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Here is the newest addition to our family...
Adopted on Christmas Eve from the shelter. His name is Ginger and he's the sweetest guy ever. He's like a teddy bear! I predict we'll be the firmest of friends! Just wanted to share...
-------------------- Graham Parsons Signs 'n Such Ltd Swift Current Saskatchewan Canada. www.signsnsuch.com
"Saskatchewan - hard to pronounce, easy to draw" Posts: 710 | From: Saskatchewan, Canada | Registered: Oct 1999
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Congrats on your new addition,he looks like he will make a good pal! I have been watching for that special one for me. Our Jake (lab mix) is going on 13 years old and I would like the puppy to pick up on some of his good traits.
-------------------- Patricia A. Raap Raap Signs 2615 Arthur Coopersville, MI 49404 616-677-0158 pat@raapsigns.com Posts: 576 | From: Coopersville, MI 49404 | Registered: Nov 2003
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Graham...thanks for going to the shelter and giving this guy a life...I wish everyone would do this instead of paying big bucks for special breeds...my wife and I have rescued and fostered many dogs over the years...we are connected with shelters that we turn them over to after we have gotten them shots and back to health...we have 6 dogs so far as permanate members of the family because the shelters deemed them "unadoptable" for one reason or the other...those dogs considered "unadoptable" are euthanized...the last "unadoptable" was added to our pack 5 months ago...a beautiful smooth-coated collie we found living in an abandoned house...we named her Sally...after a few weeks of getting her ready for adoption we dropped her off at the shelter...when we got home we had a message on our machine telling us that she had bitten a rescue worker and would be euthanized if we did not come and pick her up...we drove back 45 minutes to save her and she now has become the 8th member of the family and has truely captured our hearts...most dogs are responsive to the love shown them and will respond in like manner...some just take a little more time and patience.
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Good for you- looks to be just gorgious! And good for you too, Rusty!
-------------------- Catharine C. Kennedy CCK Graphics 1511 Route 28 Chatham Center, NY 12184 cck1620@taconic.net "Look at me, Look at me, Look at me now! I't's fun to have fun, But you have to know how!" Posts: 2173 | From: downtown Chatham Center, NY | Registered: Feb 2004
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Congrats on adopting Ginger.I awakened to my cat Ginger Baker with a present for me of a mouse.She's a constant source of entertainment and earns her keep!It's hard to leave the shelter with only one...more folks should take advantage of their local animal shelters.
-------------------- Darcy Baker Darcy's Signs Eureka Springs. AR. Posts: 1169 | From: Eureka Springs, AR | Registered: Nov 2007
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I also believe the shelters should be supported - it also puzzles me why breeders get big bucks when so many animals are desperately in need of loving homes. Our cat, Bosley, also came from the shelter and, so far, Ginger and he are becoming great pals! It's fun to watch them play - Bosley is no lightweight and can definitely hold his own!
-------------------- Graham Parsons Signs 'n Such Ltd Swift Current Saskatchewan Canada. www.signsnsuch.com
"Saskatchewan - hard to pronounce, easy to draw" Posts: 710 | From: Saskatchewan, Canada | Registered: Oct 1999
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OK...here goes my first pic...I'm crossing my fingers...here are 5 of my 6 recued dogs I talked about earlier...Molly, Penny, Karuna, Sally, and Sweet Pig...that's me in the middle...Lucy is a little camera shy...must have been in the other room.
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Congrats on the new family member! What a cutie! How big is he?
Get him used to grooming! Or get to know a local groomer - especially with that poodlie-lookin coat!
I can't help but say something about a few of the comments on this thread (which shouldn't surprise some of you!!)
While I support people adopting pets from shelters (heck I worked at an SPCA for a while!) please don't disrespect those of us who choose to "pay big bucks for special breeds"!
When making the choice to add a pet to your family, if more people took it very seriously and did their research, instead of impulse buying or supporting pet shops and byb's, there wouldn't be as much of a need for shelters and rescues.
Heck, most people will research the purchase of a toaster way more than a dog!
Making the decision on getting a dog, and what kind... what you want to do with the dog makes a huge difference.
And sometimes spending that extra money and going through a responsible breeder that does genetic testing, etc, also insures a healthy pet for years, instead of one that needs special Vet care and brings heartache to the family.
Sorry... didn't mean to hijack a post, just couldn't let it go without saying something!
-------------------- Dana Ferry St Cloud, MN Posts: 1556 | From: St Cloud, MN | Registered: May 1999
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Dana...none of my 6 recues have brought a minute of heartache to the family...conversely they have brought us only joy...other than a few things that were chewed up of course...but I think expensive dogs do that too..."impulse buying" in my opinion has little to do with the overcrowding at the shelters where I live...it would much more efficacious if people would spay and neuter their animals...that would be the most effective way to keep the populations down at the shelters...glad to hear you support people adopting pets from shelters...and of course you are free to pay any amount you wish for a genetically tested dog from a breeder with no disrespect from me...that's your business...I just want people to know that there are lots of abandoned animals at shelters that just want to be loved...and will give back at least as much love if not more than you show them...and that in my book is a real bargin.
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and maybe someone could invent a domestic animal which could fend for themselves like animals in the forest so we as humans can lead a life of our own too
-------------------- HotLines Joey Madden - pinstriping since 1952 'Perfection, its what I look for and what I live for'
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Rusy - you might be quite surprised to know just how much impulse buying of dogs adds to the shelter issues!
It's a domino effect. Someone sees a cute puppy at the pet store, in an expen outside along the road (another way the millers sell puppies), etc. Buy it on impulse, bring it home, don't get it spayed because they think its cute, or the kids should see the miracle of birth, or they didn't think it would get bred so easily or or or or.
So they sell puppies to the people that see them, think they are cute and get them on impulse with no research.
Then the same repeats, over and over again.
YES spay and neuter should be done!! But they had to get the dog from somewhere in the first place!
I'm thrilled that you haven't had to experience HD or any of the other genetic issues that are quite costly. But you have been very lucky.
Because I have worked not only at the shelter for several years, but various Veterinary hospitals, I have been able to see a much larger view. And sometimes it isn't pretty.
And the reason the dogs from responsible breeders are more expensive, is the myriad of genetic health tests they have done. One eye test alone I need to do on Toby and Indy before we breed them, is $195 each!
And at the other end of the spectrum, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels really should have an MRI done before breeding! Now that's pricey!
Add to that proper Vet care, higher quality food, show/competition expenses, etc etc etc. Plus a breeders years of experience and knowledge. Kinda like an experienced, talented hand letterer or pinstriper using the best quality paint with the kalinsky squirrel quill, with the reputation for excellent quality, vs joeschmoe down the street that bought a can of paint and brush at the craft store.
But that doesn't mean that price denotes quality. Go to a pet store and you will see insanely overpriced horribly bred dogs. Heck, the pet store needs their profit, the distributor needs their profit, the mill needs their profit. For less than the asking price, people can do research and get a puppy with a health guarantee from a good breeder, and not support the mills.
And that puppy will probably come with a contract specifying it be neutered, etc, which prevent more puppies in the future from ones that really shouldn't be bred.
Sorry to go off topic on this thread, but this is a subject I have lived with for MANY years and is VERY important in my life. I have experienced and seen a much broader picture than probably most of the people on this forum, and have based my rather strong opinions on this.
NOW... back to the regularly scheduled program.
I still think Ginger is cute! Would love to see how big he is and what he looks like all groomed up! MORE PHOTOS please!!
-------------------- Dana Ferry St Cloud, MN Posts: 1556 | From: St Cloud, MN | Registered: May 1999
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I think we can all agree that it's a matter of education - every dog should be wanted. It's an emotive subject, especially considering high kill shelters. I think people like Rusty deserve a huge pat on the back.
Moving on... Ginger is 20" to the top of his head, and I'll take some more pics - if he stands still long enough! He's currently having great fun charging around in the snow!
-------------------- Graham Parsons Signs 'n Such Ltd Swift Current Saskatchewan Canada. www.signsnsuch.com
"Saskatchewan - hard to pronounce, easy to draw" Posts: 710 | From: Saskatchewan, Canada | Registered: Oct 1999
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Dana...Yes I am quite surprised...I don't claim to an expert in this field or possess all the answers...I just meant to commend Graham on adopting Ginger and encourage people to give some unwanted animals good homes...Happy New Year and have a great year.
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