Adoption - adoption agency atlanta

Adopt Your Next Dog From a Rescue or The Pound

John Schwartz

When I was a kid, dog adoption meant buying a puppy from a store in the mall. I’d never even heard of such a thing as an animal rescue shelter. It’s something I truly regret every day now that I’m all grown up and dogs are such a central part of my life. I wouldn’t even consider dog adoption from any place other than an animal rescue organization or the local pound now.

My enlightenment about ethical dog adoption is a sad tale. Sparing the details, I met people involved in animal rescue when I picked up a stray running along the highway by my home. The poor thing was just about dead from starvation. When I took her to the local humane society location, I was informed that she would almost certainly be put down within a few days. Incredulous, I asked why. Their response: ‘She’s black and big, and large breed black dogs are a dime a dozen, so they rarely get adopted.’

Needless to say, I took the stray with me. No way was I going to give up on getting a dog adoption success story out of the mess. After doing a little research, I discovered that animal rescue shelters are all over, in every state.

That’s how I learned about a local group that not only worked on dog adoption for strays, but they also operated under a “no kill” philosophy. This type of animal rescue organization, surviving primarily on donations from the public, provides puppies and dogs with a good place to live while they await a loving family to take them home. And if they’re never adopted, then they live out their natural lives in comfort and with human companionship, albeit from volunteers at the shelter.

I learned that dog adoption of strays from these animal rescue facilities saves thousands of lives every year, nationwide. And most of the groups are overwhelmed with the numbers of stray dogs and people wanting to dump them for whatever reason (usually for their own convenience). The ultimate fault lies with so-called puppy mills, which crank out litter after litter to sell in your local pet store. And of course, the fault also lies with people not getting their dogs spayed or neutered. Bob Barker was right all along! If even 50% of owners got their animals fixed, the situation would improve dramatically.

So began my own journey to the good side of dog adoption. I ended up marrying a woman who owns an animal rescue organization that uses the “no kill” philosophy. We share our lives with many dogs, all mixed breeds, and all of whom we love completely.

Oh, and that stray I mentioned earlier who started my dog adoption odyssey? Her name’s Cookie, and when I first found her she was skin and bones. That was before a loving family that lives near a large park adopted her from that animal rescue group. The last time I saw her, she was almost fat from all the food and having the time of her life playing in the park. I cried. Happy tears.

Next time dog adoption is on your agenda, please consider looking at an animal rescue shelter near you. Or go to the local pound. Save a life!

John Schwartz is the owner and webmaster of http://puppies-dogs-supplies.com. He lives in East Texas with his wife, Shannon, who owns a dog rescue 'no kill' shelter.

Choosing your Boxer Dog

Kathy Burns-Millyard

An easier and more pleasant journey with your chosen Boxer starts with checking out the parent dogs for unbecoming traits like aggression, hyperactive and extreme shyness.

This is easier to do when you get your Boxer from a reputable breeder or from a pet shop that get their animals only from known breeders.

Exercise prudence if you are getting your Boxer puppy from pet stores, which often get their supply from breeders of unknown reputation.

These "puppy mills" as they are called are not known to put much emphasis on the quality and health of pups they are producing.

Reputable breeders would adhere to the accepted standards for Boxers in terms of uniformity in the breed, good health, temperament, size and color.

Reputable breeders would be able to show the pedigree and registration papers and/or pictures of the parent dogs that may reside somewhere else.

Professional breeders are also there to produce dog show champions or prospects.

Even if you are not looking to raise a show champion Boxer, known breeders can provide you with some "best buy" puppies because not all the puppies in a litter are show prospect/champion materials.

But the full litter would have had benefited from the same proven bloodlines, nutrition and medical care. So you can choose from among the good-looking brothers or sisters of potential champion for a bargain.

Your other source option is animal shelters that in the US alone receive up to 12 million homeless dogs and cats every year, and about 25% of them are purebred. Paying the adoption fee is a lot cheaper than the price you will pay to a breeder or pet store, and you will be saving a life.

The definition of good stock or purebred must include beauty, and in a Boxer good look means the coat is fawn and brindle, with the white markings or "flash" covering not more than one-third of the entire coat.

Sometimes the distribution of the "flash" alone may make the difference between a show champion and just a pet Boxer.

The all-white Boxer or "check" is prone to blindness and deafness, and the American Boxer Club members are not to register, sell or use the "whites" for breeding.

When it comes to choosing male or female Boxers, there are not much clear-cut differences in their personalities.

At times, the male is calmer, more tolerant of other dogs, willing to hold still for those hugs than the female. But at other times, the female can be so. One owner said the female Boxer is hyper and more aggressive especially toward other females, and that the aggression has increased as the female gets older.

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This article is provided courtesy of MyPetAnimals.com - http://www.mypetanimals.com - a large site devoted to helping you find all the pet and animal products you need! This article may be distributed and published on any website, as long as this statement and URL remain intact, and the website address is linked properly.

This article is provided courtesy of MyPetAnimals.com - http://www.mypetanimals.com - a large site devoted to helping you find all the pet and animal products you need! This article may be distributed and published on any website, as long as this statement and URL remain intact, and the website address is linked properly.