Shop or Adopt?
Wagging with Wisdom seeks to educate the public on shopping and adopting responsibly as well as the many ways you can help those in need.
The overwhelming problem…
Backyard breeding, overbreeding, puppy mills, and farms whose sole goal is to produce canine offspring are the main reasons there are so many homeless animals in our country today. Careless breeding results in thousands if not millions of animals who are unwanted, behaviorally imbalanced, and/or abused. Regulations around companion animal breeding are unfortunately slim, resulting in accidental litters being passed out in parking lots and farms of small cages that ship puppies to window pet shops as “pedigrees”.
When purchasing a dog, there is a significant difference between a “purebred” and a “well bred” dog of any breed. Well bred dogs are carefully crafted by advocates of their breed that seek greatness for all of their animals. Without a big red stamp that screams “certified reputable breeder” to help guide puppy seekers down the right path, it can feel difficult to find what you believe to be the right fit. However, you will feel a reputable breeder when you meet one. They are passionate and borderline obsessive of their breed(s), providing extensive health testing, care, and concern for their breeding dogs and puppies which only proves their dedication.
Always do extensive research on the breeder you are thinking about using including their breeding methodology, genetic health testing, how they raise their newborns up until they arrive home, and anything else that you can. Believe it or not, purchasing a dog from a truly reputable breeder whose intentions lie with preserving or maintaining a particular breed standard, helps lower the amount of rescue dogs in our country. However you will quickly find that they are picky about who does and does not actually receive a puppy and for good reason. They specifically select the best homes they can for their dogs to ensure they will have the highest possible success rate in life, resulting in zero unwanted animals.
Although it may seem like a hassle, rescues and breeders who have the well being of the dogs in mind will likely ask you to fill out an extensive application, require a home visit, and a signed contract upon purchase or adoption all to ensure the dog is in a responsible home for life.
Backyard Breeder
;an amateur animal breeder whose breeding is considered substandard, with little or misguided effort towards ethical, selective breeding. Unlike puppy mills and other animal mill operations, backyard breeders breed on a small scale, usually at home with their own pets (hence the “backyard” description), and may be motivated by things such as monetary profit, curiosity, to gain new pets and/or working animals, or to show children “the miracle of birth”.
Dogs help us, a lot.
Here’s how you can return the favor:
Adopt & Shop Responsibly
When choosing a new dog to welcome into your family think beyond looks.
Whether you are adopting or purchasing from a reputable breeder, personality, genetics, and the relationship a dog has with your family will always matter most. Seek as much information as you can on a dog that will mesh well with your unique lifestyle, schedule, and family. A reputable breeder or rescue will most likely encourage a meet and greet before taking them home, for you and your family to experience the dogs personality and get to know them before you join together for life.
Donate & Share
Most people assume helping an animal rescue is limited to directly adopting an animal or making a monetary donation to a particular organization. As much as both those things help exponentially, there are lots of other ways you can help homeless animals in your area! Aside from money you can donate old blankets and towels, unwanted pet supplies of any kind, food, toys, treats, and even your time. Lots of organizations would be happy to have help either at adoption events or simply socializing rescue animals!
Even if you are unable to give donations or time, sharing social media posts to boost outreach and encouraging others to become educated on responsible dog ownership makes all the difference.
Train your Dog
The more owners there are proactively learning about and training their dogs, the more success stories accumulate. With every team facing their own set of challenges and experiences, it is important to put in the time and patience building a relationship to last a lifetime.
Training your dog not only builds your mutual trust and communication but also sets you up for success when exploring the world together. Safety of each other and the public always comes first.
Ever thought about fostering a dog?
Fostering a rescue animal can be an extremely rewarding experience for both you and your family not to mention the lucky pup getting a taste of home. Many people have lots of questions when it comes to if they would be a good candidate for fostering rescue animals. Let’s get into the most frequently asked ones:
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Similar to adoption, foster homes go through an application process. This ensures your home and family are prepared to welcome a new temporary member!
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The answer to this question is a bit more abstract, for animals to be moved from their foster they must find their forever home. Some foster animals remain in their foster homes for periods as short as a week, where as others can remain for months. Much of this has to do with how much exposure and marketing the specific animal is getting.
If no one knows they are up for adoption how will they find a home?!
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In most situations, the rescue will provide medical, food, and supplies for their rescue dogs. This may however mean that you could be asked to bring them to a specific vet or use specific equipment/food provided. Always ask questions about what will be given for support throughout your fostering journey.
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Being an animal lover, it will always tug on your heart strings just a bit. But after over a decade of fostering, I have learned to keep in mind a simple fact:
Every time you help a foster animal find their forever, another is waiting patiently for their turn.
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If you are interested in fostering animals, the first step is finding a rescue you feel comfortable supporting and volunteering for. Search your surrounding area for rescues who house the animal type you are most open to fostering and apply to become a foster home. This can usually be found on their main website or facebook pages.
