#Pounds vs.# Breeders: which has the best #dogs to #adopt?

I love you guys so much, I'll even play the Thanksgiving turkey, I mean Tofurkey.

posted by MustardTent to pets & animals

I'm starting the process of dog adoption, and my goal is to have a dog selected and adopted in about a year's time.

       I try my best to be very careful of the animal I take into my home. This is a big decision as I will have an animal living with my family (wife, 2 year old daughter, 3 year old son), for years, so I don't take this kinda stuff lightly.

      Which brings me to the whole point of this. I'm very hesitant to adopt a rescued dog. I won't necessarily know the animal's history or lineage, and I really like knowing those type of things and the (real or perceived) reassurance I get from that knowledge. Maybe the dog was abused by a 3 year old boy in it's past, maybe not. Maybe the dog was allowed to eat off the dinner table? Maybe tons of other things that I could go on about.

          The thing is that when I adopt a dog from a breeder (which is what I've always done), I know all about how it was treated, what it's lineage is, and I have a puppy that never had a master before me.

     COMMENT: No, you do not know what you are getting from a puppy mill, especially one that specializes in over breeding #bulldogs, #pugs, #Great Danes, etc., and other breeds who have a short and often painful life spans.   A pure-bred dog can be a source of huge vet expenses and a very sad ending, see the NY Times Magazine story about bulldogs.

          So, the question is: does that stuff really matter? Is a dog adopted from an animal rescue center just as likely to be ill-tempered or whatever as a puppy from a breeder?

     COMMENT: Our Gizmo has become our dream dog, an animal rescued less than 24 hours before he was to be put to death.  He’s 2 now, we‘ve had him a year and, yes, we had to be trained and he had to be trained out of some habits.  But, with knowledge and consistency (and becoming the pack leader), most bad habits can be eliminated.  See The Dog Whisperer.

        Breeders: only if you personally know them and can ask folks who adopted dogs from them how everything is going seven years after the adoption.

         Rescued Dogs: Yes, learn everything you can, but remember the pounds and shelters very much want their dogs adopted.  Taking them for a few days: yes and no, because habits may be revealed after a week and most dogs are so lovable, a stay in your home almost guarantees adoption. 

          Depend more on disposition: does the dog need constant attention?  Is the dog very anxious and nervous?  Or, is he or she a friendly animal who makes an occasional mistake? 

         Also: get a cage before you get the animal and use it, especially at night in the first year or so.  Life, and training, will be a LOT easier.

“There are simple truths… and the dogs know what they are.”  Joseph Duemer on an ASPCA Christmas card.