Animal shelters!! Why wouldn't you adopt???

Question

I frequent Baltimore County Animal Control on a regular basis. These animals picked up have 4 days, not counting the day they come in, to get adopted or they are put down. I do not look for anything in particular but try to help the ones that scream Help Me!! I went this morning after my chores to check out the dogs. As much as I would love to help them all, I'm experienced to know what may or may not work in my animal household/children/ work schedule. I ended up walking into the cat room and looked at the ones scheduled to be put to sleep tomorrow. Too make a long story short, I adopted a 4 month old male cat that looks just like a white tiger w/choc. points. Must be half siamese! I payed $60 for a microchip, neuter certificate, shots, wormed, and frontlined. Where else can you get a pet and all this for $60? This is the same fee for the dogs also. Also you get a care package. So why wouldn't you adopt and save a animals life? I'm just curious.....

VERA C- This is not a shelter this place in particular is Animal Control! If the owner doesn't claim the dog or a rescue come and get it, it is put down. These are the guys that pick up your dog roaming the street. There is no room to keep these animals for the dozens that come in everyday.

Welll said CINDY!!

Your missing the point guys! I want to know why someone in particular wouldn't adopt! I want to be educated on why you wouldn't.

Shadow's Melon- I get the idea of needing a specific breed that requires a job to be fullfilled. Your truly the only one that understood the question.

If you all have a problem of putting animals down then speak up and do something about it. Talk to your friends and neighbors and get them to spay/neuter there pets that have no business breeding cause its a MUTT! You rarely see a full blooded dog in the pound. What does that tell you? The breeders take care of there stock while you backyard breeders fill our shelters up with dogs and cats and then you complain that they have to put the animal down.

HOWLDINE- You crack me up :)

Ok, its more then 5 days when they put them down. Don't count the day they come in. Count the next day so really its 5 days cause they are exposed to the public immediately. Also they put them down the next day so really its like 6 days. I do think they make exceptions for some but maybe not. Thats why I prefer to go there instead of the humane society.

Ok, its more then 5 days when they put them down. Don't count the day they come in. Count the next day so really its 5 days cause they are exposed to the public immediately. Also they put them down the next day so really its like 6 days. I do think they make exceptions for some but maybe not. Thats why I prefer to go there instead of the humane society.

Answer 1

Shelter workers aren't murders. They have a heartbreaking job. They have X amount of space and too much "inventory" coming in on a daily basis. It's quite simple, they run out of room every 4 days. If they had fewer animals coming in, they'd euthanize every 5 or 6 or never...

This is because we have too many people not spaying and neutering animals... AND we have too many people dumping animals like they are garbage.

I love your question. Why wouldn't people adopt? Many many do. So many people adopt but honestly, the number of people adopting cannot keep up with the number of animals coming into the shelters.

Again - same problem Basic economics. Supply and demand. Too much supply. We - as responsible humans have to reduce supply - SOMEHOW.

If you hang out here long enough, you'll see the raging spay neuter debate. Not against reputable breeders but against the very people whose dogs and cats end up in your shelters.

It makes all of us who truly love animals nuts.

The price you paid to adopt was a bargin. The thing is, even if you paid people $60 to adopt, there would still be too many animals. Until we stop the supply problem.

It's not an adoption problem.

And shelter workers aren't murderers. They have one of the hardest jobs in the country.

EDIT:
I just don't understand anyone bashing people who help animals - I don't get it. iluvtoroll... why are you so against rescues? I know there are some that are crappy, but 95% have their heart in the right place and none that I know of make a dime. Most I know are in debt up to their eyelids. I know I give ever spare cent I have to my org to help out. Maybe where you live they are bad but here, most are in it for the dogs.

EDIT 2. Also, those who know me, know i'm not against getting a dog from a reputable breeder - for any reason at all - working or pet. It's the reputable part that's key. =)

Answer 2

"You rarely see a full blooded dog in the pound."

In the shelter where I work, there are currently 8 purebreds (German Shepherds, Labs, Goldens, and a St. Bernard), and we've had purebreds in and out of the pound (we have the city impound license). I'm not saying you're wrong, but we've had a lot come in in the past month, so sometimes it's not so rare.

All the critters that I have in my house (two dogs and three cats) were adopted. Some people need a dog bred for a specific reason, so it's understandable for them to go to a reputable breeder. However, people who just want pets should go to shelters instead of breeders, especially with cats. At the shelter where I work, the prices vary depending on what the critter has had. All animals get wormed the day they come in, and within a few days get the shots they need. The young kittens are usually $40, and half of that is a spay/neuter deposit (the adoption contract has a clause where you have to get the animal fixed, and when you bring a slip signed by the vet, you get your deposit back). If the cat has been around for a while, we'll get them fixed, so the price will increase to cover the cost. One male adult cat is $125, because he's been neutered, declawed, and is up to date on shots and worming. Same with the dogs. We just adopted out three little purebred Black lab pups for $100 apiece, with the $20 spay/neuter deposit, and we have two male German Shepherds that have been neutered, each for $200. So our prices vary. And yes, every cat gets a care package. I don't think we do that with the dogs, but they do get a sample of the food the dog has been on.

I agree 100% with you.

Answer 3

I think alot of people are getting confused with shelters and animal control facilities-or, in other words, the pound. There are plenty of facilities in this country that kill animals after a few days. They do this because they do not have the room to house them, and the no kill shelters are usually full. I live in Illinois also, and there are quite a few three day kill shelters in central Illinois. The more rural you get, the less time the animals are given. We get phone calls all the time in my group just hours before a dog is to be put down, and then have to scramble to find a foster home so we can save a life. In some areas in the south, there are twenty-four hour kill shelters. The best scenario I have found is on the south side of Chicago, where they give the animals 90 days before they kill them. It is a disgusting place, and smells of death every time I go in there. The prices are very cheap, however, and I rescued a very beautiful purebred ACD from there this spring. She had 15 days left when I found her and she cost $90 with all shots, a microchip, and a spay. She will make a great agility and possibly a herding dog next spring. (Now that we have gotten through her behavior issues.)

I would like to stae for the record that not all private shelters and rescues are crooks. I volunteer for one, and I don't make any money at all. Quite the opposite. We throw $1000s at some of our rescue dogs to get them healthy and adoptable, and certainly don't charge that for fees, or we would never adopt out anything! Please don't generalize-it is personally insulting and shows a complete lack of respect for those who give their own time and sometimes money to help animals.

Answer 4

4 days???!!!??? OMG even the worst pound in NJ gives at least 7. Sometimes a loved, lost pet can't be found in 4 days- what a freaking nightmarish policy! If I were you I would pour your passion into fundrasing for the place so they could give the animals a little more time- or link with other shelters and rescues to help the death row inmates- I would lose my mind if this was the case around me...

Thanks for adopting. When you're just looking for a companion, not a show dog, hunting dog, working dog, sled dog, etc, just for a friend, I think everyone should at least stop by the local shelter first. Even if they end up with a dog from a breeder, they're more likely to neuter, train, give proper vet care and proper nutrition, if they see what happens to an animal when those responsibilites are not fulfulled.

Good luck with your new cat.


ILUVTOROFL- Your sick idea that Pet Stores are better than Shelters makes me enraged. I'll bet you run a puppy mill- not just the Backyard I know you already breed out of.

Answer 5

We do a lot of rescue but ours is usually done before the dogs get to the shelter. We take in strays that have been dumped where we live. People bring us strays. We take in chihuahuas in need. We always vet them and find them homes, or sometimes one finds its home with us. Over the years we have rescued several dogs from a shelter. We raise chihuahuas so we cannot adopt from a shelter. 2 years ago a male chihuahua was stolen and I spent weeks searching our local shelter for any sign of him. I left the shelter every day crying my eyes out, one because I did not find him there and 2 because of all the ad dogs without a home and our shelter kills them after 5 days. Owner turn ins are killed immediately. I would rescue them all if I could. My life is devoted to my dogs and to the welfare of all dogs and animals. I try to do my share with the rescues that we do. I have 2 rescues that have become part of our family. One was going to be taken to the shelter literally that day if we had not adopted her. Like I said as an owner turn in she would have been killed that day. The other one we found abandoned near our house, along with her 2 brothers. We found homes for the males but no one wanted Whoopty do so we kept her. Both of them have been spayed and are beloved pets. We take in usually 3-5 rescues a year, sometimes more. I can never refuse someone who asks me to take one in or a starving dog on the side of the road.

Answer 6

That's kinda of strange that they only give them four days. That's not very long. At the animal shelter where I work, the animals are there as long as we can keep them, unless they are incredibly sick, aggressive, or are very old and we need space. I have adopted many animals from my shelter...and I encourage everyone to do the same. Every animal I have ever owned (which are quite a few) has come from an animal shelter. It's $50 for a cat at the shelter where I work, and $95 for a dog. Everything you get is also covered at this shelter. I don't understand why more people aren't adopting shelter animals. They are the best animals on earth! I agree with you.

Answer 7

Not everyone is an "animal person" and even if they are, they may not be allowed to have pets were they live.

I have 4 cats -- all from shelters and 1 dog -- not from a shelter.

I also do volunteer work for an organization called BONES (Beagles of the New England States)

In the case you describe I put blame on the shelter. I have never encountered a shelter that euthanizes animals after only 4 days -- this is simply giving good shelters a bad name.

Answer 8

All of my family's current and previous pets have been adopted, even a rabbit.
The two rabbits I have now were adopted, and I plan on rescuing in the future.
But I am getting a Shiba Inu puppy from a breeder in a couple months. I know there are lots of animals that need to be rescued, but a Shiba has been my dream dog since I was about 10 years old (I'm 22 now). It's a bit complicated, but an opportunity came up that I couldn't turn down.
Adoption and rescue are very important to me, but sometimes you can't find your dream breed in the shelters. Going to a breeder, you can usually view one or both of the parents, you have a history, and usually a health guarantee.
After I get my Shiba puppy, I fully plan on adopting in the future, though.

Answer 9

actually the excuse for buying a dog from a breeder for "working" purposes is totally lame. almost all the dogs being bred out there and the gidelines for AKC are totally out of sync with what working breeds really mean. they have been so refined and taken so far away from having structural purpose, there really is no working use for a specifically breeded dog unless its for prancing around the show ring. there is no reason not to adopt, look harder, there will be a dog in there that you can use for whatever need you want it for. i definately agree with the question, its the way to go . PS. the SPCA i volunteer at is a no kill facility and im proud of it!...the dog control around here on the other hand will put a dog that "looks like a pitbull" ( yeah thats right it doesnt have to be one...just kind look like one) down immediately, despite the fact that the SPCA would willingly take it and adopt it out. forshame! and ilovetoro...what rock are u living under?! pet stores having close monitoring and health certificates? maybe in a dreamworld. not quite. i know a few girls who worked at petcetera...they have nothing but horror stories. the SPCA on the other hand, cant be beat. they are the ones who are actually closely monitored and cared for, and they give u a free vet visit. even if you didnt get anything free, people need to quit being so cheap and just get the damn animal, pay the 60$ for a check up and get on with ur life.

Answer 10

I think people won't adopt because the dog isn't "papered". A lot of people go for a status symbol. And because puppies are so cute. You find a lot of wonderful dogs at the shelters. That's where we go. My current is a half doberman/ half rottie mix, that is mostly deaf. She has healed fractures in her back leg, broken teeth and a tail that is bent, due to it being slammed in a door. She is the cutest little dog I have seen in a long time. This was her third time in the humane society.