Posted in Uncategorized on November 23, 2010| Leave a Comment »
1. You’ll save a dogs life
2. You’ll save money
3. They are so cute
4. You’ll make a new friend
5.Dogs help you exercise and keep you in shape
6. Adult dogs are more mature
7. Shelters have all kinds of dogs to choose from
8. They deserve a second chance
9. You are helping out the shelter and adding a new member to your family
Posted in Uncategorized on November 23, 2010| Leave a Comment »
(picture of Mandy [background] and Emma [foreground] in Outerbanks, NC in 2000 we don’t know who the dog in the far back is, but it was a golden retriever!)
A few weeks ago, I sat down with my aunt at my cousin’s wedding in North Carolina to talk about her experiences with dog adoption. In her adult life, my aunt has adopted over 15 dogs. In my life, I have known 7 of them: Mandy, Emma, Sadie, Boon, Elsa, Suzy and Daniel. Due to my uncle’s job, she has moved all over the east coast of America. And though she resides in Montgomery, Alabama, she has adopted most of the 15 dogs from shelters in New England.
Q: When did you first adopt, and why did you choose to adopt over buying from a breeder?
A: The first dog your uncle and I ever got together was a purebred golden retriever. When we lived in Sudbury [MA], our neighbor’s daughter was a breeder. Caroline was only a few months old when we got her in 1982. We had no quams buying from a breeder. The dogs your mother and I had when we were younger were from breeders and we never had any problems with them. The first dog we adopted was Lyle. He was a Retriever/Lab mix. we got him from Another Chance Animal Rescue in New Berwick, Maine. He was 5 years old when we adopted him. We went to a shelter because there was a possibility we were going to be moving, and we didn’t want to have a puppy through that.
Q: And every dog you have had since then has been from a shelter?
A: Yes, with the acception of Boon. When we lived in North Carolina, our neighbor was diagnosed with cancer and she couldn’t afford to have a dog in the house, so we took in Boon- a 7 year old Chocolate Lab- and let him live with us, Mandy and Emma. Sadly, he passed away after only 3 months with us. But ever since Lyle, we have adopted from shelters. They are really amazing places. They take care of each and every dog and animal that comes in as if it were the only one there. Each animal gets one on one time so that they are matched with the right family. Do you remember when we almsot got a greyhound years back when i came to visit? After Emma died, we almost got a greyhound, but the shelter advised us not to go with him because he really didn’t function well in hot weather- and we had just moved to Alabama. The fact that they took the dog’s well being into consideration and not just my wants was very impressive.
Q: Do you know if Boon was a shelter dog, or from a breeder?
A: It never really came up in convorsation. He was an awesome dog.
Q: Can we talk about Mandy? Mandy was the first dog of yours I met. I remember when you lived in North Carolina and Mandy would jump on the bed I slept in and licked my face until I woke up.
A: Mandy was a good dog. Though I got her from the Northeast Animal Shelter
Q: Do you recommend Shelters over Breeders?
A: It all depends on what you are looking for. I never had an issue with breeders, but i have herd horror stories. I do recommend shelters for people who have no preference where they get their dog. The dogs are trained, and neutered. And they also have their shots.
thank you again for sitting down with me aunty!
Project Give a Dog a Home 