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Originally Posted by jdomans  I told them that there were literally thousands of ferrets on Petfinder needing homes. Her reply was, "Yes I know. Most of them have diseases."
Where in the world did she here such a thing? So so sad. I wonder how many people think that of the animals on Petfinder. |
Unfortunately, I think this is a common misconception. I think people think of these animals as "reject" animals, and they are up for adoption through their own fault, like they are sick or they have behavioral problems. My dad wants a yellow lab and he is a big fisherman, so in the back of all his outdoor magazines, there are breeder ads for yellow labs. I told him about adoption, and he didn't like the idea because he had the same impression - they had behavioral problems and none would be purebred. I showed him how many purebred yellow labs with great tempermants there are in the twin cities and he has agreed adoption is a better option (not to mention cheaper!). I think it's just important to educate people, because most just don't know about adoption or are relying on stereotypes, not that they don't care. I know a lot of rescue websites around here have tried to make that clear. The animals up for adoption are usually better than breeder or petstore pets because they are guaranteed healthy, have already been socialized, and will not be adopted out until their temperment is acceptable. Every reason to adopt in my mind, but unfortunately, I've heard those negative stereotypes about "adoption animals" before.