Oct 11
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Trying to convince friend to adopt dog, not buy?

15 Comments

I'm trying to convince my friend to adopt a dog from a shelter, not buy a Yorkie. She wants a little, adorable, pedigreed dog. I've tried to explain to her that not all shelter dogs have diseases (that's what she thinks). I've also played the "you're saving a life" card. I'm superbig about the adopting thing, and I really want to convince her to adopt. Do you have any stats, or ideas to convince her?

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Posted in FAQ by Allan 15 Comments

15 Responses to "Trying to convince friend to adopt dog, not buy?"

  • alphachick123456789 says:
    April 6, 2009 at 5:05 am

    Well i do and it to speak your mind!
    step1:Look up some shelters than write them down

    step2:Find out some stuff about the shelters and give that info(print it out) 2 your friends/her mom or dad

    step 3:If she is still not convinced Ask your mom 2 go to a shelter and pick a dog up 4 her! and C what she says

    Hope it works-
    alpha chick123456789

  • kris2064 says:
    April 6, 2009 at 5:05 am

    theres no difference between the dog youre going to pay a thousand dollars for from a breeder than the one you pay 50 for from a shelter. dogs from shelters have so much love to give and youre giving it a second chance at life. theres no need for breeders theres so many loving dogs that would be so thrilled to go home with you

  • iBePWNIN says:
    April 6, 2009 at 5:05 am

    Take her to a shelter. Let her see all the gorgeous dogs and pups that would give anything to go home with her, and love her a million times more than any person could.
    I bet you she'll fall in love with AT LEAST one!

  • Creature says:
    April 6, 2009 at 5:05 am

    Its nice of you to try and help the poor dogs at the pound but if she wants a purebred why stop her?? you cant force her you know.But if you really want to take her to the Shelter and show her all the dogs she may find one she likes and change her mind.Also if there is a dog that has a illness or something when brought inot the pound or shelter they will nto put it up for adoption untell that's cared for and the dog is healthy again make sure you tell her that.

  • Kathy W says:
    April 6, 2009 at 5:05 am

    She can get a Yorkie! Do a web search for Yorkie Rescue in your state or go to http://www.petfinder.com and search for Yorkie's in your area. Defintely DON'T BUY.

  • little_miss_cowgirl says:
    April 6, 2009 at 5:05 am

    Try actually taking her to a shelter. I didn't want a shelter dog either at first, but when you walk in and see all the sad little faces wanting a home, it is pretty much impossible to leave without one.

  • Daddy Disney says:
    April 6, 2009 at 5:05 am

    Yorkie's are a tough dog, they are fairly neurotic, and can be known as "ankle-biters." Yorkies require constant attention, otherwise they can lose it, if you know what I mean. Don't be a career person if you want a Yorkie. I suggest a slightly bigger breed (pick one) and always get 2 dogs, dogs do much better when they have a pal.

    Remember this about rescue dogs and pedigrees – the dogs themselves don't know 1 way or the other, so either way, you are rescuing an animal. You save a life both ways. Don't be too hard on people who get pedigrees. I've done both with excellent results.

  • Katie says:
    April 6, 2009 at 5:05 am

    non-pedigree dogs tend to live longer and have less health problems.
    she'll get more a bond with a dog she rescues
    she can still get a little adorable dog without paying hundreds of dollars for it
    good shelters wont sell you a dog if its diseased….so thats nothing to worry about
    take her to look round a shelter, she might see the perfect dog for her, or realise its a good idea
    keep convincing…adopting a dog is an amazing thing to do!
    good luck!!

  • Ammy says:
    April 6, 2009 at 5:05 am

    Well with a shelter dog you know what you're getting they update all the animals shots and check their behavior. They do not want to have any one adopt a sickly animal and some animals cannot be adopted until they are phisically fit.
    Consider a Yorkie rescue agency if she wants a pedigree pup.

  • candyqueen24 says:
    April 6, 2009 at 5:05 am

    Tell her that she is saving a dog's life, and giving it a second chance at life. The dogs at the shelters really are sweet, and need a home, because they were abused, or lost. They are depressed, and all they need is love. The ones from breeders will all get homes, because everyone loves those cute little puppies, but you have to think about what's inside dogs too. The dog's hearts at the shelters are hoping for love, and they really are sweet, they just need a second chance at life. She would be a hero, and save their life.

  • Claire G says:
    April 6, 2009 at 5:05 am

    Have you showed her the petfinder.com website and just how many dogs are on there? I find that I get quite a good reaction when I tell people how many animals were euthanised at our local shelter the year before (20,000 for Tulsa where I live). You might be able to find some stats for your local shelter.

    If she doesn't want a shelter dog has she considered a rescue group instead? I volunteer for a rescue group and we get our dogs from the kill shelters then they are totally vetted to be healthy and then fostered in peoples homes. We get tons of full breed dogs in (right now we have papillions, chihuahuas, poms, an english bulldog, a sheltie, poodles, a bernese, jacks, rats, a toy fox the list goes on!). She wouldn't be getting a sick dog then and they normally come with all their shots and neuter.

    Getting a breeder dog doesn't mean a healthy dog. There are plenty of inbred breeder dogs that people are breeding for the money and not the dogs health. They end up with hip problems, allergies, eye problems etc etc. Is she planning on showing the dog for it to need a pedigree? my guess is no so it's just a silly piece of paper.

    Every breed dog bought means a shelter dog dies.

    I would see if you could get her to a shelter to see the poor animals looking at her and then see if she can say they don't deserve to live.

    As the owner of 6 rescue animals and foster home of 2 right now I will NEVER buy while shelter animals die.

    The dogs in shelters didn't do anything wrong except have irresponsible owners that probably bought them from a breeder in the first place not researching properly first!

  • D B says:
    April 6, 2009 at 5:05 am

    First, shelters usually put down animals that have diseases if they are not curable, so that blows her argument.

    Try finding video online (I'll bet Youtube has something) or the footage from the recent Oprah show about puppy mills. THOSE dogs (that end up in pet stores) are much more likely to be diseased than a dog at a shelter. Does she realize that many purebred dogs are inbred if not from a good breeder and makes them vulnerable to disease?

    Many, many dogs in shelters ARE purebreeds. The only way for her to get a purebred Yorkie that has some sort of good reputation to it is to buy from a reputable breeder that she'd probably have to find through the AKC and pay BIG money for. The random ad in the paper for purebreds is not going to be from a good breeder.

    I would go onto the Humane Society's site and the ASPCA's site. Get some info from them about puppy mills and pet stores.

    Unfortunately, this mentality of "shelters are icky" or "shelters are not high class" is hard to change. Too bad for her. She could find herself a healthy, purebred Yorkie that will love her for all time because it will know it was rescued for only the cost of the adoption and possible spaying/neutering (if not already done) instead of the several hundred – maybe thousand (how much do Yorkies go for anyway?) it would cost her to go to reliable breeder.

    EDIT – I found this. The guy specifically mentions he has Yorkies. The facilities are awful, and what she could get if she doesn't take the time to go to a real breeder or rescue group. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxY51QlpEG0&feature=related

    Here's a list of sites for Yorkie Rescue groups. Your friend will hae to sort through for one near her and to make sure it is a legit rescue group. http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=yorkie+rescue&tab=Web&ei=UTF-8&fr=my-vert-web-top

  • A G says:
    April 6, 2009 at 5:05 am

    you can see if you local shelter has a web site and show her some of the dogs that way

    or you could ask her to do you a favor and go somewhere with you with no questions asked and take her to the shelter and show her the dogs and have someone there show her that they take them to the vet (tell her there is no harm in looking at the shelter animals)

  • camille says:
    April 6, 2009 at 5:05 am

    Don't. It's ridiculous and fail-guaranteed. If your friend is being specific and knows what she wants, don't hammer her into adopting. I'm thinking of buying a yorkie in the future.

    People shouldn't get dogs that aren't up to their standards. There's a HUGE possibility that if they didn't get the dog they want, it'll end up for adoption. Your friend wants a yorkie. Most of the dogs in shelters are mixes, and on top of that, bully breed or lab mixes. Pretty far from a little yorkie.

    Even if you DO find a yorkie in the shelter (which is highly unlikely), it's origins are blurry, you don't know its parents, and for all you know, it might not even be pure bred and have different assets to it, ruining the whole purpose of what attracted you to the breed.

    If someone has their heart set on a specific dog breed, it's better to buy one from a responsible breeder. If someone is only after a companion, then it's best just to pick up a good ol' mutt from the shelter.

  • Starsfan14 says:
    April 6, 2009 at 5:05 am

    Is she going to a good breeder? Most people will not go a reputable breeder because it is so expensive or they have to be put on a waiting list for many of the really good breeders. Most people end up with a puppy mill dog from the pet store, online, or from the paper.

    When I was younger (12 years ago) I knew nothing about puppy mills or the problems that puppy mill dogs can have. I bought two beautiful beagle pups from a place that I later (years later) realized was a puppy mill. They both got cancer (lymphoma) when they were 9 years old. Most likely they got it because the were badly breed dogs. Cancer is many times hereditary. They were (and one still is) wonderful dogs but one had a long list of health problems her whole life.

    Cancer is one of only a few of the conditions that puppy mill and Backyard breeds are more likely to have. Others include hip problems, skin problems, and heart defects.

    True with a shelter dog could have these problems too, but at least you are not giving money to those people that indiscriminately breed their dogs for profit.

    Since all this we have adopted to great dogs. One lab mix from a rescue and most recently an adorable beagle from our local pound. They are the sweetest dogs ever and so far they have proven to be very healthy.

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