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Looking for your new dog -- is every dog a rescue?
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A purebred Chihuahua.
People have good reason not to get puppy mill dogs -- they may have had a bad start in life in the crucial early weeks that will show up as temperament or health problems later. Their background and behavior is unknown. But it's the puppy mill dogs who fill shelters, so people who tried to avoid them may end up with them anyway.
Interviewing shelter personnel recently, most estimated 85% of the dogs in their shelters are adult pit bulls. These dogs can be wonderful, loving companions, but they are not appropriate for every home.
In fact, one woman told me that a Yorkie had been turned in at the city run shelter on Long Island where she worked, and commotion ensued. More than a hundred people turned in adoption applications for her. A sweet little purebred Yorkie in good health is extremely rare in a shelter. The shelter personnel felt they should have first pick. The manager made a wise decision to hold a lottery among everyone who wanted the dog, a fair solution.
It's just wrong to tell people that shelters are full of cute adorable puppies. They're not.
A friend showed up with an adorable purebred Shih Tzu puppy last weekend. My brow creased when she said, “She’s a rescue.” She bought her from a private rescue organization in southern New Jersey. The price was $500, the same price you’d pay for a homegrown puppy in that area.
Looking into this a little further, the “rescue organization” turned out to be a clever Shih Tzu breeder. It is so fashionable to have a rescue dog now that everyone wants one. She reasoned that any puppy you get anywhere could be said to be a “rescue.” This particular breeder raises two litters of rescues a year.
My friend did the right thing by searching far and wide for a dog in need of a home. She couldn’t find any sweet little Shih Tzu puppies in any shelter in New Jersey, until she found this one. The puppy is terrific. She is a well-raised, healthy puppy from someone with experience in the breed. She is socialized, clever, easy to train and fun to be around. She’s just not really a rescue.
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