Costs of owning dogs are going way UP

[CritterZone]

If you own the dog then i would say the sky is the limit as to what you choose to spend. Your dog, your limit. But I think it's a different thing all together when shelter money is spent on saving a questionable dog.
Pit bulls are fine with me unless they come from a fighting background. If that's the case then I think there is a chance that the genetics have been altered by breeding for aggressiveness. If someone is willing to take responsibility for that dog and safeguard its self and others. but I sure wouldn't want that responsibility.

I've had several dogs that have needed meds as they age. As long as I can afford it I will, but I won't keep a dog of mine alive that is suffering in a manner I can't help.

Nice to hear someone wants to be a country vet. Good luck with your studies!

Exactly!

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Again I ask ... WHY do we have so many rescue dogs that they need to be exported to other areas of the country ,at great expense, to have any chance of being "adopted" when all of these rescue groups have been espousing spay and neuter for decades ?

Because there are still not enough people are spaying and neutering their dogs, and are irresponsible with letting them breed.

 

[Southern by choice]

Again I ask ... WHY do we have so many rescue dogs that they need to be exported to other areas of the country ,at great expense, to have any chance of being "adopted" when all of these rescue groups have been espousing spay and neuter for decades ?

Because there are still not enough people are spaying and neutering their dogs, and are irresponsible with letting them breed.

I think those of us that are older and have been around for awhile laugh at the whole spay /neuter idea that this is the reason. It is simply not the whole picture. When I was a kid living in a small "suburban" neighborhood out of two streets at approximately 50-60 family homes there were only 5 families that owned dogs. They were considered a "luxury" back then you never saw a dog with skin issues health junk or anything else.... Now- in our I want what I want when I want it society and everything is often done on a whim I really think it has contributed.

I cannot even begin to tell you how many times I hear "well, we are going to get a dog and see how it goes and then maybe we will have kids" Seriously.... this is where we are....everything "convenient for the moment" or disposable. Dogs are often being used as "replacements" for human companionship. Most people that repeat the mantra told to us about spay/neuter etc have just been told this for so long they believe that is what makes a responsible owner ... I believe it has created ignorant owners that are lazy and know nothing about owning a pet. Spaying and neutering is a good idea for most people but this is a bit odd don't ya think... Huge push tons of "programs" and we have MORE unwanted canine before this big push....

This push is bought all the time by ignorant owners... I had a new vet come out on a farm call she was awful... among many other mistakes she made she tried to tell me our then 5 month old pup had Pyometra. Keep in mind a happy wagging tailed pup, energetic, eating, no temp, no swelling nothing.... just a normal small amount of "hormone surge discharge " that female pups will have here and there. A 5 month old pup barely has uterus- of course it has one but there are not going to be any reproductive issues at that point. All about that spay crap... I told her what it was- yes I was telling the vet what she was seeing- Wrongly diagnosed 2 goats also.... cost us a fortune just to end up having another vet come out for exams...

If I was ignorant I could have been very sunk into spaying a 5 month old pup and being charged for an emergency spay because of "Pyometra". Ever look up the HW preventative??? Know anything about it? dosage, why it's used, main ingredient, how often IT REALLY needs to be given? Most don't and will never question it. $$$$$$$$$$$

So - probably PO some people but most involved in rescue scenes really have no clue what they are involving themselves in.

 

[Godsgrl]

Again I ask ... WHY do we have so many rescue dogs that they need to be exported to other areas of the country ,at great expense, to have any chance of being "adopted" when all of these rescue groups have been espousing spay and neuter for decades ?

Because there are still not enough people are spaying and neutering their dogs, and are irresponsible with letting them breed.

Right. Either people don't have the money to spay or neuter, or they are too lazy. Then there are those who want to breed fluffy or fido "one time" before having the animal fixed. @@

 

[bcnewe2]

Ever look up the HW preventative??? Know anything about it? dosage, why it's used, main ingredient, how often IT REALLY needs to be given? Most don't and will never question it. $$$$$$$$$$$

If I were to use it monthly I'd spend about a nickel a month on each dog but in reality I only do HW preventive 2-3 times a year. I have documented reasons why. but unless someone asks I will leave it at that.

Not a vet but out of personal experiences I have learned to do most vetting myself. Haven't had a farm call for over 10 years. Have brought in one lamb, this year to learn how to repair a hernia. Wasn't the only issue with that lamb so she couldn't be saved. Pup broke her leg in Oct. Needed a vet for that one but otherwise not cost effective for us.

To each their own though, I would never tell others that my way is right for everyone. Just working for me.

had to add that I don't spay my dogs till well over a year sometimes 2 or more and have never had a little of puppies. Yes the general population doesn't know enough to not end up with accidents or on purpose accidents but I feel it is detramental to the dogs health later in it's life to spay a dog under 10 months or so of age.
I think it's more the issue of stray dogs having litters of stray puppies and the general joe public "loving" their perfect pet so much that they are sure it needs to reproduce. and of course the ones that get puppies and find adult or young teen dogs are to much a bother so they are disposable pets.

 

[Bossroo]

Again I ask ... WHY do we have so many rescue dogs that they need to be exported to other areas of the country ,at great expense, to have any chance of being "adopted" when all of these rescue groups have been espousing spay and neuter for decades ?

Because there are still not enough people are spaying and neutering their dogs, and are irresponsible with letting them breed.

Right. Either people don't have the money to spay or neuter, or they are too lazy. Then there are those who want to breed fluffy or fido "one time" before having the animalyes, fixed. @@

The bigger problem is these so called " rescue shelters ' " shake one down financially in terms of fees and/or "donations " with their sob stories when one gives up their dog/ cat or tries to get one from them. Two personal examples : 1 ) I have a 20 acre horse ranch with many mice and rats invading all the time ( they eat spilled grain in the barn also any undigested feed from the horse feces out in the pastures. I also have a HUGE coyote population. I used to go to the County pound and pick up 10-12 cats every 6 months to prey on the mice/ rats for FREE. The problem is that the lifespan of a cat in our area is between 2-6 months as the cats are a tastey treat to coyotes. Any dumped cat is consumed by coyotes within days and I haven't even heard of any ferral cats in the area. In town, yes, out in the countryside NOPE . Then the rescue groups step in and they started to charge $35 per cat and then started to ask for additional donation, 6 months later it became $75, then 6 months later ( you guessed it ) $125 + a donation. That is $125 x 10 cats = $1,250 x 2x/year = $ 2,500 . Who can afford that, so I now get poison from the county for just under $30/ year. Example 2). My son and daughter- in- law had a very friendly people oriented 8.5 lb. neutered male chihuahua. When my granddaughter was born we found out that she was allergic to dogs. So, they tried to give him away to any rescue group that would take him in a Metropolitan area of well over a million people. NO takers. Then I called around in my metropolitan area of nearly a million people and found one rescue group to take him. No mention of a " surrender fee" over the phone. When I arrived the sprung the " surrender fee of $150 " on me, which I paid. Then I had to fill out a 4 page form with all home and work telephone numbers for my son, daughter- in - law, my wife's as well as mine. Then I had to sit in their waiting room so that they could do an health and behavior evaluation so that they could place him. While all this is going on, these "rescue" volunteers call my son, daughter-in-law, and my wife to ask for another " $ 150 donation" with a sob story. Let's see , if all of us made a donation that would amount to $ 150 x 4= $ 6 0 0 to just surrender this 8.5 lb canine. While I was sitting in the waiting room I saw 2 different people with kids walk out the door with 2 different nondescript dogs. one paid just over $ 300 the other one over $400 for adoption fee, spaying/ neutering fee, leash, toys, treets, doggie bed, as well as dog food. All OVERPRICED ! Add these up and you come up with a heafty princely sum indeed so that we can see their sobbing TV commercials to perpetuate their shake downs !!!

 

[SheepGirl]

I don't know. If I were spending this much money on a dog from a rescue I might as well just hold off for a couple more paychecks and get one from a breeder who has the health history of the dog, all the dog's in the pedigree, etc.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

The bigger problem is these so called " rescue shelters ' " shake one down financially in terms of fees and/or "donations " with their sob stories when one gives up their dog/ cat or tries to get one from them. Two personal examples : 1 ) I have a 20 acre horse ranch with many mice and rats invading all the time ( they eat spilled grain in the barn also any undigested feed from the horse feces out in the pastures. I also have a HUGE coyote population. I used to go to the County pound and pick up 10-12 cats every 6 months to prey on the mice/ rats for FREE. The problem is that the lifespan of a cat in our area is between 2-6 months as the cats are a tastey treat to coyotes. Any dumped cat is consumed by coyotes within days and I haven't even heard of any ferral cats in the area. In town, yes, out in the countryside NOPE . Then the rescue groups step in and they started to charge $35 per cat and then started to ask for additional donation, 6 months later it became $75, then 6 months later ( you guessed it ) $125 + a donation. That is $125 x 10 cats = $1,250 x 2x/year = $ 2,500 . Who can afford that, so I now get poison from the county for just under $30/ year. Example 2). My son and daughter- in- law had a very friendly people oriented 8.5 lb. neutered male chihuahua. When my granddaughter was born we found out that she was allergic to dogs. So, they tried to give him away to any rescue group that would take him in a Metropolitan area of well over a million people. NO takers. Then I called around in my metropolitan area of nearly a million people and found one rescue group to take him. No mention of a " surrender fee" over the phone. When I arrived the sprung the " surrender fee of $150 " on me, which I paid. Then I had to fill out a 4 page form with all home and work telephone numbers for my son, daughter- in - law, my wife's as well as mine. Then I had to sit in their waiting room so that they could do an health and behavior evaluation so that they could place him. While all this is going on, these "rescue" volunteers call my son, daughter-in-law, and my wife to ask for another " $ 150 donation" with a sob story. Let's see , if all of us made a donation that would amount to $ 150 x 4= $ 6 0 0 to just surrender this 8.5 lb canine. While I was sitting in the waiting room I saw 2 different people with kids walk out the door with 2 different nondescript dogs. one paid just over $ 300 the other one over $400 for adoption fee, spaying/ neutering fee, leash, toys, treets, doggie bed, as well as dog food. All OVERPRICED ! Add these up and you come up with a heafty princely sum indeed so that we can see their sobbing TV commercials to perpetuate their shake downs !!!

All I have to say is I have volunteered for a no kill cat rescue for the last 4 years and they are definitely NOT making money, they use 8 different vets and at each place is in debt over $10,000, since it is a "no kill" they use the money from adoption fees etc to pay for some of the more unlucky animals that have higher vet needs. There are no paid workers and they've saved over 10,000 cats and placed them into homes since 1999. I would say this is an extremely responsible and well managed rescue, not to mention effective!

And also, this is just my opinion. I think it's cruel to get cats and place them out in an area where you know they will be eaten. It might be a temporary problem to the mice, but what's more is it's cruel to the cat AND you are feeding and perpetuating the coyote problem.

 

[Bossroo]

White mountain... for your information ... I, as well as all of my 7 nearby neighbors, have NO LOVE for coyotes. I shoot and kill from 15-20 coyotes per year since I moved onto my ranch, and still they come. My neighbors do the same as they kill/ main my foals, and neighbor's calves as the cow is giving birth by eating off the calves' faces and the cows' vulvas, kill many lambs as well as kill / maim ewes. Not to mention all chickens, turkeys, and ducks not to mention our dogs, are under a death sentence due to the hordes of coyotes. I haven't seen any of these birds for miles around. I got cats as a natural control of the rat and mouse horde pests as the coyotes do not seem to put a dent in their overpopulation. Cats just happen to be a natural prey of coyotes. So removing rats and mice as well as unwanted/ unadoptable feral cats from the overpopulated population at the rescue shelters is all natural in Mother Nature's scheme of things. Our .22, .273, .308, and .30 30 as well as rat/ mouse poison to dispose of them ( forced to use due to HUGE cost of cats ) are the only means to reduce the huge number of coyotes . Lets see, when these "no kill and/ or rescue groups" get their cats / dogs for free by volunteers picking them up, then have free labor from volunteers, spend huge amounts of money on surgeries on spay / neauter as well as on injured and terminally ill animals ( Ch 2 Portland , Ore. reported last week that one of these no kill shelters spent over $9,000 for surgeries on a dog that was hit by a car with terminal injuries , then died shortly after the surgery just because it was at a " no kill" shelter. Just how many other healthy animals does one think could have been fed, cared for, and adopted out by spending the money on not so unsavable animals.) and as you say that this "no kill" shelter is in debt for over $10,000 to each of it's 8 vets then they shake down their cat/ dog adopters and their relatives to cover their losses... this " no kill" model is NOT SUSTAINABLE . As was also stated that this group saved over 10,000 cats since 1999, so why are these type of groups sending animals to other states at great expence because they can/t find local homes ? Also, as you stated that this " no kill " shelter is exteamely responsible, well managed, and effective... however, considering the above, could this model could possibly be under some serious mismanagement ? Even MOTHER NATURE knows better and desposes of the overpopulated, sick, deseased, and injured animals from thei general popullation by HER deploying predators , decease, and starvation. Good luck.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

I agree with you, and there are probably "no kill" rescues that do what you mentioned, but this one in particular won't try to save an "unsavable" animal. If it has a terminal disease or is likely to die (say from a serious car accident) they won't take it into the system. And they have never exported a single animal to another state. But I'm sure there are other ones that do do what you say and do export them, or is it just the shelters that are exporting them?