How can we get people to start adopting pets rather than buying them?

Question

I know it is a hard question!! :) It is my goal!!!!!!!!

Thanks everyone. I have 2 mutts that I got from a shelter, and they are the best.... I hope I can spread the word to make people more aware!! Thanks and it is nice to see others feel the same way. :)

mluxia, I understand your point and I agree, however, I do not see the need to purchase a pure bread from a breeder when often times you can get them at rescue groups. They have one for just about every breed.

Lets get something straight. I am not for people not purchasing dogs from breeders and breeders losing income. My point is that often times people do not even consider adoption. There is nothing wrong with spreading awareness. I wish everyone that cares for and loves dogs the best, because we are working for a common goal.

Answer 1

That will be hard to do. Many people want a registered pure bred dog...even if they never plan on showing the dog. They may want to make some money from the purebred dog.... which is something I don't agree with! Small backyard breeders! They contruibute to many of the genertic diseases that dog breeds have now! We could tell people the advantages of adopting rather then buying a dog from some backyard breeder.
-adopted pets have been vaccinated, healthy, less prone to certain diseases
- helping an animal in need and giving space to another

Though some people see as adopting as buying pets....because of the adoption fee which sometimes is cheaper then a buyer's fee/shop keeper but there are times that people will wait for a breeder sell out where they might find a cheaper pet....

Answer 2

People will do what they want to do. If they want a certain breed, they will buy that breed. Then they know what kind of a dog they will end up with. And that is the main reason for buying a pet. Adopting, from a shelter, or wherever, presents the problem that the dog is usually a mixed breed, and the owners don't know what they're getting. Also, most of the time, an adoption involves an older dog, one that has already acquired what could be some undesirable traits. I have seen some good results on TV, where the SPCA presents a couple of dogs and cats, and before the newshour is over, they've all been adopted - some of them by the staff!!!! So possibly that kind of exposure would help. Good luck.

Answer 3

I have often wondered, if the shelters started giving all the mixed breeds in the shelters cutesy names like Labradoodle, Puggle, Maltipoo etc and then slapped a "rare", "designer", or "teacup" on there, if more people would adopt.
But then again, I don't think shelters would want to get into lying to the public that these mixes are true breeds.

If anything irks me more, it is when someone brings a dog in for grooming swearing that their Golden Poodle mix is a purebred because that is what the "breeder" told them.

If people want a dog, they need to do some research and buy from a reputable ethical breeder, or adopt from a shelter or rescue. The problem is all the puppymillers, hobby and backyard breeders. If we could get rid of them, that would be nice..unfortunatly, I don't see that ever happening.

Answer 4

I think some people ,myself included,look at the price tag attached to an animal at the pound and realize that they can buy a pure-bred for the same price or less in some cases.Then they get a puppy instead of a full grown animal with bad habits they have to spend alot of time breaking.
Price be damned tho I was willing to pay it to find a friend to keep my dog company while I worked but the lady who runs the local shelter was rather rude to me so I bought another pure-bred pup instead.
To answer your question tho I think if everyone peddling puppies and kittens were made to buy a permit to do so I think there would be far less back-yard breeders cos their profit off the pups would be alot slimmer.Fewer breeders mean fewer lost ,abandoned abused and neglected dogs and eventually alot of empty cages at the pound.The truly responsible breeders who put only good quality pups and kittens up for sale would of course have to charge more.But if someone truly wants a pure-bred pup they'll pay the extra because they're assured they're getting a good quality pup with few risks of major health problems that will cost a small fortune to deal with over the lifetime of the dog.

Answer 5

Hello,
I agree with you, the Dogs that are in the shelters have had such rotten lives they do deserve to be rescued and shown what a happy life is all about.

I would suggest Volunteering for a shelter and maybe putting out fliers on adoptable dogs, this may be the best way, or even advertising in a local News Paper on certain Dogs and Cats, and use a new one every week. This may help to bring people in to look at all the dogs and cats. It works for the Humane Society near me.

God Bless You and what you are trying to do.

Answer 6

A lot of people want purebred puppies. What happens if everyone quits breeding dogs, then the dog will become extinct. Or as you suggest just let all the reputable breeders(like myself) of purebred dogs quit breeding and selling dogs, because we are the ones who sell them, but allow all the backyard breeders to continue to raise pups. All the purebred dogs would disappear. I love mutts, I love all dogs, but people have a right to own purebred dogs if that is their choice and you usually do not find purebreds in shelters, and when you do, it is not because of the breeders, it is because of the irresponsible pet owners. I do a lot of Chihuahua and other dog rescues myself. I have rescued and rehomed numerous dogs and not made a penny off of them.

Answer 7

Both of my dogs are shelter dogs. However I do not agree with the premise of your question. There is nothing wrong with someone chosing to buy a dog or any other pet if the decision is well thought out and the person is prepared to care for the animal responsibly. I love my shelter dogs and will probably always get dogs out of the shelter, but I can also understand why someone might decide he or she wants a particular breed and have to purchase it to get one. A better question would be how can we get people to think out the decision to get pets and to care for them properly?

Answer 8

Wish I knew. People just need to be educated about the great dogs that are available in shelters. It's ashame that these "designer" dogs are becoming so popular when the exact same dogs are already in shelters. I have no objection to people buying dogs, as long as its not from a pet shop. That's the best way to keep puppy mills in business.

Answer 9

Excellent question! I wish I knew the answer. We get all of our pets as rescues and wouldn't have it any other way.

Share the following with your animal-loving friends. It was written by a vet tech:


BYE BABY
No more lonely cold nights or hearing that I'm bad
No more growling belly from the meals I never had.
No more scorching sunshine with a water bowl that's dry.
No more complaining neighbors about the noise when I cry.
No more hearing "shut up", "get down" or "get out of here"!
No more feeling disliked, only peace is in the air.
Euthanasia is a blessing, though some still can't see
why I was ever born If I weren't meant to be.
My last day of living was the best I ever had.
Someone held me very close, I could see that she was sad.
I kissed the lady's face, and she hugged me as she cried.
I wagged my tail to thank her, then I closed my eyes and died.

Answer 10

Unfortunately, people will continue to buy pets due to people's desire to own "purebreeds." Herding dogs like border collies, guard dogs like Rottweillers and Dobermans, and retrievers such as the Golden and LAbrador Retrievers are all bred with specific purposes in mind. That being said, breeders charged hundreds of dollars for purepreeds of these animals. The best way to combat this is to urge people to spay and neuter their pets so that litters of puppies are not thrown out on the streets. Also, if people are looking for a specific need in mind (i.e. Golden Retrievers) they should search for the website to find rescue societies that have dozens of that breed for adoption. The best way is to spread the news by word of mouth and hope for the best