Not to rant too much, but I really think you’re painting with too broad of a brush when it comes to breeders and the pet owners who buy from them. I’m guessing if you saw my dog still had his testicles you might give me a look to show your disapproval or go so far as to talk to me about neutering my dog before I could…

Agreed, but who trained those dogs? It takes a skilled trainer or animal behaviorist to help dogs overcome trauma or a engrained behavior. I’m neither of those, so I chose to start with a dog that didnt have to overcome those challenges to begin with.

I agree that coming from breeder or being purebred has little bearing on whether a dog can become a therapy dog. I linked to an organization in another comment that trains shelter dogs to become therapy dogs for veterans with PTSD.

The only drawback with the one I mentioned is that it’s breed and location specific. It’s called the Pit Pals Program. But they also offer low-cost spay/neuter certificate that’s accepted by almost 200 participating veterinary hospitals.

Also where are you that someone is paying $25 to adopt a dog? The shelter I volunteer at charges $250.00-$450.00 for dogs and $550.00 for puppies.

I think part of the solution is regulation and the other part is funding more open admission shelters so that there’s enough space for dogs to stay awhile and find the right home. It wouldn’t be perfect, but it would be a start.

But the solution isn’t to disparage all breeders and the people that buy from them. There should be regulation. If that means there’s less breeders and it costs more then so be it. It should be hard to get a dog, whether its from a breeder or a shelter. It’s a lifetime responsibility.

In the hands of the specialist rescue staff, most of these dogs can be transformed into a gentle, loving animals that are perfectly safe around children and other pets.

That’s good to know.

I think its less about being purebred and more about temperament. Many shelter dogs, even puppies, have been given a very rough start in life. These dogs will make great family pets, and I know some would also be great service dogs. The proof is here.

He doesn’t have to be a therapy dog. We just wanted our next dog to have a purpose and give back in some way. Our first beagle was the gentlest dog you ever met, but he wasn’t great with commands and we would never have been able to get him to sit still long enough to pass the CGC. Our current dog is both gentle and…

Is it binging if you fall asleep and Netflix just keeps serving up the next episode? I swear I’ve started watching one episode of Criminal Minds, fallen asleep and then woken up two episodes later to stumble off to bed.

Fuck breeders and fuck vain people that “need” purebred dogs to accent their vacant lifestyles.

Silly Kinja. I meant to reply to taylor’s comment about responsible breeders taking back puppies so they don’t end up in shelters.

Our breeder told us to contact her first if there was any chance we couldn’t keep our puppy. She’d actually taken one back from the previous year’s litter. They were going to try and place her with another family, but she got along so well with her older sister, mom and grandmother that they decided to keep her. We’re…

So sorry to hear that. Maybe it depends on the size of the dog? We have a beagle and a king-size bed, so everyone has plenty of room. He also hates really small spaces, so a crate was never really an option. We gated him in our dining room during the day for a few months, but now I just take him to work with me and I…

I like that. I’m also hoping that if I do have a kid, he’d sleep with them once they’re old enough.

Not the same, but we got a puppy last summer and found that co-sleeping with him was the best option in terms of dealing with his tiny bladder. He would start to shift around, and since I’m a light sleeper, that would be my cue to get up and take him out. By the time he was 5 months old he was sleeping through the…

I see nothing inflammatory or off-topic in my comments. You said:

You don’t have to be a Buddhist to respect all living things. I’m not a Buddhist, but I choose to reflect on and abide by their teachings to live a happier life. I see a lot of anger in your comments. I wonder if you would benefit from their teachings.