Adopt Don't Shop

Amen. It's like taking on a kid.

 

What a handsome old pup! Special place in my heart for senior dogs. They're the honest to God best companions.

 

Our local rescue has a pile of dogs. Unfortunately, we're not in a position in our lives where having a dog is possible. Maybe some day though.

https://bandagedpaws.org/adoptable-dogs

 

I've seen several of these stories and it's a kick in the balls. It usually starts off with someone "having good intentions" but took in more than they could handle. They turn into an animal hoarder and the animals are usually better off on the streets by the time these people are found out.

It's odd to think that my agnostic beliefs question the existence of Heaven and Hell but when it comes to child and animal abusers I find myself wishing that Hell existed....

 

I second this. A good friend of mine is a drug cop and he works a dog, but has been able to adopt every dog he retired, however he is always nervous because the dogs in our jurisdiction are trained to use force and can be dangerous if a normal person were to adopt not understanding how to handle. As a result, some are put down after service.

It's interesting how dogs are used in Europe. They can do a lot of the same things but are trained to de-escalate rather than the opposite.

 

All will be made fair in the end.

 

PetSmart does too. We just adopted an all black kitten through their associated rescue here, RezDawg. Black cats are generally the most difficult to adopt out because of the stigma attached to them. Our pup is from MS - she was in a group of 150 or so dogs brought to CO from there. We think she's a Ridgeback mix, but aren't sure and don't really care. We just call her a pure mix. She's a great dog!

 

This one was dropped at a rescue My wife checks rescues all the time and found our 1 1/2 yr old the friend he wanted last Sunday.

 

Let us hope.

 

Bless you.

Back before I got married, had kids, and life got complicated, I volunteered at a no kill shelter. It was beyond rewarding. I now donate as I can and share posts on IG to help expose and spread word on emergency adoption cases (it's how I came across my dog).

I have always had more of an affinity for animals > people. Children are on the same level and my wife can't understand how I can put my son and dog on the same tier in the hierarchy of things but I do.

Dogs were there for me when no human was and that's something I'll never forget.

 

My wife and I went to PetSmart for cat food, and they were having an adoption event. I took one look at her, and knew that she was our pup. Filled out the paperwork and picked her up the next day. We're not going to be in a good place when she crosses the bridge...

 

No true pet lover is when that day comes. Hurts like nothing else.

 

I don't know you, Daria, but my estimation of you just shot up SEVERAL notches. Thanks for what you do!

 

We bought our house from an old veterinarian. When we moved in she had written a letter asking us to take care of some feral cats that call her/our house home. There were 13. We are down to 11. We feed them and built up a little shelter for when it gets cold. We have trapped almost all of them and had them spayed/neutered/wormed/rabies vaccinated. We've even been able to pet one or two. I was never a cat person but if an animal needs something and I can provide it, I'm all in.

 

Your statement says a whole bunch about you as well!

 

If you or your family can't adopt right now, or you don't want to give to shelter/rescue, there is another great option for many to assist animals. Check out your local zoo, we give to our zoo and receive special benefits/privileges in return. A zoo membership might be a really cool gift for a family with kids. The great memories and photos will likely warm hearts for a long time.

 

Best dog I ever had was my lab mix Katie that my dad adopted from the shelter when I was maybe 2 years old. Coolest dog ever. Chased me all over on my dirtbike, was my fishing buddy, and protected me from a german shepherd that tried to attack me when I was maybe 12 years old. It got loose and was charging me while I was fishing on the boat launch with her, she got in between us and it about tore her throat out. Hundreds of stitches, drains, vet stay, etc. She made a full recovery thankfully and was my damned hero.
The flip side, worst dog ive ever seen was also a shelter dog. Sister rescued a pitbull that seemed sweet with a bs fairytale backstory (little old lady owned it or something like that). Thing seemed chill but a bit off. It snapped one day maybe a year into her having it and latched on to her lab’s throat after attacking my 8 year old nephew and sending him to the hospital. My brother in law got an arm around it and choked it to death because it wouldnt stop or let go (and it attacked his child, dont blame him).
Regardless, husband and I have been talking about getting another dog, it will 100% be a rescue/mutt.

 

We don't have a single squirrel, snake, or bird on our property lol

 

Rescues are a crap shoot. We can only hope we can heal or help one out as much as possible. I've been very lucky with the ones I've had - Magnus cost me $50 to adopt but I've spent thousands on his health lol

 

Hes worth it though

We spent $400 in vet visits for two of our chickens this year, I feel ya.

 

We grew up on 2 small ranches. Cows are cheaper lol

 

Thanks for sharing! You have inspired me to ask our local non corporate grocer if they will donate their damaged pet food/care items. Myself and my children would provide the labor and transportation for delivery. Hopefully the grocer will agree and it will happen. The benefits for everyone involved will be exceptional! Can't begin to thank you, @Bakershack, and @texasrho83 enough for the kick in the ass to try and do more!

 

You're awesome for being motivated to bring about change

 

No one actually buys a cat, lol. Right? Jk, all of ours were shelter. Maybe 6, who knows.