Shelter dogs and educated owners, what can be done?

Question

Hey guys,
I'm interested in hearing everyone's opinions on what can be done to educate buyers and new dog owners (probably some of those not-so-new dog owners as well). Also, what can one do to help people understand the plight of shelter dogs, and the issues about puppy mills?

Please, no excessive thumb use and attacking of other members! We're all adults here. For those of us that are not adults- you've got to start somewhere!

Answer 1

I've found the best way is with my beautiful 9 month old chocolate female lab. I got Riley from a lab rescue where she had been pulled from a local kill shelter. When they got her, she was skin and bones, had multiple intestinal worms, and had demodectic mange. Now look at her.

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee215/feral_akodon/100_1673.jpg

I have become very involved with the rescue that I got Riley from. I am a graduate student, and I take her with me to campus all the time - I take her pretty much everywhere I go. And any time anybody comments on her being pretty, I take the opportunity to tell them about rescues and shelters and puppy mills and backyard breeders - we live in Oklahoma the number 2 puppy mill state in the U.S. just behind our neighbors to the northeast (Missouri). I don't know how many times I've talked to people in petco and told them about rescues as opposed to buying from a breeder.

It seems most people have these awful stereotypes of shelter dogs being dirty and mean - obviously they were bad dogs and that's how they ended up there. But when people meet my calm, non-barking, very well behaved 9 month old puppy that is a beautiful purebreed, they reconsider those stereotypes.

The other thing I do is offer my help to anyone that is looking for a dog. I love labs and would recommend them to anybody, but the Saturday before Christmas I was getting a haircut in my hometown where someone was calling everybody they knew looking for a dachshund breeder for an elderly couple they knew who had just lost their dachshund. I offered my help and found them a purebred 4 month old male black and tan dachshund that was at a humane society 20 minutes away for the steal of $75 - little Doc was picked up that day and is snuggled up in his new home with very loving parents.

Yahoo Answers is about the only place I will really rant. It just doesn't work when your talking to someone in person to jump down their throats - YA is sort of where I get all of those frustrations that build up when I'm standing at an adoption day with my dog and another beautiful lab trying to get him adopted and some lady comes up to me and asks if they have papers and that she has two labs with papers and would never get a dog without papers. Yeah, those APR and CKC papers (even AKC or UKC papers) mean a whole lot when your lab is sitting in a doghouse in your backyard, because we are standing in PetCo and you obviously didn't bring them along like we all did.


Can you tell which one is from a breeder and which one is from a shelter/rescue - which ones has papers and which doesn't?
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee215/feral_akodon/100_1620e.jpg

Answer: My Riley (a paperless shelter doggie) is on the left in the red collar and her best friend Izzie (a German born papered labbie) is on the right in the green.

Answer 2

Actually, places like this are great to inform people about how much there is to know about dogs. I made a video to help people understand the plight of shelter dogs - well, not so much their plight as their success stories:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2BSF8w50_M

There are great websites informing people about puppymills. I like the idea of visuals if possible.

I also "use" my dog. Whenever someone asks what breed she is, I tell them I rescued her from the Humane Society. I talk about how she's such a great dog - but usually the other people start that. She doesn't leave my sight. She and I go together so well and it's very apparent. I support others who have rescued by sharing my stories and support. We who have "pound puppies" need to stick together for the betterment of our "breed," right? I don't rant, I don't lecture, I just make observations. People are smarter than they seem on the internet. The owner of the small Newfoundland I asked about last week (the dog is 85 lbs at 2 years old) has expressed her concerns that the breeder of the dog wasn't so great. I think she loves Newfs enough now that if she were to get another, she'd look for a better breeder, and if she talked to me about it, I'd direct her to the Newfoundland club in our area. I'm all about the good breeders and the pounds, but it's hard for me to talk to someone who has a petstore dog or a BYB dog. It just makes it harder. Many people begin to learn about this stuff later. Better late than never - at least they won't do it again... I hope.

Awesome questions!

Answer 3

This is an excellent question and I know how you feel. Cities should advertise pet workshops on dog care and invite the public to open house at pet shelters. A guide can take them around the site and explain what these animals are going through. Visiting personnel from the shelter can go to schools to teach children the responsible way to care and treat a pet. Brochures can be printed and mailed to residents explaining animal care and responsibility. It can't be a one time thing, the public needs to be constantly reminded to be good pet owners.

Answer 4

It would be nice if every shelter and vet office could offer a dog ownership class that covered the following:

1. IMPORTANCE OF SPAY/NEUTER.
2. How to select a breed based on your situation
kids and pets (no fragile, toy, or nippy breeds)
elderly and pets (no large, active or extremely excitable breeds)
time and pets (separation anxiety or how your home can be destroyed in an afternoon)
3. Actual healthcare costs
Annual - exam, vaccines if necessary, heartworm testing and prevention, flea control, and possibly dentistry
Other - illness, acute or chronic, or injury
QUALITY DOG FOOD PREVENTS VET BILLS
4. Recommended annual healthcare. See AVMA or AAHA websites for vaccine recommendations - they are not annual anymore except for a few specialty vaccines necessary in certain areas.
5. Where to obtain a dog
shelter
breeder- if one must have a purebred
NEVER a pet store and most especially DO NOT EVER LET THEM TALK YOU INTO FINANCING A DOG. If you can't afford the purchase price, you won't be able to afford the healthcare needs and will only cause heartbreak for yourself, your family, your dog and your vet.
6. IMPORTANCE OF SPAY AND NEUTER (a review)
7. A dog needs attention as well as food and water.

Sorry if any of this sounds facetious, but I cannot tell you how many nights I lay awake worrying about dogs that are not properly cared for, by ignorant neglect, by inability to afford proper care, or by other poor choices. In fact, this is such a good idea, perhaps I will try to offer this at my office for anyone thinking of getting a dog!

Answer 5

I'm all for visuals.... get some photos of the piles of dead dogs that are destroyed at the shelters every day in this country and let them see how many there actually are, I don't think people realize the sheer numbers.

ALSO, and this is just as important, make the shelter staff be more user friendly. In many we've visited we have been made to feel like we were taking one of their own damn pets, and practically grilled over our ability to provide a home, it was not a pleasant experience!

Answer 6

I agree with you, many people go in and get a dog, without thinking about what it takes to take care of an animal. I got lucky with my dog,,he is wonderfull,, he had some issues but a year later we are so much further than we were.all my animals are from a shelter,,, 1 dog, 2 cats , and 2 birds,,,,, I am teaching my kids that they are are to be taken care of as a human would be... food, water, doctor care, love.

Answer 7

You can do all the education you want. The internet itself is a wealth of information that's easy to access. But there's always going to be people who are lazy and don't care about being ignorant. Or they think they know it all already and no one can tell them anything. And unfortunately, too many of these morons own pets.

Answer 8

I always tell folks that there are lots of purebred dogs in shelters, and that they are definitely going to be a better quality animal there, then one from a puppy mill! I even got my Rottweiler from a shelter.

Answer 9

Get pics and videos and post them around.
Try posting pics from puppy mills outside of stores where puppies are sold. Leave a note beside the pics stating: "Make Adoption Your First Option!"
Telling the shoppers to get their pups at their local humane society.

Answer 10

Just keep educating people. Talk to people in petstores where they are selling pets. Put ads in the newspaper telling people the truth. Get the word out.