It's interesting that Dogs Trust and Blue Cross are both against a similar law in the UK. I'm sure their reasoning is about finding a solution to stopping the unethical breeders finding other outlets for their puppies and maybe the wording of the proposed legislations. It's unfortunate that politics has to come into it, and we can't just trust people not to be - well - arsehats.
It's sad that there are those who spoil things when, as you say, FB can be a good was of keeping in touch. I'm glad you've left the group, as unfortunately you would never change their opinionated ideas! Most of our dogs have 'found' us over the years and in fact it's only Wispa, then Tuppence that have been bought from breeders when actively looking for a puppy.
I think the concept of 'selling' a rescue is a concern for them. We of course 'adopt' a rescue and make a 'donation' to the rescue organisation so no element of a retail organisation making money. Also of course there are not many retail outlets that sell puppies.
Like you I use FB to stay in touch with faandmily and friends and have left several 'positive' groups for trainers/owners because of the bitching and nastiness. I've also joined some groups which are absolute stars for advice, support and suggestions. I guess you win some, you lose some
Yes, I agree, it's great for keeping in touch, when my globe trotting son is away I love to share his experiences via FB. I guess like anything it's open to miss use, but you've done the right thing.
Maybe I am naive, but I really wonder where all these "rescue dogs" come from? There seem to be so many "mixed breed" types. I don't see dogs running all over the place on the loose mating with the dog down the street. I understand that some folks have to relinquish their dogs due to unusual circumstances. But so many?
My own small dog was a private rehoming , the owners just didn't want her any more . I think that this is a common reason , buy a puppy, then the realisation sets in and the honeymoon period is soon over , and so it goes ad infinitum . Many are very genuine cases , illness or death of the owner , and these are heart breaking cases , as are the people who have to move home and aren't allowed to keep pets in their new one . The days of lots of dogs roaming the streets are thankfully over , but it does still happen , dogs are just turfed out and not exactly encouraged to find their way home , ending up with the warden in the pound as did my last little rescue who died last year .
Also from another source are the breeders themselves, when the bitch or dog has come to the end of their usefulness for breeding they are often given to rescue centres for rehoming. Some have never lived in a home so haven't been toilet trained, may never have been on a lead, taken for a walk or known any love so are traumatised . I see this on the website of the rescue centre my Charlie came from, it's heartbreaking to see their empty sad eyes I'm not saying all breeders behave this way but it happens. x
Thanks for those replies, but it still does not answer my question about where all the mixed breed dogs are coming from. I realize this is a forum based in England, here in the US in our large cities we are talking about 10 of thousands of dogs in each city every year. The vast majority are mixed breeds. I doubt anyone is breeding "mutts" and then casting off the parents. Here is what I am thinking, the mutts have gotten out of control, they have very little monetary value, so it is easy to cast them off as Kate mentioned above. Someone getting a mutt on the cheap is not going to spend serious $$$ getting them fixed either. Very few parents are going to say "Oh, honey, let's get the kids a puppy, it is only going to cost us about $1500 US when it is all said and done". Much cheaper to get a mutt and then if it don't work out. . . . Something needs to be done. Don't get me wrong, I love a dog no matter what they are or aren't. Like everyone else, it drives me a bit crazy to see those poor dogs suffering like that. If I had my way I would adopt every last one of them.
To answer to @kateincornwall 's OP, let me just say, "Boy, do I hear you". I'm a rare bird who believes there is room for both reputable breeders and rescue. It's not a mutually exclusive thing. I spent six months searching for a rescue and STILL would be thrilled to find a rescue that fit my situation vs. going to a responsible and reputable breeder. But I also realise it's a needle in a haystack and I need to get on with getting on. My true friends have listened to my reasons and accepted this. A few don't like it, but they like me enough to deal with it (while continuing to throw FB posts for available rescues my way). Other friends are no longer friends because I'd even consider getting a dog from a breeder. I'm really sorry for that, but I can't control their reactions just as they will never really understand my reasoning. I hope they'll come around in time and but even if not, I know that I'll continue to foster alongside my (eventual, lol) puppy from a breeder and do my thing to help where I can. You have nothing to feel guilty about with Sam (you already know this). I will say that it's difficult to debate the second topic (pet stores/laws) here on this Forum as the situation in the US is VASTLY different than in the UK. In California for many years now, mainstream pet stores have hosted adoption fairs and have not sold dogs or cats (though still fish and maybe rodents). No reputable breeder would sell a dog in a pet store, end of story. The new law is probably to go after the last remaining hold outs, but it's not going to push anything underground that isn't there already. Sadly, you can buy ANYTHING online. I don't really understand why this law is "crazy" or a bad thing? Maybe it's redudant or ineffective (no one to police/enforce it), but why would it be bad? If someone wants a purebred from a breeder, they can do that still - just not from a pet store. Or is there something more about the law that makes any breeder illegal, even responsible ones? I'm not asking to be snarky, I just don't know. Do you mean you don't think there are enough rescue dogs to meet the demand for those wanting to adopt? Many CA shelters have an 60-80% kill rate of any dog that walks in the door. Most "no kill" shelters which rake in the donations from being no kill are conveniently located next to or have close relationships with high kill city pounds that take the dogs the no kill shelters know are hard to adopt out. Or do you mean just where do the dogs all come from? The most common scenarios I saw when volunteering in rescue in CA was (1) people breeding dogs for cash and then dumping the ones they couldn't sell, (2) dumping the ones that wouldn't breed anymore, (3) adolescent dogs getting dumped because they were bought for $25-75 and weren't cute and small anymore, (4) dogs that were ill or injured and days or weeks "do it yourself" vet care which made the situation much worse, the owners would surrender them or just drive them somewhere and let them loose. Also..."my dog ate my sofa/wanted to keep eating and I couldn't afford it/I had to move/I'm getting divorced/my kids moved out and I never liked the dog anyway/I got a new job/I lost my old job/I'm pregnant/I'm tired/he's naughty/he sheds/he snores/he vomits/he barks.. well too bad I'm sure the shelter will fix him though I really know they won't but at least it's not MY problem anymore." Sorry for that last one, volunteering in rescue makes you cynical some times. Or do you mean why are all rescues mixes? There are plenty of purebreds in rescue. Brogan (in my avi) was a rescue. I got my toy poodle from rescue. There are rescue groups for every breed under the sun. There are more mixes in shelters, this is true. But also you are less likely to see a purebred in a general shelter because the rescue group for that breed trolls the shelters and tries to break them out before they get euthanised. Then they go into foster homes instead of sitting in the shelter, but they're definitely still out there. So that's where all the mixes (and purebreds) are coming from, at least in my limited experience in CA.
I was just thinking about when I had last seen a puppy in a UK pet shop and it was years ago. It was Harrods and it was extremely expensive pure breds. They still have puppies and kittens I think. I've not seen a puppy in a pet shop anywhere else for decades.
Rescues dogs aren't for everyone, that's for sure. Our dog who passed on a few years ago was a rescue and she was absolutely lovely, just the best companion anyone could ever hope for. But at the same time, they can have a lot of issues and can require a lot of effort to work through those issues.
Coming in very late to add my two-penneth-I agree I think I see no reason why you shouldn’t buy a pedigree puppy. As for Facebook, like you I use it to share things with family and friends-my only Facebook friends are people I know in real-life.
We've only had rescues, so far. That's because we are not in a position to bring up a puppy (easily) - both being at work. Adult dogs are far easier (did I say "easy"?!). We were just discussing this yesterday - when we retire it'll probably be a puppy from a breeder for us. As for Facebook - I love it! It's simple, if you don't like what you see - leave a group or block a person. If a snipey comment comes your way, it's not personal - they don't know you - it's just some numpty seeking attention.
Emily, thanks for the reply. It is the second scenario that I was asking about and you pretty much confirmed my suspicions about where they come from. Not sure that CA's "solution" is really going to have any significant impact. The rescues are hard enough to place at bargain basement costs, a pet store trying to sell them would need to increase those costs just to make a profit. Seems more to me like the CA legislature dumping a problem they have not been able to handle on to a small group of business people hoping it will somehow magically cure the problem. What I think will actually happen is that the stores will stop selling any dogs, and CA will still have the issue to resolve.
I have rescued once, a springer/collie from the RSPCA. She came with some pretty serious behavioural problems that had caused her to bounce back to the rescue a few times before we took her, she was extremely hard work but we got there in the end, although the odd phobia would resurface on rare occasions throughout her life. When I lost my Pointer last year I contacted a well known Lab rescue that covers my area only to be told that there were none available, in fact they hadn't had one in for quite a while as people would rather advertise them on the likes of Gumtree than hand them over to rescue. The woman also told me there is a national shortage of rescue dogs of all breeds so Rescue centers are importing from the likes of Ireland, Spain and Cyprus to cover demand. In the end I gave up looking for a rescue and went for a pup instead. Along came Ash. Do I feel guilty? Not at all!
