threeplusfire | (no subject)

I had a thought that pleased me immensely, and it's been percolating in the back of my head for some time.

There's no reason to buy animals from breeders just to have a pet, in my opinion. Now if you need a dog to herd sheep, a police dog, a seeing eye dog, or a race horse then you probably need one bred for that task. That makes a certain sense, as tiny yapping dogs don't hear sheep well, and big dogs don't hunt little mammals in tunnels well.

But just a pet? My mom has a beautiful Abyssinian cat because the breeder dumped her at the clinic. She couldn't be bothered with an animal that wasn't physically perfect, and the poor kitten had a tiny white cowlick on her back.

I have to wonder if those people who insist on having little perfect pets will be the same people who insist on little perfect genetically designed and bred babies one day.

How many animals at a shelter could be saved with the money spent on a "purebred" animal? People should have to watch all those animals be executed.

I'm well aware my opinion on the subject isn't a popular one. I'm well aware people on list on LJ have animals they bought from breeders. I don't give a damn if people think I'm overly critical or harsh about the subject. It's been on my mind lately, with all the stray sad beasts.

Threaded | Flat

One of my cats is shelter acquired. For several of my friends who moved out into their own place for the first time, I offered to buy them their first cat ~ from the shelter.

That still stands for most of my friends and they know it, too.

My two cats are mudbloods and I love them. :) One rescued as a stray from a friends parent's farm and the other came from a local small pet store that took in "unplanned pregnancies" and adopted them out for the cost of their shots.

I was at a cat show this weekend, and it was neat to see all the different breeds out there. There were lots of purebred kittens for sale, but there were also two rescue groups with kittens for adoption. I was pleased to see that there was much more interest in the kittens from the two rescue groups than in any of the purbreds for sale.

My cat was on his best way to the shelter when we told the owner to give him to us instead. My mother's horse on the other hand was bought because we liked its bloodline.

I agree with you, though. None of my pets are perfect, and I love them all exactly like that.

It all makes slightly more sense with dogs. Different breeds have fairly predictable traits and temperments. But cats? They're all insane, I don't the breed matters much.
I think the only way I'd ever pay money for a cat is if it came from a shelter.

My soap box has more to do with people not spaying/neutering outside cats and not wanting to be responsible for the resultant offspring.

I agree 100%. My cats are all found or shelter kitties.

I'm all about the shelters. When I was born my parents had a dog from when they first got married which was this awsome German-shepard mutt named Allegra. My Ladydog was actually a pure-bred, with papers and all, but from a shelter (go figure).

I'd really love to see a teacup chihuahua herd sheep though. Yip yip, Wonderdog!

Nope, I agree with you--the thought of someone abandoning a purebred animal 'cos it ain't pure enough fills me with rage. Of our three family cats (two mine, one my mother's), one we adopted from a shelter two days before her scheduled euthanizing, one from a no-kill shelter who'd been abandoned at age six by the family that had her since she was a shut-eyed kitten, and one the wyfe's family found as a woodpile stray. Personality plus, all of them.

I was raised never to buy an animal from a breeder, with the possible exception of working animals like horses or seeing-eye dogs (though I've even heard of seeing-eye mutts - you just have to put them through a bunch of exams to make sure they're fit before training them). Okay, maybe I've bought fish and hermit crabs. But it's not like there are many "fish and hermit crab rescue" sites, and if I ever found one my next fish would be from there.

Even if you want a purebred dog because you like the appearance or temperament, there are PLENTY of rescue sites that deal only with one breed. Lots of animals are just abandoned by breeders because of imperfect coloring or something, and unless you want to show them they're just as good. You can even adopt puppies if you really want to bond with your dog when it's still a baby.

Then again, I'd even feel guilty about breeding on my own. Certainly I want to adopt at least one child, particularly a kid who's a bit old to be adopted, since those kids usually have a real hard time finding someone who's willing to take them in. If I bred one of my own as well, I'd be worried that I'd accidentally treat them differently, or that they'd think I loved them differently, or something, but all the same I have this strange urge to pass on my genes. Eh.

Agree.
We have an Aby too, from a breeder. He's so sweet. :)