Adopting a Puppy...

[Ja Rhule]

ARSEN's dog is not right.

 

Why not?

 

I think the biggest mistake I did to my dog is neuter him...  People asked me so many times if they can use my dog for bang bang with their dog.

[Ja Rhule]

 

I don't think he likes the hat

[jasonluckydog]

I tried many years ago to adopt a purebred puppy weimaraner from the shelter well a lady from the Weim rescue won him in a lottery and I went into a deep depression...I put a claim on him day 1 when he entered and even named him, I visited him everyday until adoption day.

My dad was so pissed that they gave the dog to a rescue when he had people who wanted to adopt him to make a long story short I gave her my number and 3 weeks later she called me and said my Jake was now available for $300.

I had Jake for 10 years best dog I ever had, I miss him to this day. The adoption fee at the SPCA was only $65 back then but I paid the $300 for Jake but puppies can sell for around 1k

I have never felt a connection to a dog like that before, I knew he would be mine and he was.

The crazy thing is the lady had over 10 weims in her house so I hope that $300 she made off me helped the other dogs.

[Anybodyhome]

Why not?

 

I think the biggest mistake I did to my dog is neuter him...  People asked me so many times if they can use my dog for bang bang with their dog.

 

And all that does is perpetrate the puppy mills that are the cause for people selling dogs for a grand. Odds are that 1 out of every 3 dogs would end up in a crappy home where the dog was not properly cared for, fed, housed and provided medical care and die long before his time. No shots, no flea and tick meds or heartworm testing. Not sure if you're aware, but heartworm is a very slow and painful death for a dog. So yeah, you're sorry you had your dog neutered, but the fact is 2 litters of 8 pups each you could have made money on stud fees, but 5 dogs of the 16 total would have been dead within a few years.

 

I will offer this advice given to me by a very close friend and veterinarian. She told me not to spay or neuter until a dog is at least 6 months old because all of their hormones have not fully developed. But most animal groups won't let you adopt until they are spayed or neutered. So you're stuck.... unless you do what I did. Offer to foster the dog for 6 months, then have him taken care of by my vet and provide the paperwork to the agency, then adopt him.

[Ja Rhule]

And all that does is perpetrate the puppy mills that are the cause for people selling dogs for a grand. Odds are that 1 out of every 3 dogs would end up in a crappy home where the dog was not properly cared for, fed, housed and provided medical care and die long before his time. No shots, no flea and tick meds or heartworm testing. Not sure if you're aware, but heartworm is a very slow and painful death for a dog. So yeah, you're sorry you had your dog neutered, but the fact is 2 litters of 8 pups each you could have made money on stud fees, but 5 dogs of the 16 total would have been dead within a few years.

I will offer this advice given to me by a very close friend and veterinarian. She told me not to spay or neuter until a dog is at least 6 months old because all of their hormones have not fully developed. But most animal groups won't let you adopt until they are spayed or neutered. So you're stuck.... unless you do what I did. Offer to foster the dog for 6 months, then have him taken care of by my vet and provide the paperwork to the agency, then adopt him.

Yep, Neutered my pup at 10 months. He humped everything... Pillows, guests, toys...

[h0llywood]

I got a Labradoodle puppy ($500) hoping it would be 50+ lbs range. It's been almost 8 months and he's still only 13lbs. He's definitely closer to the poodle gene pool.

[dos poptarts]

Humane society. Didn't get a puppy. Just chose the dog that made a connection with me.

[RoaringRiot]

Historically I have not agreed with Anybodyhome on much, but I'm right there with him on this

I'm heavily involved with a few local Charlotte rescues and I can promise you they're not in this to make a profit. They charge roughly ~$175 for a pup and it includes spay/neuter, all necessary shots, heartworm meds, food for the time they're fostered, etc... The people who run these organizations aren't compensated for their time - they volunteer it - and it's a poo-ton of work.

Honestly (and I mean no disrespect) but if anyone is complaining about paying $200 to adopt a dog then you may want to really think before you jump in to adopt. The annual costs associated with a dog - if you're caring for it properly - are a lot more than that.

[Proudiddy]

Historically I have not agreed with Anybodyhome on much, but I'm right there with him on this

I'm heavily involved with a few local Charlotte rescues and I can promise you they're not in this to make a profit. They charge roughly ~$175 for a pup and it includes spay/neuter, all necessary shots, heartworm meds, food for the time they're fostered, etc... The people who run these organizations aren't compensated for their time - they volunteer it - and it's a poo-ton of work.

Honestly (and I mean no disrespect) but if anyone is complaining about paying $200 to adopt a dog then you may want to really think before you jump in to adopt. The annual costs associated with a dog - if you're caring for it properly - are a lot more than that.

Understandable, but when someone knows they are going to be providing for this new member of their family for the next however many years, my point is why charge more than necessary upfront?

What I'm saying is, I've ran into multiple shelters that rescues have sat outside of from 8am until their adoption hours at 1pm to take multiple desirable (aka cute, popular breed) puppies without giving anyone else a chance to adopt them. JLD, even provided a story in this thread illustrating my point... He had a puppy picked out, basically promised to him, and then the shelter let him go to a rescue anyway and he ended up having to pay almost double what he would have just to get that puppy back. He went on to have that dog as a valuable member of his family for years...

He wasn't cheap for wanting the puppy at a cheaper price, it's just common sense. If there are loving owners out there who really want a puppy and know they can provide an awesome home for them, such as myself, why am I not afforded the opportunity to adopt them first? I don't need a rescue to give them these extra things and then charge me for it. I think if the idea is to save the puppies (which again, I argue it's not completely about in a lot of these cases because they're not swooping in to get older dogs and pits, for instance), then why come in and get puppies that a lot of people will adopt before they ever even come close to being euthanized? Why not give people the chance to adopt them, keep the rescue on notice, and if it somehow happens that any of thise pups aren't adopted, then have the resume come in and get them them?

Again, I'm not privy to the nuances and intricacies of the rescues, but that just doesn't make sense to me. Why rob people of the opportunity to adopt them directly from the shelter FIRST?

and I'm not saying this is all rescues, because I actually talked with a couple over the last week that had adoption fees as low as $50, although that specific rescue was actually operated out of a home... But my point remains... The ones adopting these popular pups out of the shelters and neglecting so many others before potential owners and then charging up to ten times as much as the shelter for them are far greater than the good-hearted, genuine rescues I've encountered.

[RoaringRiot]

Understandable, but when someone knows they are going to be providing for this new member of their family for the next however many years, my point is why charge more than necessary upfront?

What I'm saying is, I've ran into multiple shelters that rescues have sat outside of from 8am until their adoption hours at 1pm to take multiple desirable (aka cute, popular breed) puppies without giving anyone else a chance to adopt them. JLD, even provided a story in this thread illustrating my point... He had a puppy picked out, basically promised to him, and then the shelter let him go to a rescue anyway and he ended up having to pay almost double what he would have just to get that puppy back. He went on to have that dog as a valuable member of his family for years...

He wasn't cheap for wanting the puppy at a cheaper price, it's just common sense. If there are loving owners out there who really want a puppy and know they can provide an awesome home for them, such as myself, why am I not afforded the opportunity to adopt them first? I don't need a rescue to give them these extra things and then charge me for it. I think if the idea is to save the puppies (which again, I argue it's not completely about in a lot of these cases because they're not swooping in to get older dogs and pits, for instance), then why come in and get puppies that a lot of people will adopt before they ever even come close to being euthanized? Why not give people the chance to adopt them, keep the rescue on notice, and if it somehow happens that any of thise pups aren't adopted, then have the resume come in and get them them?

Again, I'm not privy to the nuances and intricacies of the rescues, but that just doesn't make sense to me. Why rob people of the opportunity to adopt them directly from the shelter FIRST?

and I'm not saying this is all rescues, because I actually talked with a couple over the last week that had adoption fees as low as $50, although that specific rescue was actually operated out of a home... But my point remains... The ones adopting these popular pups out of the shelters and neglecting so many others before potential owners and then charging up to ten times as much as the shelter for them are far greater than the good-hearted, genuine rescues I've encountered.

 

Rescues don't do those "extra" things as a service to you. They do them because there is a serious problem with dogs being bred and then dumped or killed. By taking them into the rescue and getting them spayed/neutered they're doing their part to make sure dog breeding is controlled. 

 

Rescues work closely with shelters so they typically are going to get the first dibs. Rescues also screen applicants and do home visits to make sure the house is safe and that the adopters understand the responsibilities of dog ownership. Doing these screenings reduce the chances of dogs being returned or surrendered.

 

Also you're wrong about adult dogs. We rescue any adult dog that is deemed "adoptable".  

 

I understand all you see is price and you're instinct is to feel you're getting ripped off because you just want a cheap dog. However, come volunteer with me on a Saturday at the rescue and educate yourself on what's really going on. 

[Proudiddy]

Rescues don't do those "extra" things as a service to you. They do them because there is a serious problem with dogs being bred and then dumped or killed. By taking them into the rescue and getting them spayed/neutered they're doing their part to make sure dog breeding is controlled.

Rescues work closely with shelters so they typically are going to get the first dibs. Rescues also screen applicants and do home visits to make sure the house is safe and that the adopters understand the responsibilities of dog ownership. Doing these screenings reduce the chances of dogs being returned or surrendered.

Also you're wrong about adult dogs. We rescue any adult dog that is deemed "adoptable".

I understand all you see is price and you're instinct is to feel you're getting ripped off because you just want a cheap dog. However, come volunteer with me on a Saturday at the rescue and educate yourself on what's really going on.

It's not just about wanting "a cheap dog." I also wanted to clarify that my issue wasn't just with shelters, it's about people being dishonest and lacking integrity. As I mentioned in the OP, there are people asking for $300 for mixed breed puppies that have no paperwork or proof of the shots/deworming they claim they have had. That is just ridiculous.

And perhaps my idea of what you should expect is a bit skewed because of my personal experience in finding puppies growing up. We got one pure bred Australian Shepherd for like $25 with utd shots and everything because the couple that had the litter bred them but she was pregnant and didn't feel like going through the trouble of registering that litter so they just wanted to get them to good homes. And then we had the German shepherd I mentioned earlier, which my mom got for like $50 or so. And if he wasn't full blooded, I would be really surprised... And both dogs were with our family until they were at least ten years old. Loved and treated like the beautiful souls that they were... Just great members of our family.

And I know from discussion we've had about tickets and such, and then this, I'm sure I just look like a whiny cheap ass, but it's really not the money, it's the principle.

To me, the amount of upfront money does not equate to a good home. There are plenty of assholes that go out and spend a pretty penny upfront for a pure bred dog and tons on vets costs, just so they can end up breeding them in horrible conditions for the duration of their lives.

I just don't want to pay unnecessary costs to prove that I'm a worthy owner... And iirc, several of the local shelters are running programs with local vets to provide affordable spay and neuter procedures for $85 or less, so that's another thing I'm not following with the local rescues. Most of the local shelters I've been checking in with require that you spay or neuter any adopted dog within 30 days of adoption, so again, that is something I could do myself.

But I don't want to sound ungrateful for what legit rescues do. I'm obviously just frustrated with the whole process from both private sellers, shelters, and rescues thus far.

[Anybodyhome]

As I stated earlier and I'm sure Roaring Riot would also jump in on this, but I'd be more than happy to help you find what you're looking for.

 

I understand what you're saying and I would not be surprised to know that what you've experienced is happening out there. I'm sorry for the animals which are getting passed from one place to another a few times over before getting a forever home. Just a thought, but are there any shelters in your area that claim to be "no-kill?" No-kill shelters likely don't have the people "rescuing" animals and reselling them or trying to readopt them out because the animals are safe.

 

http://www.spcamhc.org/

[PandaPancake]

I feel that some of these breed specific rescues go overboard with their requirements. We were looking at adopting an adult Great Dane from a breed specific rescue. Turned down because we didn't have a six foot high fence. At the time we lived half a mile from a road and we like to keep an eye on the horses so a six foot fence would prevent that. We had an electric fence to keep the horses in and one of the horses is a former Grand Prix jumper if he isn't getting over that fence a Dane definitely isn't. It was such a hassle.

[RoaringRiot]

Agreed... Happy to help. Here's our rescue.

http://c2cnd.org/