WL.comers Do you prefer your pet from a shelter or private owner?

[crappie007]

I have 2 pets. 1 dog and 1 cat.
About 3 years ago a puppy mill in Tonasket WA, was shut down.
My wife told me about the story and then I read the facts for myself.
I wanted a dog and just knew that one from there would be the right thing
to do. So once they ended up at spokanimal I went and picked one out. Turned out to be a awesome choice and my dog is a great as can be expected.
My wife on the other hand this year wanted a cat. She got our cat from a private owner
for free. This didnt sit well with me knowing about all the poor animals at the shelter
whos life would soon end.

[skeetrzx225]

i would go shelter because they have a huge selection of really cool pets. most of my friends have dogs rescued from the pound and they had no problems. iam sure there are some bad apples. most of the dogs in the pound are there because of there stupid owners didnt want take the time and resposiblity that goes with having any kind of a pet. if people would be more accountable the pounds wouldnt be so crowded. phil

[Gringo Pescador]

Both of my dogs I got from people that didn't want them. They were headed to the shelter if I hadn't stepped in. There is good and bad side to everything, and so of course the same goes for shelter or no shelter.

Shelter animals can and do make great pets. Especially if you have an idea of what you want and what you are getting into. With a shelter, you can see many different types and sizes all at once. Most shelters will let you take the animal into a an area to get to know em a little which is cool too. You can also ask the staff about em, they get pretty good at reading the animals and figuring out a little of thier personalities. They also spay/nueter them before giving them away. It is up to the individual to do this when they get one from a private party which means it may or may not get done and if it doesn't, then the cycle continues.

Shelter or no shelter, too many people don't do the research before deciding on a pet. Like, will it fit into my living situation? What will I do with it when I am at work, on vacation, out fishing? How long will it live? Some people go in and see a cute puppy and have to have it. Not realizing that it is going to grow into a hyperactive 60# beast and they live in a little apartment (this is how I got one of my dogs).

The hardest thing about a shelter is you get very little history of the animal. You don't know if it will freak out the 1st time you walk through the door with a hat on (maybe somebody with a hat abused it at one point). You don't know the medical side, hip displaysia is one of the big ones for big dogs - inbreeding has made it pretty common and it is not cheap to fix. I dated a girl years ago who wanted a dog. Went to the shelter and got one. A week later she threw a ball, the dog went tearing after it, yelped and came limping back.. hip displaysia, both hips. The only thing the shelter would (or could) do was take it back and put it down. That "free" dog cost her thousands. The dog was lucky she found it and had the $$ to help it. Somebody else might not have the means or desire to do that.

Of course unless you know the person, you are rolling the same dice getting one from a private party, who knows if the story they give you is true or not.

[Proverb]

I own three cats all fixed and it costed a lot of money. Mine was a manx it costed more to give her shots and neuter her than to purchase her. My wife has one of those blue point pure breds that cost a ton of money and a mut kitty that was free. They all have great personalities and if you add all the vet expenses we probably paid into the 1,000s on these cats. It would have been far cheaper to purchase our kittens already fixed at a shelter.

Dogs are easier to purchase from a shelter because they are easier to rehabilitate if they have problems. But most shelters wont sell cats that are not socialized and put to sleep ferral ones so I wouldn't worry.

I wont judge someone if they want to purchase an animal as long as they calculate into the cost of spaying/neutering that animal. But keep in mind the pet population is out of control.

See the vet yearly for shots please! Feline diseases can be very fast acting and deadly.

[kevinb]

I've been scouting local shelters for a german shepard or husky.They're tough to find around here though.

[Gringo Pescador]

I've been scouting local shelters for a german shepard or husky.They're tough to find around here though.

Kevin - Have you checked this site out yet. Have heard of many adoptions from it...

http://www.petfinder.com//index.html

[kevinb]

I've been scouting local shelters for a german shepard or husky.They're tough to find around here though.

Kevin - Have you checked this site out yet. Have heard of many adoptions from it...

http://www.petfinder.com//index.html

I have not but I most certainly will.Thank you for the link:salut: