Alert! For anyone thinking of adopting a pet from a rescue organization...

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21. told ya so

The OP is totally right...

The problem with the word "guardian" is the legalese that it represents. If you "own" an animal, it is yours. If you are an animal's guardian, he/she is like your children, any offense can get it taken away, like being outside "unsupervised". My dogs are outside playing most of the day. They have a 6' fence around a 1/4 acre. Yes, I go out and play with them (and pick up the doo). I check for holes (they love to dig) around the fence, and look for anything they may have gotten into that they shouldn't (like destroying their water bucket). I would be a bad "guardian" because I am not out there all the time. Remember the people that had their children taken away because they were allowed to go to the park on their own?

My dogs have required a lot of time, a lot of money (get chemo on a dog and see if it's cheap), and a lot of resources that required a lot of sacrifices. I WOULDN'T CHANGE A THING! I love my dogs and my life with them, but I would be a bad "guardian"...ten grand to try to save a dog's life wouldn't matter. Loving my dogs wouldn't matter.

Yes, there are bad people that adopt. They think that animals are disposable or toys for the kids and when things don't work out, back to the shelter. I do rescue for my breed and the really heart-breaking ones are the old dogs that "are too much trouble". I have kept several of those for the rest of their lives. They get treated just like the show dogs...lots of attention, lots of toys, lots of pats and raw, fresh meat. I had one who had no idea what toys were. I was in the process of picking up the toys and getting them out of the way so we could blow the leaves and this dog found himself in the middle of a pile of toys and he went "EEEEHAAA!" and pounced and toys went everywhere. It was GREAT! BUT, I would be a bad guardian.

Some people that have all the right answers are still bad owners. The funny part is that, if I decide to place a puppy and ask all these questions and have contracts and turn someone down, I am an elitist. Every puppy born here (and there haven't been that many, and yes, I knew and know where they are, how they are kept and how well taken care of they are) is MY puppy forever, whether they live here or not and I am RESPONSIBLE for them for the rest of their lives. That is MY contract with my breed.

Gotta go now and can't reply, so have fun! But also watch who you defend and who you support because if if this goes on we will all be playing with pet rocks.