No dogs for sale? Cities ban pet store animals

Sherry Lee forwarded this article to me yesterday, and I just had to post it here to share.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37359894/ns/health-pet_health/

Here, here!

With the extremely high numbers of abandoned/dumped companion animals (not to mention the overpopulation due to non spaying and neutering), some parts of our society are finally doing something more about it. (It’s amazing that the average person doesn’t know just how high those numbers are. It’s quite literally appalling.)

Personally, I have always had purebred dogs with a couple of mixes in there, but ALL have literally been rescued from along the river or adopted from a shelter or rescue group. ALL of our cats have the same story as I know the phenomenal numbers of unwanted cats and kittens out there. It doesn’t say a whole lot for our society. I NEVER give ANY BUSINESS to a pet shop which sells dogs and/or cats. Regardless of what they may say about home-raised puppies, no breed worth their salt sells to a pet shop. But ignorance abounds or I hear “He was the last one; how could I leave him there?” You turn on your heel and walk OUT. Why, because the owner of that show will quickly fill the vacancy with ANOTHER PUP and hope for another sucker to walk through the door.

Our remedial “child”, McTavish, a three-quarters Australian Shepherd, is now 9 1/2 years old – he was adopted from Australian Shepherd Rescue in Binghamton, NY at seven and a half weeks of age. He was the tenth pup from that litter to be adopted (There were eleven in that litter! The bitch and her litter were confiscated from the basement breeder who was going to put the whole litter to sleep because it was a bad time of the year – January).

Many of you know Berries, short for Blueberries (no, I didn’t name her, that’s the name she came with – a two-year old child named her for the “blueberries” on her front legs before I got her) – she came to me when she was a one-year old purebred Australian Shepherd. She had a wild/work mentality – the dog from hell. She had been owned by a professor at East Stroudsburg University who took her to ONE training course (and like so many people, expected her to be trained – DUH. So, you send your kids to kindergarten and then expect them ready to go to Harvard? I think not!) and tied Berries in the backyard until she came home from work. The woman moved on to NC to teach there and decided she didn’t need a dog. Berries is now FOURTEEN and going strong for her age. She still lets McTavish know when he’s getting pushing and he quickly steps back and says, “Yes, ma’am!” but first and foremost, she only became the dog we love today because we worked hard to retrain her. But like so many trainers, we get the dogs nobody else can handle or wants. Someday, I’d like to work a little less hard on fixing somebody else’s mess.

Occasionally, I toy with the idea of purchasing a purebred border collie but then remember all those horrific numbers in the shelters and rescues and all those big eyes looking at the humans passing by, ignoring them and unknowingly pushing them a bit closer to the gas chamber. I just can’t do it. There are just TOO MANY GOOD dogs and cats who need a forever home through no fault of their own. So, when Larry and I are ready for another dog, I’ll be contacting Border Collie Rescue in Morris, NY as well as keeping an ear open for what’s in the loop looking for a forever home. If I can get the dog BEFORE it reaches a rescue, then that is one less burden the rescue or shelter has to handle. Unfortunately, it is too often that somebody has a convenient allergy so they don’t have to feel guilty about surrendering their dog when they had no time for the animal to start with and never should have gotten a dog in the first place. Or this one – “we have to get RID of the dog (cat) because we have a baby.” Most of you know my response to that one and it isn’t nice.

Those in rescue hear these lies every single day. Pretty pathetic for “educated” human adults. But, it’s great to see that a number of local governments in the various states are FINALLY taken this responsible step. Hope they stick to their guns, because there just aren’t enough hands reaching out to help these animals, even in some small way. So, if you see a can somewhere for donations, stick just a dollar in it; it adds up. EVERY little bit helps. Or an hour once a week to clean litter boxes or walk a dog, or even ONCE A MONTH. Can you imagine the impact that would have?

Here’s a big GOLD STAR to all of you who have helped in some way to rescue an animal or help a rescue group or shelter! Here, here! (A really BIG gold star!)

Thanks for listening,
Fran

Fran D. Kramer, CPDT-KA
Common Sense Behavioral Training & Pet Services
CommonSensePetServices.com

Ironically, I just read the entire article, and it doesn’t shock me that it’s New Mexico, where Gov. Richardson just a short time ago, banned the gassing of animals state wide. Talk about stepping up to the plate. It’s an awesome feeling to remember where we were in New Mexico just a year ago. Read about it by clicking here. ~Gisele