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Old 02-27-2009, 09:12 AM
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Default Why is adoption the humane option?

hi forummers. please read the following articles about why adopting a pet is such a good choice to make. it saves lives. enjoy!!

article taken from: http://www.petsandanimals.org/shelterpet.asp

Why Adopt a Shelter Pet?

Shelters have all shapes and sizes of lovable mutts, purebreds, all-American cats, shaggy dogs, puppies and kittens, teenagers and oldsters. Your chances of finding a wonderful companion who matches your lifestyle, family, and home are excellent!

About 25 percent of these animals are purebreds. But if you're looking for a truly one-of-a-kind pet unlike anyone else's, animal shelters offer the best selection anywhere of smart, healthy, lovable mixed-breed cats and dogs.

Pet adoption is a life-long commitment which can easily last 10-15 years for dogs and up to 20 years for a cat. We provide free Pet Adoption Marketing & Advertising to Shelters and organizations through the PAW magazine and website.

According to the Humane Society of the Unites States, mutts are America's dog of choice, accounting for nearly 60 percent of all pet dogs. And their numbers are increasing. For good reason. As dog trainer and author Brian Kilcommons explains, "mixed breed dogs are often healthier, longer-lived, more intelligent, and of more stable temperament than purebreds. This is due to what geneticists call hybrid vigor."

Shelter animals make great pets. A "secondhand" pet in no way means second-rate. On the contrary, shelter workers have often observed that many shelter animals seem to sense what they were up against and become among the most devoted and grateful companions.

Most shelter residents are healthy, affectionate animals. Many have already lived with a human family and have the basic training, socialization, and cooperative skills they need to become part of your household.

Dogs, cats, and small mammals like guinea pigs, rabbits, and rats end up in shelters because of circumstances beyond their control. They're victims of a death, illness, divorce, or a move that didn't include them. Or they were displaced by a new baby. Or their owners just didn't learn how to train them.

Some animals are relinquished at shelters because of a behavioral problem the owners gave up on. But the fact is all pets, young and old, need some obedience training or retraining, as well as patience and commitment, to become cooperative, enjoyable members of your household. And regular, positive training - as little as 10 minutes a day - will reward you amply
because it builds a strong bond between you and your pet as you learn to communicate with him, and he learns to live in your world.

Shelters have the animals' best interests at heart. Animal shelters are either government or private nonprofit agencies. Their primary mission is to find the best possible permanent homes that suit the individual animals they shelter.

Most shelters, but particularly those well staffed with volunteers, become familiar with the disposition of each animal. If an animal has lived with a family before, then its history and behavior are also know. This knowledge helps the staff make optimal matches between homes and pets and helps you in making Pet adoption decisions.

Shelter pets are a bargain. For an pet adoption fee between $60 and $100, you can adopt an animal that would cost several hundred dollars through other means. The fee usually includes spay or neuter surgery, worming and vaccinations, and a certificate for a free health exam.

In addition, shelters offer free educational literature on all aspects of pet ownership, and they often provide ongoing advice and guidance at the shelter, over the phone, and through classes.
You save a life and help combat overpopulation,The simple fact is that there are many more animals needing adoption than there are homes for. So when you adopt from a shelter, you become part of the solution to the overpopulation crisis. You give a deserving animal a new home. You free up cage space for another animal needing to be adopted. And your money goes toward the shelter's education and spay/neuter programs, which help prevent more unwanted animals from being born.

Until the overpopulation crisis has been resolved, pet adoption is the humane, ethical choice for millions of Americans.
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Old 02-27-2009, 09:26 AM
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Default Re: Why is adoption the humane option?

Taken from http://www.petorphans.com/used.html

Reasons to adopt an adult dog from a shelter or rescue Group

"Why on earth would anyone want to adopt an adult rescue or shelter dog? After all, aren't they like used cars? Who wants someone else's problems? If the dog is so wonderful, why would anyone give him away? If he was a stray, why didn't someone try to find him? I'd rather buy a puppy so I know what I'm getting, and besides they're so cute!"

Rescue groups and shelters often hear a variation of this conversation. Many prospective dog guardians are just not convinced that bringing an older (i.e, 6 mo.+) dog into the family is better than buying a puppy. But there are a number of reasons why adopting a pet from a rescue that carefully screens and evaluates its dog can provide an even better alternative.

Here are the "Top 10 Reasons You Should Consider an Adult Rescue Dog."

10) In a Word--Housebroken. With most family members gone during the work week for 8 hours or more, housetraining a puppy and its small bladder can take awhile. Puppies need a consistent schedule with frequent opportunities to eliminate where you want them to. They can't wait for the boss to finish his meeting or the kids to come home from after school activities. An older dog can "hold it" much more reliably for longer time periods, and usually the rescue has him housebroken before he is adopted.

9) Intact Underwear. With a chewy puppy, you can count on at least 10 mismatched pairs of socks and a variety of unmentionables rendered to the "rag bag" before he cuts every tooth. And don't even think about shoes! Also, you can expect holes in your carpet (along with the urine stains), pages missing from books, stuffing exposed from couches, and at least one dead remote control. No matter how well you watch them, it will happen--this is a puppy's job! An older dog can usually have the run of the house without destroying it.

8) A Good Night's Sleep. Forget the alarm clocks and hot water bottles, a puppy can be very demanding at 2am and 4am and 6am. He misses his littermates, and that stuffed animal will not make a puppy pile with him. If you have children, you've been there and done that. How about a little peace and quiet? How about an older rescue dog??

7) Finish the Newspaper. With a puppy running amok in your house, do you think you will be able to relax when you get home from work? Do you think your kids will really feed him, clean up the messes, take him for a walk in the pouring rain every hour to get him housetrained? With an adult dog, it will only be the kids running amok, because your dog will be sitting calmly next to you, while your workday stress flows away and your blood pressure lowers as you pet him.

6) Easier Vet Trips. Those puppies need their series of puppy shots and fecals, then their rabies shot, then a trip to be altered, maybe an emergency trip or two if they've chewed something dangerous. Those puppy visits can add up (on top of what you paid for the dog!). Your donation to the rescue when adopting an older pup should get you a dog with all shots current, already altered, heartworm negative and on preventative at the minimum.

5) What You See Is What You Get. How big will that puppy be? What kind of temperament will he have? Will he be easily trained? Will his personality be what you were hoping for? How active will he be? When adopting an older dog from a rescue, all of those questions are easily answered. You can pick large or small; active or couch potato; goofy or brilliant; sweet or sassy. The rescue and its foster homes can guide you to pick the right match. (Rescues are full of puppies who became the wrong match as they got older!)

4) Unscarred Children (and Adults). When the puppy isn't teething on your possessions, he will be teething on your children and yourself. Rescues routinely get calls from panicked parents who are sure their dog is biting the children. Since biting implies hostile intent and would be a consideration whether to accept a "give-up", rescue groups ask questions and usually find out the dog is being nippy. Parents are often too emotional to see the difference; but a growing puppy is going to put everything from food to clothes to hands in their mouths, and as they get older and bigger it definitely hurts (and will get worse, if they aren'tbeing corrected properly.) Most older dogs have "been there, done that, moved on."

3) Matchmaker Make Me a Match. Puppy love is often no more than an attachment to a look or a color. It is not much of a basis on which to make a decision that will hopefully last 15+ years. While that puppy may have been the cutest of the litter; he may grow up to be superactive (when what you wanted was a couch buddy); she may be a couch princess (when what you wanted was a tireless hiking companion); he may want to spend every waking moment in the water (while you're a landlubber); or she may want to be an only child ( while you are intending to have kids or more animals). Pet mis-matches are one of the top reasons rescues get "give-up" phone calls. Good rescues do extensive evaluating of both their dogs and their applicants to be sure that both dog and family will be happy with each other until death do them part.

2) Instant Companion. With an older dog, you automatically have a buddy that can go everywhere and do everything with you NOW. There's no waiting for a puppy to grow up (and then hope he will like to do what you enjoy.) You will have been able to select the most compatible dog: one that travels well; one that loves to play with your friends' dogs; one with excellent house manners that you can take to your a long day's work and spend your time on a relaxing walk, ride or swim with your new best friend (rather than cleaning up after a small puppy.)

1) Bond--Rescue Dog Bond. Dogs who have been uprooted from their happy homes or have not had the best start in life are more likely to bond very completely and deeply with their new people. Those who have lost their families through death, divorce or lifestyle change go through a terrible mourning process. But, once attached to a new loving family, they seem to want to please as much as possible to make sure they are never homeless again. Those dogs that are just learning about the good life and good people seem to bond even deeper. They know what life on the streets, life on the end of a chain, or worse is all about, and they revel and blossom in a nurturing, loving environment. Most rescues make exceptionally affectionate and attentive pets and extremely loyal companions.

Unfortunately, many folks think dogs that end up in rescue are all genetically and behaviorally inferior. But, it is not uncommon for Rescue to get $500 dogs that have either outlived their usefulness or their novelty with impulsive pet guardians who considered their dog a possession rather than a friend or member of the family; or simply did not really consider the time, effort and expense needed to be a dog caretaker. Not all breeders will accept "returns", so choices for giving up dogs can be limited to animal welfare organizations, such as rescues, or the guardians trying to place their own dogs. Good rescues will evaluate the dog before accepting him/her (medically and behaviorally), rehabilitate if necessary, and adopt the animal only when he/she is ready and to a home that matches and is realistic about the commitment necessary to provide the dog with the best home possible.

Choosing a rescue dog over a purchased pup will not solve the pet overpopulation problem (only responsible pet guardians and breeders can do that), but it does give many of them a chance they otherwise would not have. But, beyond doing a "good deed", adopting a rescue dog can be the best decision and addition to the family you ever made.

Rescue a dog and get a devoted friend for life!

written by Mary Clark at LABRADOR RETRIEVER RESCUE, INC. Permission has been granted to freely reprint and distribute this document as long as LRR, Inc at "http://www.lrr.org/" is credited.
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