A New Project for Everyone

[cyber-sibes]

Great idea, Karen! I'll get some sites together and reply in a couple days

[luvofallhorses]

http://www.pbrc.net (pit bull rescue central)

http://www.montanapets.org (montana pets on the net)

that's all I can think of for now.

[Giselle]

May I have a word about the "horrors" of puppy (and cat) mills and BYBs?

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Though there will always be conflicts and controversies surrounding the "perfect" breeder, it is accepted knowledge that the only reason one should breed is to "better the breed". To achieve this, breeders spend incredible amounts of time and money proving their dogs either in the field of conformation or some type of performance event like agility, herding, Schutzhund, hunting, etc. Through this process, they breed only the best to the best. They recognize the importance of keeping their bloodlines free from health maladies, and, thus, spend hundreds, even thousands, of dollars to health test their breeding stock through organizations like the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA), Canine Eye Registration Foundation (CERF), PennHip, Optigen, etc. If the breed should be susceptible to a wide array of diseases, the breeder would test for the appropriate illness. For example, it is common practice to test for hypothyroidism and von Willebrands in Doberman Pinschers.

With so much care and thought put into the breeding stock itself, it is not surprising that the reputable breeder would take equal precautions in screening prospective homes. The reputable breeder does not sell to just anybody with a wad of cash, and they often screen to the point of homechecks (where the breeder makes an appointment to check out the home of the prospective buyer). However, this is not to say that all reputable breeders require homechecks nor does it imply that a breeder is unreputable if s/he does not screen prospective homes as aggressively as another breeder. This does mean, however, that the reputable breeder would not sell his or her puppies to a middleman, a puppy broker, or a petstore. These facilities use puppies as a main source of money and the only objective of these facilities is monetary profit.

Because pet stores need a large supply of puppies for a minimal amount of money, they acquire their pups from "mills". Simply put, mills are extremely large kennels breeding hundreds of puppies at a time, often churning out both mixed and purebred dogs. Because profit is the primary objective, mill owners do not take the time nor money to prove their dogs or health test. Additionally, they overbreed their dogs and care little for the overall well-being of the animals. The resulting puppies are often badly malnourished, subject to a wide range of oftentimes fatal health maladies, and are frequently reported to have social/emotional problems. Since mills need to provide a large amount of puppies consistently, they take the puppies away from the mother prematurely. Consequently, these puppies often have a more difficult time housetraining, polishing their social skills, and have a harder time learning bite inhibition.

While the puppy at the petstore may tug at your heartstrings and attempt to break your willpower, just say no. Say no to the pet store. Say no to the puppy mills. Break the vicious cycle and adopt a furry friend instead.

[Giselle]

LOL, just because this topic intrigues me so much.

The big one : What kind of questions should I ask my breeder?

- First and foremost, WHY do you breed?
The correct answer will always run along the lines of: a deep passion for the breed and the duty to further/better the breed.

- What kind of health tests do you perform?
An annual vet check does not mean anything.

- What kind of events do you do with your dogs?
The above relates to... How do you "prove" your dogs? How do you choose which dogs to breed and which ones to pet out?

- Do you provide a lifetime guarantee? If my dog should develop a congenital or hereditary defect, what will you do?

- If for any reason in my dog's lifetime I must relinquish the dog, will you take it back?

- May I see the parents?
Oftentimes, the stud dog is not on site. This is normal, but you should be able to see the mother. She should be happy and well fed.

- May I have references to past families?

- May I have references to your vet?

-To be continued...LOL. My brain is mush right now

[Lady's Human]

Karen,

We CANNOT forget dogorphans, after all, two of your canine family members came from there!

http://www.dogorphans.com/index.cfm

[Karen]

Remember, we want to let people know how you found out about your local shelters - like, Lady's Human, how did you first find Dog Orphans?

[Cinder & Smoke]

We want to let people know how you found out about your local shelters ...

Hmmmmm ...

Not sure, or wonder why, the method of "finding" (or how you contacted)
your local Shelter or Rescue is important??

Over the years I've had to jump through some pretty tall "hoops" to be able
to talk to some Shelters and Rescues - some local and some pretty distant.
In a few cases I was looking for a pet;
in others I was trying to find a home or a place of refuge for a homeless animal ...
in all cases it usually wasn't a matter of looking in the phone book ...


The real challenges are:
1) Learn the name and the existance of a particular rescue ...
there are usually several Shelters or Rescues operating in even the small towns -
that most residents have never even heard of - let alone know how to contact.
Some places seem to "like" not being known or being "findable" by the average person -
ya gotta "know someone" to be able to talk to them. (I always wondered "Why?")

2) Learn a phone number that some human will either answer or return a call from ...
I can't tell you how many UN-answered calls I've placed to Rescues / Shelters.

Keeping the Names & Phone Numbers lists "correct & current" can be an almost
impossible task - many of these agencies "switch" personnel frequently -
sometimes by choice; sometimes by need - but phone numbers never seem
to stay current very long.

But my point - the "method" or the "tail" of how they were contacted isn't as important
as the actual Point of Contact - that can be duplicated by others.

Fees / Costs / Prices ???
They're all over the map - anywhere from "free / no charge" to HUNDREDS of dollars -
and you get anything from a filthy, un-vetted and poorly observed unknown animal,
to a fully Vetted & Vaccinated, clean, trimmed, and sometimes partially trained,
housebroken, and socialized "pet" ... and what you pay doesn't always reflect
what you get!
Breed-specific "Rescues" frequently charge high fees ...
County-run "Pounds" often charge low fees yet furnish quality animals.

Example:
My Cinder was "advertised" to me by Cinder's "Angel Moms" = two Volunteers
in the Shelter/Pound that took pictures and published a web site for the Pound
and answered inquiries faithfully.
I "adopted" Cinder for a County Fee of $60.00 + a $4.25 WV License Fee ...
and they Refunded $51.00 as a partial payment sent directly to MY Vet
upon certification that she had been spayed.
Net "Cost" for Cinder = $9.00 + $4.25 = $13.25 paid to Ohio County, West Virginia.
(And about another $50.00 or so to Doc Mike for the rest of the spay job and some shots.)
This was all back on July 3, 1999.

Smokey was almost as "cheap" ...
Cinder "found" him on the front porch on Sunday night, January 21, 2001;
Tuesday night he was delivered to "Angels for Animals" as a "Sponsored Foster Dog" -
I paid $90.00 for his heartworm test (negative), Neuter, Rabies & Puppy Shots,
Ear Wash & Nail Trim, and 6 months of heartworm preventative.
I had to "Foster him" in MY home till they had room to move him into a kennel
for display
as an adoption candidate. When he got adopted - I would get my $90.00 back.

Six Days after Cinder "found" him, Smokey had a name and his status had been
changed from "Foster" to "Adopted".

The bottom line ?

Very few Shelters or Rescues have the same policies - and often the sometimes
fuzzy "policy" can be modified by Who you Know in the organization.
I've played my "I Know the Founder (personally)" card three times at
Angels for Animals -
and Diane has pulled the proper "string" for me each time.
I've NEVER asked for a price or fee reduction; but she has changed the shelter Manager's
"we have NO rooms" to "I'll find a place for him, somewhere, bring him over".

(Abd I DO "own" a $100 Engraved Brick in her patio between the wings of the New Shelter.)


/s/ Phred

[Uabassoon]

Remember, we want to let people know how you found out about your local shelters

I found Tibby on Petfinder, but not by searching. I posted an add in their pets wanted classified section. I stated that I was looking for a siamese or siamese mix kitten. The next day I had an email from a wonderful lady who fostered cats in her home. I went over to go meet the cats for adoption and met Tibby who she had emailed me about. Her adoption fee was $95 and it included her shots, spay, one free vet visit at the clinic of my choice and one month of shelter care insurance. I have to say it was a bargain! She did require a home visit, but it wasn't anything too intense she just wanted to make sure that my home was ready for Tibby. Overall it was a great experience and if it wasn't for that add I posted I would have never found out about her rescue.

Another great way to find a rescue is to just keep your ears open for events happening around your town. Once a year Tucson puts on a pet fair, in addition to all the great vendor booths there are always rescues for just about any pet you could want. This year not only did I see cats and dogs up for adoption I also saw ferrets, rats, guinea pigs, donkeys, pot bellied pigs and many other wonderful pets needing home!

[Roxyluvsme13]

Ooh!! If you wanted to add a little tad of BYB and puppy mill...You can use my Website!
JALPD
As for shelters, you can use my shelter
Tailchasers(WCJCAC)
If that's the wrong website, oops!

[Lori Jordan]

There is a hole bunch of organizations i know of one which i like and am in contact with now this one would be for the Border Collie lovers i found out about this rescue through one of my dogs trainers as i have her in flyball and a little of agilityhttp://www.bordercollierescueont.com

[Lady'sOtherHuman]

Remember, we want to let people know how you found out about your local shelters - like, Lady's Human, how did you first find Dog Orphans?

We found Dog Orphans online. LH did a search on the web for local shelters.
I believe we paid somewhere around $85 dollars for the adoption. That basicly covered her spay/nuetering. And they were nice enough to cover the first vet visit after we brought her home. They had us fill out a questionaire that included things like "How often will someone be home with the dog?" "How often will she be allowed to go outside?" How many hours a day will the dog be home alone?"

One thing you should ask the shelter person when looking to adopt is why the animal was brought to the shelter in the first place. Also you'll want to make sure the animal you bring into your home fits in with your current family situation i.e. kids, other pets. You want to make sure that everyone will get along.

[MajesticCollies]

I love working with Tri State Collies. I foster collies inbetween transportation legs and those being readied for a home. Sometimes the rescue is full and I will take one in for as long as it takes.

http://www.tristatecollierescue.net/collies.htm#pups

If your in ohio I hope and refer anyone to a collie that needs a forever home. Also I recommend looking for a community affair that may be giving a Meet the Breeds area to educate dog owners to be on what breed will fit your family and lifes For all of you in the Findlay, Ohio area I will be at the National Duchsund Races this year in the Meet The Breeds area with my collies. Tell all your friends to come out and meet the different breeds that will be out there. Would love to meet some of you all also.

[Craftlady]

I want answer the question regarding pet stores . To say not all pet store pups/cats are bad. You have to do your research and ask questions of the store owner etc.
My nephew got a wonderful female sheba ino pomerianian (hope I spelled that right).
Ellie was in excellant health and was very well taken care of at the pet store where he got her. She has been the joy of his life for over a year now and spoiled rotten by his human grandparents If I lived closer, as his human auntie, I'd be added to the spoiling list LOL

[Pinot's Mom]

I'm in Maryland, so...

Our "local shelter" - Baltimore City: http://mdspca.org - Maryland SPCA (that's where Pinot came from!)
Howard County (my county):
http://www.howardcountypets.org/ non-profit rescue from kill shelters- Animal Welfare Society of Howard County
www.animal-advocates.org non-profit, promotes pet adoptions from the Howard County Shelter
http://www.lastchanceanimalrescue.org/ non-profit, rescues & cares for animals in the Baltimore/Washington area. Cats available can be seen at the local PetSmart stores-so not all pet stores are dealing with mills!!

How you find these shelters? On line, phone book, vet.

What kind of shelters exist? There are kill and no kill shelters - you have to check!

What questions should they ask at shelter? Always ask if the animal has any health issues that were treated at the shelter, what meds they're on or have been on, where the animal came from, how long they've been there, and any behavioral issues. Are there possibilities for covered insurance for any period in time (sometimes there are-we didn't know and could have benefitted)?

What fees should one expect? In this area $80-$135.

What questions should they ask a breeder? I don't have input on
How do I find a breed-specific rescue? either of these, sorry.

How do I find animals that are in foster care?
Petfinder.com specifies, my vet has postings, and the shelter has postings.

I think this would be a wonderful resource, Karen, thank you for doing it.

As far as "stories" - I think mine's been posted, but here's a short version.
Pinot was adopted from the SPCA; she seemed fine, although I was told she had been treated for a respiratory infection and was through with meds. She was 10 months old and 5 lbs. Within a week, she had been treated by the vet for severe dehydration, given antibiotics, had stopped eating and was making HORRIBLE respiratory sounds. We took her (after one week of having her) to the emergency hospital, we were told she needed a lot of things by IV immediately, they would have to keep her overnight and it would be about $800-900. We said-"go ahead"-what else can you do? Anyway, they had her for 11 hours and she turned a big corner that day. She's fine now, and the love of our lives, but, from what I understand, this is NOT uncommon for a shelter kitty. It's adopter beware!

I think that addresses everything - let me know if you have any other questions for my small corner of the world!

Maggie