I couldn't agree with you more.
As many of you may or may not know I am very involved with animal rescue. It is a fairly well known fact that in the US alone nearly 4 million cats and dogs are euthanized each year simply because there are not enough homes for all of the pets bred. Therefore I was surprised when the photographer was shocked that Jake, the dog pictured, was my latest death row dog. Jake and his brother were scheduled to be euthanized when they were rescued. They are typical death row dogs. They had the misfortune of being born black. Black dogs and cats are generally the last to be adopted and the first to be euthanized. Many shelters euthanize black dogs and cats upon the owner's release. Young or old, purebred or mixed breed, if the shelter is full or if it is the shelter's policy they are killed simply because of their color. Most of these dogs come from people who can't be bothered to spay or neuter their pets or those who breed a litter because they think that Fido has nice markings or coud be passed off as a purebred and the pups might be sold for a few bucks. 76% of the pets listed in the paper this morning will be dead before they reach their first birthday according to the Humane Society of the United States. So if you are thinking of adding a dog or cat to your family please think of looking in your local shelter or rescue instead of lining the pockets of puppy mills and unscrupulous breeders. There are millions of wonderful loving diamonds in the rough waiting for good homes.
Chris
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."~ Mahatma Gandhi
So agree with this. I hardly ever get to go to the shelter with so many dogs/cats being dropped in my front pasture. Adopted three of these myself, two cats and one dog. All which required to be fixed and bring up to date of shots etc and all now part of the family.
Your discus are talking to you....are you listening
My crew consists of:
Tink, Rat Terrier, vacent lot dog
Binky, Rat Terrier, left at a vet hospital
Sylvia, Toy poodle, rescued by a friend and given to me
Chole, Lhasa mix (with the normal Lhasa attitude), given to me by a grooming customer whose husband insisted she be disposed of if they were to have a baby
Saint Puppy, Chow, Black,left on my door step Christmas morning
Blackie, Black, maybe a dobie mix left, from a litter she allowed her mixed breed ***** to have
Roxie, Bassett mix, discovered under my old Katrina house
Dodger (aka Big Head) Roxies' sister, BassetXSharpei, found with Roxie
Gladys, Black, One eyed Pit Mix, Rescued when she showed up at the vet hospital and was to be taken to the humane society. (saved me form a bad man once.)
And Fatty Kate, An Obease Jack Russell, the most worthless of the bunch, who I actaully paid $20. for
And to think I used to be into showing dogs and was once a dog snob. No longer...I can handle 10, but when I'm up to 10 I have to harden my heart. When I have a choice in the matter I always go for the black ones. I know that they don't stand a chance.
Mama Bear
I never knew that black dogs where less desirable than the others.....you learn something new everyday. This is the worst time of year for pets, so many people buying puppies for gifts that soon will be destined for the shelter. Buying a dog is a lifelong commitment in my book. I have three, and although they are all white, one of them is indeed a resucue, and she is the most devoted of the bunch.
Rick
i applaud you all for having a cause and believing in something. that being said, and i'm fully prepared for the shots to come my way, there is no shortage of dogs or cats in this world. i don't like the idea of euthanasia but there are just too many. i believe your aim shouldn't be at just saving the dogs but educating the people on not being stupid and getting a dog they are going to give away. if you really want to make an impact, do what was done to me... show a picture of a huge black garbage bag filled with euthanized cats. the real problem is the people. so the solution should focus on the people. people don't respond to a picture of a pretty kitten and words that say its going to die. they respond to pictures of that pretty kitten after it has died. my 2 cents. i love my animals and they are never candidates for euthanasia unless suffering from a chronic, debilitating problem.
ian
Ian,
You don't have to attack a problem on only one front. So while I agree with you in part, if someone is looking to get a dog/cat they should first and foremost start at the shelter and not the local puppy mill. The more succes stories interested parties looking to add a dog or cat to thier family here from rescues, the more likely they are to pursue that route of purchase.
Rick
Chris I hera ya, its horrible what people do to dogs. they get these cute little puppies and when they get a bit bigger they don't want them anymore so they throw them away. This women after having a dog for ten years and moving decided that she didn't want the dog anymore. She threw the dog over her fence and went back into her apartment. the neighbor punks heard her barking and screaming so they thought it would fun to terrorize her with broom handles and bats. The police were called and the women stated that I don't want the dog anymore. So the coppers quickly arrested her for animal abuse and neglect and the poor dog was transported to the local pet shelter for treatment........................Josie
Dont get me started.........................Josie
If your going to work a dog or hunt it it's one thing.Both our cats and our Lab,Lab/Shep mix have been for shelters.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]Bill.
Sorry for the late response. My computer decided to die right after I posted this and the replacement power cord got held up in the holiday mail. I agree with you Ian that shock photos can really drive the point home but since this is a family forum and kids might be looking at the pictures I thought better of it. I have done alot of talks on not just adopting shelter dogs and cats but selecting the right pet that will fit into the family's lifestyle. Not everyone will be happy with a cute but high energy border collie. I don't know if Jake's future will be in performance events, as my part time service dog, therapy dog, or being part of an educational program that I would like to start. All I know is that he will be permanantly with me and not just another statistic.
Chris
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."~ Mahatma Gandhi
i hold my head high since 5 of the 6 dogs in my life and 4 of the 5 cats throughout my life were rescues. i hold my head a little lower because that one dog and one cat were not rescues. the cat may have been a rescue but i don't really remember. the dog... we got an 8 week old yorkie from a dog store. i love my animals and always will. there is no difference between the rescues and the non rescues (besides an odd difficulty with potty training). for the most part i always recommend a shelter because 5 of those dogs from my life were, and are, great family members. however i think we get so caught up in our love that we forget there are too many dogs and cats. i know the simple solution, please don't judge me, but its not something i could do. when i was volunteering with the aspca and they took me back to get a cage for whatever i was going out to catch i saw a full hefty bag of kittens. my heart stopped and after we walked out i asked to please never let me see that again. her response was something along the lines of why should i be special, they hate it too. i'm rambling now from memories of 14 years ago. i think i'll stop.
ian
My two current dogs are rescues. My last dog to pass away was a rescue and so was my cat. If you go to a site like www.petfinder.com it is unbelievable the amount of pets available.
Jerry Baer
it's just a box of rain
We don't have any dogs now, mainly because of the wife's cat, but this 22 pound monster is also a rescue...
Darrell
I never forgot this thread, and I'm now on pins and needles, waiting for my own black lab rescue. Application, personal references, vet references...won't be long now, I hope!