The Adoption Option

KayDeeCareBear · #1 01-19-2002, 04:48 AM

Heya all. Those that know me from before, knew I loved my ferrets. I was just wondering if anyone around here has ever adopted from the humane society, and just wanted to say how great it is! I recently adopted two ferrets, a sable named Lucy and an albino named Ethel, and they are SO SWEET! It's like, they know I saved their lives. ^^ I'd love to hear some stories of successful adoptions, if anyone has them.

aggieAXO · #2 01-19-2002, 08:35 AM

I have way too many adoption stories, but I am glad that you went to the humane society. I wish more people would adopt from the humane society or the pound rather than buy a pure bred. I HATE breeders.

tcsparky · #3 01-19-2002, 10:42 AM

Three years ago I adopted a beautiful puppy from the Humane Society. We didn't know how old she was, but she was the size of a medium grown dog when we got her (it was obvious though that she was a puppy). She appeared to be part lab and part Dalmatian. Even though the volunteer working there said that April probably would not grow much more, one look at her HUGE feet convinced me otherwise. I applied to adopt her, but she was sent to another family that had children. Within a week they had returned her, and she was mine!!! I adopted her ($40) for my then-bf who had visited there and fallen in love with her. She was wonderful. While she did grow into her feet (the size of a regular adult lab), she was thoroughly housebroken, and my house also became broken. She was into everything. I never have had such a lovable, hyperactive, smart, friendly dog. Everyone who met her loved her immensely. When he and I broke up, I let him keep her, and I miss her every day. She was the most giving, loving creature I have met.

I recommend adopting from them.

boycrazy · #4 01-19-2002, 01:15 PM

The next pet I get will definitely come from the Humane Society. I got two purebred dogs from breeders, and they have more health problems than I can put in this post! I will no longer buy dogs for hundreds to thousands of dollars from breeders. My sister just adopted a cat from the Humane Society who is the sweetest, cuddly little thing.

dzsaigirl · #5 01-19-2002, 01:24 PM

My cat Mr. Bean is from the Humane Society and my fiance's (and soon to be mine also) kitten is from the Humane Society as well. The cat I had before Mr. Bean was from there as is our dog Tony who is 14 years old. We have a pure bred pug who is 12 years old and he has health issues....boo to breeders!

dzsaigirl · #6 01-19-2002, 01:25 PM

Oh yeah, I forgot. Instead of giving our guests favors at our wedding, my fiance an I are making a donation to the Humane Society in their name

tridelta4ever · #7 01-19-2002, 02:01 PM

I am so happy to hear that many of you have adopted from the Humane Society. I have been a volunteer for years and it always amazes me how many wonderful animals come through the door. It's sad that many people think of animals like they do their accessories...ugh. Anyway, another wonderful organization, which I highly recommend, is www.petshelter.org I know many friends who have adopted through them and I really love what they do. Warning - if you go to the website and read the stories - they can be pretty heart wrenching. I remember one day at work my friends and I were sending photos and stories of animals from this sight and all of us were in tears - partly because the animals are so cute, partly because of the stories behind their survival.

ErikaXO · #8 01-19-2002, 03:14 PM

My best friend Julie lives in Alexandria, VA. (She was a tri-delt at Northwestern.) She is a very busy attorney with the National School Boards Association and is sooooo amazing. She does a lot of volunteer work in her spare (ha!) time, and her pet cause (no pun intended) is working with no-kill organizations and rescue programs. She transports dogs to adoption fairs, takes applications, does home visits, goes to the shelters to play with and care for the dogs, organizes benefits to raise funds for the shelters, fosters dogs....she does so much. She has three dogs, two of which are rescue dogs, and she takes such amazing care of them. She takes them for long walks a couple times a day and even tries to get them over to the dog park once a day or so. Blows me away. She has even used her own money to pay for vet care for dogs she has rescued. (Mind you, she also volunteers at a battered women's shelter and also adopts a family every year.)

My dog is a shelter dog by the way. She was born there and I have no idea what happened to her mommy and her siblings. She is part wolf and the shelter thinks that a wolf hybrid was let roam and mated with Ajax's mother illicitly, and when the owner found out they dumped the mom at the shelter. She is an awesome dog. She can be a pain in the ass but I love her. I am going to see if there is a Yorkie rescue group and if so that is where I am getting my next dog. I want a tiny female Yorkie and I am going to call her Natasha, in honor of my favorite actress Natalie Wood.

KillarneyRose · #9 01-19-2002, 07:18 PM

One of my dogs, Gus, was adopted from the Humane Society. We were living in a condo in New Jersey with out miniature schnauzer Gatsby who was very depressed because his "brother", our Greyhound, was temporarily living with a friend in Rhode Island. I decided he needed a friend to hang around with when John and I were at work, so we went to the Humane Society to find one.

When we got there, one of the ladies that worked there told us about a wonderful dog, a real staff favorite that had been there for a couple of months. She said he was down at the end of the hall, so we went there and when I bent down to see who was in the cage, I saw Gus. He immediately stuck his paw through the bars like he wanted to shake my hand and then he cocked his head to the side and looked at me like, "See, aren't I cute??? Want to take me home???" He was and we did!!!

We have had Gus for almost 8 years. He is affectionate, sweet-tempered and a wonderful addition to our family. He always, always sleeps under the bed though and I think that perhaps that was the only place he felt safe with his previous family.

I think it might be true, also, that mixed breeds are generally healthier than purebreds. My miniature schnauzer has had a lot of problems with bladder stones in the past few years ($$$$$!) but Gus is very healthy.

DeltAlum · #10 01-19-2002, 07:27 PM

In Denver, the pet adoption agency is called, "The Dumb Friends League."

We have two cats, brothers from the same litter, which we adopted from there as kittens. They are a delight, and so was the adoption experience.

There names are Benny (Short for Benvolio) and Merc (Short for Mercutio). Can you guess what our son was studying in AP Lit at the time?

KayDeeCareBear · #11 01-20-2002, 03:58 AM

I think I will be adopting my ferrets from now on. ^^ Lulu and Effie are just so full of life.

I love 'em so much. They don't get many ferrets in... I was on a waiting list, actually, for ferrets. Don't you wish that all animals that went into shelters were part of a waiting list? They would get homes SO FAST!

cash78mere · #12 01-20-2002, 12:29 PM

I have 8 beautiful little pussycats--each either gotten from the local humane society or taken in as strays from my backyard. actually--6 of them are related to each other because they were all strays! They are the funniest, cutest, most loving pets anyone could ever ask for.

And each is HEALTHY. No diseases caused by inbreeding. And the price tag--$20 for the 2 from the humane society as a donation and $0 for the strays! Can't get much better than that!

2 of my good friends each have Bichon Frises (no idea how to spell it) that sold for $1000+ each!!!! and you know what? BOTH are sick all the time!

When there are hundreds of thousands of perfectly adoptable, lovable cats, dogs, kittens, puppies and ferrets

out there that will be put to sleep because no one adopts them, in my opinion breeders should not be allowed to SELL animals. Those innocent creatures deserve a home. They don't deserve to die simply because they don't have "papers" and aren't "purebred". My cats are cuter than any purebred I've ever seen! And in my opinion they are purebred---they were bred from 2 healthy adult cats--it doesn't matter what breed they are.

Sorry for the length---I am very adamantly against breeders. I know for a fact that my little Abu and Jasmine (yes--from Alladin) would have been put to sleep if I hadn't taken them. They told us so.

And the worst is people who adopt animals and then bring them back because they aren't "suitable". Whatever! It is your job and RESPONSIBILITY to train and love these animals. Would you bring back your baby because she went to the bathroom on the floor? I think not!

carnation · #13 01-20-2002, 02:11 PM

We adopted our sweet, dorky Shih Tzu 4 years ago. If you prefer a purebred dog, ther are plenty who can be adopted for almost nothing! Go to www.petfinder.org and type in your preferred breed and zip code!

One of my vices is typing in breeds and seeing what mixes of that breed are available and rolling on the floor at the pictures. (Like sharpei-beagles and shih tzu-dachshunds.)

ZTAngel · #14 01-20-2002, 02:28 PM

We adopted our cat from the humane society. My sister wanted an all black cat for some reason. Not too many people want one so the people that worked there were so excited when my sister came in asking for one. It was the ugliest cat I have ever seen. It's tail had gotten broken somehow when it was really young so it was all mishapen. We got our cat when she was probably about six months old. She got cuter as she got older.

My roomie got her dog from the humane society as well. Her and her boyfriend went down to pick one up. They came across a really ugly puppy. She was about four months old and part boxer/terrier/doverment pincher/etc. Big mutt. My roomie put the dog on her lap and started petting it. A minute later, the puppy fell asleep on her lap. It was so cute and my roomie just had to take it home. Just like my cat, the dog also got cuter as it got older.

33girl · #15 01-20-2002, 11:27 PM

Adoption is the best - we adopted my childhood dog from the neighbors, and I adopted my bunny from a sister who became allergic. I also used to volunteer at a no-kill shelter.

A lot of people are slamming breeders, and I think it should be stated that there are GOOD breeders and BAD breeders. The bad kind are the ones who, when 101 Dalmations came out, started breeding and cross-breeding Dalmation brothers and sisters like there was no tomorrow. It's not an inherently bad profession, but it does take a LOT of responsibility and intelligence. The reason purebreds have medical probs is because they've been mating in the same family for generations...reputable breeders don't do that. If you do want a purebred, I would recommend getting some kind that no one has ever heard of....those will most likely be the breeders who are doing it because they love the breed.