General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: I hope everyone who thinks it's OK to "just breed her once" or "just buy one dog" reads this all the [View all]laundry_queen
(8,646 posts)Although I agree with the poster up thread - this person needs a new job and this shelter needs a new manager. That said...
I tried to adopt a dog from a local shelter once. I got screened out. See, I was young (20 at the time) and they weren't sure I was 'mature' enough for a dog, despite the fact I already had one. Also, they wanted a notarized letter (at a cost to us) from my landlord stating he would let me have dogs (again, despite the fact I already had a dog and had brought the dog to see which shelter dog would get along with him). My landlord offered to fax them a signed letter and gave them his number. That wasn't good enough, they said. No dog for you! I was sad as my dog and I had bonded with a particular dog while waiting.
So, my boyfriend and I went and bought a dog from a farm nearby (this was at my bf's insistence) We loved that sweet dog for 5 months until she developed extremely severe hip dysplasia and it was recommended we put her down as she couldn't walk at all at that point and was in severe pain. The vet said it was the worst case he had ever seen (her hip joints had never formed), and that her only chance at surviving would be a series of hip replacements (up to 3 in the next 18 months or so) at $2000/hip plus possible rehab costs. This was 20 years ago and my boyfriend and I didn't have that kind of money. Now, a lot of people would say it served us right for buying a farm dog, but that dog was loved on so much and had a wonderful life until her last couple of weeks - I'm glad we bought her, as her fate may not have been so great had she stayed on that farm. And I wouldn't have loved a shelter dog any less which makes me sad for the shelter, thinking of all the great pet parents they may be turning away because of overly strict rules.
My experience makes me leery of trying again. Plus, I have developed very horrible allergies, so can only get the kinds of breeds that are hard to find - poodle, yorkie, maltese etc. and cats are out of the question (me AND all of my kids have allergies to cats). I'm not sure what to do.