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There are many misconceptions about the quality of
animals found in rescue shelters. Here are only a few
myths we have heard. If you have any questions you feel
we may be able to answer, feel free to
contact us!
Please keep in mind that these
facts are not meant to dissuade you from adopting an
animal, we simply want to make sure you are aware of
what it takes to care for a pet.
If the main reason why a pet gets brought to rescue
shelters was because they were a *bad* pet, there would
be thousands of empty shelters across the country.
Animals are brought to shelters for a large variety of
reasons, some of which are...
- Their owners have passed away
- An irresponsible owner didn't get their pets
spayed or neutered so they found themselves with a
litter of babies that they could not keep or did not
want
- The animal's owners were abusive to the animal, so
the authorities have removed the pet from the
harmful environment
- An animal was purchased or adopted by someone who
did not take into consideration all of the
responsibility that caring for that pet would
entail. A good example of this would be someone who
adopts a pet in an apartment complex that does not
allow animals and then is subsequently forced to get
rid of the pet. TOP
Most animals coming from abusive homes will typically
make a full emotional recovery - with proper care and
attention. In fact, many of them are so grateful to be
rescued from their previous situation, they end up being
more devoted and loyal than animals coming from
non-abusive homes. TOP
Although its true that the medical history and
temperament of an animal adopted from a rescue shelter
are not always able to be tracked down, its really no
different than an animal you might get from a pet store,
unless you are buying a pedigree. And even then, it's no
guarantee. TOP
Once again, it certainly IS possible that a pet
adopted from a rescue shelter may have medical problems,
however the majority of the animals that are adopted
from shelters are perfectly healthy, and just need a
good home. If anything, you're more likely to get an
honest answer about an animal's medical problems from a
shelter volunteer - who is clearly there because they
*care* about the animals - as opposed to a pet store
owner or breeder that is only it in for the money.
Additionally, animals in shelters are typically treated
much better than animals in pet stores, which have often
spent their short lives in cramped environments with
little socializing and often, unsanitary conditions.
To illustrate the point a little more clearly, when you
go to a pet store, the animals are kept on display in
tiny cages, often with multiple animals in one cage.
When you go to a shelter, you will usually find much
bigger animal pens, where the animals have some room to
move. TOP
Without a doubt, this is the most common reason people
want a puppy. A sweet, small puppy just seems like the
best choice for sweet, small children.
You know that cute Kodak commercial with the puppies
climbing all over the giggling little boy? Have you ever
noticed how short it is? That’s because they could only
film for a few seconds before the welts rose, the blood
dripped, and the boy began to scream for his mother.
Puppies have needle-teeth that they happily sink into
anyone who walks by. They also have sharp nails that
scratch when they jump up -- and on little Ryan, those
front feet land right around his face.
Puppies leave "presents" that your toddler always seems
to find before you do. Puppies wake your children during
the night. And a puppy doesn’t know the difference
between his stuffed toy and Sarah’s Piglet that she MUST
have to fall asleep.
And suppose you get a puppy when little Morgan is 2. In
six months, Morgan will be about 1 inch taller and 3
pounds heavier. However, the 8 month old puppy will now
be as tall as Morgan and outweigh her by 30 pounds. And
those baby teeth will have been replaced by big snappers
that need to chew.
Of course, puppies and small children do successfully
co-habitate. But, in our experience, your child will go
through far less Neosporin and Band-Aids with a calmer 2
+ year old dog who is road-tested with children.
TOP
Seems to make sense, except the exact opposite is
true. All puppies are cute; all puppies love everyone.
It’s not until a dog hits sexual maturity that some
innate behavioral problems start to surface. We can’t
even estimate how many calls we’ve had from people who
paid thousands of dollars for a purebred puppy, who is
now a year or two old and biting people, attacking other
dogs, or engaging in some oddball neurotic behavior.
Purebred is not the same as well-bred, and sometimes it
feels like the disreputable breeders grossly outnumber
the responsible ones.
The truth is this: when we list a 4 month old puppy, we
can only guess what kind of adult she’ll make. When we
list an 18 month old dog, we can predict pretty
accurately what kind of dog you’ll have forever.
TOP
Many
people believe this, right up until the moment the dog
is hit by a car, eats poison in the neighbor’s garage,
or is stolen. Shelter dogs are typically either strays
(which means they have a history of wandering) or
owner-surrenders (which means they’re going to go look
for their ex-owner first chance they get).
TOP
No, you
didn’t. Trust me, he was only perfect because you were 8
and didn’t have to clean up after him and be responsible
for him. I know you believed he was perfect, but you
also believed in Santa and honest government then, too.
TOP
This is
a common misconception. Different dogs mature at
different rates. 2 or 3 years old is the magic mark
usually. A lot of breeds don't slow down till 4 or 5.
TOP
It is
impossible to make these "gender-based" absolutes. There
are plenty of dominant female dogs in the world.
TOP
That
sound you hear is all the people with rescued dogs
falling over laughing. Because the exact opposite is
nearly always true--your shelter dog will CLING to you.
Look at it from the dog’s perspective. He’s spent the
bulk of the last year on a 6 foot chain in someone’s
back yard because he committed the unconscionable sin of
no longer being a puppy. At some point during the day,
someone may remember to bring him food and water. The
only attention he gets is when they yell at him for
barking.
Finally, they take him for a car-ride--dumping him in a
wooded area where he can have a "fighting chance."
Despite everything, he waits there for their return or
tries to get back home. He finds water somewhere. He
raids trash cans and gets sick. If he’s extremely lucky,
he survives long enough for an animal lover to find him
and bring him to the shelter.
Then he sits in the loud, scary shelter run, starting to
lose faith that his family will ever find him. The
kennel people are nice, but he is one of a hundred needy
dogs they have to care for.
Finally, you take him home.
You not only bring him into your house, you give him his
own bed and bowl, and a crate where he feels safe. You
speak quietly. When he messes on the carpet, you don’t
seem to mind--you just take him outside and then clean
it up. You feed him regularly AND give him toys and
treats and Nylabones.
He sleeps in your room. He may even have a big brother
or sister to play with. He gets kisses. And when he goes
out in the car, he always comes back.
Your rescue dog’s biggest fear is that you will
spontaneously combust.
He’s not going to let you out of his sight for one
minute. People with rescue dogs learn to function with a
70 pound shadow following us everywhere.
That said, there are some dogs who just never learned to
connect with people, but that becomes apparent very
quickly--long before we place him with you.
TOP
There hasn't been anything "natural" about dogs since we
began to develop breeds thousands of years ago.
Countless books and videos are available to teach your
children about birth in a responsible manner. Letting
your pet produce offspring that you have no intention of
keeping is teaching your children irresponsibility.
Anyone who as seen an animal euthanized in a shelter for
lack of a home knows the truth behind this dangerous
myth.
As for the miracle of birth, well, there's another rite
of passage occurring to 20 million dogs a year in this
country, 25% of them purebred. It happens every day at
your local animal shelter. But most parents are not as
eager for their children to see that. TOP
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Adoption
Myths