Puppy Mill Not For Profit Scam & Genetics

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Hi,

This is my first post and it's a bit of a rant, ramble and a bit of tongue in cheek!

I am going to get a puppy and I was thinking of getting a mongrel as they may have less genetic problems and I might save it from the gas chamber. Much to my surprise it turns out there are a number of so-called not for profit organizations that want upwards of $200 or more for a mongrel puppy, plus want you to fill out a massive application, plus want to inspect your home, plus interview all family members!

This whole thing sounds a bit scamy. Do these people get big tax breaks, are they making a net income that gets sheltered, are they using the information they gather and the home inspection for dark purposes?

What happened to the good old days when your neighbor's dog got preggers, and you went over to get a nice free puppy, and kept the beast 'till it died of natural causes?

My wife refuses to have anyone inspect her home and interview her for a "dog". I must say she has a good point! What the hell are these people, the Canine Gestapo? Marketing bullshit masquerading as altruism?

I have been looking in the http://www.buysell.com/Splash.aspx and I have seen tons of cross-breed pups (essentially Mongrels IMHO) that people are trying to sell for $400 to $600 and sometimes much more, how ridiculous is that?

On a related note http://www.netpets.com/dogs/referenc...ics/bragg.html

Quote:

As we face the millennium, the one problem which most concerns the entire purebred dog fancy is genetic defects. Breeders used to worry about overshot/undershot bite and cryptorchidism. Not much else of a genetic nature was cause for concern; fanciers were a lot more worried about distemper, hepatitis and internal parasites. Breeding programs concentrated on individuals' visions of canine excellence. Then in the 1960s the tip of the genetic iceberg emerged as concern grew about a joint disorder called hip dysplasia. A control program involving the examination of hip x-rays by a skilled scrutineer and the maintenance of a registry of animals "cleared" of the defect was established at the Ontario Veterinary College at Guelph, Ontario. Now after three decades of the OVC program it has been pretty well established that "clear" animals with several generations of "clear" ancestry can nonetheless produce dysplastic progeny [Chidiac-Storimans 1995]! Hence the OVC control program would seem to be of questionable effectiveness. As the generations of closed-studbook breeding have advanced, a panoply of other inherited problems has emerged in purebred dog breeds. There is no need to list them here; the list would be on its way to obsolescence in a month or so; veterinary research continues to define more inherited disorders regularly. Many breeders now run four-way screening programs; some may screen for even more problems. Many breeders' selection programs for various kinds of canine excellence must now be at a standstill - all the selection is going into the effort to produce stock "clear" for eyes, hips, elbows, blood disorders, endocrine dysfunction, etc. Yet thirty years of x-rays have not eliminated hip dysplasia - it is now widespread in breeds in which it was not a problem thirty years ago.

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Go to your nearest animal shelter, or A.S.P.C.A., and you can get any kind of pup that you want, at little or no cost.

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Alas not here in Vancovuer Canada, at least not with puppies, but yes the SPCA is a bit less $ than some of the not for profits, as are the local pounds.

I went to look at some puppies at one of the local pounds (not SPCA) and there were some 80 applications for 8 puppies, and they also required quite a detailed written application with home inspection requites etc.

Not that I did not fill out the application etc., I did, but I was the last person on the last day to apply. Applying for puppies just sounds so wacky to me!

It seems, at least with respect to puppies at this point in time, that demand is far outstripping supply. But I'll bet dollars to donuts that in 5 years a good percent of those dogs will not still be with the original owner.

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Go to: www.google.com

Type in: Animal Shelters/Vancouver

I found a long list of shelters in your area. Keep trying, and I'm sure that you will get the pet that you want. Good luck!

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Thanks much for the words of encouragement, my Chow is getting on in years and I would like some overlapping doggy-ness Smile

I have been using this site where most of the services post pics and info
http://www.petfinder.org/pet.cgi?action=5

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That sounds like a good price for a dog. I got a black lab that cost 600 from some friends and that is the cheapest i have found them.

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$600 Canadian is what I paid for my chocolate lab over 10 years ago. I thought it too much at the time. It seems price has a lot to do with where you live and what you want etc. But $200 for a mongrel puppy with unknown parents from a service that claims it's not for profit?

I thought there was a huge excess of dogs in North America and that they had to kill thousands (10's of thousands?) per year.

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Chumly--

The shelter is non-profit, but I bet the Vet wants to be paid--or at least the company that makes and markets the vacine wants to be paid.

I'm guessing for $200 that you get a puppy with the basic shots. You'll probably have to pledge that you'll have the animal neutered (another procedure that costs).

The world is full of damn fools who think a labrador puppy would be a great apartment dog for a family with two toddlers and a babe in arms living paycheck to paycheck with no reserves for emergencies.

This sort of thinking is why all applicants are checked out--the shelter wants to find good homes.

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http://www.foxvalleypets.org/aboutfvha/?details=36&page=507
The pet overpopulation problem in the U.S. has reached epidemic proportions. Here are the facts:
For every person born in the U.S., 15 puppies and 45 kittens are also born.
Only 1 of 12 kittens and 1 of 6 puppies finds a home through a humane society (national average).
For every pet with a place they can happily call home, there are 4 companion animals who are homeless, neglected or abused.
Each year, 8 to 12 million animals are euthanized in shelters across America. Using the 10 million figure, that's 192,308 per week or 27,473 pets euthanized every day; or 1 pet every 4 seconds.

Yup the beast comes with basic shots, and I do understand your point about irresponsibility, those are pretty holocaust-like statistics though.

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Just because a shelter is not-for-profit doesn't mean it doesn't have expenses. They have to literally shelter and feed the animals, pay for their medical care, neutering/shots etc. The money they're asking usually barely cover those expenses - which is why they're often looking for donations of food/bedding etc.

For some of the smaller shelters, which don't actually have physical buildings, they have to provide supplies to the pet foster families.

The medical expenses of the shelters can be very high. There are some vets who will do a bit of pro-bono work, but there is still the expense of surgical supplies etc.

Non-profit usually just means there's nothing left over.

Most of the small, private shelters I know here are 'no-kill' shelters - which means they keep all animals til they die naturally - the medical care of aging pets doesn't decrease.

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The total monies seems a bit high and the formalities for adoption seem excessive given that 27,473 pets are euthanized every day in the US alone! Jews post WWII were given far less consideration than the puppy I may adopt from this not for profit group.

In this case I pay for the neutering on top of the initial $200 and that $200 only covers the first set of shots not the following shots etc.

The pups in this case are kept in outside "foster homes" (someone's private home) the in-house shelters AFAICT have pups that cost less. Believe me I am not against what they are doing, it's admirable, but looking at the continent wide big picture raises some eyebrows, at least for me.

Well I guess I am being too harsh on the whole thing but I did predicate my thread by saying that it was a bit if a rant / ramble with a little tongue in cheek, although the tongue in cheek part seems to have gotten lost.

I do think that this smaller concern may not benefit very well from the economies of scale, and also that they should charge less and ask for a donation that I could then use as tax deduction. Hmm maybe I'll ask them about that.

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I'm sorry, but I think $200 for adoption and basic vaccination is awfully steep. Our shelter will generally get you a dog, its first shots, and a neutering certificate for well under $60. It may be different in your area, but I'd certainly do some more checking around. I would say, however, I think you're better off with a mongrel than a purebred if the price is the same. That's been my experience, at least.

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I think it is to be expected to put aside a few hundred dollars for a new pet. If you adopt from a shelter, that covers the 'adoption fees'. Adoption fees are quite reasonable, actually, when you figure in what you get for it.
If you find a homeless buddy off the streets or from a friend, you'd need to spend that much anyways (shots, vet visit, spaying/neutering, supplies).

You could also probably find a pet at a reserve, but you'll still have to put down cash.

Thumbs up for not going to a puppy mill! Those places make me ill.

Good luck in your search for a buddy! Razz

p.s. If you choose to adopt an older dog, or a special dog, the fees may be lower. I got my pets as 'bargains' bc they were difficult to adopt out. Just a thought.

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Thanks ever so much for all the input, it has helped clarify things as to what is going on in the world of pets, in particular the bigger shelters like the SPCA and the municipal pounds versus the smaller private shelters and the adoption requisites etc., it's been 9 years since I went doggie shopping Smile

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CowDoc--

I think all expenses are higher on the eastern seaboard. A one-bedroom apartment in a "good" area rents for at least $1000 a month.

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Puppy Mill Not For Profit Scam & Genetics

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