AIBU to not understand why some people breed/buy animals when so many need homes?

[luvlemoncheesecake]

And what happens to those that are not sold say dogs for eg....

[Vallhala]

Lying, the "jobsworths" you speak of are, wrt independent rescue as opposed to the RSPCA/Dog Trust/Battersea etc, unpaid volunteers and the rescue owners totally unfunded by anything other than donations - people who care for these abandoned and abused animals out of the kindness of their hearts and out of their own pockets.

The rescue owners make the dogs in their care their life's work, 24 days a week, 52 weeks a year, and most of the volunteers who keep the rescues running alongside these owners have jobs, kids, spouses, dogs and cats of their own to fit in too. There just simply isn't time or money to do as much as we'd like.

Clyde, the GSD which I rescued from the pound on Friday, and who would have been killed were it not for me, travelled from Surrey to his rescue place in Lancs thanks to the time and funds donated by several volunteers working in relay.

The unpaid, self-funding owner of the rescue who accepted Clyde took the old boy straight to the vet. Immediately the vet quoted aa bill for a consultation and essential dental work - Clyde was 25% underweight because he was in two much pain to eat very much and had been for months, if not years. Initial bill was £299.08.

Clyde had TWENTY ONE teeth out today and may well need cancer surgery too - we're awaiting the results of tests. The rescue owner took him to the vet, walked him beforehand, fed him the night before, cleaned his bedding, collected him from the vet and is nursing Clyde tonight as I type (and is devstated at the poor boy's suffering). Where do you all think that knowledge, the money, the time, the commitment comes from?

Oh yes... from us jobsworths!

There have been a couple of people on MN who have followed Clyde's story and kindly offered to donate towards his vets fees... but most rescue dogs don't even have that and there's only one bugger nursing Clyde and dealing with the needs of the other dogs in Lancashire GSD Rescue tonight, and that's the owner. He'll be doing the same on Christmas day too... for the sake of the DOGS, not to appease the public.

[Vallhala]

TigerBomb, I doubt if you'll have problems if you only will be leaving pooch for 2 hours a day. You MAY be told certain dogs are not suited to this arrangement but as a whole it won't be an issue to most rescues.

Just answer me this... would you like a black labrador rather than a staffie?

Yes?

Really?

Because you wouldn't like mine. He isn't too fond of certain men and dislikes young children. Wouldn't suit your home at all.

I know a few staffies in rescue who might well be perfect though. You'd be far safer with Toe, Dolly or Charlie than you would my Lab, or a couple of my friends' labs come to that.


Depends what you want. If you want a dog that looks a certain way, fine, go ahead. I prefer to advise that you go looking for a FRIEND rather than a breed, and if that friend who fits your needs so perfectly is a Staffordshire, so what of it? Wouldn't you rather a friendly staffie with your children than my arsey Lab?

[Vallhala]

Tough, thank you, that's so kind... I didn't mean to sound like I was asking for help, I was trying to explain it from rescue's POV, but thank you.

If you'd like to donate to Clyde's care (and that of his friend, Bonnie the fat Chow cross, who was dumped with him by an uncaring family) you will find them in the care of Ted Kewley of Lancashire German Shepherd Rescue - address details are midway down the page. I know that Ted would be very grateful

If however you'd like to donate for the next dog/batch of dogs who I need to get out of the pound and into rescue before they are killed, in order that I have some way of paying for a dog's food for a week or two, towards his neutering, or vet bills that would be just as appreciated. Being without help towards any of these expenses can put rescue off offering to take the dog in question - especially Staffies and older/ill dogs as they are going to remain in rescue longer than most and therefore incur bigger bills. An average, easy dog in rescue for a month will typically cost that rescue well in excess of £200 to care for including neutering, vaccinating, worming, vet check etc.

Equally once I've found a dog a rescue place the next big bugger to deal with is getting him there. This is normally achieved by relays of volunteers giving up their free time to, say, pick up in Surrey, meet up with the next link in the chain in Herts, who will drive the dog up to Birmingham and hand over to the next person and so on. These days it's increasingly hard to find transporters owing to fuel costs and many of the volunteers now have to ask that these are covered if they are to help. Plenty of room in these guys' big hearts but their pockets are empty!

Because I've been asked this before I've cleared it with the rescue I help out at, a well respected one amongst other rescues, to be a point of acceptance and record for any donations for this. People have said they're happy to send them direct to me but I'd rather be seen to be honest, I feel uncomfortable having sole charge of donations. The rescue has offered to accept donations marked for "M's poundies" on my behalf and to record donations in and what's been spent and where on their forum. PFK's details and links to forum

Again, thank you, you guys are bloody marvellous.



If you're interested, Frankie, if he doesn't go to an MNer, and Gracie, will be the next in need of rescue places. A bit about what I do and about their story, along with bits of Bonnie and Clyde's, on this Doghouse thread.

[Vallhala]

Thank you... if you follow the link onto the forum you'll see on the Epilepsy section that my fellow volunteer J, owner, like me, of an adorable long haired white GSD, has had to come to the decision to PTS very soon because his neurological illness, on top of his epilepsy, is incurable and he is no longer happy. :(

J was the lady who offered me huge support when I first got to know the rescue and when I'd just lost my first longhaired white GSD to the condition her Bud is now suffering from. J was wonderful, really kind... and now she's facing what I faced. :( I'm in bits for her and for Buddy.

So, not a good day, as you can imagine. Thank you for making it a nicer one with your generosity. :)

[issey6cats]

i can only speak from the cat rescue side as i work at haworth cat rescue
our waiting list is currently about 5 months because a center locally has closed
the rspca are only taking cruelty cases and kitten season is in full swing we have 50 kittens and thier moms in foster homes
and if we dont have an empty pen where are we supposed to put the cat as ours dont go to foster homes they come to the center to thier own pens

indoor outdoor cats, if you want an indoor only cat it is kinder to get a kitten as he/she will not know about going outside
we do occasionally have indoor only cats but it isnt usualy fair to ask an outdoors/indoors cat to stay indoors

some cats are not suitable to go to a home with a dog we have aslan at the moment he is a huge big boy, lovely with people but he HATES other cats and dogs
some cats are ok with children some are not
some cats prefer females to males and visa versa
when someone comes to our center we do not exclude people for where they live
we dont exclude people who work as cats are usually ok with thier own company
we dont exclude people with children the family people usually pick a kitten anyway as they want the kit to grow up with the kids
we dont exclude people over a certain age as older people usually pick the older quieter cats anyway

[Vallhala]

I think, IIRC, there is a tiny sentence on the LHS below where it says "for the dogs at PFK" and that sentence says something about " click here to send PFK a message".

Bloody silly innit... I use PP to pay syndicate lottery subs, to pay for any food etc that I might buy from them, to donate to the rescue... and yet can I remember the layout of the PP form I use each time? Can I heck as like!

If the worst comes to the worst, please do send them a qucik email - it's only Dave and Rachel who run the rescue and they do all the paperwork as well as dirty jobs so will immediately know what you're talking about if you just say, hey, this is for Ms poundies, not cake for Dave! :o

Again, thank you. :)

[Vallhala]

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[Vallhala]

:o

Pass the wine this way please, I could do with it tonight!

[Birdsgottafly]

This isn't going to be a popular view but i think that if you have got a good bloodline in a dog with no health problems then it is acceptable to breed, if it is a wanted breed. If anything neuter most of the crossbreeds, which i know animal shelters do.

I have always had older resue GS but have just taken in a GS puppy, i love the breed, know how to care and train them. It wouldn't matter how many dogs sat in a resue, if they are not GS's, i don't want one. I am looking for another older GS male once the puppy is around 8 months old.

Likewise when i go to country fairs the working dogs are fantastic to watch, again its a shame for certain breeds to be dying out. We forget the long standing conection betwen man and dogs.

I am pasionate about animal care and foster unwanted dogs, i have given many over to the police when they are ready. But there isn't an easy answer to the problem.

[TINKERBELLE33]

midori 1999 are you my mum? Same breed, same rationale for breeding, adoption/return contracts and a waiting list for puppies. As a youngster I always found it amusing when my mum (or is it you?) would tell unsuitable people in no uncertain terms that they couldn't have a puppy. Especially the one who said she didn't want a puppy that barked, whined, howled, sniffed, slobbered, licked, chewed, ran or walked around, urinated or pood. She then went on to say it would only be allowed in the utility room and would have to stay in crate. My mum's choice of words as she showed her the door was priceless - 20+ years later and the story has become a family legend.

[Vallhala]

Not easy ones but there are answers. We should increase the time which a stray dog has in a pound before being PTS from the statutory 7 days, to give them a chance of being claimed or placed in rescue. Councils should be providing for all these dogs to be neutered/spayed in the pound, instead of paying to kill them. ALL breeders should be licensed, even if it is only Mrs Jones breeding her single poodle in her home, with serious punishment for those who don't hold a license.

There should be dedicated staff investigating breeders regularly and investigating and prosecuting puppy farmers. Councils should have their own pounds and not contract to profit making organisations - many pounds are no longer council run but contracted to businesses which also own boarding kennels. Any pound which rehomes direct to the publiic should be obliged to assess and vaccinate the dog and homecheck the owner first, as rescue does. Pounds should be OBLIGED in law to cooperate with rescue - I know of those which don't even try to get rescue for Rotts, Staffies, GSDs and the like, but which automatically kill these dogs after their legally permitted 7 days are up.

FFS this is England 2011, not some third world country, we're supposed to be a nation of animal lovers!

These things would IMHO make, in time, a massive difference to the dogs like those who are in pounds this very night but who will be dead by the weekend.

[Vallhala]

Love your Mum, Tinkerbelle, a woman after my own (rescuing!) heart!

[Birdsgottafly]

Vallhala- i get your point but it would never happen because in the most 'disavantaged' areas, the worse animal cruelty cases happen also over breeding and breeding for the wrong reasons but 'serious punishment' wouldn't be applied because of the 'social problems' of those doing it.

We (the government) won't fund animal care and tbh most wouldn't say that we should while facilities for disabled children etc are being closed.

One of the 'not for profit' animal resues near to where i live was selling on the GS's to dodgy security firms. I had already arranged to take one of the dogs but they were trying to tell me that he had died unexpectedly. It was a innocent conversation with a dog warden that led me to complain and insist that they found out were the dog had gone. There were also other things not adding up and investigations started. It was put onto one member of staff but they could not have done it on their own.

[Vallhala]

Bloody hell, Birds, is the "rescue" still in operation? And if so can you pm me with a heads up please, for the benefit of myself and others like me who work alongside rescue in placing pound dogs into places of what we do our best to ensure are safety?

Fellow GSD lover and owner here by the way, I love them to bits.

[Vallhala]

Oh and Kinsey's BEAUTIFUL!

[Birdsgottafly]

Yes it is, it was, as i said put down to one staff member but theres no way she could have done it on her own. I lived by a very large park with ponds etc, it wasn't uncommon for people to lose or abandon dogs there.

Whilst walking my dog i was stopped and asked if i had seen a GS that was a regular user of the park (all the dog walkers knew each other). I phoned the dog warden, who i knew through me picking up stray dogs and taking them home with me (the park led onto a very busy road), whilst tracing the owners. He confirmed that he had taken two GS's to the rescue but when i phoned as well as the dog that i was re-homing not being there, she said they had no GS's in, so i went down to find three there.

I phoned the dog warden and the owner of the missing dog, who also phoned to be told that they had none in. They went there and found their dog, that started the complaint.

Another man had been walking past a building site and saw his dog chained up inside, it traced back to the centre.

But she could not have managed to always answer the telephone and do all of the paperwork, she only worked two days a week.

[Birdsgottafly]

I got kinsey from a lad who's mum had won the lottery and they were planning, on travelling so couldn't keep her, in all credit to him, although he sold me her cheap (he knew both me and my DP and wanted a good home for her), he kept her papers so we wouldn't breed from her, i didn't feel offended. Its like all of my dogs have been 'gifted' to me.

[Vallhala]

That's horrific!

As if it's not dangerous enough to sell/give away a dog to a stranger on the free ads... but you turn to rescue thinking you're doing the right thing! With the vast majority of course, as you know, you would be... but this! Shocking and wicked.

Funnily I always end up on first name terms with local dog wardens too, because of taking strays in! I even ended up dating one DW as a result!

Back to where and how people offload their dogs - this is a sobering tale of what not to do