I wanted to find a word that could accurately describe the kind of shameless cynicism that goes into such marketing, but was worried it’d break the thesaurus. The idea that there are commercial breeding operations creating “shelter dogs” as a product to be sold to well-meaning prospective pet owners is so repugnant the first reaction isn’t horror — it’s often disbelief, even anger toward the messenger. In fact, this is a subject we are very careful about bringing up, because it is so hard for a decent person to wrap their head around. “Nobody could do something that despicable! How could you say such a horrible thing?”
Is this another case of unintended consequences?
Always had a dog as a child and when the kids were young. I think it helped to stength our family and was part of the kids being fine people.
We also had times when it was necessary to “put the pet down”. Their kidneys would fail in “old age” and as they normally lived in the house the pet’s shame for mistakes and the health concerns meant I would continue to look after my own and the pet would leave.
Sometimes this was using a veterinarian, if the animal was a house pet or the kids not ready to accept the standard approach.
Occasionally it meant an unwanted and unexpected litter of kittens would quickly be placed in a gunny sack. This must sound terrible in today’s society when pets are family.
Dogs could normally be placed somewhere in a rural setting, cats were always welcome around a barn.
However as the family farms left eastern society the barns became fewer. The urban folks would just drive to the country and open the car door for the cat to survive on their own.
Conflict startd with the successful development of feral cats from cities cluttering the countryside. The loss of song birds, frogs and other small animals was not acceptable.
The solution was Humane Society trucks with “exhaust kennels”. The animals never made it the Humane Society kennels. The Humane part was the control. The failure of the organizations was the change in “mission” from control to placement.
From this exponential growth of hypocrisy and non humane treatment of animals.Why write all of this? I guess to say understand compassion and responsibilities.
Leaving an unwanted pet to fend for themselves might become as acceptable as the casual methods used by some for birth control. Cheers;
How do the breeders sell their “shelter dogs”? To shelters? What shelter buys dogs? Or are people buying shelter dogs at the pet store now?
Is there a worldwide lead projectile shortage?
makes one think of the welfare cheque that is tied to the # of kids a family has. If they wanted more money, just crank out another kid. Call it “lives for bucks”, the money is the only concern
reminds me of the time I got a free 40 gallon aquarium. it had a cichlid (sp) in it. the owner beamed about how he ‘rescued’ the thing from the pet store.
I lacked the words to explain to him that the cash he gave the store enabled them to go out and BUY another cichlid.
funny thing was I was unprepared and unwilling to tend the thing so I called up my regular pet store, described the thing and *gave it to them*.
so much for that ‘rescue’.
Is that why California seems to have an inexhaustible supply of Chihuahuas they keep organizing flights for? Apparently they get their own seat and Wifi on the plane.
And beagle abuse turns them into sick puppies who need help.
Hmmm gone into the breeding biz huh? Well, maybe thhe “give us money or we’ll gas these dogs” racket was wearing thin in these days of misplaced morality.
I think the whole dog-ownership thing has become a crusade led (and enforced)by fanatics. Like environmentalism, it is completely detatched from reality.
Meaningless terms like “rescue” and “puppy-mill” are tossed around with a degree of emotional attachment that the owners often deny members of their own species.
I like my dog, I don’t love him. When all is said and done he’s just a dog.
O think this switch occurred when the working class Brit immigrants, who failed to get jobs as Police and Post Office drones, were displaced by the animal rights crazies.
Unintended consequences up to and including holier-than-thou types who descend upon the decision to get a pure-bred and not “rescue” a shelter dog. “We’ll know what kind of diseases he’ll get and how long he’ll live” is apparently a cruel reason to buy from a breeder.
The “humane” industry is just that, an industry. If the donations slow, make sure you crank up a story to ensure it flows again. Worse yet those cheap foreign imports are cutting into their market, better invent a story on disease. Just follow the money. I live in a rural area and went to get a dog at a shelter. I told them I would pay all the fees but would not pay the $100 for the city license. Guess what, no dog. Rather gas him than give up the unwarranted cash.
andycanuck: I see what you did there.
Isn’t this simply symptomatic of everything else that is going on in “political corrections” and “we want to be the bleeding heart nannies of everything and everybody” department?
We can’t find enough abused animals so we have to import them or artificially breed them; we can’t find any more racism so we have to fabricate racism; we can’t find any “homophobia” so we have to invent homophobia; we can’t find any “islamophobia”, et cetera, et cetera.
We’ve created a huge market for “things or people abused or violated” so we have to follow the law of supply and demand and manufacture “abuse” to meet the market demand. It’s the absolute trivialization of tragedy because we are so spoiled and removed from the real thing.
“In fact, this is a subject we are very careful about bringing up, because it is so hard for a decent person to wrap their head around.”
Its called “ethnocentrism”, technically. Otherwise known as the inability to believe the whole world does not share your tender sensibilities about “X”.
In this case X is doggies. Not everyone in the world likes them. Some entire cultures -hate- them the way we hate rats, and for the same reasons.
So, why would I not believe there are some scum of the earth hillbillies breeding dogs for nefarious purposes? If its an income stream, some criminal will be doing it. Its what makes them criminals, right?
I mean, why the shock? There are people who cut cocaine with draino and sell it to little kids too.
Having had a vet clinic I’ve used for twenty years tell animal control something different from what they told me I’m inclined to take the testimony of a group that stands to profit from passage of the bill with a very large grain of salt. (the vet also did not want to do the less expensive heart-worm treatment, I have a new vet. One who keeps up on the research and development of treatments)
As to breeding for “rescue”. Sorry they breed for sale and simply use the same animal transport companies for their out of state(or other long distance) sales. Both breeders and rescues have all animals examined by qualified vets and are upfront with any problems.
genes, you’re living in candyland if you believe breeders and rescues have all their animals examined by vets and/or are upfront about an animal’s problems.
It would be great if they WERE all doing the right thing. But they aren’t.