Soapbox
tktc:
I have loved animals my entire life. Stop in the street to pet whatever’s available, instantly charmed when meeting a pet owner, call to stray cats in alleys and guess the breeds for mutts kind’ve “love animals.” Given how many pictures of my cat you are subjected to, this should only be mildly surprising, if at all.
My point: While puppy mills are an obvious no no, in the past year I’ve started turning away from the idea of adopting a purebred animal at all, the exception being rescue. When HC disappeared, I was at the pound a lot. There was never a time when it was not packed to the gills with gorgeous creatures. I mean really beautiful dogs (the purebred thing isn’t such as much of an issue for cats).
Mutts live longer, are generally healthier and can be trained just like a prebred dog can be. I’ve had friends even say they feel like the dogs they’ve adopted know they were rescued, the gratitude is palpable.
Everyone has their reasons but for me? I don’t think I’ll be able to spend a $1K+ to buy a dog from a breeder when there are so many loves just waiting in a cage.
We are looking into adopting a “mixed race” (our term for mutt) little puppy. I am also asking for a little black kitten that I can name CoCo. Any Brooklynites know of good shelters in Park Slope? Also, is it true that you cannot get a black cat in October?
I also strongly advocate adoption over purchase of pet, particularly if that purchase is going to come from a petstore. The “backyard breeders” is certainly the more humane choice for shopping when looking to buy.
Do mixed breed dogs really live longer though? I’d say that is debatable. I’ve had 3 family dogs since I was a child, and the one with the longest lifespan was a purebred. Varying dog breeds have their respective health problems from hip dysplasia to respiratory problems, but so can mixed breeds depending on the mix. All animals are subject to health problems no matter how thoughtfully they were bred - or arrived on accident.
I currently own a 3.5 year old mix. She is American Staffordshire (a breed very close to pit bull) and likely English Shepherd. She’s cute, lovable, playful, a quick learner, gets along with all dogs she meets and perhaps the most unique of her traits - she found me while she was a stray.
Again, I really advocate adopting an animal. It’s a terrible thought that any animal may lose its life because of a neglectful human. I also understand why some people buy animals. They may be looking for a particular breed due to size, disposition, purpose, resistance to certain health problems or a number of other reasons. It also may be difficult to find an appropriate animal in your local shelter depending on where you live. In the end, regardless of where and how an animal is obtained, what’s most important is that the owner loves and takes care of the animal for the duration of its life.
