Anonymous wrote:Check with one of the Westie Rescue clubs. We have adopted 2 from shelters that were 3 and 4 years old but then found the Westie clubs when we had questions about health etc. If you have ever been to the Scottish parade in Old Town you have seen some of the clubs. Reach out and find a wonderful pet that needs a home. There will be another one in our future. We hope to find one that needs a loving home. I hope you do too.

Anonymous wrote:OK this is blunt. I don't want to get a poorly bred pitbull from a back yard breeder with unknown socialization during a critical period of life-ages 7-16 weeks.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We got our doggie from Rescue Angels. They were so easy to work with - even let us take him home overnight to make sure he'd get along with our cat before we finalized the adoption. (He and the cat got along just fine. They're awesome brothers now.)

http://www.rescueangels.org/

Arlington and Alexandria Animal Welfare Leagues are also both very nice, and you'll find a mix of different kinds of dogs there.

WARL, of course, is amazing.

And WHS does have a lot of pits - I happen to love them, but if you're skittish you're skittish, and their primary goal is matching the right dog with the right family. You can work with their adoption coordinators to find a dog who you think will fit in well with your household. I don't think they'll evangelize to you about getting pitties (though, again, I happen to love those dogs).

Good luck, either way! Hope you'll report back when you have your new pup so we can all ooh and aah over him/her.

Skittish? Perhaps some of us are experienced dog owners of large breeds. We have dogs in our family for well over a decade. I'd rather spend those 12-15 years with a lab or GS, etc. It was only after spending time with several rescued pitbull/mixes who have loving homes and proper care and training that we decided no. When family has a dog and they can no longer care for them permanently or temporarily it says alot when dog lover relatives refuse to take in the dog.

I'm not quite sure what you're trying to say here. I guess that all the people who love pit bulls and all the research finding that they are not in fact more dangerous than any other breed of dogs know less than you?

IN ANY CASE: I don't give a shit what kind of dog you prefer having. I was trying to say that while Washington Humane has a lot of pits and pit mixes, and while they've done some great advocacy work on behalf of those deeply misunderstood dogs, they also have a lot of other kinds of dogs and the resources to help you find the right one for you.

TL;DR: I don't care what kind of dog you get. Was just trying to point out some good resources, and disabuse folks from the idea that WHS only has pits (though I love pits, myself).

I've read the research. As I wrote we have dogs for well over a decade. http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-behavior/truth-about-pit-bulls

Read the entire article. I know people with an American Bull Terrier from a good breeder who got him at 8 weeks. Wonderful dog. The canine liability insurance whether a separate policy or part of homeowners is a real thing determined by actuaries. Factor those costs into the price of ownership.

Many come from dogs that should not be bred.

http://www.cesarsway.com/dogbehavior/basics/How-Did-Pit-Bulls-Get-a-Bad-Rap : Houston Chronicle quotes unnamed officials as placing the blame for the problem squarely on humans. “(M)any of the pit bull attacks are due to a skyrocketing number of poorly bred and badly trained dogs raised by backyard breeders, who are trying to cash in on the pit bull’s growing reputation as a cheap, but deadly effective guard dog, particularly in urban areas.”

Anonymous wrote:Lost Dog and Cat Rescue. I volunteered at an event, they are held every weekend, I think both Sat. and Sun.
I got my dog from Lab Rescue. I think it was more interviews through them. Please don't "buy" a dog. Just read a heartbreaking story about how many dogs were surrendered right before Christmas.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We got our doggie from Rescue Angels. They were so easy to work with - even let us take him home overnight to make sure he'd get along with our cat before we finalized the adoption. (He and the cat got along just fine. They're awesome brothers now.)

http://www.rescueangels.org/

Arlington and Alexandria Animal Welfare Leagues are also both very nice, and you'll find a mix of different kinds of dogs there.

WARL, of course, is amazing.

And WHS does have a lot of pits - I happen to love them, but if you're skittish you're skittish, and their primary goal is matching the right dog with the right family. You can work with their adoption coordinators to find a dog who you think will fit in well with your household. I don't think they'll evangelize to you about getting pitties (though, again, I happen to love those dogs).

Good luck, either way! Hope you'll report back when you have your new pup so we can all ooh and aah over him/her.

Skittish? Perhaps some of us are experienced dog owners of large breeds. We have dogs in our family for well over a decade. I'd rather spend those 12-15 years with a lab or GS, etc. It was only after spending time with several rescued pitbull/mixes who have loving homes and proper care and training that we decided no. When family has a dog and they can no longer care for them permanently or temporarily it says alot when dog lover relatives refuse to take in the dog.

I'm not quite sure what you're trying to say here. I guess that all the people who love pit bulls and all the research finding that they are not in fact more dangerous than any other breed of dogs know less than you?

IN ANY CASE: I don't give a shit what kind of dog you prefer having. I was trying to say that while Washington Humane has a lot of pits and pit mixes, and while they've done some great advocacy work on behalf of those deeply misunderstood dogs, they also have a lot of other kinds of dogs and the resources to help you find the right one for you.

TL;DR: I don't care what kind of dog you get. Was just trying to point out some good resources, and disabuse folks from the idea that WHS only has pits (though I love pits, myself).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is 21:41, Yes I believe what i wrote, what does it mean to "better the breed" ? who cares if a breed is better than it was. Dogs are suffering because there are just too many of them. If you want a specific breed you can get it from a rescue that works with that breed.
If a breeder was doing it for the love of a breed and the love of dogs they would be gi ving them away. Theyre doing it too make money.
I personally think that thats wrong when we have so many dogs being put down every day because no one is available to adopt them.

In an ideal world, reputable breeders breed healthy puppies and responsible pet owners adopt/buy them and keep them forever or rehome them privately (or through breed-specific rescues). You're saying that because there are many unwanted dogs out there, purebred and otherwise, that this is the fault of reputable breeders and responsible pet owners.

Reputable breeders, who seek to reduce or eliminate faults in the breed (such as hip dysplasia, eye problems, skin problems, etc.,) as well as producing puppies with good temperaments, have costs including showing and, more basically, feeding the bitch and puppies, vet bills, etc. Certainly, we can comment on whether prices for purebred puppies are too high, but you're saying that purebred puppies, from the guy down the street or from AKC champions, should be sold for $0. Why should they give them away rather than recoup costs?

I understand the feeling that you shouldn't get a healthy purebred puppy from a breeder when you can get a pound puppy. But there are enough pet owners that some people can do one and other people can do the other. At least that's my opinion. I also think that, the logical conclusion from the idea that you shouldn't get a puppy from a breeder instead of a pound puppy is that, if your circumstances in life change so that you can no longer keep the dog, rather than rehome it privately or through a rescue (or send the dog back to the pound), you should euthanize it rather than sending it on to someone else. If you rehome your adult dog, you are taking up the place in someone else's home that could be taken by a pound or rescue dog. (But many vets will refuse to euthanize healthy dogs. So don't worry, you can't do this in real life. It is something that some people advocate for horses, though, since they are so much more expensive to keep.)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We got our doggie from Rescue Angels. They were so easy to work with - even let us take him home overnight to make sure he'd get along with our cat before we finalized the adoption. (He and the cat got along just fine. They're awesome brothers now.)

http://www.rescueangels.org/

Arlington and Alexandria Animal Welfare Leagues are also both very nice, and you'll find a mix of different kinds of dogs there.

WARL, of course, is amazing.

And WHS does have a lot of pits - I happen to love them, but if you're skittish you're skittish, and their primary goal is matching the right dog with the right family. You can work with their adoption coordinators to find a dog who you think will fit in well with your household. I don't think they'll evangelize to you about getting pitties (though, again, I happen to love those dogs).

Good luck, either way! Hope you'll report back when you have your new pup so we can all ooh and aah over him/her.

Skittish? Perhaps some of us are experienced dog owners of large breeds. We have dogs in our family for well over a decade. I'd rather spend those 12-15 years with a lab or GS, etc. It was only after spending time with several rescued pitbull/mixes who have loving homes and proper care and training that we decided no. When family has a dog and they can no longer care for them permanently or temporarily it says alot when dog lover relatives refuse to take in the dog.