Dogs
2012-02-27; Photos
See my Photography page for some
photos I have taken of AAS and other dogs.
2012-02-27; Mutts, Purebreds, and Designer Dogs
Dog breeding is a huge industry in the US and elsewhere. Sadly, as a
whole its not an industry that is good for the dogs themselves. I
have been volunteering at a private, not-for-profit dog shelter in
my community for several years now. I have thousands of hours of
hands-on interaction with everything from chihuahuas to mastiffs.
Here is my highly opinionated take on the subject. For the average
person or family simply looking for a pet, a mutt is the way to go.
In my observations and experience, mutts are just as good as
purebreds when it comes to health, temperament, behavior, and
personality. Situations where purebreds make sense generally are
working dogs. Its hard to beat selective breeding when it comes to
herding sheep, retrieving birds, and so forth. Even then, breeding
is not enough; much training is usually required to get the job
performance that is desired. So if you're considering a pet dog,
take a good long look at the mutts.
2012-02-27; Puppy, or Adult Dog?
All too often, folks planning to get a dog as a pet decide to get a
puppy for the wrong reasons. Adult dogs will bond with their new
family just as strongly as puppies. And there's no guarantee that
the average person will "raise them right" any better than the next
guy on the street. While puppies offer lots of fun times and cute
photos, they also involve potty accidents and teething/chewing
behaviors. At the dog shelter where I volunteer, the
January/February timeframe can be pretty ugly, due to the "Christmas
puppy" scenario where the young family found out that the new puppy
pees everywhere in the house, and is looking to get rid of the poor
little guy. And the time window for adopting a particular puppy is
usually measured in days or weeks, so its hard to get a deep
understanding of their personality and behavior. Plus, adopters may
not be really ready for the fully-grown version. Everyone can handle
a 15 pound puppy; but can you handle the 100 pound version?
Along with a cessation or reduction in potty accidents and
teething/chewing behaviors, the great advantage of adopting an adult
dog from a shelter, rescue organization, or acquaintance is that the
dog has been observed for quite some time. The folks who have been
taking care of the dog can tell you all sorts of things about the
dog's reaction to other dogs, cats, strangers, loud noises, etc.
Being a senior volunteer at my shelter, I can "call dibs" on pretty
much any dog that comes in. It is extremely unlikely that I'll ever
adopt a puppy. I prefer to get to know the adult dog, because that's
the one that will be living with me for years to come.
2012-02-27; My Crusade
I didn't really plan on it, but I sort of fell into the dog rescue
business. I started volunteering at a local dog shelter, the Animal Aid Society of
Hampton, Virginia, and really found my Raison d'être. Helping
dogs, and their future owners, has become a crusade of sorts. Check
my Photography page for some photos of dogs from AAS.
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