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[Zipper]

An animal shelter and a rescue can be very different. Both are filled with great dogs that just need a good home and a second chance.
 
I just adopted an older dog from a rescue, and he couldn't be more perfect for us.
 
"Good" rescues are very selective about matching up a dog to a home. They know the personality of their dogs, test them for compatibility with children, cats and other animals, and will come to your home and do a home inspection to be sure you are a good match for the dog as well. Their vet papers are up to date, shots are current, and the animals are usually neutered and/or spayed before they adopt them out. This is a "good" rescue.
 
They may or may not know the history of the dog, but in some instances, the more mature dog can be a total blessing. My new "kid" has all of his manners, is housebroken (something you have to spend a lot of time doing if you get a puppy) and though he still enjoys play time, he is just as content sitting here at my feet while I am working.
 
Puppies have LOTS of energy... and get bored easily, and chew on everything, and need a lot of supervision. However, they will also grow with your family and develop a loyalty to you based on how they are treated in your home and the amount of training you can give them.
 
Whether you are fond of Shepherds, Poodles, or mixed breeds, the truth is that any of them will make a great pet. The shelter or rescue should play an important role in helping you select the right dog for your family.
 
Just please, do not buy from a breeder. The reasons are so numerous that I will narrow it down to two...
 
#1) Breeders only breed to sell puppies and make money. Very few breeders are doing it for any other reason, despite their claims to be "improving the breed" or other such nonsense. They see quick dollar signs, and while they may inquire as to the home they are selling to, I've seen the results of breeder's top quality dogs being mistreated, and abandoned in shelters, so really, all they care about is the money. That's the bottom line. Otherwise, they would see the needless, mindless, insanity of dogs being put to death because there are not enough good homes for them now, and stop breeding. But they don't.
 
If you buy from a breeder, you are buying their "product" and encouraging them to breed more and sell more. If there is no demand, the supply would stop, or at least slow down.
 
#2) While the breeders are breeding more and more dogs and selling them for profit, more and more animals are dying in shelters, waiting for a good home. Animal shelters and rescues are FULL of thoroughbred dogs as well as "mutts", so it's just as easy to find and adopt a needy rescue dog in the breed of your choice, puppies too... and you are helping to save a life.  For example, if you wanted a Lab puppy, find a Lab rescue in your area (the internet is full of them) and inquire if they have puppies.

Take your time, find the right dog for your family and then commit for life.
 
 

 
A purebred 3 year old pug available at the ANNA Shelter.
www.theannashelter.com
 
Here's a Beagle:

 
 
and... a Schnauzer.

 
Whomever bred and sold these dogs probably thought they were going to good homes, and here they are in a shelter, looking for people to love them.
 
The insanity has to stop sometime. Let it stop with each of us here.
 
 
 
 
 

[E-L Man]

rubarb is my sister, and i can   say her neighbors  dogs are very small, and  cute.  but they are expensive, starting at around $600. they are purebred shitzu's. if you have the money to spend . , they are sure worth it. i would love to have 1, but i also have asthma, so  no pets  for me..

Not only are they expensive, they are fairly high maintenance as well. Any dog with a pug nose will have breathing problems sooner or later. My sister had one and it always seemed to have a problem with the breathing . 
 
I would have a beagle if I wanted a small dog. I guess I say that because I like dogs that look like a dog instead of these lab experimental looking crossbred dogs (?). They've gone to far in crossbreeding and it is causing our pets to become sickly, hi-strung and with chronic health probles.

[Zipper]

"They've gone to far in crossbreeding and it is causing our pets to become sickly, hi-strung and with chronic health probles. "

That's so true. $600 a pup is why ANY breeder is breeding. Period.

I know... maybe he's a "nice guy" in all other aspects of his life, loves his wife, kids, donates regularly to his church and UNICEF and Meals on Wheels, and may even treat his dogs well, but until the last dog at the last shelter is adopted, what he is doing is just plain wrong. Only he doesn't see it that way, and so until people stop bying his "product" he'll keep making the Mama breed, and selling more of her pups at $600 each. (Or $50... it doesn't matter.)

Some claim that's to recoup vet bills for getting them their shots, and de-wormed, but it's all the same, they're making puppies while others are dying.

At this point in the game, it's pretty much a black and white answer. Rescues and shelters can not keep up with breeders and irresponsible pet owners, and so good loving dogs and cats are killed, and none of our lawmakers have said "STOP". So we have to say it because it's the right thing to do.

Spay and neuter should be mandatory across the board. Even good working dogs, like those that assist the blind and physically challenged, can come from shelters and be trained.

Small dogs, large dogs, and everything inbetween can be found at a shelter or breed-specific rescue.

I think the ANNA Shelter houses about 75 cats at any given time, so they are included in this argument about spay and neuter. Bob Barker preached it for years.

[Zipper]

I don't have any facts or figures to back this up, but for every $600 (just using that number now since it was thrown out there) a breeder makes, can you imagine how much money is spent on trying to save an unwanted dog? That money comes out of other people's pockets.

When you shirk your responsibilities, it costs other people to have to make that up for you. The responsibility doesn't go away, it just becomes absorbed by others.

Another example:
If you don't go to work, then other people have to work to support you, feed you, clothe you, and care for your kids.

If you shoplift a candy bar, then other people have to pay for that with higher prices, security cameras watching everyone in the store, and loss of just a little of all of our privacy.

Can anyone else contribute with some other examples?

[Zipper]

Let me rephrase that....

"If you choose not to go to work"... big difference there between not being able, and not wanting to.....

[TiFeMb]

If you choose to smoke, drink, overeat and end up needing massive amounts of healthcare: We all pay.
 
If you chain your dog up outside all night and he barks because he's lonely, the neighborhood pays with lost sleep, the employer pays with unproductive workers, and the school pays with tired kids.

[Zipper]

27 ways pets can improve your health:

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=105279

[Zipper]

If you choose to smoke, drink, overeat and end up needing massive amounts of healthcare: We all pay.
 
If you chain your dog up outside all night and he barks because he's lonely, the neighborhood pays with lost sleep, the employer pays with unproductive workers, and the school pays with tired kids.

True!

[gennygirl]

well, i didnt mean to get a shit storm started, cuz i  mentioned the price of these puppies.  ive seen them, they r cute.  i dont know much about the shelters, i did not know you  could get  purebred puppies there.  before i had asthma, i adopted a dog from CCHS, he was a mutt,  but we had  fun with him,.  i in no way condone puppy mills, or breeders for money.  i guess  next time before i speak, i will research, what im speaking  about

[Zipper]

...guess  next time before i speak, i will research, what im speaking  about

That's not at all necessary. My comments were not aimed at you, rather I was taking the opportunity to educate others by pointing out the problems with breeding in this day and age.

Most people don't know, and many have no idea in the least why it's "wrong" to breed. After all, it's not against the law, and puppies are so fun to have around. And there's money to be made.

It's like before ...when fur was acceptable, even a "status symbol" to own and wear. Now no one wears furs with any conscience because they are more aware of the cruelty involved. It was never outlawed, it became a social taboo.

I heard that PETA gives old mink coats to their shelter animals for beds to lay on. Seems sort of fitting.

My neighbor had a dog tied up for years and years. I was just a kid, but I remember once in a while the neighbor would let him loose and he would run the neighborhood. He was a black lab, probably would have been a great pet if anyone ever paid any attention to him, but we were all afraid of him as kids, and rightfully so. Tied dogs will attack more readily than an unchained pet. And he wasn't very welcoming when we went near him.

What I am saying is at one time I didn't know either, but once you learn a better way, then there's no returning with a clear conscience.

[Zipper]

I see my photos of the purebreds disappeared. That's a good sign that the ANNA Shelter is changing their website and those dogs may have been adopted or gone to a rescue.

[Amidala]

Speaking of, I looked at Shiny's site a few days ago and it is all re-done.

[CindyLouWho]

My 18 y.o. long hair can not manage her coat on her own any more.  She really doesn't even make much of an effort to tell the truth.  And she used to be so meticulous about it.  We used to joke that all she did 24/7 was lick herself to maintain her beautiful coat.  In the spring and fall both I have to brush her a lot and always end up clipping her to some extent at least in the fall cause she mattes up on her back side.  Right now she is matting a little under her mane....which is new.  She is doing her spring shedding and just can't keep up.  I'm just going to clip her mane a bit today just to help her out and make things easier for both of us.  I have had her 17 years.....we have a very cool relationship.  I swear she thinks she's people.

[precisionpest]

CLW, absolutely! once they "evolve" to maturity they become 1 with the family. what i mean is, you dont own them, they own you!! sometimes they are more like parents. they tell you when they are hungry or want to go outside! did you ever notice at bedtime, they look at you as though to say young man/lady, it's time to go to bed! lol!! 

[precisionpest]

zip, i contacyed the anna shelter, ruth wasn't in so the lady said i should email her & send pics of the puppies. here they are for everyone. first pic is cleo, the second is throttle with cleo on the right.