when they can get one from rescue or a shelter that has been vaccinated, spayed or neutered and sometimes even microchipped? Vet care is expensive and rescues and shelters get discounts from vets, making rescue and adoption a much more affordable alternative than a "free" pet...
2006-09-12 06:45:19 · 18 answers · asked by moni 2 in Pets ➔ Dogs
Many times people want a certain bread and or age. Other times it can be timing ... you didn't know you wanted a pet until you saw it. I agree getting a pet from the pound is a great idea. My pet came to me ... a great looking, mixed bread, puppy that came complete with the mange. She was very expensive to treat. I wasn't looking for a pet ... it was timing.
2006-09-12 06:52:44 · answer #1 · answered by Sam 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Can't say that I disagree with you. I got my first cat from a shelter and there was a discount on preliminary vet things i.e. spaying/declawing (which I don't have done anymore) but this was only as long as I went to their vet a county away! Of coarse what I saved on the vet bill I spent in gas so I just started going to a vet in town.
The other two cats that I have now were in the paper. One I paid $10 for to a family that looked like they needed the money and the other was free because the lady that found the kitten along side a county highway couldn't keep her because she already had two cats and three dogs. I would have gone back to the first animal shelter but it was a county away and not economical enough when I could prevent two cats from getting to a shelter in the first place!
Have a great day!!!
2006-09-12 06:57:49 · answer #2 · answered by Coo coo achoo 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because they are FREAKING CHEAP!!!!! I work at a shelter and people come in all the time and make all kinds of nasty comments about the $95 adoption fee for a kitten. Never mind that the kitten is neutered,vaccinated,wormed,flea treated,FeLV/FIV tested,and socialized. They just see the cost. Forget that all that would cost them well over $300 if they did it themselves. They want a free pet and they intend to put NO money into it. If it dies of parvo, they just get another. If it runs away, they just get another. They see no value in animals with "vet care" done, because it is not something they would do anyway.
Thankfully the adoption fee discourages these type of people!!!! The ones that it does not discourage never get past the vet reference, since they do not have one, or it is not a good one!!!
2006-09-12 07:22:54 · answer #3 · answered by ARE YOUR NEWFS GELLIN'? 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because for some reason they think that the dog itself is the "big expense" when it comes to pet ownership.
In reality, the dog itself is generally the SMALLEST expense in getting a dog! Things like food, bowls, collar, leash, and toys add up quickly. Then there are vet visits, vaccinations, spay/neuter, and possible emergency medical situations that arise.
What scares me is that all these people looking for "cheap" or "free" dogs don't really have the money to properly take care of the dog. And it's the DOG that suffers.
If the dog gets sick or injured, will the owner be able to take it to the vet? Or will the dog have to suffer in pain because the owner "can't afford" to get medical treatment for the dog?
People need to think these things through.
2006-09-12 06:50:59 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
A free pet is a disposable pet! Because they are not dedicated to owning a dog! People tend not to value what they don't pay for.
Paying a fee for a pet shows good faith on the part of the new owner and demonstrates their willingness to properly care for the animal.
If a person cannot afford to pay an adoption fee for a pet, how will they be able to afford the normal expenses of proper pet care? And how will they ever afford vet bills when the pet gets sick?
There is also something else,which people should be aware of when someone wants something for nothing. A lot of these dogs,that cost the owner "nothing" are then sold on to "whoever", who could be any unscupulous person, and the poor animal has a life of misery! If someone is not willing to pay for their dog,they should not be given one!!!
2006-09-12 07:25:03 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Krystin...NO DOG IS FREE that is the moni was trying to say!!! You still have to get all of the vet care. Which gets pretty expensive. So I agree getting a dog from a shelter is like getting a free dog and a discount on the vet care you will have to get anyways even with a free dog.!
So basically a shelter dog is the cheapest dog to get!
PLUS you are saving a doggy life:)
2006-09-12 07:33:59 · answer #6 · answered by BahamaBlue 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
True. I think the reason is that a lot of people don't realize exactly how expensive vetrinarian care is. No matter how much you "pay" for a dog, that will be the cheapest part. My dog was "free" (hahaha...vet bill already over $300, had him for 2 weeks) but both of my cats are shelter cats. People actually laughed at me over the $80 adoption fee for adult cats when I could have gotten a kitten anywhere for free. $80 was a bargain for spay/neuter/shots/worming... were they joking?
2006-09-12 06:49:27 · answer #7 · answered by Mara 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
There are a lot of people who scan newspapers for 'free' dogs so that they can sell the dogs to research labs. This is a really big scam. Petfinder.com won't put 'free animal' listings up because of this. It is really sick and if you know someone who works in rescue I'm sure they have stories. These people come to look at the dog and pretend that they are looking for a pet ("oh I promised my daughter a dog for her birthday next week", "we had a dog just like this when I was a kid" etc.) then turnaround and sentence the dog to a horrible fate while pocketing some cash.
2006-09-12 07:43:54 · answer #8 · answered by Greyt-mom 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Rescues and shelters take care of their dogs to a point, but often, the dogs come with "pasts," poor training, agression, etc...I bought my puppy from a breeder because i wanted a purebred dog so that I would KNOW exactly what to expect from his temperment and what i would be required to do for his care. Rescue and Shelter dogs can often be unhealthy despite best efforts by vets...which is why they are in fact discoutented. I know that isn't what you wanted to hear. I think that people who rescue dogs are wonderful, but I am a very small woman, with a small apartment, who needed a dog that I could train to be what he needed to be and not aggrivate my neighbors.
2006-09-12 11:31:52 · answer #9 · answered by Chit P 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
My guess is they want a "free dog" because they can not afford the adoption fee's. Which means they can not afford a dog. Which is why you see so many on here asking what to do about an ill or injured dog because "I can't afford a vet."
2006-09-12 07:06:41 · answer #10 · answered by Stick to Pet Rocks 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋