Tobias0407 Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 The shelter manager's letter: "I am posting this (and it is long) because I think our society needs a huge wake-up call. As a shelter manager, I am going t o share a little insight with you all - a view from the inside, if you will. Maybe if you saw the life drain from a few sad, lost, confused eyes, you would change your mind about breeding and selling to people you don't even know - that puppy you just sold will most likely end up in my shelter when it's not a cute little puppy anymore. How would you feel if you knew that there's about a 90% chance that dog will never walk out of the shelter it is going to be dumped at - purebred or not! About 50% of all of the dogs that are "owner surrenders" or "strays" that come into my shelter are purebred dogs. No shortage of excuses The most common excuses I hear are: We are moving and we can't take our dog (or cat). Really? Where are you moving to that doesn't allow pets? The dog got bigger than we thought it would. How big did you think a German Shepherd would get? We don't have time for her. Really? I work a 10-12 hour day and still have time for my 6 dogs! She's tearing up our yard. How about bringing her inside, making her a part of your family? They always tell me: We just don't want to have to stress about finding a place for her. We know she'll get adopted - she's a good dog. Odds are your pet won't get adopted, and how stressful do you think being in a shelter is? Well, let me tell you. Dead pet walking! Your pet has 72 hours to find a new family from the moment you drop it off, sometimes a little longer if the shelter isn't full and your dog manages to stay completely healthy. If it sniffles, it dies. Your pet will be confined to a small run / kennel in a room with about 25 other barking or crying animals. It will have to relieve itself where it eats and sleeps. It will be depressed and it will cry constantly for the family that abandoned it. If your pet is lucky, I will have enough volunteers that day to take him / her for a walk. If I don't, your pet won't get any attention besides having a bowl of food slid under the kennel door and the waste sprayed out of its pen with a high-powered hose. If your dog is big, black or any of the "bully" breeds (pit bull, rottweiler, mastiff, etc) it was pretty much dead when you walked it through the front door. Those dogs just don't get adopted. If your dog doesn't get adopted within its 72 hours and the shelter is full, it will be destroyed. If the shelter isn't full and your dog is good enough, and of a desirable enough breed, it may get a stay of execution, though not for long. Most pets get very kennel protective after about a week and are destroyed for showing aggression. Even the sweetest dogs will turn in this environment. If your pet makes it over all of those hurdles, chances are it will get kennel cough or an upper respiratory infection and will be destroyed because shelters just don't have the funds to pay for even a $100 treatment. The grim reaper Here's a little euthanasia 101 for those of you that have never witnessed a perfectly healthy, scared animal being "put-down". First, your pet will be taken from its kennel on a leash. They always look like they think they are going for a walk - happy, wagging their tails. That is, until they get to "The Room". Every one of them freaks out and puts on the breaks when we get to the door. It must smell like death, or they can feel the sad souls that are left in there. It's strange, but it happens with every one of them. Your dog or cat will be restrained, held down by 1 or 2 vet techs (depending on their size and how freaked out they are). A euthanasia tech or a vet will start the process. They find a vein in the front leg and inject a lethal dose of the "pink stuff". Hopefully your pet doesn't panic from being restrained and jerk it's leg. I've seen the needles tear out of a leg and been covered with the resulting blood, and been deafened by the yelps and screams. They all don't just "go to sleep" - sometimes they spasm for a while, gasp for air and defecate on themselves. When it all ends, your pet's corpse will be stacked like firewood in a large freezer in the back, with all of the other animals that were killed, waiting to be picked up like garbage. What happens next? Cremated? Taken to the dump? Rendered into pet food? You'll never know, and it probably won't even cross your mind. It was just an animal, and you can always buy another one, right? Liberty, freedom and justice for all I hope that those of you that have read this are bawling your eyes out and can't get the pictures out of your head. I do everyday on the way home from work. I hate my job, I hate that it exists and I hate that it will always be there unless people make some changes and realize that the lives you are affecting go much farther than the pets you dump at a shelter. Between 9 and 11 MILLION animals die every year in shelters and only you can stop it. I do my best to save every life I can but rescues are always full, and there are more animals coming in everyday than there are homes. My point to all of this is DON'T BREED OR BUY WHILE SHELTER PETS DIE! Hate me if you want to - the truth hurts and reality is what it is. I just hope I maybe changed one person's mind about breeding their dog, taking their loving pet to a shelter, or buying a dog. I hope that someone will walk into my shelter and say "I saw this thing on craigslist and it made me want to adopt". That would make it all worth it." Together we can end this senseless killing. Keep speaking out and sharing this page. Well this page has been shared twice on my wall in the last couple of hours. I hate it that people seem to think I am personally responsible for the death of all the animals in shelters because I bought a purebred Dobermann instead of rescuing. I wanted a dog firstly as a companion but then also to do Schutzhund with. How would that work if I adopted a mixed breed (probably staffy cross of some sort) that had been abused in its past home? So these days, if you want a dog, you have to go to the shelter and just make it work with whatever you get? I would argue that one of the reasons so many dogs end up in shelters is because it was the wrong breed/s and incompatible with that person. And how do they know that 50% of the dogs dumped are pure breeds? My vet couldn't even tell me what my dog was let alone volunteers at the pound! (no offense meant to anyone who volunteers...) I would never have added a dog to my life if I couldn't have a Dobermann from lines that matched me personally and my aspirations. Owning a dog is just too much work to have one that doesn't suit your lifestyle and interests. And the biggest thing that gets me about this whole argument is that it doesn't actually make sense. Ok let's say that a law was introduced that banned the breeding of dogs and so when our dog's died, we all went out and rescued dogs. Good for us. But then what happens after people do that a couple of times? Where do the new dogs come from? The only people who would still be breeding would be those with no regard for the law and I'm guessing no regard for improving their dogs through the next generation either. What great dogs we will all have. How is that a desirable outcome? And that's the best case scenario. The alternative is that no-one will be breeding at all and we won't have dogs anymore - there goes 40 000 years or so of evolution. 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Rebanne Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 I just delete things like that and then often delete the "friend" that was sharing it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 I just delete things like that and then often delete the "friend" that was sharing it yep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mixeduppup Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 I had to delete that off my wall just today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSoSwift Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 Just delete it, I don't kill any dogs becasue I bought a purebred, I would never have bought a pound dog or a mixed breed to begin with so nope I killed nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheridan Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 Just delete it, I don't kill any dogs becasue I bought a purebred, I would never have bought a pound dog or a mixed breed to begin with so nope I killed nothing. This. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 I foster dogs for rescue... I have 4 dogs of my own - one from a FTGH ad, one from a BYB, and 2 foster failures. I have been to pounds and selected dogs that we could take on and find homes for... knowing full well what the outcome is for dogs not bought by the public, or taken in by rescue. I have held dogs that were unsuitable for rehoming to the public while they were given their wings - even though I had grown to care for them deeply and we had tried everything to try to make them rehomable. I have nothing but the utmost respect for the staff who work in pounds and the big shelters - their job isn't one that I'm sure they envisaged for themselves while growing up - but nearly every single one that I've met cares about the animals and does their best to try to help them find new homes, not to mention trying to make their stay in that scary environment a little easier to cope with. I have no bad feelings towards people who breed pedigreed or working dogs responsibly... in fact I'm getting really excited about my neighbour's new pedigreed puppy that is coming home this weekend... *grin* I know that there are way too many bleeding hearts out there who are doing their utmost to give all breeders a bad name... and there are quite a few of those types in rescue too I'm sad to admit. As for those kinds of ramblings posted by clueless people who really have no idea of reality... I just delete them. Stupid slogans like "don't breed or buy while shelter dogs die" don't do anyone any favours... *sigh* Enjoy your pedigreed furkid - you probably put a hell of a lot more thought into it's needs as well as your own when you decided to bring it into your life than most. T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salukifan Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 I don't see how posting that rant here isnt the same as sharing it on Facebook. Ignore it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 I don't see how posting that rant here isnt the same as sharing it on Facebook. Ignore it! Now where is the LIKE button?? T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airedaler Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 I don't see how posting that rant here isnt the same as sharing it on Facebook. Ignore it! Could not agree more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebanne Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 I always love pointing out, before deleting, that dress it up however you like, you are still buying and choosing one dog over another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffyluv Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 It is the heartbreaking truth that so many animals are put down because they grew up, dug holes, barked at the postman, we had kids etc etc - the excuses are as continuous as the animals being put down.. I have always had purebred dogs and honestly thought I always would. I will have another stafford one day, I know I will. Zig is some form of staffy cross - one of the hundreds that came through the many pounds this year.. I am blessed to have met him. He has been and I dare say will continue to be a challenge - he has some of the great stafford traits I am used to but he has others that I am not used to - he is a learning curve. I despise the save don't buy posts.. Don't breed while others die, is another one that really gets on my goat... In an ideal world, there would only be purebred dogs, all wanted and loved in homes that were matched perfectly to them by the breeders. While anyone is allowed to breed we will always have dogs needing rescue in pounds and other shelters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salukifan Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 (edited) I don't see how posting that rant here isnt the same as sharing it on Facebook. Ignore it! Could not agree more. Not having a go at you Tobias. Just saying it's best not buy into this rubbish by spreading it. Edited December 17, 2012 by Haredown Whippets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepe001 Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 (edited) I agree with most here that if you wish to purchase a purebred over a rescue that is your choice. I have done that most of my life but do now have a RSPCA dog. But there are some other things about this rant that annoy me. I go to my local RSPCA quite often and have never been distressed over unhappy dogs. Most pens are full of dogs playing with there one or two pen mates. Not all as they also manage the local pound and some pens are strays that are disturbed/abused themselves and these dogs will probably be destroyed. Some of those are sad. Pens are cleaned continually so rarely do you see poops. They have climbing stuff, tug toys, beds etc. There are always a few volunteers walking around with dogs or in the pens playing with them. The manager walks around and most dogs sit in front of her with tails wagging. Very few dogs are purebreds. very few. I saw a mini poodle there last time and a belgian shepherd. Rest were blue dog croses, bully crosses or JRT type crosses. This RSPCA has had purebreds and always ring the breed rescue - often they refuse to take the dog. One breeder of a rare breed said as the dog was desexed she didn't want it. I have seen one dog destroyed there. It weren't dragged in. The worker walked the dog in, the boss asked it to sit (it did), she gave him a head-cuddle with her arms and the dog lapped up the attention, She then lured it into a drop and the worker held the leg. It was injected and both lowered it to the ground (it was a tall dane cross). Yes, it was body bagged and put in the freezer. I guess not all are like this but this one was very 'nice' - if you could possibly call it that. The dog in question was to be rehomed but started running at people and dogs from behind the wire and acting in a very aggressive manner. So the decision was made not to rehome it. This RSPCA has a 30% death rate of dogs in 2011. I saw the graphs by shelter and some was up to 70% and most around 50%. My last point - my current dog - as far as I can tell has no issues. Apart from general border collie type running fast behaviour. She is house trained, polite with food, great with other dogs, very obedient recalls, sits and drops (in 3 months she has never not done a recall if requested), wonderful with my 6yo daughter, and just a nice dog to live with. She can be penned or live with us - no problems with either. She was found as an 8week old puppy wandering in the city, spent 2 weeks at the pound, then a few months at the head office RSPCA, then about a month at my local RSPCA. I bought her at 8 months so 5-6 months at the RSPCA. If the shelters were a bad place to be how is she so good? OK, my rant over. Edited December 17, 2012 by pepe001 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megan_ Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 If you don't go to the shelter now and buy all the dogs you are responsible for killing them (and nit their owners for dumping them)... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sayreovi Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 Just delete it, I don't kill any dogs becasue I bought a purebred, I would never have bought a pound dog or a mixed breed to begin with so nope I killed nothing. This. Everytime I post this on Facebook people just don't get it, and that it's somehow wrong that I don't want to buy a pound dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megan_ Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 If you don't go to the shelter now and buy all the dogs you are responsible for killing them (and nit their owners for dumping them)... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
becks Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 I just point out that it is the irresponsible dog owners (and irresponsible breeders out there) who cause the problem of most dogs being dumped (there are some valid reasons for rehoming, so I don't dump everyone in the same basket). Laying the blame on pedigree dog owners and breeders really is missing the mark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_PL_ Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 (edited) I've rescued for a years now and own poundies but.........*shock horror zomg* also a pedigree. Does that make me a bad person? Delete it. People who share that crap have very little idea and don't want to know. eta I should just add that it's not just pedigree breeders who get the blame for dogs dying in pounds. Some point the finger at rescues who have aren't doing a rapid turnaround. (where's the rolly eye man when you need him lol) Edited December 17, 2012 by Powerlegs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airedaler Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 If you don't go to the shelter now and buy all the dogs you are responsible for killing them (and nit their owners for dumping them)... not sure I understand this post correctly we are after all on a PURE BREED forum and I hope this is said tongue in cheek! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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