The rescues and shelters didn't have a dog that met my criteria. I wanted a dog I knew I could take care of and I went out and got him. My other dog, a rescue, is a PITA and there are days I think it may have been kinder to euthanize her than to try to "help". Puppies are one thing. Adult dogs with issues are another. My next dog will probably be a purchased puppy, unless a perfect dog falls into my lap. I just want to set myself and my dog up for success. Euthanizing millions of dogs is sad, but I'm not going to volunteer for problem dog martyrdom out of misplaced guilt.

So OP objects to the term if there is a middle man involved?

 


I wasn't very specific in my post. In a perfect world, I wouldn't have any issue with breeders. And yes, you and Naamah are correct, not every breeder is a problem, a lot do good things, and they serve a purpose. But there are bad breeders as well. Also, bad "buyers".




The situation I referenced is a good example. This woman, who I know personally, is buying a very generic breed for no real reason. I asked her, she said it was cute. She had to wait, because the breeder was sold out temporarily. At the same time, there are probably dozens of options for the same thing at the various shelters within 30 minutes drive. These types of buyers are likely the majority, but that is speculation on my part, no evidence to back it up other than my observations. I also had some former co-workers who purchased pits with the intention of breeding them to make a little extra cash.




As always, I believe in freedom and free market, so people can do what they want.


 

ETA, I don't want to offend anyone, and I'm sorry if I did, but this is just how I see things.

My brother and SIL rescued a dog from a puppy mill run by the Amish.  They adopted the dog after it was seized from the mill.  I'd call that a rescue.

As others have pointed out, "rescue" is the new status symbol.  I suppose it could also be a crutch for bad behavior of the dog but I think it's more often "look at me I'm a do-gooder".

Having your pets spayed and neutered no matter where you get them will do more to solve the issue than taking an animal from a bad situation and then letting it run loose and breed.

When I tell people my other dog is rescue, it's not to brag, it's me making excuses as to why I have such a fucked up dog. I don't want to take responsibility for raising her, because I didn't. I can't speak for other people, but at the park, I hear it quite a bit when folks have imperfect animals. "He was five when I got him" and whatnot.

I'm friends with a vet and one thing he tells everybody is " that dog was at the shelter for a reason." That reason is shitbag owners so yes I'd say if you adopt a pet from a shelter you're rescuing it.

Ha, I hear that.  We got our GSD at 10 months, and it was pretty obvious his dog socialization to that point was lacking.

A dear friend has probably met any reasonable definition of "rescue."   She learned about a dog that was loose and seen in a field.  

She spent several months going to that area to try to coax it to her.  The dog is a pit-like mix.  Eventually she was out in the field and got into a submissive (kneeling face down?) position and the dog came up to her.  The rest is history and the dog is devoted to her.   I recently visited them and the dog was more relaxed towards me that ever before.

She has another dog that was also running loose for a long time but someone else "captured" the dog.  She took a liking to the dog and temporarily fostered the dog.  Once she determined that both dogs would co-exist well, she had adopted another abandoned dog.  The second one is also a sweetie.

Have you been able to correct that problem and was it worth the effort?   GSDs are great.

TL;DR

Almost.  He's great with other dogs when he's off leash now, but still has a little leash aggression that we're working through.  It's definitely been worth it.

This. Not sure why you are trying to make a big deal about who gets to call their dogs "rescue" dogs, OP. I think you are just a bit too wrapped up in the semantics of the word "rescue."

My first dog was a stray that was hanging around a family friend's farm, about to get shot by the farmowner for killing chickens, when my dad went out to get her. My parents already had three dogs at our house, and all of our friends had no room for another dog, so I took that one in and she was a great dog and had a long and happy life with me. That was a "free" rescue that cost me plenty in vet bills over the years, she had a medical condition that I had to stay on top of. She would have been shot by the farmer the next morning if my dad had not driven out there the night he did, so she was "rescued" from certain death that night, and went on to enjoy a long and happy life.

My current dog was adopted (paid for) from the Animal Shelter some years ago. She is also a "rescue," because even if I did not pick her up off the street where she had been dumped before getting turned into the shelter by some other person who could not keep her but did not want to see her get hit by a car, and I had to pay a fee to "adopt" her, she could very well have been euthanized if no one took her in. Both dogs were mixed breeds, just the products of what outdoor dogs get up to, neither was a purebred designed to be sold for showing or profit to the owners.

I make sure I tell people my dogs are (were, for the one who passed some years ago) rescues because my dogs were both so cute and atrracted all kinds of attention when we were out. Everyone wanted one like mine. I always let people know that they could get their own great "rescue" at any pound, or off the side of the road, and sometimes the best dogs do not come from a pet store puppy mill or breeder, to hopefully plant a seed in another person's mind that "hey, maybe a pup from the pound would be okay," and thereby giving another poor stray or pound dog a chance, since I can only take one (at a time). No smugness on my part; I just want to make sure people know there are all kinds of great dogs out there that need good homes, not just the designer breeds from breeders.

our girls were saved from bad situations
lots of people see our standard poodles and always ask how much $$$
I always say they didnt cost a dime....  its sort of a lie because the vet can pull the records on both of them and I bet that $$$ amount is high lol

when we got our younger one she was 17 pounds at 6 months old, should have been 30-35 pounds
she had been abused and starved to the point that she was stealing out of the trash can
they got rid of her because she wouldn't leave the garbage alone

our older one lived 8 to 10 years with a family
daughter got tired of the upkeep and the dog got locked outside for a year or so
when we got her she looked like a sheepdog and her hair was badly matted to the point that she couldn't poop properly
she had been abused and was terrified of me, broom sticks, and bb guns

while not rescued in the traditional sense they were rescued from a pretty shitty life
even expensive dogs need rescuing from time to time

this is about a month after... a little weight and didnt look like she was going to die any second

and about 2 years later

To some elderly pup out there you will be 'good people' soon.  And, on your death bed you will have that going for you!

not even going to lie... it bothers me alot that our older girl is in her final years
guesstimating her to be at minimum 8 or 10 when we got her
had her close to 3 years now and almost everyday she comes out of her shell a little more or does something new and dog like
it kills me to see her age starting to show

the wife and I talk about this and are considering not rescuing our next dog
if another senior dog came our way Im sure we will feel differently
but it still really sucks

I disagree

A rescue dog has many people who take part in the rescue, from the guy who jumps the fence and gets ahold of the dog, to the vet who does free or reduced cost health care for it, to the group that houses and feeds it while trying to find it a forever home.  It includes the people who do take the dog into their home, regardless of what cash trades hands.


Also, often in an adoption of a rescue dog, the cash that trades hands is to pay for the spay/neuter and other costs, not the purchase price.

I love puppy cuts on standards. It looks like cozy comfy pajamas.

My two were 8 & 11 (estimate) when we got them, eyes wide open, I know how this ends. But they love me, and I them...

And you know something else?    They are imperfect...



Like me...

You don't have to be perfect for a dog to love you.  That's why they really are our best friends.

Especially when we can't formulate our thoughts well enough and the post doesn't end up like we intended.

You know the place, and probably know me then. Next time you're in, introduce yourself, and feel free to call me an asshole for this thread!


ETA: If you want my work schedule, IM me. It's always good to meet Arfcommers, even if the root cause was a stupid drunk thread!

I found this awesome cure for drunk posting, It saves money and drops inches on your waist, too.

I bet it involves not drinking.

Last night, my "fucked up" rescue raised the alarm about the house fire one door down while my "perfect dog" noticed nothing.

Maybe high strung and anxious isn't such a bad thing in an alarm dog...

lol....Youseem like youd be a cool person to hang out with, BigEasy....

I think these are the type of people OP's post was about.

This.

 

Pretty much any dog will be put down eventually if not purchased.


I guess mine were pre rescue dogs, lol

My younger brother used to volunteer at the local ASPCA when he was a teenager.  This was a kill shelter and he often assisted with putting the animals down.   Toughest thing he ever did.... The bottom line is that every dog that's adopted is a rescue dog.

 
Prosecution rests.....

This is a rescue dog:


Jack Russell. Found him in a shelter at nine months. Somebody couldn't handle him, took him to the shelter.

I consider my Black Lab Osa a rescue.


But she was found in the dead of winter way out in the desert outside of Tucson.


She had no collar or tags and had just given birth to eleven pups.


She was found by two guys on quads out tooling around in the desert when they saw her laying on her side on a patch of snow, she was feeding her remaining pup (ten of them had frozen to death).


They gathered her up and turned her over to DLRR in Tucson where I got her after they weaned her pup.


Those guys rescued her and saved her life, she would have died in the desert in short time.


 

The stupid shit people get Ina twist about....

Meaning?

Kensie was found running in and out of traffic on the interstate. She's a great dog and I have no idea why someone would throw her away. I choose to believe that maybe she just ran away.

Op is getting In a twist about stupid shit like being indignant cause someone calls their dog a "rescue dog".  

Who gives a fuck? Dogs are awesome anyways.

I'm kinda weirded out that there's a "pet industry".

I don't care how you got your dog, as long as you treat it right.

It's a "rescue" because for most places, if they don't get adopted soon they get put down.

A lot of people, especially anyone with pure breeds and AKA dogs buy from pet stores or breeders. Which is different from a dog from a pound

So anyway - who cares what they call them? Let little shit like this just fucking go.

Oh, yeah, I agree! OP is not a total tool, but toolish, to be sure...