Anonymous wrote:That link was really funny.

We are in the process of trying to adopt a shelter dog and it is a PITA because there are so many different groups, with different applications and processes. A dog will be listed on Petfinder as good with kids and when I finally speak to someone they say no, he's not good with kids etc.

Go to the Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation. They are truly committed to finding homes for these dogs and don't make you jump through hoops. We just got a sweet dog from her after months of fruitless searching with other shelter Nazis.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Meanwhile children are dying in africa , how about rescuing them , thats real

I'm all for that. You can adopt a dog and a kid.

So let's start shaming people about breeding kids when they can adopt. They're contributing to overpopulation.

It's not the people who rescue dogs that are contributing to human overpopulation; it's the people who are birthing humans like there's no tomorrow (i.e. the countless threads about how tragic it is that someone could *only* have one child).

Don't blame the dog rescuers for the starving kids in Africa.

You are seriously unhinged.

Anonymous wrote:Maybe it's a brag since it's damn near impossible to get a dog from a shelter/rescue organization?

http://www.northernvirginiamag.com/entertainment/city-sprawl/2013/06/21/dog-plight/

Oh God, yes. Most of them are the most insufferable bunch of jerks ever. It's like their mission in life is to make sure that no one who doesn't live on a farm and isn't willing to be a stay at home "parent" to a dog can never have a dog. Effing ridiculous.

Anonymous wrote:I'm all for people saying all of the time that their dogs are rescues. It's good publicity for how great rescued dogs can be.

I had a purebred dog that I got from the SPCA. I did like to point out that I got him from the SPCA, because I wanted people to know, hey, you can get a purebred from a shelter! You don't have to go to a breeder to get a specific breed.

I don't understand why it bothers you so much. The only people I've met that are bothered by it are the people who feel guilty because they bought their dogs from breeders.

And maybe it is "en vogue." Good. A lot of dogs die each year because people don't adopt.

Shaming people has been a very effective way to get people to quit smoking. If we can shame people into not buying dogs from breeders or stores, then I'm all for it.

I have a problem with the bolded part of this post. I have owned many dogs over the years, 3 rescues and 2 purebreds from responsible breeders. Nobody should be ashamed of buying a dog from a reputable breeder who health tests their breeding stock and take responsibility for the animals they produce. Both of the breeders I have bought from will take back their dogs at any time during their life. In fact, the contracts I signed state that they have the first right to the dog if I can't keep it myself.

I have owned 3 purebred dogs of the same breed- 2 were rescues and 1 one was from a responsible breeder. The 2 rescues were health nightmares, costing me over $20,000 in vet bills for orthopedic and other health problems between the 2 of them, and they both died before they were 8 years old due to cancer. The dog from the breeder is now 8 years old and healthy as a horse. I paid $1,500 for him upfront, and he has been the least expensive dog I have owned, in terms of both heartache and dollars.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe it's a brag since it's damn near impossible to get a dog from a shelter/rescue organization?

http://www.northernvirginiamag.com/entertainment/city-sprawl/2013/06/21/dog-plight/

Maybe that's just the NOVA area? Try Tennessee, NC, and GA--not the case there.

We adopted a dog and we live in an apt!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That link was really funny.

We are in the process of trying to adopt a shelter dog and it is a PITA because there are so many different groups, with different applications and processes. A dog will be listed on Petfinder as good with kids and when I finally speak to someone they say no, he's not good with kids etc.

Seriously, try the SPCA or the pound. It's way easier. Any place with a physical shelter will be easier than a group that relies solely on foster people, because you can go there, see the dogs, meet the dogs, apply, and usually, it only takes a few days. Some SPCA locations are better than others about identifying characteristics (good with cats, good with kids, housebroken or not).

Petfinder is great in theory, but I think it's actually easier to just physically go to the pound and the SPCA.

Hope that's helpful.

The SPCA of Northern VA requires an application and a home visit.

Anonymous wrote:Seems like one of those en vogue things, like eating organic or getting a BS, MS and professional degree.

Getting an education is "trendy"???

I sometimes explain because my dog has an unusual background and it affects her temperament and behavior. But not in casual conversation, no.

I posted earlier but I wanted to comment and encourage you not to give up. We have a senior special needs dog. We failed the first interview and were positive we were not getting a dog. In hindsight it is a very funny story, but we ended up with the perfect dog for us. Do not give up!

We have a yard and it is enclosed with 3 feet privacy bushes and they still didn't want to give us a dog- a dog that was senior and had difficulty walking. We also didn't want to hire a dog walker because we are only gone about 6 hours a day- (I leave later in the am and my husband is home earlier because he goes to work earlier) and again the dog is senior and has difficulty walking so will sleep all day (and night if you let them ). Basically they wanted us to put in a fence and get a dog walker- we said no and we didn't hear anything for about a month.

Then we got a call, the foster brought the dog over the next day and it is history...... rescue organizations mean well- some of the dogs have come from some sad situations and they just want the best for them. Luckily cooler heads prevailed and we got our dog. I should also mention we already had one dog- same breed- so we had a successful history of caring for dogs. My point is- don't give up!

We got our dog from Washington Animal Rescue League. No, we don't continually refer to her as a rescue, just when asked. The process was very easy. I think it really helps if you have a fenced yard, OP, and you live in a house, and you have people around generally during the day. If you live in an apartment and work all day and are gone I think the process is much harder. Frankly, that's probably as it should be.

I go out of my way to point out that my dogs came from shelters because they are both purebred (or close enough) and I want to influence people to go to a shelter to get their dogs instead of a pet store.

Anonymous wrote: But, the applications are easy to fill out and if one group has done an inspection, other groups will contact the inspector and accept the results.

This has not been my experience at all. Do you mind sharing which rescue groups do this? TIA

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Meanwhile children are dying in africa , how about rescuing them , thats real

Yes, and my church tries to support them with money, schools, and some adoptions. Sadly, there's a huge difference in the amount of money required to raise a child and rescue a dog.

Hey, does your church do that in DC too? Or is that too close to home?

We just brought our rescue dog home on Friday. We do refer to him as a rescue because he came from a rescue group. He was in a rural, high kill SC shelter with little/no hope of being adopted. It may not have been a burning building but he was rescued from certain death. The rescue group did the rescuing because they took him out of that situation without knowing if he'd be adopted and they have a no kill policy. We haven't told a lot of people he's a rescue dog because, frankly, we haven't encountered many people while walking him. But, we will because there are thousands of amazing dogs waiting to be adopted.

The adoption process was a very positive experience for us. Yes, the rescue groups have their own applications and you often have to have references and a home inspection. But, the applications are easy to fill out and if one group has done an inspection, other groups will contact the inspector and accept the results. Once approved, you can pretty much adopt any dog in their inventory. Of course, none of the dogs we were looked at before we were approved were available but we knew there were lots of dogs that we could be happy with. The adoption coordinators from the various groups were very helpful. We have 3 kids and this was our first family pet. We needed a dog with the right temperament and we appreciated the fosters who steered us in the right direction. We didn't expect the dog to be exactly like it was for the foster because our homes are different but they knew the dog well enough to know if it would be a good family dog.

We don't think we're better than any because we 'rescued' a dog. Our next door neighbors recently got a puppy from a breeder and so did a friend. They're very happy with their choices. So are we.

Anonymous wrote:Seems like one of those en vogue things, like eating organic or getting a BS, MS and professional degree.

Hahahahaha, no.