Before you get a pet...

[Table 5]

FYI, you don't necessarily have to go to a shelter to save a pet. Vet clinics often have cats/dogs available for adoption too, and they've had the benefit of being checked out by a staff that's not quite as overwhelmed with volume.....I'd imagine the stress level is a relatively lower for them as well, so perhaps there is less chance of psychological damage.

[MarchHare]

Originally Posted by Table 5

Is it the high rate of genetic defects or the weird psycho behavior you prefer with your purebred?

Gimme a mutt anyway.....it might not be as pretty, but they always seem to be healthier and have better dispositions.

My dog is only 14 months old, but so far she hasn't had any health issues and has a wonderful disposition. When we took her to puppy training classes, many of the other owners remarked that she was the sweetest and most gentle dog there. She's a Shiba Inu, and we knew in advance that the breed is known for it's somewhat quirky attitude, but we wouldn't trade her for any other dog. In fact, we're thinking of getting another Shiba so she has a constant companion.

As for mutts always having better dispositions, I'll reply with my own bit of anecdotal evidence. In my condo building, there are six dogs (including mine). One is a Jack Russell, so naturally it's always hyper-active. Of the remaining five, two are rescue dogs and three are purebreds (Boston Terrier, Bulldog, and Shiba Inu). The two rescue dogs have terrible dispositions and bark up a storm whenever they encounter another dog or human in one of the building's common areas (likely, and tragically, because they were abused by their pre-rescue owners). They are, unfortunately, a noise nuisance in the condo. The purebreds, on the other hand, are much more relaxed and calm and barely make a sound even when meeting another dog in the building.

[MarchHare]

Originally Posted by Kybosh

On the other hand, the vast majority of breeders (in my experience) do zero back checking and if you've got the cash, you'll get the pet.

Part of the contract we had to sign with our breeder was a condition that if we ever decided that we could not care for our dog, we had to return her to the breeder instead of surrendering her to a shelter. I'm not sure if that's a standard clause in most CKC breeder contracts or not, but we certainly got the impression that our breeder had a genuine love of her dogs and wanted to see them go to good homes. We wouldn't have bought our dog if we had gotten a vibe that the breeder was only trying to make a quick buck.

[OilKiller]

Best cat I ever had was named Barney. Got him from the shelter. Lady told me he was due to be killed the next day. He was old, looked grumpy and looked like he wouldn't like kids.

He was perfect.

In all seriousness, he was the greatest cat ever. Well trained, well behaved, used to love to scrap with me, just hang out. Thought he was a dog really. He got another 5 years of life. Just a great, great cat.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Table 5

FYI, you don't necessarily have to go to a shelter to save a pet. Vet clinics often have cats/dogs available for adoption too, and they've had the benefit of being checked out by a staff that's not quite as overwhelmed with volume.....I'd imagine the stress level is a relatively lower for them as well, so perhaps there is less chance of psychological damage.

Some pet stores do this as well. The one by my place has rescue animals for adoption from the SPCA. In fact, that is all they have as far as cats and dogs go.

Back in Prince George, my wife and I used to volunteer to walk dogs and for "cat enrichment". It is a fun way to spend the occasional Saturday afternoon.... a cheap date if you will.

[Mass_nerder]

Not to derail the thread, but is it even possible to get a purebred cat?
I wouldn't even begin to know where to get a cat, if not for the shelter.

[Jbo]

Having had to go through putting my dog of 14 1/2 years down in March it was the the hardest and one of the most heartbreaking things I have ever had to do.

I think that ANY owner who gives up an animal should be forced to come back and be present for the euthanasia.

I also feel like with an advanced licensing program like Calgary has, any owner should be marked or flagged if something happens to a pet that can not be explained. In other words if you move locations and are no longer paying the annual fee, you likely gave it away and should not be allowed to apply for a pet for 10 years or something. Have By-law officers visit the homes of these people.

That story made me so sad I want to leave work and hug my dog.

[Inferno]

I really wish I wouldn't have look at that. As a cat owner (two of which are from the Humane Society) I feel sick now.

[LGA]

Originally Posted by MarchHare

My dog is only 14 months old, but so far she hasn't had any health issues and has a wonderful disposition. When we took her to puppy training classes, many of the other owners remarked that she was the sweetest and most gentle dog there. She's a Shiba Inu, and we knew in advance that the breed is known for it's somewhat quirky attitude, but we wouldn't trade her for any other dog. In fact, we're thinking of getting another Shiba so she has a constant companion.

As for mutts always having better dispositions, I'll reply with my own bit of anecdotal evidence. In my condo building, there are six dogs (including mine). One is a Jack Russell, so naturally it's always hyper-active. Of the remaining five, two are rescue dogs and three are purebreds (Boston Terrier, Bulldog, and Shiba Inu). The two rescue dogs have terrible dispositions and bark up a storm whenever they encounter another dog or human in one of the building's common areas (likely, and tragically, because they were abused by their pre-rescue owners). They are, unfortunately, a noise nuisance in the condo. The purebreds, on the other hand, are much more relaxed and calm and barely make a sound even when meeting another dog in the building.

I've got a pure bred Shiba as well and he's been pretty good healthwise.

I had a purebred Doberman, loved that dog, but she got bloat twice in a matter of a few days and we lost her.

I think the argument against purebred dogs depends a lot on the breeds popularity and the breeders themselves. Once a dog becomes incredibly popular (Golden retrievers, Labs, etc), people begin to breed them as a way to make money. This is when you get a lot of genetic problems as any male/female dog combo is thrown together as long as they are the same breed. Responsible breeders check for genetic problems and won't breed dogs that have health issues. So I wouldn't say purebreds are bad, but the ones from backdoor breeders definitely can be.

That said, once I'm more settled down I'll probably get another Doberman or I'll be getting a rescue dog. There are certain breeds of dog I love (Dobies are at the top of my list), but in general I just really enjoy having a mutt around.

[saskflames69]

We picked up my puppy from a farm just outside of town in June of 09. They had a lot of dogs there. I hate to admit it but I think we bought him from one of those greasy breeders. Anyways, about a week after we picked him up he started to crap clear liquid and vomit so my mother took him to the vet (we had already been there 5 days before) and turns out he had a stomach virus that he was supposedly vaccinated for (the breeders gave us all of his veterinary papers). The doctors asked us if he made any contact with other dogs during that week, and yes, right after we got him we took him to Petsmart with us to buy him some puppy stuff. Anyways 2 days and $500 later Buddy was sent home happy as hell and since then he's been the best dog you could imagine. Problem was, since he was sick at an early age, our vet recommended that he not make contact with other puppies for a couple of months. So he never got to go to obedience class. So he is kinda stupid, but loveable. I wish I could adopt another dog, from the shelter this time, but I don't think we could put up with two dogs. By the way, yes, he is a mutt.

[Bertuzzied]

I'm glad Petland no longer sells cats and dogs but that 90% kill rate is pretty high no?

I highly doubt it is even close to 25% in Calgary.

[puckluck]

Originally Posted by Kybosh

The picture represents the kitchen at Foody Goody.

Foody goody was amazing! I think it's been through about 8 name changes since I first went there.

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by Inferno

I really wish I wouldn't have look at that. As a cat owner (two of which are from the Humane Society) I feel sick now.

Yeah, it's sort of brutal and I feel a bit like PETA scum posting it, but if spreading it around makes someone think twice:

[Knalus]

Originally Posted by J-bo09

Having had to go through putting my dog of 14 1/2 years down in March it was the the hardest and one of the most heartbreaking things I have ever had to do.

I think that ANY owner who gives up an animal should be forced to come back and be present for the euthanasia.

I also feel like with an advanced licensing program like Calgary has, any owner should be marked or flagged if something happens to a pet that can not be explained. In other words if you move locations and are no longer paying the annual fee, you likely gave it away and should not be allowed to apply for a pet for 10 years or something. Have By-law officers visit the homes of these people.

That story made me so sad I want to leave work and hug my dog.

And everyone who eats a steak should have to slaughter their own cow, too. Right?

Because people don't want to see the death they eat every day, they romanticize animals a lot more than they would otherwise. That burger you ate, those shoes you wear, the couch you sit on, the chicken nuggets you gave your kid - they all represent death of an animal of some kind. Either get over this, and embrace it, or become a vegetarian. My wife went vegetarian. I embraced it. Animals die.

[Rathji]

Mrs Rathji and I have been in a situation related to this thread now for a year or so.

She has had 2 cats for about 13 and 11 years now, mother and daughter. My son, who was about 9 months ( now 2 ) started getting sick a lot and the allergy tests revealed he was allergic to cats. We looked for a home for them for a long time, trying some of her family and eventually my sister took them as we had no where else to turn, even though she really wasn't capable of giving them the attention or care that they needed.

They are the most beautiful cats ever, straight black. The mom is an really social but her daughter is a bit skittish and won't go near kids. This is a deal breaker for a few people we have talked to, and they can't be separated, because they go a little nuts.

My sister finally drew the line, and we need to get a place for them by the end of this weekend. I have toyed with the idea of bringing them home and locking them in the basement, but they would be miserable anyway.

Hey, anyone want some cats? or know of a no-kill shelter?

[Nage Waza]

I have a purebred, but only because I seem to have allergies and needed a dog that would have the least affect on me as possible.

[drewboy12]

I dont care one bit, Ill man up and say this brought tears to my eyes.

I can't stand to see people mistreat their animals. They are helpless and depend on their owners care. Sickens me when people say they don't have time, or have excuses. If you have a pet, it should be treated as your child, until the day it dies.

Thanks for the post... I kind of want to call the SPCA and volunteer to walk dogs or something. Makes me so sad...

[surferguy]

I had my kitty to the Killarney cat hospital for her annual last night, there are at least four cats up for adoption there... It kills me knowing that I went through a pet store, I will NEVER do it again knowing what other options exist. The day I buy a house (spring) is the day I get another kitty from the shelter. Taj the cat is gonna have to get used to her new bro/sis!

EDIT: Photo Add!

[Inferno]

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

Yeah, it's sort of brutal and I feel a bit like PETA scum posting it, but if spreading it around makes someone think twice:

Yeah, it's something you know happens but seeing it makes it more devastating. It's bad enough that shelters get strays. People just giving up their pets only makes it worse.

I really wish people would buy into the idea of spaying and neutering their pets. Our neighborhood has a bad case of stray cats. One of our cats is actually from an abandoned litter of kittens we found under our deck and we have two stray kittens from another litter and a cat just over one year old living in our yard that we feed. We're hoping we can tame the kittens so we can find them homes but the one year old might be a lost cause. His sister also hung around our yard too but she's been missing for almost a month and we think she died. It's too bad because she was getting close to us and we were even going to get her spayed to help prevent the problem from getting worse.