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Originally Posted by QuickSilver  I will say that I think some rescue groups have unrealistic requirements for potential adopters. I was thinking about adopting another yorkie, and one group said that I would essentially have to get a personal reference from my veterinarian, and two years of veterinary history, which precludes ALL first-time pet-owners by definition.
However, there's been a huge spay/neuter education effort, and I believe that it's had good success in that many more people "fix" their animals.
I have nothing against "backyard breeders", but I think there should be some education there that just because you have a cute dog does not mean it should be bred. It's a serious responsibility to bring new lives into the world, and you should know what you need to do to ensure your puppies get good "forever" homes. Basically, unless you are willing to put a surrender clause into your buying contract, maybe you shouldn't breed dogs. (Just an idea!) |
I have to say that unfortunately I agree with you on rescues/shelters. I volunteer for a shelter and they themselves (I mean the staff) try to discourage me from even thinking about adopting one of their little ones. I go and do grooming and well, sometimes I feel like I bonded with an animal and express potential interest and the staff always says, "oh you don't want him/her, (insert excuse here)." Over time they've gotten to know me and they know that I'm aspiring to become a vet, they know I have a love of all animals (even cats that my allergies are extremely sensitive to) and they know that I've never once in my life have had the pleasure of having a furry companion. I think the last one is the one that does me in everytime. The shelter staff is really nice and they've never been mean to me once, they just discourage me from applying for adoption. Maybe they know I wouldn't qualify, or that I'll be turned away for my lack of experience of being a pet mom, or lack of refrences from a vet. Whatever the reason is, being a first time owner, or just WANTING to be a first time owner has been really hard. I can't afford breeder prices here in SoCAl, but I don't qualify at rescues that have yorkies. So what am I to do? Wait I guess and hope my day comes when I do qualify to be a yorkie mom.
Side note, there is a law here in Los Angeles (city not county) that requires all pet owners to spay and neuter their pets. I don't think it's being enforced now with the bad economy, (enforcement = paying someone to enforce it) but theoritically I think it was one of the smartest things our mayor has done. The law requires pet owners to spay/neuter their pets and gives breeders (reputable ones) a chance to breed with a special license (which means there has to be some sort of qualifications for these special licenses and maybe a limit to how many litters they can have per year) meaning this will hopefully put a dent if not end bad breeders, or as I like to call them "greeders." And for those who cannot afford and expensive spay/neuter, shelters like the one I volunteer for offer low cost to no cost spay/neuter clinics (which was started when this law was passed) so that people really can't find an excuse for it. I just hope that something can be done to begin to seriously enforce this law and show that it really wasn't a waste of legislation.