Some depressing numbers

We've got 3 animals, 2 dogs and 1 cat.  All rescues.

My kitties have all come from shelters. I rescued my big boy from Lab Rescue of the Potomac, he was an awesome red fox. He was 6 when I got him, submissive urination, separation anxiety, but once we sorted that out (took about a year) such a great dog. Miss him so much. My other dog is a papillon, got her as a puppy. Can't say that I'll ever do papillon rescue, they just don't have the good selection that you find with the more popular breeds.
And really, unless you're a reputable breeder, there's no reason not to spay or neuter your pet.

Not being rude here, but didn't cats and dogs survive before there were homes for them? Weren't they wild animals?

That being said, I grew up with a wonderful dog and have rescued two before. We are now pet-less as we have 3 kids, and that's enough right now haha.

All my dogs have been shelter/rescue dogs. My buddy got a replacement dog last year, also from a shelter.  They've all been great dogs.  My current two are 12 and 13 - but they are in pretty good shape for a pair of old pups.

they were --- but now they have domesticated !

Thanks for posting this !

My husband and I volunteer at our local shelter once week as "cat cuddlers." We pet, love on, socialize the cats, and introduce them to prospective families. It's wonderful to see them go home to loving families !

We have three rescue cats - one from the mean streets of Baltimore city, one from our shelter, and one from Hurricane Katrina.

We also foster kittens until they are old enough to be spayed/ neutered and then put up for adoption. It's rewarding and not as hard as you would think to give them up when they are ready to go... by that time they are terrorizing our cats, climbing the shower curtain, and climbing up my dress slacks

Not only should you ABSOLUTELY SPAY AND NEUTER your pets, you should adopt !! Even if you want a pure bred -- there are tons of rescues that specialize in specific breeds.

My dog came to me via a rescue organization.  He's "randomly bred," but dang you could not have come up with a better-looking dog if you tried. 

support no kill animal shelters.

speaking of sad numbers, since were on the topic.

http://www.beautomated.com/counter

Ive had 5 rescue cats. All have turned out to be wonderful and I wouldnt trade them for anything.

speaking of really sad numbers i just started doing tax stuff and looked at what i made last year, sadface.

I have a fox red lab, love those dogs.

2 dogs both rescues, 1 ball of fur with lungs and big mouth that randomly runs into walls (aka our cat who is also a rescue) I would never get a pure-bred dog unless I decided, for some reason, to get into showing/breeding (not likely). The only question now is, how to move into a bigger place so we can start fostering for the local Humane Society

i hope everyone on here knows the difference between a rescue and a shelter?  just because you get a dog or cat or whatever from a shelter, its not a rescue unless you get it from a rescue shelter.

shelters are gov. funded and when there is overcrowding or injuries or disease, euthanasia is used  most of the time.

rescues and no kill animal shelters are self funded or work on donations and never use euthanasia unless the animal is suffering.

My Golden, Leo, is a rescue. He was 1/2 his current weight when he was found.

As far as cats & dogs suriving without us - sure, left to their own devices, but no one wants packs of stray dogs wandering around. This happens around here.

As Bob Barker says "spay or neuter your pets"

Not all shelters are government funded.  In fact, the two local shelters are both private organizations that have contracts with the county to take in strays, but receive much of their funding from donations, fund raisers, and cost-defrayment such as the adoption fees.  The decision to be "no kill" is local - the ASPCA shelter I worked for when I was in HS was a kill shelter.  The one my daughter worked for last year was not. 

The real difference between a shelter and a rescue typically is that a rescue works with a specific breed (e.g. Delaware Valley Golden Retriever Rescue, where I got my buddy Mojo), while a shelter takes in all animals (like Animal Rescue League, where I had gotten Nikki before that).

No kill shelters often have to tap into foster families to take in the animals.  Also, the ones I am familiar with, have limits on the numbers of animals they can accomodate.  So once they are full, until some of the animals are adopted, the strays have to be diverted to another shelter, which can make room.  And sadly, if they are not adopted, there is only one way to make room.  One of the reasons we got Cody last year was because he was likely to be a difficult to adopt animal - large (labrador), old (11, almost 12 when we got him), with health issues (a HUGE lipoma on his neck, the size of a volleyball, as well as some bad GI/bowel problems that flare up intermittently).  He is however, a very sweet dog, who is extremely loyal and loving, and has enriched all our lives (including Mojo, who is very happy to have another dog to play with again, since Nikki passed away over 2 years ago).

Good points Gearboy. Also I would point out that when people are talking on here there is a difference between rescuing an animal and getting an animal from a rescue (group). For instance 2 of mine came from shelters so I happily say I rescued them. (the other was my wife before we met and I am not sure if she came from a rescue group, no kill shelter, humane society etc. so I dont define it).

Sometimes when I tell people Mojo was a rescue dog (meaning, he came from a rescue), they think I mean rescue dog as in search and rescue.  But as much as I love him, he is WAAAAY too ADHD to EVER have been succesful in SAR!  So it is probably more accurate for me to say I rescued all my dogs, even though only one was from a rescue.

As long as you're not getting pets from a breeder who cares what ya call them!

Edit:



I didn't see this before, but I really disagree with your assertion. "Kill shelters" fill a necessary role in society, though it is unfortunate. There is no reason to support "no kill shelters" (though many do actually euthanize some animals for various reasons) over "kill shelters." The only thing to truly support is spaying/neutering.

Edited by pengy 2010-01-29 3:05 PM

So are you saying to be sure to adopt from a place that would kill them otherwise? Makes sense to me.

For the record, those numbers do not depress me. I feel badly about it, kinda sad even, but not depressed at all.

Ok, sad to admit but I have 4 cats, two dogs and a parakeet.  

 same here..  

Yes, because children and pets are totally the same thing.

I wasn't trying to offend anyone, but I'd be interested to hear some of those reasons though. Outside of competing I really can't think of any reasons to get from a breeder since there are breed specific rescues.

Edited by pengy 2010-01-29 5:29 PM

Yes, because everyone's needs can be met by choosing a pet in the way you deem appropriate.

I fully support rescues, but you will not always find a dog that meets your needs at a rescue. There is absolutely nothing wrong with getting a dog from a responsible breeder.

Yes, there are bad breeders out that as well, and yes, they should be avoided. You just can't make a blanket statement that getting a dog from a breeder is bad.