SarahInTX

Absolutely. The people who rescue and foster dogs and cats care deeply about where the animals are going to end up.

I've worked with a rescue group for about 15 years and I'm familiar with other rescue groups (all breed and breed) in the area. Some groups (and individuals) are (IMHO) WAY over the top in their requirements for pet ownership (guardianship). The group I work with has traditionally been less strict (for instance, we don't typically do a home visit -- though we reserve the right to request it as a condition of adoption) and some people think we're AWFUL for not doing that!

I think there is pressure for our group to move in that direction, but I'm not sure it's doable because we don't have the volunteers to do the home visits. (Personally, I'm not convinced that doing a home visit guarantees a good home or a lifelong adoption.) The groups you're talking about must have a lot of volunteers and only adopt out a few animals a year. It would be an impossible task for our group to keep up with all the animals we've ever adopted. (However, if we HEAR about one of our animals being abused, we will check it out.)

mellybrown

Ive just got off the phone to a lady at one of our local shelters - they do the whole background check thing which is fine, i was a bit wunny about them doing a home visit but she never mentioned it and really just wanted a chat about what we were looking for. However we want 1 kitten and they only adopt them out in pairs, she did however then point me in the direction of another shelter that does adopt out single kittens......I was quite impressed with her, and she gave me loads of info. In a way im quite glad I dont have to adopt from the pet shop mostly because I think its wrong they charge so much!! its $90 MORE to adopt from the petshop than from one of the shelters which is just crazy, they are not doing anything different!!! (plus they keep dogs in cages and thats just plain evil lol)

another bloody yank

I think it has turned into a game of one upmanship among the rescue groups/individuals... My requirements are more strict than than yours, therefore I care more.

SarahInTX

When you adopt from a rescue organization, they will have gotten all the necessary shots, had the pet spayed or neutered, sometimes even microchipped, and treated for parasites or other illnesses or injuries. More and more shelters are doing all this too. So you get a REALLY GOOD DEAL when you adopt from them. The biggest advantage of adopting from a rescue group is that the pet has been kept in a foster home (not a kennel run) and has been around other animals, children, etc. so we can really help match the pet to the family.

Roland Hulme

There's only one pet store I've visited here - the Puppy Shoppe on route 1.

The dogs are treated beautifully, let out every day to play with customers and stay there as long as it takes to sell them.

Just before everybody jumps on the 'outraged' band wagon...

tamms_1965

I know that one of the local pet shops in my town encourage the employees to take puppies home with them, esp. over Sunday night. The puppies all come from local breeders, also, not puppy mills. A few of my students work there and tell me stories about the puppies (and kittens) that they take home.

Jerseygirl

Go to Willowbrook Mall or Rockaway Mall. The dogs are let out of the cages if a prospective buyer wants to see it...apart from that they are in the cages. Sometimes even large breeds that are 5/6 month old.

Jerseygirl

A good breeder does not sell puppies through a 3rd party...they don't have to they probably have a waiting list for them.

SarahInTX

I'm sure not ALL pet shops can be tarred with the same brush, but unfortunately a lot of them are pretty dire.

And the source for a lot of them is puppy mills, and they need to be shut down. Period.

JEM3110

I think most pet shop sales of dogs or cats must be spur of the moment purchases and I'm sure the pet shop owners rely on this for their business. People who buy pets in this way usually have not thought through the real consequences of pet ownership - have I got the time to train it, what happens when I go to work, go on vacation, cost of vets fees etc etc At least with Animal Shelters there is a screening process and this gives potential new owners the chance to thing about whether a pet is a good idea. Same with buying from a reputable breeder, you usually have to wait on a list, then you can see the pups/kittens with their mother (and more importantly the temperament of the mother), pick one out and see what kind of environment the pup has come from.

A PET IS FOR LIFE NOT JUST FOR CHRISTMAS! (now where have I heard that before....Mmmmm)

tamms_1965

Actually, they do. The breeders I've known only breed to find the "perfect" show dog...the best of its breed. Unfortunately, they really do not want imperfect ones, as they are not looking for pets but trophies. The dogs that don't show champion qualities get voted off the island. Some breeders will actually give away these dogs without papers and if you agree not to breed them. That's how I got one of my toy poodles 20+ years ago.

Many breeders are now breeding hybrids for pets. A lot of diehard dog breeders think this is horrible but others think it's fine for pets. You do not have to deal with papers and the dogs tend to be hardier than their respective parents' breeds usually are. (They don't have the defects that each breed exhibits due to a larger gene pool.)

One of my hybrids was an accidental breeding. Due to certain circumstances her daughter's Yorkie got to her Maltese when breeder was out of town. Seems that Maltese went in to heat unexpectedly/early.

Jerseygirl

I have never known a good dog breeder to allow a puppy to be sold via a store. A good breeder wants to know what sort of home the dog is going to. Breeders that allow one of their pups to be sold via a store are not IMHO a good breeder...they just want to get rid of the pup and don't care what happens to it. That type of person should not be allowed to breed dogs.

Every breeder I have bought a dog from have had absolutely no trouble in selling their dogs. They interview you to see if you're suitable to take one of their dogs. A good dog breeder will also take their dog back if your circumstances change and you can no longer look after the dog.

SarahInTX

Pretty much all the breeds that we're familiar with today are some sort of hybrid, so I'm not sure why people are so torqued by "designer" breeds (cockapoos and the like). Whereas in the past we bred dogs that were good herders, or rat catchers, or protectors, in today's society we want apartment-size, hypoallergenic dogs as pets. As long as they're bred and homed humanely. Of course, there are tons of "mutts" that are "hybrids" . . . .

another bloody yank

I'm going to start asking these rescue people if they have any breeds that are noticeably more tender than the others.

SarahInTX

Probably not a good idea!