Sighs loudly. This sort of thing just ticks me off. People like to be the hero of the story. I had never thought about it like simster did, but I’m guessing he has it right.
We don’t adopt black cats out during October. Its not because we are afraid that wicked witches will pay the adoption fee and give us their names, addresses and let us take pictures of them and then kill the black kitty in some gory ritual.
Its because people adopt black cats to dress up their home and then return them in November.
(and also because the public thinks that adopting black cats out during October is evil and we should be berated.)
Huh, this happened right here in my hometown. The article says that about 30 animals are put down each month, and I have to say I think that’s a damned lie. It’s got to be more than that, especially in the last few years with the economy out of whack. Our shelter is small and poorly funded and every time I’ve been inside it’s filthy, particularly the cat side. Also their vet hit my dog in the face. Anyway. snorts Xanax
Those people who wouldn’t be interested in adopting a dog other than Daniel should never be allowed to adopt any dog, IMO. I’ve got seven rescues (and one pet store bunny) living under this roof right now and I’ve got no patience for people who only want the special dog or the cute puppy or the pure breed or the fancy designer toy breed dog. Have I ever said that I hate people? I really do.
My county’s animal shelter used a gas chamber until last year. A campaign by the local tea party/motorists’ lobby/animal rights group finally brought an end to it. As far as I know, it’s still legal in Ohio.
I think it just shows that advertising works . . . show people something cute with a touching story, and they’re all over it.
I think it says more about how susceptible many people are to ads than it does about any inherent coldness on the part of the potential adopters. Not that that makes it ‘right’ behavior, of course.
Without knowing too much, it’s possible that the others aren’t saying, “I want Daniel or NO OTHER DOG” but are saying, “I want Daniel or no other dog right now.”
When my wife and I first saw our puppy, we knew he was our puppy. The rescue had others available, but if he’d been taken we wouldn’t have said, “sure, give us another dog.” We’d have kept looking until we found another dog that moved us the same way.
Well, it sucks for the shelter that they can’t adopt out more pets, but…I’m just wondering…don’t people think the same way about human adoption? You know? Like, I want a girl/white/black/older/younger/Russian/whatever baby.
And some people go into a shelter with an idea of the breed they want. It’s not super terrible.
I sorta kinda understand this. I mean, I recently adopted a totally adorable dog. I went to the shelter to make a donation of blankets and towels, and I actually checked online and chose that shelter because all the dogs they had listed were large lab or pit mixes (not what I wanted) and I didn’t want to fall in love. We had been thinking of getting a dog next spring; I was going to wait until then. But, we went, and there was a perfect little brown terrier girl there, and I fell in love. HARD. I spent a night telling myself I didn’t need a dog now, and went back the next morning for her. So, in a sense, I did exactly what they are doing. I didn’t want a dog; I wanted this dog.
I don’t think the people described in this story seem very responsible, and I don’t think most of them should get a dog at all, but at least a few might not be so bad.
Yup. Our own Lute Skywatcher is the owner of a little white bunny who was abandoned outside only days after Easter. Considering that domestic rabbits have few to no survival skills for living in the wild (and are prey animals) and this was an all-white bunny, he or she was very fortunate to have Lute come along when he did.
I have no issues with folks that go looking for a particular dog/breed or “look in the eyes” - its those that only want the “famous” one that I hold issue with. We all choose our pets (or they choose us) based on lots of things.
This is a problem with caged birds as well. Only a couple of years ago, a prominent magazine on living well suggested accenting your living room decor with caged birds of carefully-chosen color. :rolleyes:
Although it’s not necessarily any nobler, sometimes people just want the “special” or different animal even if he or she is not famous. Our local county shelter took in a hamster with no feet – the guess was that she had landed on a hot plate or something and lost all four feet – and the staff said everybody who saw her offered to adopt her.
I’m in the process of adopting a rescue as I type this. I’d decided it was time for a dog, figured out a few criteria about breed, size, temperment, etc., and then touched base with the local rescue groups to see who was available for spoilin’.
I went through about five different dogs – looking at pix and talking to the rescue coordinator – before I settled on one I wanted to meet. Because I’m pretty sure I could love just about any dog. So I wanted to be careful about choosing the right dog for me. This one licked my face and I was SOLD. If all goes well when she meets my cat later this week, she’ll have a new home.
BTW, I just wanted to mention that this dog was on death row at a high-kill shelter and the rescue group got her out just hours before her death. I can’t say I’d take just any random pup they offered me if this adoption doesn’t work out, but I’ll be willing to keep meeting dogs until I meet another facelicker who seems about right.
Poor dog. He must have come out of that gas chamber thinking, “Well that was a stinky crate!” If I adopted him, I’d name him Lazarus.
Although I do understand where you are coming from, choosing to adopt a dog is a commitment and that doesn’t mean that if you see a dog you would like, you should be willing to take any dog should that one not be available. I recently adopted a half starved dog with hip malformation and several more issues. I saw her on the web site for the shelter and it broke my heart. If she was already adopted, I wouldn’t have taken another dog. She was the breed I have experience with and I wanted to help her if no one else would. No one else wanted her. The bad news is she contracted kennel cough from the shelter and passed it on to my other two, one with respiratory issues who contracted pneumonia, was hospitalized but lived, thank goodness. I thought as my “baby” was in the hospital that no one could possibly have that bad karma, to adopt a needy animal that ended up bringing in a disease that killed the best dog I have ever known despite having the vaccine and keeping them apart for the seven days suggested. The good news is all are fine, Maggie went from 7lbs to 10lb in a couple of months, we can no longer see all her rib bones and she is a beloved member of the family. However, as I said, if someone else would have rescued her, I wouldn’t have taken the puppy in the kennel next to hers. I don’t think that makes me a bad person.
We once found a bunny about a month after Easter hoping across our lawn. It was obviously not a wild bunny. We put signs up but assumed someone just let it go when they realized it wasn’t a toy but actual work and commitment.
:dubious::smack::mad::eek: