Controversial Shelter or Breeder?

[DocDolittle]

Well, this is just a question I need answered, because I don't know what I think about this. One week ago, my best friends dog passed away, and my friend and I have been trying to convince her parents of getting another dog. Of course, they're putting it on hold because a bunch of reservations and things like that, blah blah blah. However, they did say that if they were to get another dog, they would get one from our local shelter. Well, yesterday I was at the feed store picking up some bedding for the boys(my pigs) and a few treats for the girls(my dogs) when my mom got to talking with the cashier(we know these people, they go to our parish and LOVE animals, they're trustworthy). Well, the cashier mentioned how the anytime she or someone she knows has gone in their, there was a brand new litter of puppies without their mother waiting to be adopted. Every time. So she says that she thinks that the shelter(which is not non-profit) is buying puppies from different places and then reselling them(because they get the money from the adoption fees) for a profit. Now I'm wondering, if these rumors were true, which would be better, going to the controversial shelter or a 'responsible'(if there is such thing) breeder?

On a lighter note, is it true that all male dogs wander, even if they are neutered? My mom says so, but that's because every male dog she had when she was a kid was unneutered, wandered when a female was in heat, and got hit by a car or something. Is it true? I didn't think it was, but I want another opinion, I guess.

(Sorry for the wall of text. Please post your opinions!)

 

[Slap Maxwell]

Sounds unlikely to me. There must be more than one shelter around you.

No, all male dogs do not wander. You should have a fenced yard anyway.

 

[DocDolittle]

We do, and my friend does, I was just curious about the males.

The thing about the shelter though, is that it still seems a little shady. The woman had a point. Every time I've gone there they had a litter of puppies, they use their profits for themselves, and it doesn't feel wuite right. And about the other shelters around here, I believe we only have an Alaskan Malamute and Samoyed rescue besides this shelter, and I can't see either of these breeds in the family. I'll look up more on pet finder.

 

[Slap Maxwell]

they're putting it on hold because a bunch of reservations and things like that...

If the parent's can't be commited right now DO NOT get a dog.

 

[Sabriel]

I don't see how it would be profitable. Shelters do charge for adopted animals. but not much. And babies are more mouths to feed. I bought Sakura and Tomoyo from PetSmart for $30 CAD plus tax a peice and adopted Kero for $6 CAD tax included (I love when places do that. I hate trying to figure out the 15% when I'm budgeting)

I don't really think they made a profit. What are the adoption fees like in comparison to others close by? Try another state if you have to, just to find a comparison for fees.

 

[DocDolittle]

I realize that, and that's why they aren't getting the dog. But they might in the near future. It isn't about being committed. It's too soon for them, they're still saying goodbye to their old cocker spaniel, they're currently securing their funds, and they just need to make sure they're ready. They're plenty committed, and I know they are. If they weren't, I wouldn't have talked to them about it. All I want to know is whether it would be more responsible to get it from a shelter who could possibly be buying puppies from a mill or get it from a breeder.

 

[DocDolittle]

The thing about the profits though, I was under the impression that buying from puppy mills wasn't that expensive and their adoption fees are about $150-$200.

 

[Sabriel]

Dogs range from $50 in Toronto (has alot of animals. Needs to get alot of of the door quick. No-kill) to $200 in Windsor (pretty sure it's a kill shelter). Windsor wouldn't see nearly as many animals as Toronto. I've been to both shelters. Windsors is tiny compared to Toronto's.

Edit: All prices CAD. Sorry.

 

[DocDolittle]

Most shelters around here are much more expensive than Toronto's, not to mention they're kind of rare(I live in a yuppie suburb, where we're quite out of place, but everyone here has purebred dogs and we rarely see shelter animals).

 

[spring381]

I'm trying to find two guinea pigs two adopt and I went to two shelters today. I was very disappointed in one of them. I looked at all the guinea pigs and found a few problems. The number one problem was that the animals sexs were labelled incorrectly!!!! Second, two of the animals nails were so long that they had curled and third they had a guinea pig that was loosing hair and constantly scratching and biting itself. I was reassured that this animal was healthy. I walked out and am waiting for a response from a rescue that advertises on this site and pet finder.

I was very surprised to see the animals in such shape.

 

[Sabriel]

The misexing doesn't surprize me. Especially if it was a young male. If they are in a hurry they could miss the testicles. The nails and the scratching are odd though. Did you asked if they treated for mites? They also could have been working on the nails. It takes a long time to fix long nails without hitting the quick. You can tell wheh nails have been trimed. The edge looks neater.

 

[Slap Maxwell]

A lot of shelters don't have the knowledge that a rescue does. You can help them out by distributing the pamphlets from GL.

 

[Sabriel]

They so need to take a look at the GL care sheet and redo their care sheet. Piggers can't have milk!

 

[DocDolittle]

Not to sound rude, but does anyone at all have another opinion on the original topic? I'm still a bit flustered, because I really wish I had a surefire way to know that the shelter was okay to go to. Another question, does anyone here know how many litters a dog can have a year and if all dogs have the same heat cycle?

 

[NewGPMom]

Doc...I don't know alot about shelters as far as that part of your original question. However, as far as a male dog who is neutered wondering away, it does happen. We have a peekapoo and some people that live on the next street behind us have Yorkshire terriers that they breed. About two years ago when her dogs were in heat, ours wondered over to the 'scent'. I questioned the vet about why he would do this when he was neutered. Her response was 'his package may not work but his nose is still intact and works just fine.' Of course I cracked up at the time at her response, but it kind of makes sense. By the way, fortunately our dog is just fine. We do have to watch him closely now when we know they are in heat. We made sure to get that info from the owner.

 

[DocDolittle]

^That's hilarious! I would have cracked up too. My mom is still stuck with the thought that all males wander, though. From what I've heard, it's much easier to own a female. They're much easier to maintain(or so they say). I'm so happy you're little Pekapoo is okay though!

 

[Poodles]

I have a male Schnauzer (adopted) that was fixed young, and have no wondering issues.

Now for shelter or breeder: I would always go to a shelter. Yes they always have puppies, but that is because someone gives them up. You may check to see what it takes to give one up. My shelter charges people to give up their animal ($10.00), and then charges to adopt it out ($10.00 to $40.00). My Angel is from a shelter and is the most perfect thing. I adopted her on a Wednesday, and she was scheduled to be put down the next day. That is why she is my Angel. That was four years ago. I would never recommend going to a "backyard" breeder. There are some good breeders out there, but mostly for show quality animals. Rescues can be a bit more expensive, and I have known them to grab ahold of pure bred pups to quickly turn around and adopt them out for a profit, but you just have to watch for that. Petfinder classifieds are full of animals that need homes too, but watch out for breeders, they post there. If the adoption fee is too high, you know they are selling the pups not adopting them.

Good luck!

 

[DocDolittle]

When I meant breeder, I didn't mean a back-yard breeder(that's a huge no-no!). Our purebred lab cost us quite a bit, before we knew about shelters. The shelter is probably the good choice, but it sucks because it seems like we have so little shelters around here.

 

[Slap Maxwell]

This is where we got our labs, this breeder is amazing: (broken link removed) Read the breeding and puppies page.

This was before I knew about shelters, so I do not go to breeders any more.

 

[DocDolittle]

One thing ticks me off about what the breeder says in that website:
Folklaur Labradors is a Hobby,
It is NOT a business, it is a labor of LOVE.
We only have puppies occasionally,
maybe once or twice a year.

Uh-huh, and I'm sure all of her dogs will understand it's a labor of love when they die early of birthing difficulties or mamary/testicular cancer.