Given your anonymity, how many of you would honestly choose a newborn pet over an adopted one? Why?

Question

I am trying to encourage animal adoptions to prevent over breeding and animal abuse/ abandonment. Honest answers are imperative to obtain an accurate consensus. If I can find out why people would rather have a newborn and hear their own preferences or concerns about adoptions, then possibly, I can develop an approach to meet such apprehensions with a reassuring and very gratifying alternative.

Answer 1

I have never had a dog of my own since being a pup. One day I will but as I work in a vet surgery I seem to keep adopting clients pets that they can no longer keep. But yes one day I will get a puppy

Answer 2

I have been researching different breeds of dogs online to see which would be the best fit for my daughter and me. Some of the reasons I have been planning to choose a newborn pet over an adopted one are some of the same reasons people have listed already. I wanted to be sure that we did not inherit a dog with behavior problems. My thinking has been if we chose a newborn, we would know how it was raised. Also, an undeniable reason is because puppies are adorable. My daughter is 6, and I wanted her to know her dog as a puppy too. I am also looking for a small dog because we live in a small house, and many times at the local shelter the dogs are big dogs. I must say that after reading some of the responses, I am reconsidering going to the shelters close to me to see if I can find a dog suitable for us. I never thought about the fact that an adult dog has a somewhat stable personality so we could go and observe the dogs to pick a good match for us.

Answer 3

The babies are always the cutest.. that's what really gets them! But me personally, the 2 times I have adopted animals from the shelter, I have gotten adult animals. I adopted a 5 year old dog. There were 2 reasons why I picked him. I saw his picture on the Internet and thought he was cute! And then when I went to the shelter to see him he was the only one not barking! He just sat there and looked up at me. And he has been the best dog that my family has ever had. The major advantage of adopting an adult dog is that you don't have to go through the puppy stage where they chew everything. Plus their bladders are fully grown and its easier to potty train.

The other animal I adopted was a 2 year old cat. The reasons I picked him was that he was the biggest, fluffiest cat there (part maine coon), and that he was very friendly. They also had him in a big cage in the hall where everyone could see him. They did that because he was at the shelter for a long time and were trying to give him the best chance to get adopted.

Answer 4

I understand the reasons for adoption, however I bought my animals from a pet store. The reason being that I live 5 miles away from a pet shop, and 40 from my nearest shelter. I am a student, so don't have much money and the shelter asks for an adoption fee of £40 (about $80?) for a guinea pig, and £50 for a rabbit. I have savings, but thought that they would be better saved for if my animals ever needed veterinary treatment.
If adopting animals is the way to go, why is it so expensive?

(nb I paid £10 for 2 guinea pigs and £20 for a rabbit)
I am not against adopting, on the contrary, if I had the money then I would have done it, however it does seem to be a little expensive.

Answer 5

I would rather adopt, I echo others on this issue there are to many animals in the shelters.
I adopted my cat 3 years ago, she was 2 years old. They had adorable kittens I could have adopted but knowing they would find a home a lot easier than an older cat I preferred to go that route. By the way I have never regretted adopting older cats. My girl is a sweet heart.

Answer 6

I'd chose an adopted one, just because I know there are soo many people out there who would rather choose the newborn. Also because knowing that the adopted one is fragile and needs attention and lives in a cage. It's sad to think about it, actually. It's a good feeling knowing you're taking in an abandoned animal and bringing their health back, making them happy, etc. When I get older and have my own apartment/home i'll definitely have atleast 3 adopted pets.

Answer 7

I own Lots of animals, have had many as well that I no longer have and it depends on the animal. 2 of my 3 dogs are adopted from a shelter. The other one I wanted breed specific and got as a pup. I found a kitty and kept her unexpected son. I prefer to get rodents as babies because they are so short lived. I prefer rabbits as babies as well to help prevent trauma in their early stages.

Having puppies from early on is good for that reason too. They have 'fear periods' and if anything negative occurs at that time, they'll have an issue for life. One might be able to prevent that.

I have also worked with older dogs with emotional issues. It takes patience and time..and more and more of both! Many people either don't have the know how (with some I don't either) or don't want to put in that kind of effort.

Good luck with your 'survey'
Cheers!

Answer 8

I would rather adopt.

Actually, I would rather adopt a senior or a special needs pet. I just took in an eight year old hyperthyroid male cat.

Why? Because I absolutely love animals and don't care about the breed or any of that. I like to take in the ones that are least likely to be adopted; they tend to be the ones that will be the most loving and grateful. Second chances are wonderful.

Answer 9

I'm a pet foster with 3 off my own purina sucking fur-balls. (my affectionate name). All have been adopted due to the large number of abandoned and un neutered/spayed feral population. My first cat was abandoned by a student in the dorms, and my last was almost put to sleep on a day when 45 other animals weren't adopted and euthanized. All have their personalities and are loving friends. They were bred for their breed and still abandoned.'Thanks for asking the question"

Answer 10

There are times for both kinds of pets. I have had mutts and pure breeds both for differing reasons. For hunting and working the cattle I had Goldens and Aussies. But for the kids I had mutts.

It is hard to get a good working dog that isn't a pup. They are set in their ways after a year or so and a pain in the *** to train.

The biggest thing to encourage adoptions of animals is two fold. Accurate animal description of personality and advertisement.