Focus on responsible ownership
But the fact is, a lot of people will not find the dogs they want at the shelter. I've had two dogs from the city shelter over the years already, so I have been exposed to these animals. They were both mixes, one was a wonderful retriever mix, sweet disposition, loyal, great looks and easy to care. The other one was a lot more problematic, he wasn't socialized properly as a puppy, and showed aggressive behavior when eating and got into constant fights with other dogs. I am a responsible dog owner, but the one thing I am not willing to go thru again is an aggressive dog. As much as I love my current dog, I will give him up if he becomes aggressive (thankfully that appears not to be the case) and bites me or other people. Otherwise, I am willing to deal with any issues that come up -- grooming requirements, hip displasia (knock on wood!), special diets, wacky behavior, whatever -- except for overt aggressiveness. So the problem with shelter dogs is a high degree of uncertainty, not to mention that in general they don't look as impressive as purebreds. The unfortunate truth is that these dogs can't be saved, and there are a lot of dogs that simply won't get adopted, based on their looks, health or temperament. And the reason such dogs exist and end up in shelters has less to do with the breeding source than with their previous owners. There is a lot of emphasis on the breeding and provenance of dogs, but really, the greater part of the problem is the lack of responsible dog ownership. Regardless of whether one gets a dog from a boutique breeder or a shelter or a puppy mill, the dog will have a much greater chance for a happy life if the owner is educated, engaged and responsible. And adoption questionnaires and 5-minute interviews are simply inadequate to assess the character of a potential dog owner. Of course irresponsible breeding and puppy mills are bad, but in the effort to reduce the number of unwanted dogs, the focus has to shift towards responsible, informed pet ownership education, rather than merely the provenance of puppies, such as the drumbeat theme profiled in the Oprah show. It really should be a two pronged approach, but I only see people complaining about puppy mills, which suggests to me that there is a strong marketing-driven undercurrent in this message: "Get your puppies from me, because *I* am not one of those horrible BYB/puppy mills!" It is worth repeating: lack of responsible ownership has a lot more to do with a dog ending up at a rescue, than where the dog comes from. |
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Cadenza wrote: There is a lot of emphasis on the breeding and provenance of dogs, but really, the greater part of the problem is the lack of responsible dog ownership. .
That's absolutely true. The AKC promotes (and encourages) various activities clubs and individuals can partake in to promote responsible dog ownership. See http://www.akc.org/clubs/rdod/index.cfm Perhaps you could get involved in a local dog club or rescue group and encourage them to arrange some kind of activity with that in mind. Suggestions from the AKC list including but not limited to: Some suggestions to help commemorate AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Day include: ID clinic- Hold an AKC/CAR microchip clinic Rescue information booth Health clinic/health screen testing/First Aid for dogs Meet the breeds/Find the right dog for you Obedience/Agility/Rally/Performance demonstrations Therapy/SAR Dog or Police K9 Unit demonstrations "AKC Safety Around Dogs" for kids presentations (in-school or for children's groups) A kids contest with awards for best drawings, photos or essays about dogs AKC Canine Good Citizen test (requires additional kit purchase) Seek sponsorships or donated items from local businesses to be raffled or for contest prizes Raise money to donate/dedicate needed items to local dog park/runs (pooper scoopers, bulletin boards, water fountains, etc.) Fundraising events for AKC Canine Health Foundation Write a letter to the editor of your local newspapers Not that the activity you partake in has to be AKC oriented or limited to September 
Many of the activities can have a tremendous impact. Pick the one closest to your heart, connect with other dog people in your area and consider getting involved in one of them. Kristine |
| The Canadian Kennel Club has similar events planned...
http://www.ckc.ca/en/Default.aspx?tabid ... 21&prevID= |
| The ANKC and Vic Dogs (Formerly VCA) have guidelines for responsible ownership too to educate before taking on a dog. Not just purebreeds any dog.
http://www.vca.org.au/Content.asp?ID=146 They also hold events and take memberships called "Associated Memberships" for people with mixed breeds or unregistered dogs. They are allowed to do all dog events except conformation so people can do obedience and agility and all sort of canine activities to educate them and have fun with the dogs and learn along the way.
Our OES club here in Victoria hold every 2nd sunday fun socialisation and basic obedience classes for all & including just pet OES, we have a good turn out and even people that have the breed and are not members of the ANKC or Vic Dogs are welcomed by the club. Most come along to socialise there oes, learn about the breed from caring for them, grooming questions and any problems they are having or any query they have on the breed people are there to help and support them. You can't educate everyone with what ever breed they have and there is some people who should never have dogs as they are clueless in the care and responsibility that comes along with any dog in their care. But for people who are devoted to having a loving furry addition to the family, what ever the breed is,, wether it's a mixed or pure bred, if people are keen there is in any country in the world plenty of programs to help educate, participate with your dog and teach responsible ownership |
| Rick and I belong to an obedience club, we have a ball, it runs from Sept. to the last of May, you can go on Sat. afternoons, wed. nights and Thursday nights. We hold a class open to the public also. We practice Ralley, and different levels of obedience. We offer free classes to anyone who adopts a dog from our local shelter. We encourage people to get involved with their dogs, do activities with them, we also give CGC testing and TDI testing. We give obedience demonstrations to different public organizations who contact us. We also bring the dogs to schools for Children reading to dogs program, and to nursing homes. We hold fundraisers for the local shelter, our main objective is to teach the public RESPONSIBLE PET OWNERSHIP, and in the meantime we have a great time with the dogs. |
| Isn't responsible pet ownership a committment to the animal - regardless of the situation.
Quote: the one thing I am not willing to go thru again is an aggressive dog. As much as I love my current dog, I will give him up if he becomes aggressive There are some situations where a dog is too aggressive for any household, but some resource guarding like you describe seems pretty minor. A responsible dog owner works through those issues and comes up with solutions. I am sure a behaviorist should rank right up there with grooming and special diets. And a behaviorist would tell you that a dog that starts fights with other dogs needs to be under the control of a responsible pet owner at all times. This is a pet peeve of mine but not all behavior can be blamed on improper socialization. like people dogs come in all varieties. some have neurological issues that require chemical tweaking and then again like people some may just be down right ornery  But then again I am crazy enough to think that breeders who spend more money and time than you can realize to produce that puppy should be able to decide who gets one of them. Quote: some people who should never have dogs as they are clueless in the care and responsibility that comes along with any dog in their care.
so true!! |
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