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We adopted a stray that at one point was in a Texas shelter < 24 hrs away from euthanasia. He was ~3yrs old, had Heartworm, and was riddled with buckshot & pel

We adopted a stray that at one point was in a Texas shelter < 24 hrs away from euthanasia. He was ~3yrs old, had Heartworm, and was riddled with buckshot & pellets... so his prospects weren't great. His impound papers said "came in darted, contact Animal Control Officer before release". Fast forward a little bit. He's incredible. Outgoing, super intelligent, loyal, goofy, amazing with kids. Does still sometimes bark at strangers if startled, but never bites (even when other dogs have drawn blood). He's an integral part of the family, and just about the best thing that ever happened to me. Healthy now, and seems to be aware he's got it pretty darn good these days. I can't imagine if it had gone the other way. Then & Now: https://imgur.com/a/35AvfBD https://imgur.com/a/35AvfBD Not disputing the tragedy of overpopulation in parts of the world. Not even trying to encourage everyone to go out and adopt a dog. Just wanted to share this experience as a reminder each little guy has their own individual story, and when contemplating large-scale decisions it's important to retain empathy and cognizance of the implications.

qup 3y ago
I adopted a mutt from the shelter about 7 years ago. They said an older person brought her in because she pulled on the leash (she never pulled me). She's the smartest, most fearless, and easiest dog I've ever been around. She just knows what I want, I rarely have to tell her. Great around all humans and other dogs. Your plate of food is safe. I don't know if I got lucky or what. I walked in, she was about the 6th or 8th cell, and I knew I was keeping her as soon as we met. Anyway, that's two data points. Adopting dogs from the shelter is wonderful.
johnea 3y ago
* 1 point by johnea 10 minutes ago | prev | next | edit | delete [–] I'm all for the cull. Absentee/incompetent owners are overwhelming the ability to control the noise, agression and dog shit everywhere that's resulted from treating a living entity like a video game console. It's not the dog's resoponsibility to sooth neurotic primates. The reason they "love you so much" is because they were stolen from their actual mother, and handed to a primate before they were old enough to remmeber their actual parent. The entire phenomenon of pet ownership is basically infant kidnapping...

qup 3y ago

I adopted a mutt from the shelter about 7 years ago. They said an older person brought her in because she pulled on the leash (she never pulled me). She's the smartest, most fearless, and easiest dog I've ever been around. She just knows what I want, I rarely have to tell her. Great around all humans and other dogs. Your plate of food is safe. I don't know if I got lucky or what. I walked in, she was about the 6th or 8th cell, and I knew I was keeping her as soon as we met. Anyway, that's two data points. Adopting dogs from the shelter is wonderful.

johnea 3y ago

* 1 point by johnea 10 minutes ago | prev | next | edit | delete [–] I'm all for the cull. Absentee/incompetent owners are overwhelming the ability to control the noise, agression and dog shit everywhere that's resulted from treating a living entity like a video game console. It's not the dog's resoponsibility to sooth neurotic primates. The reason they "love you so much" is because they were stolen from their actual mother, and handed to a primate before they were old enough to remmeber their actual parent. The entire phenomenon of pet ownership is basically infant kidnapping...