Are shelter dogs America’s throwaway dogs? It’s #NationalPetDay, so it’s a good time to ask this question.I did some digging. I went to 11 shelter websites in CA, NV, TX, AL, SC, and NY, and looked at their adoption fees for adult dogs/puppies. The range for all dogs was $0 to $150, with the average adoption fee of $70 for an adult dog. Now compare that $70 average fee to a “Family of Four Feast” at Red Lobster for $136.99, an annual Netflix subscription for $167+, or a monthly cell phone bill for an F-O-F...
What do Brooklyn, Kosmo, and Numi have in common?They were adopted from shelters. They were returned to the shelter by their adopters shortly after their adoption. They’re all dead.This is not a post meant to depress, but to raise awareness of a heart-wrenching reality that often goes unnoticed in the world of animal rescue: the plight of returned rescue/shelter dogs.Did you know that six out of ten dogs adopted from a shelter are returned within two months?For many people who decide to add a dog to their home, they opt to go the shelter route,...
I begin with the moral of this story: never underestimate the difference one person can make in the life of an animal. This is Missy. She was being held in Miami Dade Animal Care & Control (ACC) since October 23, 2021. I first came across her when she hit my Twitter feed in late December 2021. She was tweeted from another Twitter account that is heavily into broadcasting animals in shelters. Missy at this point was retweeted 539 times9 (shown in green at the bottom of the photo). Having people like and retweet , in...
I’ve owned, loved and cared for dogs for over 30 years, and I want to help you form and have the same special relationship with your pup that I’ve had with all of mine. And that includes dealing with the problems that occasionally crop up that leave you wondering “am I the only one with this problem” – no you are not.Let’s talk. But first, know this. If you surrender your dog to a shelter that’s run by your city or county, know that this kind of shelter is a kill shelter, because that’s the...
Erdogan’s Cruel Attempt to Eradicate Stray DogsIf you’re an animal lover, or more specifically, you love dogs, then what is happening now in Turkey should outrage you. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, gave a divisive speech on Christmas day, which is polarizing a country already facing high inflation amid other problems. Responding to an incident where a four-year old child was attacked by two pitbulls, (who were NOT strays, and did have an owner) Erdogan issued a call for stray dogs to be rounded up and sent to shelters. “I consider it an important service to...
Should You Adopt a Rescue / Shelter Dog?At the time of this writing, now that we’re just a couple of days away from Christmas and then the New Year’s holiday, some of you may be making the final decision as to whether to adopt a puppy or a dog, whether to yourself or family. And should you get a rescue, shelter dog? Well, I’ll answer that question with a question – are you prepared mentally, emotionally, financially, and physically to care for dog. I have an 8-part YouTube series, To Puppy or Not to Puppy,...
Adoption is forever – If you’re not prepared, don’t do itThis short video, that a friend of mine shared on Facebook, has haunted me and struck a nerve. The video is about 4 minutes, but is very powerful, and has over 39 million views. The ending is unexpected and the film says more about adoption in three minutes than some films, speeches and websites can say in paragraphs and pages. If you know someone who is seriously considering adopting a pet, please share this video. So many people who want to adopt pups, start out with a good...
Passing along a blog /vlog that is worthy of your timeBeing a long-time dog owner, I am always a sucker for the websites that have anything to do with all things dog, or animals in general (except reptiles — can’t get into those).I’ve been a long-time follower of this site, The Orphan Pet, which began as a blog in my inbox one day, and then later developed into a YouTube channel, Patreon, and a Facebook page as well.The Orphan Pet is a labor of love by Valia, the owner of the channel, the photographer, videographer and most importantly, the storyteller. Valia...
Rufo, the shelter dog, waits six years for his perfect personThis is a brief story and video that will warm your heart and feed your soul.I found this originally on Lifewithdogs.tv, which, by the way, is a great site for both informative videos and et cetera if you love dogs.We’ve all read the “Lassie, Come Home” type of stories and seen the woman rescues a dog, man loves dog videos, and this one is in the latter category. But, this one IS different. A municipal shelter homes a dog, Rufo, for six years and doesn’t give up...
