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Dispelling the Myths About Shelter Pets...
Poll results: Most pets are gifts or strays Read how many people find their new best friends. SPCAs, shelters and rescue organizations are high on the list. Article is from The Post and Courier newspaper. CLICK HERE to read the article. There are many misconceptions about the quality of animals found in rescue shelters. The stigma that shelter pets have been stuck with for many years is that they are "damaged goods".Myth: Shelter pets are obviously not good pets, or else their original owners wouldn't have gotten rid of themIf the main reason why a pet gets brought to rescue shelters was because they were a *bad* pet, there would be thousands of empty shelters across the country. Animals are brought to shelters for a large variety of reasons, some of which are... - Their owners have passed away
- An irresponsible owner didn't get their pets spayed or neutered so they found themselves with a litter of puppies or kittnes that they could not keep or did not want
- The animal's owners were abusive to the animal, so the authorities have removed the pet from the harmful environment
- An animal was purchased or adopted by someone who did not take into consideration all of the responsibility that caring for that pet would entail. A good example of this would be someone who adopts a pet in an apartment complex that does not allow animals and then is subsequently forced to get rid of the pet.
- An animal was founding roaming a neighborhood or city and brought to the shelter to be reunited with its owner if it has a microchip; otherwise it's placed up for adoption.
Myth: Animals from abusive homes will never be good pets because they have been mistreated for so longMost animals coming from abusive homes will typically make a full emotional recovery - with proper care and attention. In fact, many of them are so grateful to be rescued from their previous situation, they end up being more devoted and loyal than animals coming from non-abusive homes. Myth: You never know what you're getting with shelter petsAlthough its true that the medical history and temperament of an animal adopted from a rescue shelter are not always able to be tracked down, but some are surrendered by their owner and that owner is required to fill out extensive information on the pet's health and previous care. Myth: All animals in rescue shelters are sickly or unhealthyOnce again, it certainly is possible that a pet adopted from a rescue shelter may have medical problems, however the majority of the animals that are adopted from shelters are perfectly healthy, and just need a good home. If anything, you're more likely to get an honest answer about an animal's medical problems from a shelter employee or volunteer - who is clearly there because they *care* about the animals.
Why Adopt ? So why would you consider a rescue dog? Most of them come to us due to family difficulties ~ financial downturns, moving, divorce and such. They are wonderful pets with no issues who are as mystified as to their situation as we are. Some of them come out of abusive situations. These are the ones for which my heart breaks. They cower when a newspaper page is turned, a hand is raise, a person moves quickly toward them. They long to trust and be loved, and in a safe home they usually quickly turn into the exuberant pets they were meant to be. Some pets come to us because of unacceptable behavior ~ aggressiveness, not housebroken, hyperactivity. We clearly identify these issues to potential adopters. We work with the pets while they are in our care to help overcome them. We even have professional dog trainers who work with some of them and their adopting families to ensure that they behavior is modified. In other words, we strive for no returns due to suprises. Our goal is to match the right pet with the right family. Our screeners will frequently approve a family to adopt but direct them toward a more approriate animal than the one for which they applied. No one can promise you that the dog or cat you take into your home will be perfect, whether from a pet store, a breeder or a rescue. But we can promise that we will do our utmost to match you with the right animal, that we will be honest in our assessment of the pets in our care, and that, when you adopt a rescued pet, you have saved a life. There is a certain joy in just that last statement ~ you have saved a life!
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