Posted on 12/31/2015 8:05:13 AM PST by Tarasaramozart
There's no reason why people can't show compassion towards animals is there?
As a side note, since this thread is about animals, I just pinged you to an appropriate abortion thread where your comments should be more appreciated....
Now get lost and take your crap over there..........
Once a dog comes into our home, it is home forever. We adopted a rescue greyhound back in 1995. She was two years old, and it was clear that she had been horribly neglected and mistreated. It took a year before she accepted my husband. Housebreaking her was a nightmare.
Finally, I quit my job in 10/1999 to care for our RR, who was dying. I never went back, and our greyhound came into her own. She was so sweet. She passed away 4/25/07.
We can’t save all of them, but we can save some of them.
Our local shelter does this; interestingly enough, it’s the same shelter where we got one of our cats. I’ve taken a few of our local feral cats there for this purpose.
But I’d wager we did a lot to curb the local feral cat population by taking in a stray who was living in our yard at the time we moved into our house and having her spayed. And while she’s remained fiercely independent, she’s turned out to be a very affectionate and well-behaved kitty, though she’s still a little wary of anyone who isn’t me or my wife.
Having worked in rescue, owning and having been owned by, more rescue dogs than the 2 we have raised from puppies, I have to support your point, Rebel.
I just lost a rescue friend and associate because I wholeheartedly support ethical breeding. The rescue movement is rapidly becoming radicalized. The peer pressure from that is going to eventually exacerbate the problem as badly as the Breed du Jour trend. It is cruel, imho, when a dog is rejected multiple times or finds itself back on the street or in a shelter again. This happens too much.
If the dog you will love and cherish is a purebred, by all means, adopt them without a moments guilt. If a mutt works for you, God Bless you, too. If organizations affiliated with HSUS have their way, we will all be up a creek and friendless- because their goal is extinction of ALL domestic pets.
Disclaimer- my 2 dearest dogs, whom I will grieve for the rest of my life, are one of each. Gypsy, we raised from a little puppy, and Mia, was dumped (owner surrender) in the Mesquite, Texas shelter.
Go veggie!
We tried three times to take in an older dog. In two cases it was a failure. In the third case, it was a 5 year old intact 14 pound dachshund, with three legs and asthma. At the time we had another dog who was very well trained and who taught the Biscuit how to behave. The other dog has now passed away but Biscuit is still here and brings us a lot of joy. None of them came from shelters btw, but just sort of happened to us.
We have tried everything to break her horse chasing. Even reluctantly tried a shock collar. No go. She would leave them alone while she had the collar on but I can’t leave a collar on her because she is a climber.
I wish it was possible to do so.
Is the reason why many urban areas have reduction at shelters due to more owners being educated on training and spending time with their pets?
Thank you!
How right you are on both counts. Anyone who cannot make a commitment to their pet does not deserve one. It is the same commitment that one makes to a spouse and children.
It is a privilege.
The plight of pitbulls and other ostracized breeds is damning to this society.
I do not know if you have seen historical photos of the west, but the ones with dogs show dogs that are pitbulls or pit mixes.
The people who raise hounds have a throw away mindset. One of the people in town had five bear hounds. We live where bears live and are hunted. He uses his hounds as USFS Wildlife expert to hunt wounded bears and to hunt bears. When his family was relocating he put down two of the dogs, one who was a senior and a young six year old that had an injured shoulder that never healed due to continued use. Cold-hearted and disloyal.
Me, too.
Cool. Tell them, “good dogs.”
>Is the reason why many urban areas have reduction at shelters due to more owners being educated on training and spending time with their pets?<
That’s definitely a part of it. A lot of shelters have in-house training classes and after-adoption counseling.
To address your comment on pit bulls and other breeds, it’s a simple fact that the majority of people do well with low energy, tractable dog breeds. For the right owners, pit bulls are great. But, like all breeds of dog, there is no “perfect” breed for everyman. Pit Bulls are large, very strong dogs and they were bred for dog-on-dog aggression.
They need owners who will dedicate themselves to giving their dog (of any breed) sufficient exercise, structure, training, and who do not give in to the common mindset that “my dog would never do that”. Many, many people don’t want a dog they have to work with. They want a couch potato that will hang out with the family. There are lots of breeds and mixes that fit their lifestyles and that deserve good homes.
BINGO; all of mine have been rescue dogs for the last 41 years.
All of them have been better citizens, and better family members than 99.9998 percent of my fellow “so called human beings”.
All of my boys and girls are what the pound would call mixed breeds except Honey Bunny, she is a purebred English Mastiff, thrown away because of hip dysplasia.
Daddy adopted all of them because they needed a safe and loving home.
They have all proven that they are better, more intelligent, and loyal friends than most humans I have ever met.
SEMPER FI.
Mine are;
GEORGE
HONEY BUNNY
SOPHIE
BILLY
PENNY
ROSIE
My big OLD JACK died on Dec 30 2015 (still cry when I think about it), I will see him at the Rainbow Bridge in time.
None of them are worth spit for what people call show dogs, BUT THEY ALL LOVE THEIR DADDY.
If it weren’t for them I would have killed somebody, or myself a long time ago.
Agreed; told my kids in 1995 that I had OLD RAWLY 5 years before I had them, he was one of the most important people in my life.
Only ever had shelter dogs, wouldn’t go with any other kind.
Any dog is a lifetime commitment; they are family, just like wife and kids.
Getting old now (67); but my wife knows that my current pack is important to me, and will make every effort to make sure they are taken care of when I am gone.
She’s 10 years younger so I guess she gets stuck with them (she loves them to).
So would I. OLD JACK just went to the Rainbow Bridge this “30 December 2015” to wait for me; but I still have 6 boys and girls to take care of, all pound puppies.
My wife says that if I go to the pound when I get down south this winter she will divorce me.
I don’t really think she would, but I know I would come home with at least 2 or 3 more.
Food bills are already through the roof.
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