Adopting a pet

[Nothing Special]

Looking to adopt a pet by the end of next year. What's your experience with an adopted pet? Had any behavior problems? The issue of most concern for me is how an adopted pet deals with other pets in the house so if you've got stories, please share.

If anyone's curious, I'm looking for a dog, preferably a German Shepherd (my favorite breed). Wifey's allergic to cats so they're out of the running.

(When I was at the pet shelter a few months back, I was amazed by how many pets were abandoned. If you're looking for a pet, consider adopting one, as I am.)

[sasukeXoro]

thinking about getting a pet too.

Think the only big problem with dogs is the dog$h!7. and house breaking them if your getting a puppy.

I had a dog once before, and he keept trying to bite my nuts (no joke) and run away for days and come home stinking like a nursing home with like bone chips in his fur. that what happens when you let an eight year old try to train a dog to behave.

and since easter is coming up, rabbits and food-colored baby chicks are going to be in surpluss. and thier very cute, might want to get them before easter though, cuz after, i think they make lucky rabbit feets out of them, and as for the fate of those baby chicks, either a little kid keeps them for safe keeping iby taping them up in one of those plastic eggs, or mickey D's makes chicken nuggests out of em.

happy easter!

[Lexander]

Half the coolness of pets is the puppy/kitten/little pet dude do funny stuff stage. I think you should get a babypet instead of adopting.

[Fallen]

it's sad when you go to the place where the keep the pets and you can only choose one ;_;
esp with kittens, because so many of them are cute. I prefer cats over dogs...but I'd really only want one if they were babies....though after my cat of 14 years died I'm not sure if I want any more right now =/

[Wandering_Youth]

Do what I did, go find stray kittens out in the streets. : )

[Lexander]

Originally Posted by Wandering_Youth

Do what I did, go find stray kittens out in the streets. : )

lol, did you really?

But ummm I wouldn't know about this ... Kitties are already not too loyal. And the stray ones usually just eat the food you give them and run away. Run away as in, they do their own thing untill it's time to eat again. At which point they come back and eat and then run away again.

[Saouri]

Ahh i think you was looking for a virtual pet, like the Neopet...

[NightWish]

Noooo... I thought AnimeSuki's forum was one of the last bastions of sanity; free Adam's hideous creations. All hope is lost.

[Wandering_Youth]

Originally Posted by Lexander

lol, did you really?

But ummm I wouldn't know about this ... Kitties are already not too loyal. And the stray ones usually just eat the food you give them and run away. Run away as in, they do their own thing untill it's time to eat again. At which point they come back and eat and then run away again.

It's a long story ...I'll post it later when I get back from my afternoon classes.

[Velg]

Originally Posted by Lexander

Half the coolness of pets is the puppy/kitten/little pet dude do funny stuff stage. I think you should get a babypet instead of adopting.

but all those pets in the pound need alot more help than any young pet. young animals will get adopted alot faster than older ones. i think youll get more satisfaction knowing you saved that animal from an almost certain death if you go adopt one. my rabbit was a rescue, and i couldnt ask for a better friend. adopted animals seem to know youve saved them. we adopted a cat a long, long time ago, and he was the best cat ever. i honestly dont like petstores. they tend to not care so much about the animals. not to mention, no one is going to euthanize animals in a pet store anytime soon. but they will euthanize animals in pounds.

i think the animal would love you more if you adopted it, rather than bought from a store. and i think you'd be more proud knowing you saved their life.

[Lexander]

I love animals, but I guess I'm NOT[edit] as kind as you. For some reason I can't feel sorry for the animals in the pound.
As for the animal loving you more if you save him from the pound, that's simply not true. It would be really cute and emotional and all, but it's a known fact that there is a stronger bond if you raise the pet since it was a pup(that's if the same amount of attention and loving is given).

[Wandering_Youth]

*clears throat*

It happened around a year ago and I think it was on the month of August that I saw a stray cat give birth to a bunch of fur balls in my backyard on our wooden deck. I was surprised to see that the mother cat has chosen our backyard as the place to give birth to her children. My mom and dad were joking around that good luck might come our way according to their superstitious beliefs. I started feeding the cat family table scraps from dinner and maybe some milk from time to time. As the months past those little fur balls had a growth spurt and in no time have gotten big. It was around the beginning of the New Year that I started to see less of the kittens and their mother and soon all but one of the kittens have left. I kept feeding the single kitten there after and I soon was able to get near it during feeding times. After it felt comfortable of me holding, petting and playing with it I decided to take it in as my pet. I named her Maya

[Lexander]

Awwws. Thats a cute story .

[kamij0]

animals do have a short lifespan, the more u spend ur time with them the more attached u are with them, i cant bear to adopt 1 for fear that when i lose 1 .. i'll be very depressed.. perhaps i'll adopt a tortise, it might outlive me instead

[Lime-chan]

A tortoise? Friend of mine got one... all it does is sit in its terrarium and snooze. And it tries to run away whenever it is left out into the garden (no joke, that beast is *FAST*)

Hum, lesse... I got my dog and my first four kois from a breeder, the cat is from the shelter and my budgie miracly appeared on my windowsill one day and got taken in. My aunt works in a shelter, too. See, I have already experience with various "adopting" ways

Taking a pet from the breeder is most likely the easiest and safest option.
To find out if a breeder is serious or not, you can easily visit him and his animals and check out for yourself, look ho the dogs/cats/whatever are treated and find out about the parents of your future companion. A breeder has to have an official license and is most likely in a society - if you have any doubts, you can still make a backup check. The good thing is, you'll get papers for your pet. Most breeders also make sure the pets get their first shots of vaccinations when they're still with him. (Safes a lot of money for you and adds to the breeders reputation)
The bad thing: Animals from a breeder are often more expensive than others.

Second opportunity: The shelter.
You might go there and do the same thing as with a breeder. Visit the pets more than once, look at them and think carefully. Just going "Hey, it's cute, wrap it for me, I'll take it home" is probably the worst thing you can do. ^-^ Lots of people got in trouble with that...
Try finding out as much as you can do about your future choice. Where has it lived, whats' the history of the animal? What's special about it? Has it been ill? Does it need permanent backup from a veterinarian?
Heck, if you're familiar with the subject you can even find out something about the food!
You'll be told if the pet goes along with other pets and/or children in the household.
Remember, there are nice and cuddly doggies and those who need a strong hand since they have probably never learned proper social life. You don't want a dog that turns your house into chaos whenever it get's the chance to do so, do you?
Pets from the shelter can still become your best friend if you treat them kind and correct. It depends on both sides, methinks.

Third option: the pet-store. Don't know that much about theese. Friend of mine had lots of trouble with them, she got three hamsters, a bunny and a guinea-pig from a store and each animal died way before it should have. So, I'm a bit suspicious about pet-stores, sue me.


In the end, there is no better or worse option between the first two choices for me. It depends on the animal and on you if you'll get along with it.
My most important advice is therfore to choose carefully and without hurry. Then the chances are great to get a good and loyal pet.
Good Luck!

Cyaa!

[Asura]

the only time i ever actually adopt out of the shelter is when I got to reimburse my kitten. he got his tag on him, but guess it got caught at some branches. The poor thing got neutered and defurred...

on the other hand, as for pet education... well, i never really train my cats for anything... i just let them run loose in the apartment. Funny thing though, they kinda picked up where i left.... like they watched me sitting on the toilet bowl (depositing my share to nature), and then they follow suit (dumping their load into the toilet as well) so the only thing i got to care about is to flush it down. well, at least some of those 6 did that... the other choose to use the litter box, of which i don't mind at all...

if they see me turning the door knob to open the door... then they'll do the same as well, however... they can't open the door coz they can't grip.

[Nothing Special]

Originally Posted by Velg

… i honestly dont like petstores. they tend to not care so much about the animals. not to mention, no one is going to euthanize animals in a pet store anytime soon. but they will euthanize animals in pounds.

i think the animal would love you more if you adopted it, rather than bought from a store. and i think you'd be more proud knowing you saved their life.

You have a good point here and this is exactly why I want to adopt a pet. These guys need a home and if they don't get one… :crying:

It's kind of pointless to get a puppy because they grow up so freakin' fast. Having a pet isn't a novelty. I figure that a quarter of the dogs at the shelter are abandoned just because they outgrew their cute, cuddly puppiness. A lot of them are around a year old.

Originally Posted by Lime-chan

…

Second opportunity: The shelter.
You might go there and do the same thing as with a breeder. Visit the pets more than once, look at them and think carefully. Just going "Hey, it's cute, wrap it for me, I'll take it home" is probably the worst thing you can do. ^-^ Lots of people got in trouble with that...
Try finding out as much as you can do about your future choice. Where has it lived, whats' the history of the animal? What's special about it? Has it been ill? Does it need permanent backup from a veterinarian?
Heck, if you're familiar with the subject you can even find out something about the food!
You'll be told if the pet goes along with other pets and/or children in the household.
Remember, there are nice and cuddly doggies and those who need a strong hand since they have probably never learned proper social life. You don't want a dog that turns your house into chaos whenever it get's the chance to do so, do you?
Pets from the shelter can still become your best friend if you treat them kind and correct. It depends on both sides, methinks.

…

Some GREAT advice Lime-chan! Don't worry about me making a hasty decision; I'm giving myself plenty of time and I want to choose carefully. I didn't think about the veterinarian issue. I wanna take care of the dog, but I can't afford to take him to the vet every month. I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for the advice!

[kamij0]

speaking of animals, i wanna share with you 1 piece of news

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stori.../79307/1/.html

hope this dont cross over the fence of rules..

[Karala]

Originally Posted by Wandering_Youth

*clears throat*

It happened around a year ago and I think it was on the month of August that I saw a stray cat give birth to a bunch of fur balls in my backyard on our wooden deck. I was surprised to see that the mother cat has chosen our backyard as the place to give birth to her children. My mom and dad were joking around that good luck might come our way according to their superstitious beliefs. I started feeding the cat family table scraps from dinner and maybe some milk from time to time. As the months past those little fur balls had a growth spurt and in no time have gotten big. It was around the beginning of the New Year that I started to see less of the kittens and their mother and soon all but one of the kittens have left. I kept feeding the single kitten there after and I soon was able to get near it during feeding times. After it felt comfortable of me holding, petting and playing with it I decided to take it in as my pet. I named her Maya

That's a really sweet story I have a few like that...

My first cat was found abandoned as a small kitten underneath a stage while my father was tarring it down... but he died when he was 3 because of those crystal things male cats can get

My second cat (the one I have now) was a captured by a cat society, they also captured his feral mother and other kittens behind a Chinese restaurant, I believe he was at least 5 months old when we got him, and because he was wild, it took a LONG time (years, he's still changing) for him to act 'normal' around us, I think it was weeks before he left his basket to explore the living room.
He still, 7 years later, is scared to death of the noise plastic bags make, garbage trucks, going outside (as in, he'll be so scared he pees) and strangers... or not even strangers, people that have been coming around the house all his life... it's sort of sad, but he really is a sweet cat, just a cat with may issues (I really am not about to list them all, but I guess we knew what we were getting into taking a wild cat).

Also, at my grandmothers, who only lives about 5 minutes away from my house, there was a stray black cat that wouldn't let you get within 10 feet of her, I have this feeling some people abused it, I also wonder where it's owners went, the cat is so affectionate! After about 2 years of feeding it every night I noticed it would follow me around the yard at a distance, I guess it wanted company. So one day I decided to try and pet it (well, I had tried MANY times before) but this time I was able to get about 5 feet away from it, I crouched down and stretched out my hand but she wouldn't come closer, so I lay on my stomach and stretched my hand out and a barley made contact with her, but after she realised I had touched her and didn't hurt her she let me scratch her so I sat in the driveway scratching her as she happily meowed for about 20 minutes, I bet she hadn't been touched by another person in quite some time. Anyway, after that first time it got easier and easier to approach her and over about 5 months of going outside and spending time with her I even got her sitting on my lap and not being scared when I picked her up... so yeah, when it was starting to get cold out this winter we figured we'd moved her in to the bottom part of the house, she was really scared at first being in the house, but there's a dog door that hadn't been used in years by the basement so she can come a go as she pleases through it (though most of the time she just lays around and sleeps on the chairs) and since around October I guess she's slowly become part of the family ^__^

THE END! (at least of my stories with cats)

[babbito2k]

If you are getting a dog, get a puppy and train it. It is not hard to find out the proper way to train a dog. Dogs do a lot of random stuff if they are not properly trained and they can become a real problem. If you get an older dog there is no knowing if the dog was properly trained. It's not worth it.