Adopting a dog vs Breeder

[Zoodles95]

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Toronto Animal Services - adoption fees are 1/3 of what many rescue places want, and the application process was simply come in with every member of your family including other pets to fill out a brief questionnaire and to see how they mix with the dog to be adopted. I was in and out with my last one in about an hour, maybe hour and a half including do a walk with my then dog and the adopted dog to see how they behaved together.

I was lucky though. I wanted a doberman again because we've had them for years and find them to be a good fit energy and cleanliness wise in our home

Lately though it seems like many of the stray and lost dobermans that end up with Toronto Animal Services get scooped up by Ontario Doberman Rescue even before they get offered for adoption to the general public. Of course when that happens, adoption prices triple and you get that (imo) overly-onerous adoption process. It's more than a bit disappointing.

This must be very frustrating. However, if Animal Services has a good place to put Dobermans, Pugs etc that is a non-kill, breed specific shelter for said dog then I can see why they do it. That opens up more spaces for other dogs which might otherwise have to be euthanized earlier. The sad reality is that in most centres there are more animals in need of rescue or adoption than there are spaces. In a perfect world there would be no need for any adoptions, shelters, rescues etc. Spay and Neuter your animals people! Also, very sad that people decide to get a dog or cat with less research than they would put towards getting a new TV or something. These are living creatures which require a crapload of work for a decade or more; let alone the vet bills, cost of quality food, supplements etc.

 

[griff2]

Maybe not a german short hair pointer, but a pointer nonetheless.

Sad story, heartless owner, though I suppose not as heartless as some have been with their unwanted pets.

[FONT=brandon_grotesque_regularRg]Eartha was left by her owner in a parking lot along with her bed, toys, and dishes. She waited and waited. No one came back. Fortunately one of our rescue partners was told about her and saved her. She is a beautiful pointer. She is 1-2 years, spayed and up to date on her shots. She is healthy, playful and friendly. She was loved once and is yearning for a home. If you are interested, please contact our rescue Cause4Paws Toronto to learn about Eartha and about our foster to adopt program.[/FONT]​

Toronto adoption from the looks of it. https://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/35837224

Hard to believe someone could just abandon a dog in a parking lot like that, but I suppose it could have been worse, like this one. http://www.flamboroughreview.com/ne...-on-the-side-of-the-road-in-west-flamborough/

 

[Zoodles95]

Wow... Who the heck does that? At least surrender the dog to a shelter... That brought tears to my eyes...

I hope Eartha finds a great "furever" home.

 

[jc100]

We are in the process of dog 'shopping' right now. We're a bigger dog family and there are lots of adopters available, but the last thing we want is to bring home a dog that doesnt fit in, there are two cats here.
We've had a papered lab that cost us just under 20k in the 11 yrs he lived, 3 ACL surgeries got us to 9K in the first 5 yrs. His mixed breed 'sister' that was here at the same time cost us nothing but food and treats. So much for purebred...
We'd like to adopt and skip the puppy stage, and be good citizens. I've looked into the adoption paperwork, I could get a small child from eastern europe with less effort.

Look at "friendly giants" nearer my neck of the woods (eastern Ontario/Ottawa). If you're looking for big dogs and have experience with them they are good.

Also Bouvier rescue group too if you have experience with large stubborn but incredibly loyal dogs

 

[sevet]

I also agree with the absurdity of some of the adoption applications. We adopted a dog exactly a month ago today - a 1 yr old JRT mix (they said JRT/Beagle, it's possible but I'm not sure Beagle is the correct other half). We went weeks trying to find a dog before getting accepted. At more than 1 point I got fed up with trying to fill out applications that I considered just buying a puppy off Kijiji. And we actually only got this dog because the previous family that was supposed to take her home wrote a cheque for the adoption fee that bounced and was determined to be financially incapable of supporting a dog.

Now onto adoption vs buying a puppy - we're experiencing first hand the difficulties of trying to get rid of bad habits. The dog had some destructive tendencies (not from separation anxiety, just likes destroying everything including toys) and we've managed to curb some of it but we always have to be very vigilant whenever she seems bored and starts to wander. Whoever owned her previously obviously didn't spend too much time trying to teach the dog there are things that she can chew on, and then there are human things. And thanks to how much she enjoys destroying things, the kong toy is literally the only toy so far that has lasted more than a day. When I see her chew a toy, she literally thinks about what the best way to destroy it is and then proceeds to go nuts.

On the flip side, we got to completely skip the housebreaking stage with the dog. Although from my experience, housebreaking really isn't that difficult as long as you plan when to take the dog out for the first few months. And she was apparently socialized quite well, she doesn't exhibit any kind of aggression towards people/children/dogs. However the same cannot be said about squirrels and pigeons. They better steer clear of any dog that is or has JRT in it

 

[raginduck]

My jack russell mix started having trouble walking on Saturday morning... by Sunday he was barely able to use his back legs, couldn't stand... by Sunday night he was paralyzed in his back half.
IVDD.
He went in for spine surgery at Mississauga Animal Hospital last night. So far signs are positive he'll be able to walk again.

 

[raginduck]

Wow... Who the heck does that? At least surrender the dog to a shelter... That brought tears to my eyes...

I hope Eartha finds a great "furever" home.

Or drop it off at a dog park... where you know dog owners will find it and make sure it's taken care of properly.
I've witnessed that happening twice in the years...
First time... showed up in am, usually first each morning, and found a mutt hanging out with it's dishes and toys. Knew right away. Called shelter, they picked it up, he got a new home and is a regular at the park.
Second time... again in early am... lady pulled up and let two poodles into the park... noticed immediately that something was odd about what she was doing so me and another questioned her... she explained herself, what and why she was doing it. We called the shelter after she left... But, neither made it to the shelter... a regular lady with one of the same breed showed up shortly after, heard the story, and took both dogs home. She now brings the 3 of them to the park daily.

 

[Zoodles95]

My jack russell mix started having trouble walking on Saturday morning... by Sunday he was barely able to use his back legs, couldn't stand... by Sunday night he was paralyzed in his back half.
IVDD.
He went in for spine surgery at Mississauga Animal Hospital last night. So far signs are positive he'll be able to walk again.

My fingers are crossed for you and your dog. Any update? Viral? Disc compression?

What a crazy world. People like you who love your dog so much you will spend thousands to make them better and other people abandoning their dogs in parking lots and at the side of the road; in this heat no less!

 

[Zoodles95]

Or drop it off at a dog park... where you know dog owners will find it and make sure it's taken care of properly.
I've witnessed that happening twice in the years...
First time... showed up in am, usually first each morning, and found a mutt hanging out with it's dishes and toys. Knew right away. Called shelter, they picked it up, he got a new home and is a regular at the park.
Second time... again in early am... lady pulled up and let two poodles into the park... noticed immediately that something was odd about what she was doing so me and another questioned her... she explained herself, what and why she was doing it. We called the shelter after she left... But, neither made it to the shelter... a regular lady with one of the same breed showed up shortly after, heard the story, and took both dogs home. She now brings the 3 of them to the park daily.

A dog park is a better place to surrender a dog but even then any numnut could claim the dog and not be a decent owner. At least at a rescue of some kind there is some kind of vetting that takes place.

 

[99CBRF4]

I don't understand how anybody could just leave a family member at the side of the road?!?

Anyone that surrenders a pet at a shelter because they are moving to a new home that doesn't allow pets, or some similarly lame excuse etc., should be put down instead of the pet. This is why I hate people.

 

[raginduck]

My fingers are crossed for you and your dog. Any update? Viral? Disc compression?

What a crazy world. People like you who love your dog so much you will spend thousands to make them better and other people abandoning their dogs in parking lots and at the side of the road; in this heat no less!

It is IVDD. Not uncommon in long spine dogs. He's jack and Corgi. Basically, herniated discs were compressing his spinal cord. He had surgery last evening and so far the signs are positive he'll be able to walk again. He'll never be his old self, but that's okay...

 

[raginduck]

A dog park is a better place to surrender a dog but even then any numnut could claim the dog and not be a decent owner. At least at a rescue of some kind there is some kind of vetting that takes place.

The second time... The woman explained that she couldn't even afford the surrender fees... husband was on death bed and she had cancer too. She wrote a long note apologizing and explaining, thinking no one would there. I didn't recognize them, but apparently the dogs had been going there for some time.
The woman that took them in is well known at the parks and to us... and she'd met the dogs previously. When she saw the dogs, she looked around and then asked everyone where 'the owner' (by name) was. Animal control showed up while she was still there (I called before she showed up) and they let her keep them.

 

[raginduck]

I don't understand how anybody could just leave a family member at the side of the road?!?

Anyone that surrenders a pet at a shelter because they are moving to a new home that doesn't allow pets, or some similarly lame excuse etc., should be put down instead of the pet. This is why I hate people.

Yeah... I've never bought the "can't take it with us" excuse...
We are considering moving to a condo if need be to accommodate our little guy.

 

[Hyperion]

Haven't read many of the replies, but I encourage you not to buy from a breeder.
Here's a very interesting documentary on purebreds and the issues that arise from their purebred expectations.
https://youtu.be/SqtgIVOJOGc

I have a dog off kijiji, an Australian Cattle Dog/Border Collie mix and he's the best dog I could ask for.

 

[Zoodles95]

The second time... The woman explained that she couldn't even afford the surrender fees... husband was on death bed and she had cancer too. She wrote a long note apologizing and explaining, thinking no one would there. I didn't recognize them, but apparently the dogs had been going there for some time.
The woman that took them in is well known at the parks and to us... and she'd met the dogs previously. When she saw the dogs, she looked around and then asked everyone where 'the owner' (by name) was. Animal control showed up while she was still there (I called before she showed up) and they let her keep them.

That helps explain it... But... then why not speak to someone at the dog park on a previous visit? I just don't get that (although I am very sympathetic to her situation and very sorry for what she is going through).

Maybe there is a problem with some of these shelters if the surrendering fees are so high that people are choosing to abandon their pets instead of doing the responsible thing and turning them into a shelter.

Want to talk about nuts? There is a weird couple I know who has way more pets than they can afford. They go to the food bank because they cannot afford to feed themselves with all the pets they have. Then they get more pets and beg for cat and dog food. Them beg people for money to help them with vet bills. Both are on ODSP so their income is obviously low (I should know since my brother-in-law is on ODSP and I am his P.O.A.). I would love some more Pugs but any more than two then the vet bills would start to creep into an uncomfortable level.

 

[crankcall]

My Daughter helps out at a shelter in Northern Alberta for 'senior dogs' , they get dumped for a variety of reasons, mostly because they are old. Sort of like putting Grandma on the curb after her best before date.
I just dont get it.

 

[Kri$han]

Is this at Spokes N' Slopes in Milton? That's my LBS, too And Zoodles, we just rode Christie lake for the first time a few weeks ago; its small, but SUPER fun.

On Topic; the wife and I are hoping to get a Bernese Mountain Dog & Poodle mix (cuz teh allergies), but neither of us works close to home and can afford to come home for lunch through the puppy-training... someday... or maybe never? We dog sit my in-laws' dog a few times per year, when they go on vacation, and he's a decent dog, but he's been coddled WAY too much and is poorly socialized (lousy part-Schnauzer). Its like having a 2 year old for 10-12 years.

 

[FullMotoJacket]

Is this at Spokes N' Slopes in Milton? That's my LBS, too

It was mine. I haven't been there since Kevin walked out.It's jam packed with low end bike now. Back to like Ontario St., minus anything decent.

 

[crankcall]

I knew Matt from his KFC days and the Ontario street store was my 'go to' ski shop. The dynamic changed when they moved up to Steeles.

 

[CruisnGrrl]

I would love some more Pugs but any more than two then the vet bills would start to creep into an uncomfortable level.

That's the sad thing with many breeds. They've been ruined by breeders going for a certain look. We looked at pugs and had still considered getting one but your posts about vet bills has steered me away, we currently have a bulldog who is in amazing health for a dog, never mind a bulldog but even then we have to take her to the vet periodically to drain her anal sacks. It's sad how great working breeds like shepherds have been ruined for show aesthetics.

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