For all pet owners, when you got yours, did you bought it at a pet store or you picked a pet up at a kennel? I am asking this because I saw a piece of news recently where they replaced the dogs from the store from the ones coming from kennels and no one saw the difference. Would that be something that matters to you?
I suppose it would depend on how expensive the breed of dog I was getting. It would be too easy for a pet store to have an animal that was supposed to have papers and blood line verification, put it up for sale then 'bait and switch' the customer. For instance they could offer a pure blood poodle, make the sale, get another unregistered poodle from the kennels and deliver that one to the purchaser instead. Then resale the poodle to another customer later down the road; so starts the vicious cycle. I would hate to purchase an animal that I thought was registered, only to find out that something like that occurred. I would have no idea of the animals medical history or linage. It could end up being very heartbreaking.
I advocate adoption because there are so many adorable, kind, and wonderful pets waiting at your local shelter. Buying a pet from a pet store or a breeder only advocates backyard breeding. If you have will only see how pets are treated just so they will "produce" more puppies or kittens, your heart will break. Please adopt a pet. Don't shop! Dogs, cats, and other animals are the same no matter what their "breed" is.
My cat came from a litter of kittens that a family friend was giving away, but if I have the opportunity to bring another cat into my home, I plan to adopt. Only natural, as I volunteer at an animal shelter. There’s one cat in particular I’d love to bring home, in fact, but my cat simply doesn’t tolerate other animals. Alas.
Yes, it would be something that mattered to me. Whenever I have looked for a new pet, I go to animal shelters...always always always. There are SO many animals that are sweet and loving and would truly appreciate a good home, and it's not their fault that they are locked in a kennel. So go to your local animal shelter or no kill shelter (even better but you might end up paying a bit more) and adopt!
I purchased my parakeets from a pet shop. I do not know where else you would get them unless from someone who had tongue their birds away due to moving or something. My family had a cat that found us and wouldn't leave. My sister now has two cats that she got from a family whose cat got out and got pregnant before they had gotten her fixed.
I understand that some people might consider important to have a dog of a certain breed or even a cat, but at the same time when there are so many animals being killed, wouldn't it be wiser to save an animals life instead of spending a lot of money buying one?
Definitely go to a shelter to get a dog or a cat. Honestly, if you leave some food outside your residence, it's almost a given that you'll start attracting the local stray cats - then just take in the ones you like and get along with. In fact, some of our local cat shelters have been known to fix the stray cats, then let them loose in good neighborhoods, assuming someone would eventually take them in. That happened with all three of our cats - we brought them in to get fixed, only to find out they were already fixed. With dogs, it's kind of pointless to fuss so much over getting some strictly controlled "breed". You can get a wonderful dog from the shelter, already fixed and with all it's necessary shots, for under $150 these days. Plus you're dog will be far more unique, especially if it's some sort of mixed breed. They are often so grateful to get out of there too, that they instantly bond with you for rescuing them.
I didn't know that if we go to a shelter we actually need to buy it, I thought we could get them for free considering they are about to be shot down no? But I do agree with your general line of thinking, if there are so many animals on the streets why to pay to get one?
Even when you get an animal from a shelter you end up paying for injections and medications etc. I would rather go to a shelter as you will be saving an animal and giving it a much needed home. Some people prefer certain breeds of animals and will prefer to buy as my landlady did. She only liked a certain breed of dog and traveled from the east coast to the west to find one. That's a bit too extreme, but she had money then and too much time on her hands.
OK, so even if it's from a shelter we have expenses, so just imagine if it's from a pet shop. Some pets cost hundreds of dollars and even if it's from a special breed, is it really justifiable considering other animals are about to die and we can get them for free?
It makes a difference to me. Especially if its a kill shelter. When you see the pets at the pet store they are very well taken care of. Clean, lots of attention, no fleas and ticks, etc. At a shelter, though, they're just taking up space until its their time to be put down. They don't get attention like they need, they are covered in ticks and fleas, they are actually really depressed. Did you know dogs can cry? If you want to see it for yourself go to any animal shelter in the United States and look in those dogs eyes. Especially the ones who were abandoned by someone they love. They usually never have a chance to recover and be happy again, either. So I always get mine from the shelter. The only part I hate about it is that I can't take them all home.
Some people do have preferences and we can’t really fault them for that, as long as they’re not living beyond their means just to have a certain breed of animal. Honestly, if I had much more disposable income I would have both a shelter cat and a purebred one. It’s kind of a silly, selfish dream of mine, because I just love the look of a Birman or Abyssinian cat. I can say if I had both the shelter cat and the purebred, I’d love them equally, though. To me, a cat’s a cat, that’s that.
It's a matter of social organization even at this level. Sure, we have the right to buy what we want as long as we can afford it, but it's not exactly wise or rational both from the economical or human perspective, considering there are animals being killed.
I'd rather adopt stray cats and dogs roaming about the streets. I just think these creatures need more care than those in the pet stores (at least in my own perspective). Even if they don't look as fancy or aren't highly bred, they're still domesticated animals and basically helpless when you leave them to themselves. We've adopted five cats and been given a few dogs by friends. So far, we've never purchased a pet. They came into our lives without a cost.
Yes, picking the animals up from the streets is another option, it's even more hard work as far as I see it because you have less choice and you need to clean the animal and make it legal, but at the same time it has to be more rewarding from the human perspective.
I would rather adopt a pet from a shelter because there are a lot of options to choose from in there. Not only will it save you a lot of money but you can also help spare the lives of these animals because as far as I know, they will kill the animals in the shelters when they become overpopulated. I know, it's a sad thing to witness.
We never had to buy a pet, all of our pets were given to us for free since their owners didn't want them anymore. We had been given purebreed dogs too. I won't mind adopting a pet, but I also want to buy a purebreed cat someday too, like a Persian or Siamese cat, so I guess I have to pick both.
The only thing I don't like about adopting pets is the fact that you don't have much choice. You take whatever is offered. But I usually prefer getting my pets when they are still very young so anytime I need a new pet then I'll opt to buy . . . the cutest.
