our area and we always had shelter dogs growing up, there are just some times when q person or family can’t adopt from a shelter or rescue group.
I am in complete agreement with you! We are going through puppy fever right now in our house, too! Maybe for Christmas : ) Thank you so much for writing this post and drawing attention to a real problem and one I had never thought of from a green perspective.
All the dogs in my family are shelter dogs. The thing is I get slammed occasionally because people assume my dogs were from a breeder. We are pretty sure they are brother and sister, found locked in a foreclosed house. They are Aussie/sheltie mix great with kids – except they keep trying to herd my niece, nephew and their cousins. My sister’s 2 are shelter dogs, and her inlaws dogs are shelter dogs.
I haven’t seen dogs and cats for sell in pet stores in forever. I only patronize stores that don’t sell dogs and cats. Instead they sponsor shelter adoption days.
We just lost our “used” dog after 12 years wonderful years and have felt blessed to have her in our life.
I can’t imagine not wanting to rescue a dog from the shelter when looking for a new family member. Our local shelter does a great job at learning the personality of their animals to try and place them in appropriate homes.
We got our pup from a shelter, I can’t believe I ever thought of going with a breeder. I wanted to rescue them all when I got in there. He has a great personality for our family, and his loyalty to us and our daughter has value beyond value.
One last thing. Dogs are much more likely to be reclaimed or adopted from a shleter. About 95% of all cats entereing shelters/humane societies are euthanized.
This is in part due to the large number or feral cats. Feral cats are those truely “wild’ cats that have never been owned. They are a necessary part of the ecosystem…while many people scream they kill song birds, they also kill mices, rats, voles and other undesirable rodents roaming our neighborhoods. I could site many references to large cities that have unsuccessfully tried to elimiante them ( and none that I could find were successful)…check out http://www.alleycat.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=434 for feral cat info.
Also there are many people who believe that a cat will survive if they take it out to a more rural area and abandon it…”Farmers always need cats” seems to be the philosophy.
Or if a cat has a behavior problem, they just move it out of doors to become one of the neighborhood breeding Tom cats or females having kittens out of doors.
Those of you doing your part, BRAVO! Help spread the word.
Thank you for your time and patience.
Before getting a pet from a shelter, check to make sure they are a No-Kill shelter. When you adopt an animal from a traditional shelter that euthanizes animals you’re telling them “use my money to kill animals.” Most traditional shelters will say “the animals here do not have a time limit,” but if it is not a no kill shelter that means they may euthanize animals for “behavioral problems” such has being scared, shy, hungry, or kennel crazy, before they even make it to the adoption floor.
Saving these animals is the responsibility of shelters, and if they are not No-Kill they are not doing their job of marketing these animals to the public.
There are thousands of No-Kill rescues and shelters. Most rescues that do not have buildings are no-kill, but you can find some larger shelters that are also No-Kill.
It is so easy to find the perfect pet at petfinder.com there really is no excuse not to get a rescued pet. You put in all the details, age, breed gender, etc.
I was so excited to see this post and the great many of wonderful points that were brought up but no mention of adopting cats or other animals. http://WWW.petfinder.com (a national web based organization that allows shelters and individuals to post animals that need re-homing, lost animals, desired animals at no cost) helps find homes not only for dogs, but for cats, rabbits, small rodents, reptiles, birds and some farm animals.
I volunteer for a local shelter (www.windmillanimalrescue.org) and have adopted three extremely well socialized, friendly cats from it. I am also fostering three kittens for the shelter. Plus, we have an 18 year old cat that a student gave to me as a kitten. So, yes, we have SEVEN cats in our house right now. No room for a dog yet.
One thing our shelter is lacking is adult volunteers to help with publications, websites, updating petfinder, and of course animal care. So if you are lonely for a pet but not ready for one yet, volunteer!! I’m sure most shelters are in the same position.
If you can adopt a pet from a shelter that has fosters, you can be fairly assured as to its personality in a home situation. The fosters know and love the animals and can give you a great deal of information.
As one person mentioned, many shelters do not adopt to children under three. That is true of most no-kill shelters I believe. Many times, a child that young just isn’t ready to be gentle enough with a pet. The child or pet might get hurt or the pet might become aggressive to protect itself. Also, puppies and kittens have very sharp little teeth and claws and little children can get scratches very easily and may not understand that the pet is not trying to hurt them.
Oh, and please spay/neuter your pets and this problem will be reduced! Our shelter only adopts out pets after they are spayed and neutered.
Bravo, Ann. Well said.
All my pets are rescues, even my Percheron horse and miniature donkey. 3 are purebred Irish Wolfhuonds (through very ethical breeders who wanted them in a good home, but knew they were not breeding quality and felt it more important to place them than sell them).
As a shelter manager and from my contacts with Animal Control and other shelter managers I feel the following observations are reasonable accurate.
While there are purebred animlas at shelters, most of the animals found in shelters are from what I’ll refer to as “back yard” breeders and private individuals who did not spay or neuter their pets for whatever reason. Sadly all to often people let their dog or cat have “just one litter” so the kids can have the miracle of birth. Would these same people take their children to watch euthanzsia of “excess” puppies, kittens or older animals? If the miracle of birth is that important, at this point it is very possible to foster a pregnant animal and help place those babies…perhaps adopt the mom herself. The reasons go on endlessly…some from “old scholl” thinking…(wait till after the first heat to spay for better physical development…reality..accidental pregnancy AND 50 % increase in the chance of mamary cancer after just 1 heat! cycle!).
Sorry to get so long winded…
Help LIFE…ADOPT FROM A SHELTER. HELP OUT AT A SHELTER. FOSTER FOR A SHELTER! DONATE YOUR OLD BLANKETS, TOWELS, PILLOWS, SUFFED ANIMALS, ETC. TO YOUR LOCAL SHELTER. THEY WILL BE APPRECIATED AND RECYCLED!
SORRY FOR THE SPELLING ERRORS IN THE PREVIOUS REPLY…GOT A BIT AHEAD OF MYSELF!
Thanks for a great post ! Love your attention on the shelter animals and rescue organizations….
Sorry, I wanted to add that your local shelter is a great place to donate/recycle your old pillows/towels/blankets. (We also donate gently used dog toys that our dog doesn’t play with, tennis balls, and stuffed baby toys/animals.) A great way to recycle and help out the animals.
I am 100% totally on board with you on this one. I can’t believe people still buy dogs from breeders and pet stores. Every dog I’ve ever owned has been from a pound. I think they’re more grateful anyway and make better pets. the breeder ones tend to be a little mental in the head. We always get the mutts. My wife likes the really ugly ones because she thinks they have more awareness of their precarious position and are thus more likely to behave! HAHAHAHAH
Anyway, Excellent PSA and shout out for the Pound. Thanks!
All our dogs were/are pure breeds from breeders. And we bread pups when I was a child.Oh I just loved it. It was so much fun and what a learning process it was! I helped the Mama give birth to her babies, helped clean them up, watched as they nursed, and then helped the Mama when the pups were older. I loved every moment of it.
But now that I’m an adult – who cares so much for society’s throw aways {the homeless, orphans} – I can safely say that if we were to have another dog down the road I would vote for a shelter dog. I don’t know if I’d win the vote, but I would do whatever I could to try and sway the family.
My problem is I’d likely walk in wanting one and leave with several – or leave broken hearted that I had to pass up so many pups who wanted to come home with me.
Nell
Thank you so much for posting about this! And I try not to be rude, but Im all about guilt tripping everyone I know about it because there is just no excuse. All my pets are rescues, adoptions, or strays Ive taken in. I couldnt see it any other way :) AND they are all spayed/neutered!
I’m all for adopting shelter pets – I have several myself. However I also have several purebred cats that I bought from responsible ethical breeders. These cats came with spay/neuter, vaccinations, health guarantee, etc. They were raised in home by breeders who completely devote themselves to them and would take them back if for some reason I could no longer care for them. Most of the cats of this particular breed listed in shelters/rescues are actually regular domestics. I’m not a bad person for purchasing these cats and I don’t feel guilty. I love my rescue/shelter dogs and cats just as much, but wanted something specific this time around and couldn’t find it in a shelter.
If everyone bought their pets from breeders like mine, we wouldn’t need shelters. And if everyone got their pets from shelters, pets would eventually cease to exist.
HI Tiffany,
Just wanted to thank you for posting about this subject. I am a strong advocate of adopting from shelters and even off-the-street strays. Some of our most beloved pets have just shown up at our door. After every effort was made to find their owners, they eventually settled in to become valuable members of our family. With so many wonderful animals needing homes, to me, it seems such an enormous waste to breed and sell them through puppy mills and the like. Thanks again for highlighting this important subject (and good luck with your move!).
Warmly,
Tracey
Cookie sits at my feet as a write; a sweet Border Collie who joined us in July from a local shelter. She is the best dog I have lived with. She is great with kids and other dogs and we all find it such a joy to have her in our lives. My 10 year old daughter was doing the math today and she said, “Wow, Cookie has only been living with us for four months, I can’t even remember what it was like without her.” She is docile, loving, and clearly has never been abused. (if you make a sudden move to bring your arm up as if you were going to strike her she only looks at you questioningly and does not flinch.) We certainly looked carefully at many dogs before choosing her. Our shelter has a meet and greet room where dogs and future families can play and the staff did not bat an eye at me having both of my children there too. I asked the staff for suggestions on which dog they thought would be best since they spend time with the animals. All in all it has been an amazing journey and such a great new part of our family life that I too can hardly remember a time without her. Adopt a pet, but do your research first and wait for the right fit.
My family is proud to claim parenthood to two shelter kitties (Save Our Strays kittens) and one SPCA-adopted puppy (he’s now 7 years old and a 105 pound dog). We’d like to have another dog, but most shelters (other than the SPCA) won’t adopt to us, as I have two young ones under the age of three. I dream of the day that they (the kids) are all over the age of three so I can make the trip to Harlequin Haven for a beautiful saved Great Dane…someday. Until then, I convince myself and the rest of my clan that we do not need another puppy in the house – afterall, I still have two in diapers!!!
thank you so much for this, I love your blog — and this post spoke of a cause very near and dear to my heart. I have one dog who I got from a breeder on a spay/neuter contract, she is truly wonderful, but my other three dogs are older dogs rescued from shelters and they are all so wonderful too. I wouldn’t get another dog from a breeder because I have since learned of the millions of dogs that need to be rescued, as your post so vividly points out. Had I known the statistics I would likely not have purchased from a breeder — so anything we can do to get the word out is great. I have been active in rescue (I have fostered and rehomed dogs, and served on the board of a regional animal rescue org) for nearly 5 years now. It breaks my heart to see the dogs in shelters but it breaks my heart more not to do anything about it. thanks again, trish
I have 3 dogs, 2 papillons from breeders and 1 mixed-breed from a shelter.
I don’t feel guilty about my 2 from breeders at all, and here’s why: I got them from reputable, responsible breeders. Breeders that only breed maybe 1 litter a year and breed for quality not quantity, have their dogs screened for genetic health problems, have a contract(if the new owner no longer wants to dogs or cannot take care of them for some reason, they must be returned to the breeder, never taken to a shelter or given away), among other qualities.
One of my papillons is show-quality and will be shown in conformation beginning early next year. The only option for such a dog is a breeder that breeds for quality.
My other papillon is mismarked for her breed, so the breeder sold her on limitted registration and with a spay contract, I had to send the breeder proof that she has been spayed by 6 months of age. I got her specificy to compete in agility with, and wanted to make sure I had a sound dog, which I had a much higher chance of getting since her parents were screened for genetic health problems such as luxating patellas.
I would never buy from a puppymill, petstore, or backyard breeder. Irresponsible breeders and irresponsible owners are part of the problem.
Reputable breeders and responsible owners are part of the solution, not the problem.
Shelter dogs make great pets, but aren’t the best fit for everyone. If someone wants a dog that is bred for a specific purpose and wants that dog to work (hunting dogs, herding dogs, etc.), a reputable breeder with dogs that have strong working drive is the way to go.
Good places to get a dog:
– shelter
– breed rescue group
– reputable breeder
Bad places to get a dog:
– puppymill
– petstore (mostly puppymill dogs, and no good breeder would sell through a 3rd party!)
– backyard breeder
Abby, the fact still remains though that every time we choose to buy from a breeder… an animal in a shelter dies. No matter what “reason” we have for going with a breeder, if we there are shelter animals we could take then we are choosing to support the practice of bringing new life into the world and killing off what we don’t want. Reputable breeders should only come into play (in a perfect world) when there are no shelter animals available.
If nobody bred and the only dogs available were from shelters, there wouldn’t be any more dogs within a few years.
Some people (such as PETA) are all for the extinction of domestic animals, but the vast majority are not.
For my show-quality papillon, it wasn’t a choice of “should I get a dog from a breeder or a shelter”, it was “I’m getting a show-prospect dog or no dog at all”, and I was willing to wait months or even a year for that to happen. Many times, a reputable breeder will have all the puppies spoken for before the female is even bred.
Here are the statistics of the dogs that end up in shelters:
– The majority of the surrendered dogs (47.7%) were between 5 months and 3 years of age.
– The majority of dogs (37.1%) had been owned from 7 months to 1 year.
– Approximately half of the pets surrendered were not neutered.
– Many of the pets relinquished (33% of dogs) had not been to a veterinarian.
– Animals acquired from friends were relinquished in higher numbers (31.4% of dogs) than from any other source.
– Most dogs (96%) had not received any obedience training.
Those statistics scream “irresponsible owner” and “puppymill”.
Responsible owners take their dogs to the vet and train their dogs.
A reputable breeder screens homes before placing a dog and is ready to say “no” if they feel the breed or individual puppy isn’t a good fit for the family. A reputable breeder has a contract that the dog must be returned to the breeder if no longer wanted, that dogs sold as pets must be spayed/neutered, and that they must visit a vet within the first few days or week the new owner has them.
The argument that there would be no more dogs does not fly with me. If there was a NEED for dogs, since none could be had in shelters, than we would certainly find breeders popping back up. They would need never go away completely anyway. We have dogs that need homes in shelters and they are being killed while we shop “new”.
I doubt we could ever make dog owners become reponsible or puppy mills either. What we CAN do is choose not to patronize breeders or mills while there are available dogs in shelters. To do otherwise is to allow them to die for whatever reason we think is good enough. IMO there are no reasons good enough.
That is why you make the distinction between responsible, reputable breeders versus puppymills and backyard breeders.
A pharmacist and a drug dealer both deal with “drugs”, but are *very different* from one another. You can’t dump them into the same group, just like you can’t dump reputable breeders into the same group as puppymillers.
Also keep in mind that a good number of responsible breeders are also involved in rescue, especially breed specific rescue groups. They foster dogs, they refer people to rescue groups, etc.
Often the AKC breed parent clubs have their own rescues as well. For example: my breed of choice is papillons, the Papillon Club of America has their own rescue. (And breed specific rescues don’t only take purebreds, they also take mixed breeds if part the breed they represent.)
Different breeds of dogs are not just different shells with the same thing on the inside. Breeds were developed for a reason, and if you want a working dog or a dog with very specific traits, a reputable breeder is the best bet.
If you just want a pet and are flexible on the traits the dog has, you can probably find what you’re looking for at a shelter.
You can’t just go to a shelter and pick out a random dog and expect it to be good at what you want it to be good at. There’s a reason why border collies herd and labs retrieve, etc. Because they were bred for hundreds or in some cases even thousands of years for that specific trait and drive.
Traits such as working ability still need to be actively bred for. If you breed labs and they don’t have “soft mouths” and desire to retrieve, they won’t be as good for working, so you can’t just pick up a purebred at the shelter and expect it to do its job at the same level as a well-bred dog. In other words, you get a dog that comes from champion field lines, you’ll likely have a good working dog. You get a dog from a backyard breeder or puppymills that just breeds whatever, you likely will not have a good working dog.
I will say that 100% mutts and 95% of purebreds should never be bred. But that is why people need to research! (I can count on one hand the papillon breeders in my state that I know of that I would consider buying a dog from because those are the only ones that meet my standards.)
I urge you to go talk to some reputable breeders about what they do; about how they decide if they should breed their dogs or not, about the screening for genetic health problems they do, etc. You will learn a lot.
Oh, and if you’re interested in the statistics of dogs euthanized in shelters, we have made great strides in the last several decades. While the overall number of pets in the USA has double, the number of animals euthanized in shelters is 1/3 of what it used to be. We still room for improvement, but we are actually on the rebound, not on a downward spiral.
Abby, what you are saying is interesting but not really relevant to this conversation. My post was directed at people looking for a pet, not for people who need a specific breed for work reasons. I understand why a cattle rancher might go to a breeder for a border collie. I do not understand why 5 year Tammy who just wants a dog to love needs and animal from a breeder.
The average family looking for a new pet does not need a breeder and should not even go to one IMO. That is what animal shleters are for. The idea that people NEED a specific breed or specific characteristsic for a family pet strikes me as selfish and silly. I have a soft spot for miniature dashunds since I had one as a kid but should that soft spot trump compassion and make me go to a breeder when there is a perfectly good mutt at my local shelter who needs me? No. If my choice to go to a breeder means an animal was put down… then I made the wrong choice.
And like I said, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with shelter dogs. For most people, a shelter dog is great.
But shelter dogs aren’t for everyone’s needs; nor is any specific breed for everyone’s needs. Dogs are not “one-size-fits-all”.
What’s important is that people research: research the breed/mix you’re thinking about (temperament, size grooming requirements, activity level, etc.), research the place you’re thinking about getting the dog from, etc.
A good way to find a shelter pet that fits your needs is to foster different ones until you find the perfect one.
I could not agree with you more! It disgusts me that there are people spending hundreds to thousands of dollars on puppies from breeders and pet stores when you could save so many lives of dogs in shelters!! why buy a life when you can save a life? Mankind needs to get it together
I have towels,blankits,pillows for centers that need them .