Well we have been pretty lucky throughout the years and we have always gotten our cats from the litters of other cats in the family. I still have a vivid memory of traveling all the way up north to my Aunt's house to pick my cat when I was a kid, and seeing the bright orange and white guy in the lack of all grey and black cats, and I just had to have him. He was the best friend I ever had too, and I really miss that little guy. Thanks for the good memories, and thanks for sharing.
Although I have never actually rescued a dog from a shelter, I did take on a puppy that was slightly deformed and was quite sick. I was living in Egypt at the time and the breeder was going to have her put to sleep because no one would have wanted her. I told him, no way, there was someone who would want her, and that person was me! So I got her for free, nursed her back to health and her deformity is no bother to her at all. My second little puppy is also a bit deformed in his legs and will be having an operation. I had him early off of someone who was just going to get rid. Luckily I heard about it through the grapevine so gave him a few pounds and took the pup away with me. He wouldn't listen to reason to keep the pups with their mum for just another four weeks, and I helped to find new forever homes for the others.
I only adopt my pets. I feel like it is better to adopt one because you are essentially saving it and they are just as good as a dog you would buy. I understand some people want a certain breed but for me I'm not very picky and I would rather adopt one.
i have a cat but haven't buy from any shop she just came in my home from somewhere and was injured badly. At that time she was a sweet kitten of few days but now she is a sweet cat and never leaves without me.
Before I used to live in a pet-friendly neighborhood and I had a lot of cats and dogs. Many were adopted. I remember adopting one old dog which was a Poodle mix. He was a very intelligent dog. And he was good with the younger dogs, too. I have also bought some. There was a purebred Bangkeaw dog which I bought for about $100. I had also bought Persian cats. However, for cats, most of the time, I just adopted. There were so many kittens being discarded at the wet market. At one time, I was bringing home a kitten or two every day.
I have mostly had pets that were found homeless, or were given away, except for my Chipper, whom I bought when he was a puppy. However, I do not see any reason not to buy a puppy if a person wants to do that. The homeless dogs are the fault of people irresponsibly letting their pets breed, and then giving away puppies which end up in shelters when they are no longer a puppy. It is not the result of breeders selling an expensive puppy, which is usually cared for all its life by the person who wanted it bad enough to spend all of that money just to buy the puppy. To say adopting is the only way is just like telling people they should not have their own children because there are orphans in the world.
I've had cats most of my life, and all but one were strays that adopted me, or shelter pets I adopted. One was given to me years ago, and I had him as a solo pet for 16 years. I have seen way too many abandoned pets running loose and many offered for free or for a small fee, to buy one. The small fees charged are usually to weed out those who aren't serious about adopting, or looking for free pets, because sometimes those people use the free pets as bait for fight dogs. There is usually an adoption fee when you adopt from a shelter here in the U.S., and it often covers the cost of initial vaccines and fixing the pet.
You are right. Adopting is just one of the ways of getting a pet. It should not be regarded as the only right way to get a pet. Same with pure breeds. Some people say any dog is just as adorable. However, pure breeds are not there for no purpose. They are bred for a specific purpose. If that's exactly what you want, then go ahead and pay for it.
I belong to the local facebook group for lost and found dogs, and it is sad to see how many dogs are found by someone because they were just dumped out by their owner. Most of these dogs are not purebred dogs, just some sort of mongerel, and apparently the owner just got tired of taking care of them and dumped them out on the road somewhere. On the other hand, the dogs listed as lost are often purebred dogs that have either been stolen from someone's yard, or a gate was left open accidently and they escaped. The owners will sometimes post a reward, and are looking all over for their lost dog. There is just a definite difference in the way that the dogs are treated and cared about. Naturally, this is not true all of the time, and there are people who have a dog that was given to them, and they love and care for it the same as if it were an expensive purebred; but sadly, dogs have often become just another throw-away item that people want when it is a cute puppy and not when it becomes and adult ill-mannered dog that they have not trained.
I have lived close to a vet before. He ran his own dog shelter. Sometimes I saw very old dogs being sent to him to put to sleep. He would never do that. Instead, he would take care of the dog himself. I believe there should be an ongoing campaign to educate people on the proper care of pets. As long as there are people who think that pets are not much more than toys, then we will still have pets which are thrown away after they have outlived their cuteness appeal.
I prefer to adopt. There are a lot of great animals out there, including pure breeds, and they all need homes. To me, it's less about the breed and more about the personality of the animal. I see animals more as friends than as showpieces, and I want one that likes me and one that I like as well. With my usual pets, fish, I mostly have to buy them. I've found a lot of wonderful, healthy fish in feeder tanks with beautiful markings. I've rehomed goldfish when people couldn't keep their pet for whatever reason, and I treat them well by giving them plenty of space, good food, and medical treatment if they need it. I try not to buy fish that are captured in the wild, and instead look for fish raised on a fish farm or ones sold to pet stores from breeders.
My cat was actually a barn cat from down the street. My family and I befriended her family by putting cat food on our porch. They gradually would venture closer and closer to us, and some would even let us pet them. We tried to catch the cats, but only were able to catch one, my current cat. We trained her to go inside and outside, and of course brought her to a vet for her shots. I don't really support shelters (well, at least not the kill shelters), so I would never buy an animal from there. On the other hand, buying a cat from anywhere else is expensive!
If you like cats or dogs but cannot have them in your house, you can still bring food to them, wherever they might be. Where I used to live in Thailand, I see many Thais doing this on a daily basis. Some of them would even buy cat food or dog food on purpose to feed the stray cats and stray dogs. This is a good thing. It works both ways. The strays get food. The people is the area gets the benefits of having cats and dogs without having them in the house. There are many lanes where groups of stray dogs would be on guard against intruders and strangers because the people in the lanes feed the dogs.
I always wanted to buy myself a bunny in light of the fact that they are playful, cute, fluffy and most of all, I love rabbits! Yeah I really want to adopt bunnies particularly the Angora rabbit. Sadly, in our place, I don't think anyone does ever sell one. And haven't actually seen one in our place, only the New Zealand rabbits and Lionhead rabbits. But still I'm hoping to buy one soon
I didn't buy my last pet I would say it's like I adopted. A family friend who had so many puppies at one time gave me one of the puppies as a gift. This was how I got my last pet. After a while it was all grown and healthy. One thing I wasn't too happy about is that it was a male, would have preferred a female.
I have a pair of pigeons as pets. I used to feed them daily for the past six months and now they have become pets. They come straight into my apartment during lunch time and patiently wait for their meals. And then they fly away, enjoying their freedom. They come back in the evening and fly back after dinner. It feels great to pet a pigeon. Initially, they were scared to come close to me but now I feed them with my own hands. Pigeons are lovely and intelligent birds. During the rainy season, they spend the night in my apartment and I make the necessary arrangements for them. Indeed, I have developed a loving bond with them and I hope to continue our relationship further.
My dog is a rescue dog from China, He is almost a victim of a dog meat festival. There are foundations out there that gives Chinese dogs homes outside their country. My cats I just picked them up as kittens in the streets. I prefer adopting kittens over adult cats. It is hard for me to train adult cats because they were too independent and teaching them how to use a liter box is a challenge for me. Kittens are faster learners.
Well I have a stray cat and a stray dog for pets. My wife wanted a Chow chow but I was not okay with the idea of buying such a dog since it costs a lot and it would be more like having a baby than having a pet.
My family has adopted our pets or picked up stray animals. It's best to house those living less fortunate than purchasing ones that are being cared for better. You can use the money you would normally use on purchasing one to purchase more things for the adopted pet. You do better by adopting and you save money for yourself.
My last two dogs was adopted for US $250 each. To be honest I could easily buy dogs for less. For me the purchase price is not a big part of the decision. The purchase price is such a small percentage of the overall lifetime cost of having a dog. Sure I adopted but I was paying for a good portion of the 'rescue' expenses in transporting and neutering the animal all the same. To me what really doesn't make sense is people who pay a lot up front, but also buy a pedigree animal with a host of congenital health issue who is going to cost them a fortune for veterinary treatment. IMHO: the best dog is a nice healthy neuter mutt who will have a long healthy life. Pay whatever adoption fee you like, it'll be worth it.
