Okay, what do you say: am I a dog 'racist'?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I haven’t had a dog since I was in grade school – long string of ‘no pet’ apartments the main problem.

But now we have a house. And a nice big yard which we’ve just finished fully fencing (due to problem with peeping tom neighbor w/evil mom) and I’ve convinced hubby it’s a Great Idea, so all systems are go.

Now, my preliminary plan was to adopt a dog from a shelter, both to save a dog who would otherwise be put to sleep AND because I’d really rather have a young adult. (I’d like to skip the housebreaking/slipper chewing stage if possible.) I’m perfectly happy with the dog being a mixed breed since I want a companion, not breeding stock. I’m open to a wide variety of breeds, with just two rules: I want the dog to be on the smallish side (like, 30 pounds at the very most) AND there are a few breeds I just won’t consider: no pit bull types, no dobies, no chows.

I realize that some of my aversion to those breeds is nonsensical, based on bad experiences with just one or two of the breed, or on what I admit are often blown out of proportion newsreports, but the aversion is real. And the size thing – I want a dog that I can pick up and carry if for some reason it becomes necessary. I am a smallish woman. I spend a week ‘dog-sitting’ for a german shepherd once: he was stronger than me, and knew it, and that is not a good thing.

So last weekend I went to the closest shelter last weekend, and stared talking to the woman at the desk about the kind of dog I wanted, and she reacted super-negatively. Doing everything but flat out calling me a dog ‘racist’ because I wouldn’t even look at two pit-bull type dogs she said were wonderful.

Okay, they may be. But no dog deserves an owner who won’t really love it, and since I’d be afraid of it (for myself, for the children who visit our home, for the legal liabilities), I really don’t think I’d give it the love it should have.

Is this really so awful of me? I think it comes under ‘self-knowledge’ and ‘matching the dog to the owner’ myself. I mean, would anyone encourage someone who doesn’t like to take walks to adopt a dog from a breed that wants a great deal of activity, like a dalmation? I think I’d make a great owner for the right type of dog; does the fact I wouldn’t be the perfect owner for SOME dogs invalidate that?

This woman was so hostile and made me feel so uncomfortable I left without even seeing any dogs. :frowning:

2

WTF??? Dog racist??

Dogs don’t have races. You might technically have been ‘speciesist’ but that’s no big deal. I personally find certain dogs ugly (like pit-bulls) and others beautiful (like Border-collies). There is absolutely nothing wring with it.

Next thing we’ll be accused of being *brand-*ist!

3

Everyone has preferences in breeds, and frankly the best thing to do is to know what you like and what you don’t like. The woman at the shelter was an idjit, IMO.

Pit Bulls (more properly, American Pit Bull Terriers), other bully breeds like AmStaffs, and Pittie mixes are often very sweet dogs, but many also have a tendency to be dog agressive, and if that’s not something you’re comfortable with handling, that’s perfectly fine. They’re not the dog for everyone.

Some very close friends of my have 3 Rottie rescues. They’re wonderful dogs, but they are not the right kind of dog for me. They’re require too much attention and they’re too damn big.

I also think Border Collies are neat dogs, but I would never in a million years get one because I could never give one the exercise he’d require.

I hope you have another shelter in your area that’s staffed by more reasonable people.

4

Lots of people like ‘pit bulls’ and rottweillers; very few people should own them. Not only are they particulary opinionated dogs, their jaws are very, very strong.

An annoyed Retriever might break the skin; an annoyed American Bull Terrier can break bones, and a really angry one can kill. Good breeders actually discourage potential owners who might not be able to handle them.

Trying to push certain dogs on sensible people is really horribly irresponsible; ‘pit bulls’ or border collies.

5

i love dogs but some dogs i do not want to be around.
chows (bitten by one when i was little) and big dogs (too much slobber and smell)
I love little (like pugs, yorkies) to medium size dogs, like bull terriers. They are so smart and cool!

6

Have you considered looking at dogs on petfinder.org? If you see one that interests you, the name and contact info for the particular shelter will be listed. Most shelters advertise their animals on petfinder these days.

7

The woman at the shelter that gave you a hard time needs some serious re-education.

The right dog for you is the one YOU want. Period. End of story. Many dogs end up in the shelter precisely because someone gets a dog for the wrong reasons and dumps it.

I can only imagine that shelters have a hard time placing Pit Bulls (and related breeds like AmStaffs) because of their somewhat overblown bad image. I was watching Animal Cops and I think the Detroit or New York humane society automatically euthanizes any Pit Bulls they end up with. They claim there are already a huge number in the city anyway making them exceedingly hard to place. However, if a shelter tells you a Pit Bull they have for adoption is ok (i.e. not a maneater) you can be assured it probably is ok. Shelters test adult dogs to assess their personality to see if it is ok for adoption.

The only thing I would advise is reading up on your dog breeds. A 30 pound dog isn’t necessarily specific enough as two dogs of the same size can have wholly different needs and personalities. It’s not a better or worse thing…just what is right for you. A Border Collie is going to need a lot of exercise and attention from you and the family. Other breeds are more couch potatoes. Fur maintenance might be an issue for you…some breeds shed like crazy and others less so. Intelligence varies, independance varies, etc…

Even though you may come across mixed breeds you can usually tell what is dominant in the dog breed wise (I grew up with German Shepherds my whole life and swear I can spot German Shepherd in a mixed breed if it’s only 1/4 German Shepherd or sometimes even less). As such you can still make a fair guess about the dog in a shelter and what its likely characteristics will be (note that ‘likely’ doesn’t make it so…every dog is an individual and there are no guarantees…even pure breds from breeders).

Also, someone mentioned in a recent thread where another person was looking for advice on getting a dog (I think she got WAY more advice than she expected…I hope she’s still going for a dog after all that) that pure breeds can be had from breeders where the dog is older (i.e. past the puppy stage). It’s great that you want to rescue a dog but in the interests of completeness if it is an older dog you are looking for they can be had as pure breds from breeders.

Best of luck!

8

You’re doing a noble thing adopting a dog from the pound and giving it a home and a chance. Please go back and deal with someone else because the woman who berated you is also giving you very bad advice. The shelter I go to is so concerned that the match be a good one that they are far more likely to discourage someone from adopting an animal, for whatever reason, than to try and bully someone into adopting one they are uncomfortable with.

When I adopt a dog I always go back to the kennels first, wander through till I find one I click with and then ask if I can meet it, find out its history, talk to the staff and so on. But if you have no choice but to go through the lady with the idiotic agenda to get back there to see the critters, tell her that a Pit Bull is not what I’m looking for. Don’t let her keep you from finding a pal. Good luck, SBS!

9

Dare I say this woman sounds like a real “bitch?”

10

Well, if you’re a dog racist, so am I. You see, while I’m willing to make an attempt to get along with all breeds and sizes of dogs, I’ve got a preference for big dogs. I’m not crazy about little ones, however, and chihuahua’s in particular.

I used to have the fun job at a local shelter’s Pet Photos with Santa – handling dogs (and the odd cat, etc.) while the photos developed. This also involved settling altercations. At the end of the second day one year, a minor fracas started at the back of the line. When the dust had settled, I had a look at one of the participants who was safe in my arms (with his owner’s permission). It was a chihuahua. As I recall, he or she was looking relatively calm and innocent, but I still remember smiling, petting him, and shaking my head ruefully saying, “I hate to tell you this, but you’re not a dog.”

Tell you what, peach – you take the small dogs, I’ll take the big ones and we’ll sort out the medium-sized ones on an individual basis.

CJ

11

SBS, the lady at the shelter was completely in the wrong; of course you should adopt the kind of dog you’d like. Hello!

A lot of shelters have a very hard time adopting out large and/or breed-agressive dogs, such as big black labs (I read somewhere that black dogs, as a group, are the hardest to adopt out) and/or pit bulls, chows, etc…so she may have thought she was being “enlightening” when she tried to talk you into the kind of dog she’s got a lot of. The dogs/breeds/types that very few people come in looking for, IOW.

But it doesn’t matter; the fact that you are at a shelter at all means that you are trying to do a good thing; just b/c smaller dogs go a lot more quickly than bigger dogs is no reason to try to talk someone into a type of dog they don’t want. I myself am simply not comfortable with large dogs; I like smaller dogs and I own two small dogs, and if I get another one, it will be another small dog. They’re just as “doggy” as their bigger cousins, and they’re not as destructive, simply b/c of their smaller size. They’re easier to care for, cheaper to feed, and I just find them aesthetically attractive. Sue me!

Go back to the shelter on a different day and find another counselor to talk to; let them know what you’re looking for and why. As a good pet counselor, they’ll respect your wishes and help you all they can in finding a dog that’s right for you. Go back as often as you can until you find your dog; you’ll know him/her when you see 'em; until then, follow your gut.

What a bitch! Don’t be discouraged. You’re doing a good thing.

12

Thank you all! I thought it was reasonable to know that certain types of dogs would suit you and others not, but the way that woman was… It was all, “So you think all pit bulls are the same? Do you think all Koreans are the same? Each dog is an individual, you have to meet the dog and see what he’s like, not just assume…” and on and on. :frowning:

Thanks also for the pointer to that other thread on picking a breed – lots of useful info there. And I went off and read the AKC site, and played with a couple different breed pickers, and ended up with my initial impression mostly confirmed: what I really want is one of the smaller (but not toy) terriers. Cairn, Australian, West Highland, or any of about six others that sound very similar in size (20-30 pounds) and likely nature. Probably a good sign is that I don’t mind the things that are suggested as the most likely negatives of the breeds: they like to dig (hey, I’ve a big yard and I’m not much into gardening – go for it), they’re dangerous for other small furry pets (haven’t got any to worry about), they tend to be independent and not quite as dog/other people social as other breeds (fine, I’m closer to the intro than extrovert end of the scale myself.)

Some other of the suggestions were breeds I’d never thought about, including a miniature poodle (hmmm. So long as keeping them in those ridiculous pompom cuts isn’t mandatory, maybe) some exotics I doubt ever turn up in sheltes, plus a couple of spaniels, like the English cocker.

Well, it’s good to have my opinions confirmed, and I’ll just have to keep trying shelters until I find something along the lines of a terrier mix. From the sound of it, smaller dogs aren’t as likely to be available as the big one…which sort of says things about smaller breeds being less likely to be ‘incompatible’ with their owners, doesn’t it?

13

I’m glad you’re feeling better about this, ** StarvingButStrong**. A lot of us have preferences. I don’t like small dogs (although weiner dogs are an exception) because their yapping hurts my ears and they make me a little nervous with their darting around. I like dogs in the 30-75lb range. Nice medium to largish dogs. I realize too that a dog over 100lbs is also too big for me - I was taken for a drag/pull by my grandfather’s husky-shepard, I could barely control her on one walk we took (half the walk she dragged me around, then I had to pull on the leash to get her moving again!)

I would be less than thrilled if it was implied I was a dog racist if I didn’t want to look at toy or super-large dogs. It sounds sensible to avoid dogs you’re not comfortable dealing with.

14

One of the people I admire most in the world is Sue Sternberg, who has dedicated her life to helping dogs and humans alike. Check out http://www.suesternberg.com/00shelter.html to see some of her advice on adopting. In particular, download her Bill Of Rights For Adopters. Sue Sternberg is right, you are right, that woman at the shelter is wrong.

mycoman

15

I’m sure there are loving, gentle dogs among the “red flag” breeds (the pits, the rots, the chows.) However, if you’re hauled into court because your red flag dog bit somebody, you’re fried before the case opens. The nasty image and the actuary figures are out there, and the jury knows it.

16

Hi,

I think you are doing the right thing by looking for a dog thats compatible for yourself. Its one of the more important decisions you will make- after all you are making a commitment that lasts longer than most marriages or LTRs ;). If you have trouble finding what you are looking for in a shelter, consider breed rescues- they will be a little tougher in screening you out but you will have a pet that is thoroughly evaluated and close to what you want. I currently do Border Collie rescue, basically I foster one dog at a time- and by the time I adopt them out I can tell you what their quirks are, their level of destructiveness or lack thereof , their potential for aggression (none or I wouldn’t have them is the rule), how they get along with other dogs and cats, how housebroken they are, what training they have, plus their health is evaluated by my vets. I can provide ALOT of relevant information to potential adopters. I can also persuade many people to look elsewhere since Border Collies are definitely NOT for everyone (or even most people) The foster I have now is an exception though, she is down right comatose for a Border Collie, but her complication is a shattered hip/pelvis injury (old and already healed but with massive arthritis) that someone will have to accept may cause major problems down the road- especially if they let her get fat. I’m getting a second opinion on it, right now it looks ok- but want to be able to provide as much information as possible to someone who takes the risk of adopting her. If she was in a shelter, that information may not be available- but through individual rescue (mixed breeds too) you might be able to have more information on these things.

Whichever way you go, shelter or rescue- make sure its the right match for YOU.

17

You do neither yourself nor the dog any favors by bringing one home that you’re not comfortable with, and anyone working at a shelter should know that.

18

Next time you see that woman, ask her for a cat.
If she says ‘this is a dog shelter’, ask her why she’s prejudiced against cats. Tell her that cats have rights too and that it’s animal-haters like her that are causing problems.

:smiley:

19

May I suggest a Boston terrior?

The good…
Sweet dispositon
loyal
clean
very good with small children

The not so good…
they snore
they like to dig
they drool a little (but then again…so do I…a little)
they fart (see above)

check em out! :smiley:

20

If you’re looking at terriers, might I suggest the Border Terrier? They are extremely sweet and smart! And the otter face is just adorable.