Some keep referring to “shelters”. These are not shelters but rescues. People who volunteer to “rescue” animals or foster them for (what should be) a short time.
They are definitely not cheap to rent an animal from (they can take it from you if you violate their contract) usually costing several hundred dollars in adoption fees. And this is after you pass their bend over and cough exam to determine if your are suitable for the animal.
The article went on to say that 25% of all pet hoarders turn out to be rescues. That does not surprise me in the least.
Unless one can get a referral to a rescue org that is reasonable in their screening process, the best bet is the local pound or a breeder.
I support and help out our local golden retriever rescue. And I don’t even qualify (on paper) to adopt a golden from them because I don’t have a fenced yard. I have told the president, who is a friend of mine, how silly that really is, since what it means is that my dog always goes outside accompanied by me and is never left alone out there. But they are one of the more reasonable organizations I’ve known.
The problem is that some of these groups are run by people who are fanatics, and some are quite reasonable people who just care about animals. Some of them probably started our reasonable and became fanatics after dealing with bad situations. And some of them think people like me (hobby breeders) are the enemy. Heck, some FReepers think I’m the enemy.
But, something has happened in our society and many people cannot draw a line between pets and people, and this is what you get. It can be almost as difficult to get a pet as it is to adopt a baby, and some places are passing laws that also blur the line.