Animal shelters overflow as Americans dump 'pandemic puppies' in droves. They're too broke to keep their dogs
Animal shelters overflow as Americans dump 'pandemic puppies' in droves. They're too broke to keep their dogs
Shelter Animals Count, a national database, estimates that the U.S. shelter population grew by nearly a quarter-million animals in 2023.
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Mohawk Hudson, for instance, has a lot of pit bulls, mastiffs and cane corsos.
Seems to be a lot of aggressive breeds of dogs, which are becoming banned throughout the nation. That might be more of the problem.
Yeahhhh these people aren't poor, they just want puppies, not dogs.
Puppies are the worst idk who prefers them over trained adult dogs
A lot of people do not understand how much work puppies take to own and raise. They think they're just smaller cuter versions of adult dogs.
Same kind of idiots that think having a child will fix their relationships.
You gotta remember that half of all people are stupider than the average person, and it only takes like the dumbest 10% to be like "he's not cute anymore so I don't want him" for shelters to start filling up
People who don't know what they are getting into, and as soon as they encounter a situation of their own creating... they bail because its hard. Pit bull owner (AST rescue mutt), they are not a beginner breed, they require ensuring that there is a hierarchy in the house and force an understanding of that. They are stubborn, hard headed, and amazing dogs (Tiptoe is a hurricane of tongues). We have a 6 yo at home, and I have to force his training and training for her. It's a lot of work, and most people are allergic to work when it becomes inconvenient to them.
Aggression is something that is there genetically and you have to work against it. Again that's work, but you will find that any dog that hasn't been traumatized (and some that have... again love my tip) leans naturally to happiness, not aggression.
Short answer is that people are awful, and because of that most of the time the dog suffers. That should be recognized for what it is.
Bonus... Pit Love: https://ibb.co/yVRW1Zh
I completely agree with this! I love Pit Bulls and have experienced a lot of them being the most loving dogs ever. Watch out for that whip/tail when they are happy! They are the Nanny Dog for a reason.
You really need to understand a breed and see if it fits your lifestyle. I could not have my neighbors Australian Shepherd or my other neighbors Belgian Malinois those dog are way to smart for me and need to be very active and always doing things to work their brains or they get bored and get into shit
Literally NOTHING in the house can be at tail height. The tree looks weird, and it initially catches people off guard, since it looks like we only decorated half the tree. But it an adjustment we are happy to make. and I think that’s the key part of the conversation. We don’t have a dog. We have a member of the family that we adjust our lives around. Give her an environment where she feels safe, give her the exercise she needs, and all of the blankets that she can nest in.
Good on you for recognizing that. I think one of the main problems is that people don’t do enough real research to understand what they’re getting into. If you think you’re ready for a dog, find somebody who has a dog that is just outside of the puppy stage and ask to dog sit. Not only will the owners often be happy for a little bit of a break time, but you will get to experience what that particular breed is like at the peak of it being that breed. You will not change your families lifestyle to fit your dog (you will but you cant start out that direction), you have to find something that is compatible with how you live. For us that means that as soon as you set down on a chair or couch its tugs time (approx 2-3 hours a day). We only play tugs with the rope bones (no other toys) and when anyone in the family gives the command “drop it” she drops it (or its time of the other command “all done”) both of which are said once firmly with the hand signals.
That’s the other thing I don’t think a lot of people understand, and I think it leads to many of the dogs ending back in shelters. The period of cuteness wears off into the portion where your dog is learning to be a dog. It is the hardest part of owning the dog, and you have to be super diligent about training at that phase. Because that’s the time where the dog can learn all of the bad habits that it will carry for the rest of its life. Not to say that you can’t come back from it, but it’s a lot harder.
yeah, you never see glut of doodles sittin in shelter
They are also large dogs that can be 60-100+ pounds each, which for a lot of people is too much dog. It seems a case of people looking at a cute puppy and not researching what a full grown version looks like. People do the same thing with iguanas and fish too.
Pit bulls aren't in any meaningful fashion becoming banned throughout the nation. Of the 338M Americans 215M live in states that ban breed specific regulation outright.
https://resources.bestfriends.org/article/anti-dog-breed-specific-legislation-state
Pit bulls aren't illegal in the remaining states its just not illegal itself to ban them. Only a tiny minority of counties and zero states ban pit bulls.
Lol neither cane corso or mastiff are an aggressive breed.
Mastiffs are extremely protective of their owners and it gives people the impression they are aggressive. Same with the Cane Corso. Both dogs are more defensive then aggressive, but the potential is still there especially when owned by people who easily dump dogs. You know they didn't bother training them which is the main issue
With dogs, defensive and aggressive both end up in injuries.
I feel bad for the dogs but those breeds need experienced, capable owners.