Monday, October 27, 2014

October: Adopt a Shelter Dog Month


Did you know that October is Adopt a Shelter Dog month?  Well, it is!  And Charlie was a rescue, so I'm going to take this opportunity to tell you why I think adopting is so great.  Instead of throwing out catchy soundbites about the altruism of adopting, though, I want to address some common misconceptions about buying versus rescuing a dog.

I've read a handful of posts and articles floating around the internet that defend a pet-owner's right to purchase a purebred dog from a breeder - honestly, though, as long as dog owners are responsible, I don't think those who don't adopt have anything to apologize for.  If you're thinking of getting a dog and you've done all the research and you want to buy from a breeder, then go for it.  Give a dog a loving home and I'll be on your side no matter where it came from.  But in case you're on the fence about whether or not to adopt, let me share some facts about rescuing shelter dogs by busting a few of the most popular myths:

You can't rescue a puppy.

Most shelters and rescue organizations do, sadly, have puppies available for adoption – many as young as eight weeks, which is how old a puppy you’ll get from a breeder will generally be. Some are born to a mother who was pregnant when she was rescued; others are strays or were surrendered by their owners for one reason or another. It is all too easy to adopt a dog less than twelve months old from shelters and rescues, and it’s also worth remembering that many dogs retain their youthful natures long past their first birthdays. “Puppy” is a subjective descriptor!

(We knew when we got Charlie that we wanted a dog who was around a year and a half old in part because we didn’t want to experience the chaos of true puppyhood but we still wanted a young dog so we could play a major role in his formative early years.)

Rescue dogs endured abuse/trauma before they were rescued, so they'll have lots of emotional issues.

Some dogs do come to rescue shelters after having been treated horrifically, it's true.  But, as I mentioned above, some dogs are surrenders, which means that they could have had perfectly happy lives with their first owners despite the fact that they had to be given up.  And, in some cases, dogs might come into shelters with no known history.  But most rescue organizations will place dogs in trusted foster homes so that any issues can be identified in a safe environment. It is in the organization’s best interest that dogs are matched with forever homes that will be able to take care of them both physically and emotionally; you'll often see dogs' bios include notes about temperament so that families know if their lifestyle works for the dog they want to rescue.

(We have no idea how Charlie came to be rescued.  He was brought to Lab Rescue by a kennel out in VA who had been sheltering him, but his history before that is a mystery.  We emailed back and forth with his amazing foster mom a few times before meeting him, and she warned us that he "definitely has a couple of cute little quirks, and he's a young guy, so he can be a bit mischievous too sometimes."  It's been more than two years, and that is still true!)

Rescue dogs will have a lot of health problems because they haven't been cared for properly.

Well, as with rescues' emotional issues, many physical issues can be identified, addressed, and even cured when the dogs are in shelters and with foster families.  Most rescue organizations will pay for everything from heartworm treatment to surgery if it's needed.  And, looking ahead as shelter dogs age, many might have fewer health problems than dogs you'd get from a breeder.  Purebred dogs are predisposed to serious breed-specific health problems - Labrador Retrievers, for instance, often get hip dysplasia - that are eliminated in cross-breeding, a pedigree that many rescues can claim as mixes.  Of course, there are diseases like cancer that can't be predicted, and dogs from breeders and from shelters are equally susceptible to those.

(The only dog we considered adopting before we found Charlie was heartworm positive, and her expenses were being entirely covered by Lab Rescue.  We decided not to adopt her because she was about to go into phase two of her treatment and we knew that our lifestyle wasn't appropriate for the care she needed.  However, she ended up being a "foster failure," which means that her foster family loved her so much they officially adopted her!)

Rescue dogs are mutts and I want a purebred dog.

There are actually tons of rescue organizations that cater to specific breeds.  Even shelters and humane societies that mostly save mixes will sometimes have purebred dogs like Soho, a purebred Australian Cattle Dog at the Washington Animal Rescue League.

(We knew we wanted a lab or a lab-mix so we only worked with the LRCP to find Charlie.  He's got something else in him, too - maybe some kind of hound, though Mom thinks he's half gazelle!)

I want a dog that can be trained to work as a therapy dog or a hunting dog or a security dog.

Did you know that a lot of dogs who work in therapy and for the police/military are rescues?  It's true.  Many dogs used by veterans and in K9 units were found in shelters and trained after being adopted.  There are specific breeds that are best suited to specific tasks, but as you read above it's totally possible to adopt purebred dogs if that's what you really want.  For other jobs, a dog's suitability for certain kinds of training is based on his temperament, not his breed.

(Before we got Charlie, we actually looked into "rescuing" failed seeing-eye dogs, or young labs who had gone through all the training to be a guide dog but who didn't pass the final tests.  The waiting lists for these dogs are years long, though, and they cost a lot of money.)

Adopting from a shelter doesn't have to mean opening your home to an abused, sick, and elderly dog.  It can, and people who rescue dogs who check just one of those boxes are saints in my mind, but it doesn't have to.  For us, adopting meant choosing a healthy, breed-specific dog who was old enough to already be housebroken and partially trained but who was young enough to have a puppy temperament and about a dozen good years ahead of him.  For us, adopting meant bringing Charlie into our lives.

There's a Charlie waiting for you in a shelter right now, if you want him!






all photos from a Lab Rescue party at Dogwood Acres this past August

 photo 866de425-8336-4c63-9efd-1c4dd8bf0e62_zpsafe0d56b.jpg

26 comments:

  1. Love this post, Betsy! There are so many misconceptions out there about adopting shelter/rescue dogs! Both of our boys are rescues and we couldn't ask for better companions--they really enrich our lives!

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  2. Great post! And THANK YOU for mentioning that any breed/mix can be a therapy dog, and mixes can be police dogs- I've recently seen several comments on sites saying that they have to be specific breeds and that's false.
    BUT… before someone goes into adoption thinking they're getting a genetic-disease-free dog, I'll remind you that Max is about as super mutt as they come- every vet and trainer he's seen has a different guess on what breeds could be in his mix, and he has (diagnosed when he was 7 months old) severe hip and elbow dysplasia. Sloan's also got minor dysplasia in her left hip, and while everyone thinks she's a Boxer mix she's still a mix, not a purebred. She also has IBD, very common in Boxers.
    (I also want to note that most public shelters do not work with foster homes, as most don't have the resources financially or socially to do so- foster homes are more common in private rescues.)
    But YAY for adoption! Everyone (who wants and can provide for a pet) should do it!

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  3. AND that first picture of Charlie is super adorable, DUH.

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  4. I knew that because we adopted Ginger in October and they were having special drawings/giveaways to celebrate at our local shelter... we drew a slip for a big discount from the adoption/vaccination fees - so we call her our discount dog :)

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  5. I LOVE this post so much! I worked in a rescue kennel for two rewarding years and I woudhave taken so many dogs home. People always think that the dog that is barking must be aggressive - one of my biggest bugbear. Cute smiley dog pic!

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  6. Anabelle is a rescue dog as well and I thank my stars every day that she came into our lives! This such an amazing post and really hits on a lot of the reasons I've heard of people not wanting to rescue. Sharing it on social media right now!

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  7. thanks, Sarah! dogs from shelters/rescue organizations can be everything dogs from breeders are - and sometimes more :)

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  8. taken by his former foster mom at the party!

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  9. YES. that is true. mixes can have as many problems as purebred dogs. but on average they probably won't have more/worse. and yeah, unfortunately there is a big difference between public shelters and private non-profit rescue organizations - that's probably a post in and of itself!

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  10. haha I love that! sometimes when Charlie's tongue doesn't fit in his mouth we tell him he's defective and we're going to give him back :P

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  11. it's not fair to judge dogs for barking in kennels - they're often high pressure environments for dogs! I'd probably bark too. take them out of the kennel into a private area and the sweetness will reveal itself :)

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  12. After adopting one of our cats from a shelter and literally finding one as a teeny kitten under my car, we are all about rescues! We've been talking about adopting a dog at some point, probably when we move to a place where we can have a bigger house and yard, and it will undoubtedly be a rescue, too!

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  14. All the puppy fever! (I use "puppy" to describe all dogs, regardless of age...) Damn out tenancy agreement banning us from pets!

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  15. We got our shelter dog as a puppy (16 weeks), so I always feel like a bit of a liar when I say we rescued him because he was too dang precious, I can't imagine many people overlooking him. Talking of purebreds though, my boyfriend grew up with them but I really knew that I wanted to rescue. My friend works for Westminster and suggested rescuing "retired" show dogs. They're anywhere from 2y to 6y and are show-bred, so they are super well trained. We obviously didn't end up going that route, but there were a couple really sweet pups available that route as well. Just another option for being able to adopt a purebred!

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  16. We got our Jack Russell terrier (Chloe) from the pound and it was the best decision my family made. She is an older dog (5 or 6 years old) and we love her to pieces. The previous family surrendered her and we think she may have been abused because whenever we raise our voices or use a broom/vacuum, Chloe would run away and hide under the bed. Poor thing but I'm glad we have her now. I can't imagine our lives without her.

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  17. I really like these reminders because they are so true! While Lilah is a purebred English Labrador, and we got her from a breeder, I would have no qualms with getting a rescue dog in the future. Andrew was really set on a purebred because that's what he grew up with and I definitely have a major soft spot for chocolates, but I would have been happy either way if he had chosen not to go the purebred route. I am glad that you touched briefly on the point that those who have purebreds should not apologize. I often feel we get a lot of flack for our choice, almost as if people assume that we think we're too good for adopting. And that sucks.

    In the distant future, when Lilah is no longer with us (tears!! I can hardly even think about it long enough to even write it!) we'll probably go the rescue route for similar reasons as you-- we probably won't ever be in a position again in which we can rear and train a tiny little pup like we did with Lilah. I like that you also remind people that there are purebred rescue options out there. My mom's good friend trains seeing-eye dogs, and a golden retriever she had been working with failed one portion of the test. And that is exactly how my parents, who have been cat people for my entire life, suddenly became dog people to the most loving and well-behaved dog I've ever met.

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  18. I love rescue dogs and the idea that people will take these sweet animals into their homes just melts my heart. We new we wanted a rescue dog when we got one because there ARE so many dogs out there that need homes. We knew we wanted a young female dog, and 10-month old Casey fit the bill perfectly. She was from a family that divorced and they gave up their dogs. She is the happiest, sweetest dog we could have ever asked for, and I would totally take the same route and rescue another the next time around.

    (Side note- do you give Charlie glucosamine for his joints? We started giving it to Casey when we got her, figuring she was going to get bigger and therefore prone to hip dysplasia, too. Luckily she's not too big but we are being proactive on it.)

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  19. And that was absolutely what happened 9/10 times. Most of the dog's who barked were just guarding, a totally natural instinct and they were just really sensitive to change!

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  20. if we ever get a dog we have already decided it'll be a rescue pup!!

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  21. thanks, Whitney! if someone wants to buy, go for it, but they should go into it knowing all the facts.

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  22. oh poor baby! Charlie hates the vacuum too but I think that's because he thinks he needs to protect me from it.

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  23. It makes me so, so happy that you got a rescue. They are the very best pet to have! x

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