Tips for adopting the best shelter dog

[manifold]

Tip #1: If it looks like a pitbull mix, pick a different dog.

 

[Truthmatters]

You do that , it means you cant handle dogs who need some help.

Not every one can.

 

[manifold]

You do that , it means you cant handle dogs who need some help.

Not every one can.

Pitbulls in shelters need to be put down. I could do that.

 

[Truthmatters]

some people just have a blood lust

 

[manifold]

But whatcha gonna do?

 

[syrenn]

In the shelter that i am with...right now we are overrun with chiwawa's and pit bulls.

 

[manifold]

In the shelter that i am with...right now we are overrun with chiwawa's and pit bulls.

Must be one of those feel-good no-kill shelters.

But whatcha gonna do?

 

[syrenn]

In the shelter that i am with...right now we are overrun with chiwawa's and pit bulls.

Must be one of those feel-good no-kill shelters.

But whatcha gonna do?

Yep....a low kill not no kill shelter. The SPCA is the no kill shelter here.

 

[Anachronism]

You would be suprised what kind of animals can be found at the shelters. We have adopted gerbils there before...and bunnies. But I have also seen birds, pigs, goats,hamsters etc... ocasionally. You name it...you could probably find it at some point.

Probably not as surprised as you think. I have relatives who own farms. They have gotten fairly regular calls about taking in abandoned or abused sheep, goats, pigs, cows, etc... over the years. After Hurricane Katrina, the number of HORSES that were simply abandoned was STAGGERING; nevermind the number of dogs and cats.

I'm probably going to be looking for another cat in the next couple of months. My current guy can't relocate with me to Pennsylvania. He's getting old and the trip would kill him so he's going to stay with my roommates and his buddies (the other cat and dog). That means I'll probably be looking for a new cat once I get settled in PA. Definitely will be a shelter/rescue cat and probably not a kitten.

 

[AllieBaba]

Lots of great information and advice; but it's not just for dogs. Cats and any number of other animals can be added to the family this way as well.

Of the six cats, four dogs, and three horses who have been in my life, only one of the dogs and two of the horses have not been some sort of "rescue". I grew up with a purebred Shetland sheepdog. Since moving to Massachusetts thirteen years ago it has been my pleasure to have my life graced by six rescued cats, three rescued dogs, and a horse that I loved very much who I "rescued" from a semi-negligent owner. Two of those three dogs have been deaf. One of the cats spent most of her dozen years without her right eye. Without us, all of the cats and at least the two deaf dogs would have been put down and the semi-neglected horse would probably have ended up as dog food.

They're probably not deaf..they're probably just ignoring you! Bwahaha!

 

[Shadow]

You would be suprised what kind of animals can be found at the shelters. We have adopted gerbils there before...and bunnies. But I have also seen birds, pigs, goats,hamsters etc... ocasionally. You name it...you could probably find it at some point.

Probably not as surprised as you think. I have relatives who own farms. They have gotten fairly regular calls about taking in abandoned or abused sheep, goats, pigs, cows, etc... over the years. After Hurricane Katrina, the number of HORSES that were simply abandoned was STAGGERING; nevermind the number of dogs and cats.

I'm probably going to be looking for another cat in the next couple of months. My current guy can't relocate with me to Pennsylvania. He's getting old and the trip would kill him so he's going to stay with my roommates and his buddies (the other cat and dog). That means I'll probably be looking for a new cat once I get settled in PA. Definitely will be a shelter/rescue cat and probably not a kitten.

That's one thing I found after having animals...especially cats when I lived alone. They were good company and if they were ever missing even for a day or two...it was an obvious absence..almost seemed more quiet. Definately an emptiness there.

Hope you find a good buddy when you move. Older cats are better for people who work anyway...more independant,can be left alone for longer periods and don't need as much attention as a kitten.

 

[AllieBaba]

That would be a great heaven, all my dog friends as puppies and I get to watch them grow again or for the first time if they were adults when adopted.

I think in that heaven I would need about 20 hands to get all the petting in though.

There are animals in heaven, and I imagine our animals have souls, though the Bible doesn't tell us that.

Eden was full of animals, and heaven is joy...I think it just follows that it will be full of the things we love, including those gifts we have received from God in the form of animals throughout our lives.

I look forward to seeing some very good friends eventually.

 

[AllieBaba]

Tip #1: If it looks like a pitbull mix, pick a different dog.

That's a huge portion of the shelter dog population.
Most kill shelters have a rule that pit bulls are destroyed, they don't even try to rehome them. I think it's a shame. They shouldn't go to just any home, but they are, after all, just big terriers, and nobody says "if it looks like an Aerdale mix pick a different dog" though they have the exact same characteristics (except they can be much bigger). They just don't have the distinction of being glommed onto by two generations of criminal retards.

 

[manifold]

Tip #1: If it looks like a pitbull mix, pick a different dog.

That's a huge portion of the shelter dog population.

Exactly. And with good reason.

 

[Grace]

That would be a great heaven, all my dog friends as puppies and I get to watch them grow again or for the first time if they were adults when adopted.

I think in that heaven I would need about 20 hands to get all the petting in though.

There are animals in heaven, and I imagine our animals have souls, though the Bible doesn't tell us that.

Eden was full of animals, and heaven is joy...I think it just follows that it will be full of the things we love, including those gifts we have received from God in the form of animals throughout our lives.

I look forward to seeing some very good friends eventually.

Heaven will have all your fur children waiting for you. This I guarantee. Heaven is bliss, is it not? Couldn't be that, if those we love/loved so much aren't there too.

 

[Grace]

Percy lives down the street. He is old and blind. He is one of 5. All old. All blind. Sometimes he gets out. His sniffer brings him straight to my front yard and thats where he sits until he is found.

Last time I went to the pound, they had a pit bull. Now, pit bulls scare me. I fear no animal...except grizzly bears, and pit bulls. My animal spirit guides say I am afraid of grizzlies because they represent a part of me that I have to work on. So I can deal with that. Pit bulls...they just scare me because once those jaws lock on, that's all she wrote, so to speak. But, I will still save them. This one guy...he was older, blind, but a smidge ornery. Probably because he couldn't hear very well and was startled often when touched. He was slated to be put down. Um. Not on my watch. So I made a few calls and my startled friend went to a home where the people would stomp on their wood flooring, giving him a clue from vibration that they were approaching..or in another part of the house. They said he was a great dog and learned his way around very fast.

Y'all know me by now. If I feed ants and won't kill bugs I damn sure will save any critter I can run across. But that was when I was not a hermit and had money to pay the adoption fees. Sigh. Wish I could win the lottery. Some would go towards a small cottage on acreage, a nice fence, and a gardener to make it like a mini forest. The rest would go to the ASPCA.

 

[AllieBaba]

Tip #1: If it looks like a pitbull mix, pick a different dog.

That's a huge portion of the shelter dog population.

Exactly. And with good reason.

The *good reason* is just that the criminal population treats their dogs just like they treat their children...like shit. And it makes criminal dogs just like it makes criminal kids.

They can be rehabilitated but of course it shouldn't be undertaken by people who have no desire to do it (obviously) or who want dogs with a poodle personality. Terriers are not gentle, low activity dogs. They need a lot of interaction, a LOT of monitoring and a lot of training.

 

[Grace]

I have a rat terrier. He was only supposed to get to about 15 to 18 lbs. He weighs a whopping 45 lbs. He's the one, along with the cat since she is slimmer and get in holes while he finishes the work...in getting field rats that want our chicken eggs. He also snipped the ankle of the termite guy. (Yes, I will kill termites IN the house). He's ornery. But he likes females. Never bit one that came to look at something I had listed on craigslist. But if it is a man that comes to look, I have to leash him. Ornery bugger. I love him very much. He's my cuddlebutt.

 

[AllieBaba]

Percy lives down the street. He is old and blind. He is one of 5. All old. All blind. Sometimes he gets out. His sniffer brings him straight to my front yard and thats where he sits until he is found.

Last time I went to the pound, they had a pit bull. Now, pit bulls scare me. I fear no animal...except grizzly bears, and pit bulls. My animal spirit guides say I am afraid of grizzlies because they represent a part of me that I have to work on. So I can deal with that. Pit bulls...they just scare me because once those jaws lock on, that's all she wrote, so to speak. But, I will still save them. This one guy...he was older, blind, but a smidge ornery. Probably because he couldn't hear very well and was startled often when touched. He was slated to be put down. Um. Not on my watch. So I made a few calls and my startled friend went to a home where the people would stomp on their wood flooring, giving him a clue from vibration that they were approaching..or in another part of the house. They said he was a great dog and learned his way around very fast.

Y'all know me by now. If I feed ants and won't kill bugs I damn sure will save any critter I can run across. But that was when I was not a hermit and had money to pay the adoption fees. Sigh. Wish I could win the lottery. Some would go towards a small cottage on acreage, a nice fence, and a gardener to make it like a mini forest. The rest would go to the ASPCA.

Grace you should watch the Dogtown episodes on Michael Vick's pitbulls. Their jaws don't lock, btw.

You know that pit bull handlers, who are in the pits with them, hardly EVER get bitten. Pit bulls are good fighting dogs because they have such a desire to please their masters that they will do anything for them..including fighting. They are not hardwired to fight any more than my stupid little terrier....but they do have a prey drive (as they are terriers).

I was always nervous of them because their faces are so funny I can't read them. I can read the expressions of other dogs, but pits have a pretty flat affect. And that can make me really nervous, if they are loose.

The thing is, they shouldn't BE loose. Any dog on the loose is a threat to life and limb.

Even my goofy terrier...she is twitchy and goes nuts, I've had to pull her off of other dogs that (poor things) happen to be walking down the street when one of the kids leave the gate open, and on one memorable occasion when one of my daughter's friends brought her chihuahua to the house (!). She has never bitten me in those situations. She continues to bite and get at the other dog when I pick her up, but has never gotten me. She has nipped me intentionally, though, and bitten me when I'm feeding her goodies...but never in that situation. Which is strange.

Anyway, she has a tail that is specifically bred as a "handle" to pull that type of terrier off it's prey, and I have used it before. When I lift her by her tail, she can't bite me anyway. Very cool.

Pits dont' have the handle, but I've seen people grab ahold of their flanks and lift their hind feet off the ground, and that immediately stops their attack and they don't seem to be able to reach around to bite, or maybe they dno't want to. If they don't have their hind feet on the ground they can't maneuver.

What was I saying? Sheesh I don't remember. I'm all crazy into dogs these last few months, it's nuts!

Oh, and Mylo despite all her ravening, hasn't hurt another dog (though she has attacked them) since I've had her. Even the goofy chihuahua. Which acted like it was the end of the world, but was not hurt at all. Likewise the elderly poodle that to this day (he is blind, I think) has NO IDEA what the HELL happened...he was staggering down the road minding his own business and out of nowhere gets rolled over and over and nipped and flipped...but likewise, though he was a little more unsteady than usual when I lifted her off him, no injuries.

 

[Trajan]

waaaay back my wife son daughter and I went to the Santa Clara Pound/shelter, we got there as soon as the doors opened, we looked at oh, 30-40 dogs, wrote a list of our top 5....went to get on line in the office area.....


it was exactly like the DMV and worse.

We waited from 920 till 1130 and then the processors all walked out for lunch in mass, to return at 1230. the time we they all got back to their desks and processing again it was 1330 and they quit at 1630....I looked at the wife and kids and we all said, screw this......we left.

on the way out I put my number down on one the desk and told the occupant they are killing dogs by making this process waaay to difficult ( to say nothing of price, approx. $200 in fees etc to get a dog for "free" from the pound, the lady looked at me and just shrugged.....

we went to PetCo the next Saturday, for those that don't know it, its the walmart of pet stores out here.

they let people who shelter dogs bring them in on Saturday and Sunday morning to show.

We got went and and we spotted a Rat Terrier we fell in love with, she was active, cute only 2 or 3 and she responded to us well....anyway, cost? zero ( but, I gave the lady 100 bucks anyway, well, just becasue she was a sweet old soul who sheltered dogs in her home and had 10 on hand )...

anyway, we have had her ever since, shes 15 now.

and goes to show, the gov. cannot even run a friggin dog pound to boot.......