Over the years, I have seen an increasing number of people suggesting people adopt. Go to a shelter, go to a rescue, save a life! A noble cause, truly.
But there is a point where it becomes pressuring, guilt-tripping, and in some cases, down right bullying.
"I want a dog that is good with kids."
"Go to the shelter, take your kids, adopt!"
"I want a dog that is good with cats."
"Go to a rescue, adopt!"
"I want a dog that I can do agility with."
"Shelter, rescue, adopt!"
"I want a dog that is mellow."
"Adopt!"
"I want a dog that won't eat my chickens."
"Adopt!"
Because you know, shelters test dogs regularly for compatibility with livestock. -.-
Because you know, shelters aren't high-stress environments.
Because you know, no one ever returns a dog they've adopted because behaviors have emerged that no one had a clue about.
Fact is, rescues dogs aren't always a guaranteed option.
Shelters and rescues ARE high-stress environments, even at the best of times. Dogs can shut down while they're there. Or! Dogs can become overly anxious and hyper due to lack of stimulation, wrong stimulation, lack of exercise, or just plain stress. They're strictly controlled, yet stressful, environments that are so vastly different from home life that you can't see the dog for what it really is. A kennel isn't going to have drywall that can be chewed through, or couches that the dog can destroy.
Even when shelter and worker volunteers go above and beyond the basics, there is still only so much they can see. Only so much that they notice. Only so much that any given dog will give to them.
It's not a bad thing-it's a complicated thing. It's the reason why I believe that a large number of rescue dogs are best off in hands that have at least some dog experience, flexibility, and the ability to resort to various resources if needed.
Dogs that are still rescues, but have been in foster homes are a step up. Still, there can be quirks that aren't seen depending on how that household runs, which could be very unlike the one the dog ends up in. Plus, the foster home may have very old, quiet cats, and the adopting one may have very active cats that set off prey drive. There may very well be incompatibility.
Where cat-testing is a thing in some shelters and rescues, not all do it. Different animals smell differently, move differently, act differently. There's no guarantee that a cat-safe dog will be fine with rabbits, ferrets, birds, etc. Hell, there's no guarantee that a 'cat'-safe dog will even be fine with kittens because kittens move and smell differently than adult cats (and this is something I've had experience with, not through a rescue dog, but a roommate's dog-fine with adults, not safe with kittens).
And if someone is looking for a dog to be around livestock at the shelter? Oh boy, that's a HUGE gamble. Even if you do find a herding or livestock guardian in the shelter, there are those who just have the wrong drive and are there because they ARE a risk to livestock and got dumped for it. You don't know.
You also don't know what a shelter dog's health is going to be like. No, mixed breeds aren't healthier, they have their own set of common problems and can pop up with uncommon ones just the same. If anything, the early-fixed pups are at a high risk of ACL tears, which makes agility a risk. Not every dog, mixed or not, will have health issues, even when they've had things stacked against them. But it is what it is, which is a question mark with a dog whose history is unknown.
I would love if we could really just magically pull all of a dog's quirks and traits and health out of the air so they could be placed perfectly. I wish we could have that guarantee, but we don't. Sometimes adoptions and trials don't work out. That's ok. Not every and any dog is for anybody who comes along, that is important to note.
So here's the deal. Here is where I have serious issues with a number of pro-adoption/rescue people...
You push. No matter what reasons the original person who was asking for help says, you push. You shove. And sometimes, when they stand firm, insults start getting thrown about. Accusations of them "killing dogs" by going to a breeder. By knowing what they want and are looking for.
Not all dogs are the same. They're dogs, then they're their breeds/mix, then they're individuals. If you expect someone who is wanting a Pug, has researched Pugs for the past year, to go to a shelter and be happy with some random Catahoula mix.....you're risking setting them and whatever dog you have guilt tripped them into getting into failing. That's not nice. It's not responsible or fair or right.
If you tell someone who is looking into a livestock guard to watch their flocks to go to a shelter and adopt whatever, you are RISKING THEIR LIVESTOCK. You! You are risking the death of animals on an unknown because they should save a life. What happens when that saved life takes other lives?
If you bully them into feeling so bad about even thinking about going to a responsible breeder they've been referred to, that they end up adopting a high energy, anxiety ridden dog who eats their walls and doors in the short time they've gone to get the mail...you should be paying for repairs and apologizing.
Because people who want predictability of a certain breed and a good match because they know they can't handle anything that gets thrown at them aren't bad people. If anything, they're more responsible and aware than the people who try to shove the adoption agenda down their throats. It's okay if their wants, needs, and reasons are different than yours.
And before you set off on the "you can find purebreds in rescues!"......Let me fix that for you. "You can find questionable quality purebreds of the COMMON breeds in rescues and shelters". Many of the rarer breeds...not even the national breed club rescues will pull many of them in a year. That's what happens when there's only double digits of a breed registered each year, or even just triple. Most breeds do NOT have the numbers behind them that Labs, Goldens, German Shepherds, or any of the other top 20 or so breeds do.
It IS ok to ask them how they feel about rescue, if they're interested in adopting. It's horribly annoying to be the 28th person telling them to adopt. It's awful to be that person who insists on adoption at all costs, trying to think of ways and reasons for them to do it when they have stated they're not interested or that they're looking for particular things. You, at that point, are pushing.
Peer pressure isn't cool. Remember your parents telling you about peer pressure in regards to sex and drugs? Yeah. Pressuring people is bad, Mmmmkay? Guilt-tripping is bad. Bullying is bad.
Know what is awesome though? Being a helpful person. Being insightful. Being respectful. Because I'll tell you a secret.....I get a lot of people thanking me when I'm giving them spiffy information and options they never would have thought of otherwise. So let's help each other while respecting each other choices.
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