Dogs do not choose to go to the Humane Society. There are any number of reasons that they end up there. As a result, some great dogs get housed there during their lifetime. Take Benji for example. The dog that starred in “Benji Off The Leash” was adopted from the Humane Society of South Mississippi after being found abandoned on the streets of Gulfport.
Now, not every dog that is rescued will go on to fame and fortune, but even if they don't, whoever rescues them will generally be very happy they did so. There are thousands and thousands of animals in shelters all over the United States and Canada and most of them would make a great pet.
Just because a dog ends up in a shelter does not mean that it is a poor choice for a pet. There are several valid reasons why the previous owner was not able to keep the dog. They may not have done their homework ahead of time and found that the dog was not what they wanted. They may not have realized how much work a dog can be or it could have been something as simple as having to relocate and not being able to take their dog with them.
There are three main reasons why a dog from the Humane Society should be your first choice when looking for a dog.
First, the shelters across the country are flooded with animals just looking for a home and when you adopt a dog from the shelter, it makes a space available so they can take in another dog.
Second, it’s a lot less expensive to adopt an animal from a shelter than to purchase one from a pet store. For example, the Humane Society lists fees to adopt a dog from $45 to $250, depending on the size, breed, age, location of the shelter and other mitigating factors. These fees include spay/neutering, vaccinations and basic veterinarian care they receive at the shelter. To contrast this with pet store prices, most start at $399 and go up. It is not unusual to see the price for a purebred in the $2,000 to $20,000 range. $250 or less for a pet sounds much better than $300 or more and the one from the pet store or breeder still needs to be spayed or neutered and it still needs to have the rest of its initial vaccinations.
Third, by adopting a Humane Society dog you are saving that dog’s life! It's a sad fact that the shelters just do not have the money to feed, or the space to board all the abandoned animals they take in. So, if a dog goes too long without being adopted, then that dog is destroyed to make room for another animal that may have a better chance of being adopted.
The above are the three main reasons for adopting a pet from the Humane Society. Unfortunately, there are some negatives to getting a dog from the Humane Society. Most dogs that you get from the Society are mature dogs. Some may have behavioral problems caused by something that happened before the dog was taken to the shelter.
It could have been neglected and therefore have poor house training. It could have been abused and be fearful or snappy. If you question the staff who work with the dogs, you can usually get a fairly good idea of what the dog is like because they handle it on a daily basis. They want the adoption to work so they are usually truthful about the dog and quick to tell you all its good and bad points. Because the dog is more mature and has been thoroughly checked out by a veterinarian, they have a fairly good idea of its health and whether it has congenital problems.
When getting an animal from the Humane Society you must understand that it takes patience and understanding in dealing with problems caused by something that happened before you brought the dog home. Some Humane Society shelters, in Canada anyway, will let you bring the dog back during the first 30 days if you find that there are problems with the dog that you cannot handle. They would rather put the dog down than see it causing problems for the new owner or continually being returned because of behavior problems.
You will seldom get that kind of consideration from pet stores. Most consider it yours the minute it leaves their premises. The other thing about pet store dogs is that they are seldom house trained and frequently they have hidden medical problems such as hip dysplasia.
There are several places where you can find dogs to “rescue,” starting with your local Humane Society. A number of cities also have “rescue” groups which work with the ASPCA and retrieve animals that have been subjected to abuse, cruelty or neglect. They also retrieve greyhounds from race tracks where the dog has been injured or worn out. These groups are usually listed in the Yellow Pages or on the bulletin board at the Humane Society. You can also do a Google search if you are looking for a specific breed of dog to adopt, i.e., a Greyhound or a Labrador retriever. You are sure to find plenty of places to pick up a new member of your family. And, when you get a pet, that is what you are doing, adding a new member to your family.
Until next time,
Teia
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