Animal rescue

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated” — Mahatma Gandhi

   I had to fight back tears while reading this article from the Star today. It includes some horrific stories about animals suffering from cruel neglect. It made me want to take a minute to remind anyone who might be reading NOT to get an animal from a source such as a breeder or a pet store, unless you can GO to where the animals are bred, SEE the property to ensure they're getting good care, and TALK to them to ensure that they love their animals & are more concerned for their welfare than they are in turning a profit. There's nothing inherently wrong with buying from a pet store; but too many stores act as middlemen which hide the commercial breeder (puppy mill) from which the animals come. The Midwest is notorious for unlicensed mills.

   When I was 12 years old I got my first job, at Amber Lynn Kennels, which used to be about a mile from my parents' house. Although I wanted the job because I was saving up to buy a Nintendo Entertainment System, working there ended up being an invaluable & life-changing experience for me. The owner, Sharon (who is now retired), bred champion collies and also boarded dogs & occasionally cats. I helped with every part of the operation, from caring for the animals to administering meds, from cleaning the building to grooming, and even accompanying her to dog shows. I even started training as a handler. I worked year-round for 6 years, full-time during the summers, because I loved it so much. After I got the hang of it, I routinely cared for 30-80 dogs every day, often by myself. I think Sharon always hoped I'd be a lifer, but I couldn't turn back from pursuing an art career.
   Sharon had impeccable values. She worked hard and was invariably tough but fair. She ran a tight ship & insisted that everything be done "the right way" for the animals' welfare. She participated in collie rescue as well as running her own business. 
   One of the most important things she taught me was the difference between a career breeder & a commercial breeder:  A career breeder puts their animals first. They focus on no more than 1 or 2 breeds so that they can carefully study their genetics & personality to produce healthy offspring. They require prospective pet owners to fill out lengthy adoption contracts and they carefully screen them. They won't sell an animal to anyone who can pay—you must prove that you are ready & able to care for it properly. They will educate you about the characteristics of their breed & make sure it's a good fit for your household. Most importantly, they will ALWAYS take an animal back for any reason if their owner cannot keep them because they CARE about the animal & want to ensure it's in a good home. And they often check in with the family periodically to see how it's going. 
   On the other hand, a commercial breeder isn't concerned with what happens to their dogs once they get their money. It's a business. To them, animals are a commodity, not a family member. We've all seen videos of commercial breeding operations with dogs stacked in wire cages, living in unsanitary conditions. Some have never walked on grass. The puppies are the lucky ones because most are sold, rather than kept as future breeders—who usually have a miserable life. Oprah did an excellent episode about puppy mills, and it galvanized my thoughts on the subject. You can watch the full episode here. I predict it will change your mind. It may change your life.

   At least one of my shibas (Aki) originated at a Missouri puppy mill and ended up in rescue. She has turned out to be a great dog & I feel very lucky to have her. Her first owner bought her as a puppy from a breeder & left her in a crate for hours & hours every day, with no socialization with people or other animals. Because of that, Aki became timid around strangers & aggressive around other dogs. When her owner acknowledged that she didn't have the time or resources to care for a dog (which should have been determined in advance), she contacted rescue & arranged to meet them at a vet's office. She didn't meet them. She tied Aki's leash around the door handle & abandoned her there. When the rescuers came, Aki was terrified, not knowing where she was, who the rescuers were, or where the only person she ever really knew had gone.
   Once I adopted Aki, not knowing her origin, I started digging around in the paperwork from the rescue organization & through some creative Googling I found her breeder. The woman bred 12+ different types of dogs: shibas were the only purebreds, and all the others were "designer mixes" (cockapoo, puggle, cavachon, etc.). Which is another way to say she breeds mutts. Well, guess what: animal shelters the world over are FULL of great mutts. If they got more creative with their marketing & gave them cute mixed-up names maybe more people would realize that.
   Right on her website, the woman admits that when her dogs are too old for breeding, she puts them in rescue... making them someone else's problem once they've outlived their use to her. (Her whole site also had a strong Christian message, which I found rather hypocritical.) I got up the nerve to call the woman, not to accuse her but to confirm all this. I told her how I had come to own Aki, and to my great relief she told me that was one of her last litters of shibas. She was going to focus on the mutts.
   I am proud to take my dogs places, because I always get compliments on how great & well-behaved they are. Any dog can be a perfect dog if you spend time socializing & training them.  Aki's transformation is proof of that. Coming from a puppy mill doesn't mean that the DOG is bad; but everyone should go in with eyes wide open about the industry & make a conscious decision about whether or not they feel good about supporting it. Personally, I don't. And if commercial breeders can't sell their puppies they will stop producing.
   I am so thankful to Sharon for educating me about the pet trade and teaching me good values. It's because of her that I worked with collie rescue for 6 years, and have continued work with the Humane Society of Greater KC (for 14 years) & Midwest Shiba Inu Rescue (3 years). 

   Returning to the article, it made me sad because it underscores the sheer number of unwanted pets, thousands of which are killed every year because rescue groups cannot rescue them all. We already have more pets than we have homes for them! I hope that I inspire at least one person to help an organization of their choice, because it is desperately needed, and there are 1000 different ways you can lend a hand: donating money or time, walking shelter dogs, cuddling the kitties, training, collecting supplies, education, you name it.
   I'll get off my soapbox now. But please, next time you're in the market for a pet, check petfinder.com or a local humane society or rescue organization first. If you have your heart set on a purebred like I did, think about this: KC pet stores sell shiba puppies for $1500. I got Aki at 6 months old for $250. Same dog... and she was already housebroken! Cut out the pet store & go to rescue! There are rescue groups for pretty much every breed in existence.