Posted on 09/06/2008 5:40:42 AM PDT by steve-b
"Just bought a brand-new purebred puppy? Welcome him or her into your home with a free gift bag! Call us today at 1-866-834-6061 to claim your bag and hear about our products," reads a new ad appearing in the July 7 issue of Dog Fancy magazine, which is on newsstands now. But when respondents call the number, they'll learn that the ad was placed by PETA and that the bag offered is really a body bag--for the unlucky dog in an animal shelter who is "sentenced to death" because the respondents bought a purebred pup from a breeder or a pet store....
(Excerpt) Read more at peta.org ...
This time, these jokers set up a dummy organization (yeah, yeah, I know, PeTA itself is already a dummy organization) to place a deceptive ad in Dog Fancy.
A press release is unrestricted by it’s nature, so post the whole thing.
PETA prefers to kill the animals and dump the bodies in garbage dumpsters.
If PETA isn’t actually willing to send you the “gift bag” then it’s false advertising.
We should each call to claim our body bag. By law, they either must send it or withdraw the ad.
While I disagree with PETA’s methods, I have found that pound puppies do seem to have an “instinct” that you quite possibly have saved their lives. Some of the best dogs I have owned have been pound puppies, while a “purebred” or two could have been nicknamed the dogs from hell.
the bag offered is really a body bag—for the unlucky dog in an animal shelter who is “sentenced to death”
And of course PETA is happy to kill them for you. Guess they forgot to mention that.
You know, as awful as the messenger is and as characteristically terrible as this particular delivery is, they actually do have a point on this one. I absolutely love several different breeds of dogs - Boxers, Danes and Ches. Retrivers top the list - but I just won’t buy any anymore. All of my puppies for more than 10 years now have been pound puppies. And mutts at that. Sweet, sweet dogs that are very grateful and loving.
There. Fixed it. If everyone had to buy purebred dogs, there would be no dangerous Pit Bull Mungrel Mutts running loose and causing havoc.
We have two “pound puppies”... one a mutt we adopted 11 years ago..he’s always been Mr. Perfect. The other is a 90 lb AKC male Weim. He’s a sweetheart and loads of fun, but the family who turned him over to the SPCA had small children (the moral there is to think ahead when you buy a cute blue eyed puppy, and don’t realize that when he’s 2 he’s going to be way too big and bouncy to have toddlers around.)
We personally are great fans of the Golden Retriever. We got our latest one as a ‘rescue’ through GRREAT - GR Rescue Education and Training. Point is, if you want a purebred dog, check out the available rescue organizations for the breed. Otherwise, pound puppies truly are a fantastic option. OBTW our rescue guy did come with some issues, but loving, patient and persistent training overcame the issues.
If you want an indoor dog, one that can be a lap dog, that does not drool, is not yappy, does not shed a lot, that loves people more than other dogs, then you’ll buy a Boston Terrier from a breeder. The nice thing about pure-bred breeder dogs is that you can choose the characteristics you want in your companion.
And for the avoidance of doubt: I love all dogs, even mungrel mutts. I don’t like PETA slagging off purebreds because that’s just not on.
I don’t have much time for Dangerous Pit Bull Mungrel Mutts, but that’s not the dog’s fault: that’s the breeder’s fault and the owner’s fault.
The message is absolutely accurate. There are a limited number of homes for dogs, and as long as people keeping bribing breeders to churn out more bred-to-specifications dogs, fewer dogs will be adopted from shelters, which continue to euthanize millions of healthy dogs every year. If you were a dog sitting in a cage in a shelter with one day left on your 3 day hold before euthanasia, perhaps you’d grasp that the people paying breeders hundreds of dollars for a “purebred” puppy are ensuring that YOU die tomorrow.
Many of the dogs in shelters are just as “purebred” as the dogs churned out by breeders, and many others are fundamentally healthier and saner than dogs that have been bred to narrow breed appearance specifications for dozens of generations. They just don’t have “papers” and/or aren’t in their brief cute little puppy phase anymore. I get really sick of hearing about how “responsible breeders” aren’t part of the problem. There is no such thing as a “responsible breeder” who is breeding more puppies and charging money for them (with the tiny exception of special working dogs, such as Belgian Malinois and non-AKC German Shepherds), while healthy dogs are being euthanized in shelters.
You can have the best of both worlds by adopting from breed specific rescue groups. They’ve got them for just about every breed you can imagine. I’ve adopted my last two Dobermans from such places.
But I'm not. I'm a human, baby.
Same is true with purebred rescues. I adopted a rescued cocker spaniel two years ago and he hasn't left my side since. My other cocker I raised from a baby runs and plays but little Arby rarely leaves my feet!
Also, if dog owners were responsible and had their pets spayed and neutered there would be a whole lot less pound pups. Irresponsible owners are as complicit as PETA in the death of these animals.
This complaint is equivalent to the denunciations of corporations that provide lousy pay and benefits. Yes, McJobs suck, but the most likely alternative for people who take those jobs isn't good pay and benefits -- it's no job at all.
True dat. I have three cats (which, by PeTA "logic" means that I condemned a dog to death each time I chose a cat instead), and they're all fixed.
I have adopted a Border Collie and an Australian Shepherd from the pound when both were a year old. Both are wonderful dogs. I have had the BC for two years, and he is simply amazing. The Ausie is still getting used to the family, but she is so sweet and loves her big brother BC (who loves her back).
Check out the pound if you are considering a dog. Take your time and learn about the various breeds. It does involve some risks (the Ausie had some slight health problems but that is all cleared up now).
I can understand why folks get purebreds (my first dog was a purebred beagle from a breeder), but shelter dogs are also wonderful companions.
Please spay or neuter your dogs unless you plan to breed commericially. There are already so many unwanted dogs out there - many of whom are put down for a lack of a home. Also remember that adopting a dog means a lifetime commitment to the animal. They are not lawn ornaments, but members of the family that should be treated with respect. Make sure you get out and walk and play with them. It is good for you and for them.
Malarkey. Responsible breeders (not puppy mills) are just that---responsible. They make sure that any puppies they breed go to good homes. In recent years, many breeders have added a "return clause" to the effect that if FOR ANY REASON the puppy proves unacceptable, to RETURN IT TO THEM, and not the "pound". We've gotten all our dogs over the years from such individuals, and we will keep doing so.
We do our "pound duty" with cats, who need the help even more than dogs.
Lots of people who want a dog are also status/image conscious. Many (maybe most) of the people who buy purebred puppies from breeders are making the decision based on what friends, neighbors, co-workers have and on what those people will think of the person’s choice of dog. Trust me, I’ve listened to these conversations at my office at a large financial institution. People talking not just about the purebred dog they’re getting, but about the breeder’s resume. Obviously, this is not the pet store puppies crowd, but their conversations definitely affect the choices of people who end up buying puppy mill puppies from pet stores. There’s a social notion that “purebred” is a better thing to have, even though there’s no real basis for such a belief. Partly, it’s similar to the snobby mystique around wines. People like be heard talking about this wine or that wine and like to think of themselves as part of a social group in which people know the difference between types of wine. Similarly, they think of themselves as part of social group where people describe their dogs by the name of a breed, which all the “in” people are expected to recognize — if you say “I have a bichon frise”, everybody is supposed to know that’s not a cat, that it’s white, that it doesn’t shed, that it’s medium sized, etc. The whole thing is really sick and destructive and results in millions of healthy, loving dogs being euthanized in shelters because “ I have a dog” isn’t good enough for so many people.
Years ago, we got two purebred dachshunds from a shelter. One was just a small degree short of show quality.
Unfortunately, we lost them both due to old age - the first last year, and her sister last Friday.
We are putting our names in with shelters and rescue operations so we’ll know when more dachshunds come up for adoption.
It may take a while to find the right dog this way, but it’s worth it.
Having said that, I have no problem with people who purchase dogs from a reputable breeder. Some folks will just never be able to make themselves comfortable with the idea of a non-papered pup, and a home for a dog is a home for a dog.
I hate Peta as much as anyone, and this is one of their usual awful tactics - but I highly recommend people check out the dogs at rescue places before getting a pet. One plus is the ability to know the dog’s personality before adopting, since the dogs had each been in foster homes. And the “backstories” of some of the rescues I’ve cared for make one know that you’re doing a good deed in taking them in.
I hate PETA, but I have no problem with this. People paying thousands just to say they have a purebred while fantastic dogs are put to death in pounds just doesn’t sit right with me. Every dog we’ve ever had have been pound pups, and I just feel sick knowing how many others get killed because some a-hole puppy mill with a rape rack pumps out the “purebred” pups for big profit. All while the dogs in their “care” are treated horribly.
Yeap, but I’d rather call the Black & Tan a “Carolina Curb Setter” and the White one a “Carolina Fluffy Dog”.
That way they have more status with the street crowd. :-)
While I find PETA repulsive I have to agree with the point about pet store animals. They are often (almost always) purchased from places that keep dogs in abominable conditions, forcing females to breed more often than is healthy. Furthermore, the dogs produced frequently have health problems and are of very low breed quality. It is rare that you can even get their papers. I have three mixed dogs I got from the local shelter and they are the best pets I could possibly imagine. It seems absurd, given the quantity of homeless dogs, there are people breeding dogs to sell. If you must have a purebred dog you should go to a reputable breeder and inspect the conditions of the dogs before buying.
Quit making us look like fruitcakes.
-Sincerely, a Vegan.
“We have two “pound puppies”... one a mutt we adopted 11 years ago..he’s always been Mr. Perfect. The other is a 90 lb AKC male Weim. He’s a sweetheart and loads of fun, but the family who turned him over to the SPCA had small children (the moral there is to think ahead when you buy a cute blue eyed puppy, and don’t realize that when he’s 2 he’s going to be way too big and bouncy to have toddlers around.)”
Thank you for adopting a rescue Weim. I work with 2 Weim rescues here in CA and we’re busy as heck these days.I’m “on alert” right now to drive one to their foster home today.
That being said, PeTA can go straight to Hades’ gates on this one! They don’t do a darn thing in the real world to help dogs in the pound. They just raise a lot of money, some of which gets funnelled into the whacko animal rights underworld. They do more protesting and lobbying than they do of the REAL work for animals.
The guy who posted about pit-bull mixes being the largest factor in pounds is SO right, too. That and chihuahuas these days. then the 35 or so percent of “all other breeds” purebred (that the rescues are taking out a great many of) and mixed that are what most people are looking for. The “unwanted” animal population problem is shrinking anyways, as people get better about taking care of their dogs. That’s the secret that the whackjobs WONT tell you.
Besides.. that pound pup is nice, but what if I want a hunting dog or some other working animal??? It’s hard to know what youre getting...
Maybe they should have used the body bags for the animals they trashed in dumpsters.
Dang right. People who don’t get them should sue.
Cheyenne was fifteen years old, had never been sick a day in her life--wasn't even acting sick while cancer was eating her alive. Around New Years 2006, I noticed she had a sore near her anus--an impacted gland. Not uncommon, although it was the first she'd ever had, and completely treatable...but it got worse instead of better. Vet was concerned that the infection might be masking a tumor, so he took various x-rays. Cheyenne had cancer in practically all of her vital organs. She just wasn't acting sick--eating fine, pooping fine, sleeping fine, acted a little more protective than previously...but from nose to tail, she had malignant cancer, and it was growing worse.
By mid-January, while we were considering her options, she began to crash. She couldn't lie down comfortably, so she paced the house to exhaustion. Couldn't navigate stairs. Couldn't poop without yelping in pain. A vet at MSU was willing to put her through a chemo regimen, but the side effects would have devastated her further and it would only buy her another two or three months. I knew it was time to let her go, and I did, while she sat in my lap.
So Animal Control thinks I'm unfit.
Unfit, in spite of THREE vets who wrote letters to AC on my behalf. Unfit, in spite of recommendations from neighbors and our groomer. Unfit, in spite of my past relationship as a foster mom for AC's pooches.
Those folks over at AC can rot in hell for all I care.
I answered an ad for Newfie/Lab crossbred pups (accidental mating) from a farm outside of my town. I explained why we were looking for a dog, and the farm family was sympathetic and gracious. We picked out a beefy little gal out of the litter of thirteen, and two weeks later we brought her home. She's bigger than me now, and delightful.
I'll never, ever have anything to do with Animal Control ever again.
I still have a pic of my angel Cheyenne on my profile, but I haven't added one of Moxie yet. She looks like a black lab that went trhough some kind of atomic growth ray.
Sorry you had a bad experience with “Animal Control”, but there are thousands of shelters that would be just as horrified by that episode as you are. In some areas, it’s really hard to get decent people to work at these places, because especially when they’re poorly funded, they’re even more depressing than the average shelter (which is depressing enough, given that dozens of healthy, loving dogs and cats are euthanized daily at most shelters). This enables a few wackos to get and keep jobs, especially at government-run shelters, which are subject to more onerous legal limitations on firing people than private shelters, and have no fund-raising pressure to show decent adoption rates.
The person/people you dealt with sound sort of like the PETA nuts and/or animal hoarders — who think that only they know what sort of life is acceptable for an animal, and accordingly prefer to euthanize any animal for whom a home meeting their wacko standards can’t be promptly found (as PETA does with nearly all animals that fall into their hands) or to hoard it in a home crammed to the rafters with animals along with urine-soaked everything and feces piled high on the floors. Both approaches are forms of mental illness . . .
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