designer dogs...yuk!
Posted by Anonymous on Feb 04, 2007 · Member since Dec 1969 · 11789 posts
Think of all the dogs in shelters that need a home... that are killed everyday...and people continue to breed. It's actually getting worse, not better.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/04/magazine/04dogs.t.html?ref=magazine
It's bad enough when Fido grows up and stops being a cute little furball...now dogs as fashion statements?? And we know how fast fashion changes....Over here we had lots of trouble with people who live in tiny apartments deciding they had to have a Dalmatian (because of the Disney remake)...Dalmatians are not happy in apartments! Or the "year of the Husky" when everyone in this area of S. Spain "had" to have a Siberian...not a good idea with summer temps in excess of 110ºF...we won't even go into the socialization/training issue.
Don't people realize what we here have known for years? These are just you every day plain old mutt. And they are adding to the overpopulation problems. If they just went down to the pound they could find the same mix and save a life. And we all know that mutts are the best pets anyway.
>:( grrrr... these people really get my goat.
I was thinking for a fired-up Friday, to print some of PETA's pet shop leaflets http://www.petaliterature.com/prodinfo.asp?number=WEL101&variation=&aitem=5&mitem=11
and distribute or place them in an ideal location. I haven't yet thought of a good way and place to do this that wouldn't get me in trouble... Any thoughts?
I actually just walk into pet stores that sell animals, and leave them on the food shelves ::)
That's what I was thinking of doing. Has anyone ever seen you do it and said something to you?
I must sound very silly asking that, but I've never done anything like this before, so I am a little nervous. I totally want to do it, though. I think a lot of people honestly don't know about this.
You can do a lot just by looking purposeful and keeping quiet, like you're on an errand. Walk in, lay the pamphlets down, move on. Libraries often have reading areas with sofas and tables, maybe you could leave some leaflets there...at least you know you'd contact the thinking sector of the population and librarians are used to seeing info leaflets around and it's a good place to contact different age groups etc.
You might even carry a dozen or so in your bag at all times and drop them wherever you think someone might pick one up--laundromat, dr's office, wherever people have to wait and might have forgotten something to read. Even the waiting room of a car dealership/garage.
Thanks, that gives me more confidence. I like the idea of always having some with me. Great suggestion!
we had a chow/german shepard mix that we had to put down b/c of stupid neighbors leaving thier dog in thier yard when it could jump a fence. teddy bear bit it when it came into our yard and b/c of that the animal shelter put him down. he was a really sweet dog. only time he bit one of us was when my brother and i were trying to get a chicken bone away from him, he bit my brother. after he did that he went up to my brother like im sry. we got him from my grandma. he was one of the only 3 animals we got from family/friends. the rest we got from a air field (sparkle, cat), came in from outside (frisky, cat), humane society (ginger, dog), sisca (norman, dog).
I heard about this last year.
I think it's selfish and disgusting.
And just another example of how people are treating living, feelings beings as THINGS.
Japan is probably worse in this regard. (Didn't someone post about that previously?)
yuk! indeed.
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Mahatma Gandhi:
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
while i agree that this is basically a case of turning animals into fads, i do have to say that at least these poor dogs' gene-pools are being expanded. everytime i see a poor pug waddling along, trying desperately to breathe, i want to kick its owner. at least these selfishly created animals won't have as many of the deblitating health problems of their purebred counterparts, and won't pass them down to their offspring, if the half-baked owner who bought them wasn't bright enough to nueter them.
i am torn though... i really really wanted a dog when i was a kid, but my mom is allergic to dogs, so we got a poodle from a breeder. i think we all would have prefered to go to a pound, but my mom really needed a dog with proven hypo-allergic fur. her family have always owned poodles too, for this reason, so the breeder was well known to us. does this put me in the same boat as all those other purebred owners? i hope not!
I would only respond by saying that there is no shortage of "breed specific" rescue groups. I always tell people that when it comes to wanting a certain breed. You can even go to Petfinders and type in the type of dog you are looking for, and search for that specific breed. Shelters and rescue groups both list their adoptable pets there. The dog Penelope I found and saved was a full Beagle. You can see her pic in my gallery. The family that adopted her kept searching for a beagle for 5 months on Petfinder. The father of her new family told me that everytime one became available there would be 20 applications on the dog in one day. I know what he is saying is true. We (the rescue group and I) got 40 applications on her in a few days. I listed her with a rescue group in NJ (though I am in Georgia.....too many beagles are used for hunting down here). Some of the applications came from as far away as California. I have seen every type of dog you could ever want (pure breed dogs) in shelters. Look at my own German Shepherds: King, Star, & Sable (not pictured there yet). I did not buy them, and they are as pure a GS as one could ever spend $5000.00 on. When you were a kid it might have been harder to search for a breed specific dog at a shelter or rescue group. But anyone that uses that excuse these days......well in my eyes at least....it is only that, an excuse.
hey apstaats,
I got my fliers from In Defense of Animals (IDA). They sent me hundreds of fliers for free several years ago. I wanted them just to actually put at a local petstore that was close to where I was living at the time. As Yabbitgirl said, you can put them anywhere. I just "pretend" to be shopping, and if approached say, that I'm "just browsing" and then when alone, leave 5 or 10 of the pamphlets on shelves around the store. Most probably get found by employees and get thrown away, but if you put out 100 and even 1 person decides to rescue instead of purchasing a pet, consider it a job well done!
I love the French rescue system that is in place at their shelters. You are interviewed before you are allowed to adopt, to try to match you with the type of dog/cat you can best take care of...and if they think you're really not ready to take on the responsibility they will tell you so, no gloves on. They do their best to match you with an animal whose temperament, size etc will be compatible to your lifestyle and personality. They also require proof of residence (a bill or some such that proves you live where you say you do) and all your stats, Because (and this is the part I love) over the next year you will recieve 3 random, unannounced visits to make sure that you haven't dumped the animal and are looking after it decently. If it's gone, you are fined heavily. If it's in bad shape, they take it back...and you're fined heavily. In either case, they put the word about to other shelters, and you will not be allowed to adopt another for several years. If it doesn't work out for the two of you, they take the animal back, no questions asked--they'll even come and pick it up at a time that suits you. I certainly wish they had something like it here in S. Spain. I once adopted a kitten here in Seville, and it was basically walk in to an old, damp apartment, pick out the kitty I wanted, and walk out again. There were signs up asking people to bring in their day-old bread! (A lot of people here think dogs and cats can subsist on bread and milk mixed together.)
I didn't read the NYT article I assume you are referring to. HOWEVER, the "purebred" dogs that are in pet stores come from factory breeders that are the worst of the worst. Same with those cats. Quality breeders do not sell to pet stores. In fact, if you have ever looked into getting a purebred cat, you will find that there are wait lists, and questionnaires and onerous contracts to sign. In fact, most breeders REQUIRE that the pets they sell be neutered and spayed, and they doggedly follow up to make sure this is done.
I volunteered and donated to my local animal shelter for years and I can tell you that there is no way that most of the animals there are purebred. I think it is silly to blame the horrible overpopulation of cats and dogs on a relatively small handful of people willing to pay for purebed animals. Most of the pets in my NYC pound are mixed breed, and the sad thing is that most of them are former PETS. Perhaps . . . . if everyone had to pay $1000 to $2000 to get a companion animal they would treat them better and think long and hard before dropping them off at the pound.
Hey JKL
I did not say that most of the pets in shelters were pure breeds, but there are some. When I lived in NYC I volunteered at the ASPCA on East 92nd street. There were pure breed dogs that came in from time to time, but almost all of the dogs were mixed (most pure breed dogs that came in were pitbulls). And you are certainly right that almost ALL pets sold at pet stores are from puppy mill breeders. The point I was trying to make is, there are pure breed dogs available for adoption. I would say that EVERY BREED has rescue groups dedicated to that specific breed. A quick google search of every state will show that. The AKC even lists pure breed rescue groups. I just think that until we make a much bigger dent in the amount of dogs and cats lingering in shelters, and being euthanized every year, maybe there should be an end to the "selling" of pets for profit. The way I look at it, every little bit helps. If it only saves 10 dogs per year.....It's worth the lives of those 10 dogs in my book.
I actually looking for the ideal dog for us. I am THINKING about it seriously. We have about 1/3 of acre here, fenced. The house is smallish, but I think a large dog with outdoor space and 5 regular dog walkers might do okay. We have birds and the dog would need to be protective of the birds AND the kids, not attack anything, ever. I don't think I could take a great barker, but I think if the dog would bark for intruders and anything abnormal, we'd like that. I am allergic and so are 2 of the girls, but only if the dog is a great shedder with a lot of dander and I think it is a dander issue. I'd like a smart companion dog because I am going to be alone with it for long hours and I need to trust it to mind while I work. I don't have very good balance and a little dog would be easily hurt, let alone that a small dog is not right with lots of kids either.
It is a conundrum to be sure. I looking for the ultimate solution to the problem, but these weird designer mixes sort turn my stomach. I am hoping Davedrum has some useful advice for me.
ug, the bratz dolls are doing it now. i just saw a commercial for thier new dolls. ::)
Eww... I can't stand those dolls! They make Barbie look like a great role model for young girls.
Sorry if I've offended any Bratz or Barbie lovers :)
me if merrick was a girl then i would choose barbie over bratz anyday. i even tried watching the show and it was stupid.
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