Where do pets come from?

I’m not talking about the birds and the bees, I mean from where will you adopt your cat or dog?  Odds are that your cat or dog will come from one of four sources, an animal shelter, animal control, rescue organization or breeder.  Here is an overview of the pros and cons of each source.

Animal control

Animal Control is the entity that your tax dollars help support.  They’ll usually be called by the county of residence animal control, XXX County Animal Control for example.   If it’s really called XXX, then Vin Diesel has really gone down hill or maybe you need to speak with your local politicians about their side jobs. 

Some county run animal shelters have closely related non-profit organizations that help them with fundraising and other goals. 

Animal control is responsible for responding to calls on dangerous animals, picking up dead animals and, space allowing, accepting stray or unwanted pets.  Once an animal is accepted into animal control they   have five to seven days to get adopted before being euthanized.  This is done due to space restrictions as animal control is always full and they must operate under the fact that each day an assumed number of animals will arrive. 

Most pets from animal control won’t be fixed or have any of their shots, but their adoption price will be discounted to reflect that. 

Animal shelter

An animal shelter is a stand-alone entity and most of the time is a 501c3 non-profit organization.  Animal shelters get their pets from local animal control or from owners that can no longer care for their pets.  Most pets from animal shelters will be spayed or neutered, have all their shots and be medically good to go. 

Myth#1  The myth is that all pets from a shelter have been abused or has an issue.   All of the shelters that I dealt with were upfront in disclosing all of the information about the pet.  If an animal was abused their situation was clearly explained.

No-kill animal shelters are en vogue and a breed unto themselves almost deserving a specific entry.    In brief, a no kill animal shelter will keep the animal at that shelter until they get adopted.  This type of shelter has their supporters who say that every pet is worth saving, while some folks point out that animals are dying while that cage space is being occupied on a difficult to adopt animal.

Rescue organizations

A rescue organization is similar to an animal shelter, but usually has no central facility and less funding.  Rescue organizations are generally very frugal with their money and have no overhead with staff, office supplies, etc.  Most of the groups that you see at big box pet stores are rescue organizations. 

The upside to adopting from a rescue organization is that the pet is most likely being fostered at somebody’s home.  This is great because the pet will be used to a normal home environment, rather than a shelter which can be noisier and more chaotic for the animal. 

Most pets adopted from a rescue organization will be fixed and have all their shots.   However, because the organizations tend to run a tighter ship they’ll have higher adoption costs, usually around $175.  Depending on the foster parent this slight increase in adoption is well worth it because they’ll house train the pet, socialize them and know many more details about how they behave.

Breeders            

If you’re looking for a pure breed dog you’ll go to these folks.  The upside is that you’ll know 100% what breed you’ll be adopting.

There are numerous downsides to going to a breeder though.  The breeder could just be a backyard breeder, somebody that breeds pets regardless of lineage, physical condition or surroundings.   Did you ever see the Oprah episode where she went undercover to a dog breeder?  It showed hundreds of dogs in dirty, tiny, cramped spaces that were built for a creature the size of a rabbit.   Breeder may put on a good front when you meet them, but the area where the pet was raised is a far cry from reality. 

Fiscally speaking a pet from a breeder will cost upwards of four times the price and won’t have any of the needed shots or medical check-ups.    

I understand the allure of a breeder.  You’re looking for a Himalayan cat, Pomeranian dog or other pure breed so you can breed them and then sell the offspring.   

Odds are, if you go to www.petfinder.comand type in whatever breed you’re looking for that they’ll pop up within 50 miles of your home.  The pet you are looking for can most likely be found locally and most adoption centers list their pets on Petfinder.

You really wanted to breed the pets to make money?  Not to burst your bubble, but that is a silly idea.  If I really wanted a pure breed pet and only a pure breed pet I would go to somebody who has reputation and history in that industry.  Pure breed pet owners already have their networks in place and wouldn’t buy a Pomeranian puppy from some yeehaw that has a sign on a telephone pole. 

Note:  each day 19,000 animals are euthanized in the US, mainly due to space at local shelters.  9 out of 10 puppies sold in the US are from a breeder, factor in that figure with the folks that don’t spay or neuter their pet and that adds up very quickly. 

That fact also drives home the point that loads of pure breed pets are at local shelters or on www.petfinder.com            

Up next:  So you want to adopt a dog, what should you expect…really expect?