This Is A Very Bad Idea
Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber have adopted a dog together. Love the fact they adopted a dog from a rescue. Never buy, always rescue. They also have the financial means to always make sure the dog has a wonderful life. No problem there. My problem is that now every teen girl who loves Justin and wants to have a relationship like him is going to want to adopt a dog with their boyfriend. More likely to happen is the purchasing of one because hopefully adoption agencies will say no. Everything always looks so fun and easy when you see it on television or in the movies which is why there are a million chihuahua dogs in need of rescue. Thanks Paris. Thanks Beverly Hills Chihuahua. I don't think these teens understand that adopting a dog is a decade of commitment. You might think I am crazy and that no teens will follow the trend. I hope you are right, but lets say out of all the millions of Bieber fans one thousand do follow his example? What is going to happen to those 1,000 dogs? At what age were you ready for the responsibility of owning a dog?
Maybe instead you should be pointing the finger at the people that make this a news story *for* all the little sheeple teenagers to see which will make them run out to get a dog - just saying.
ReplyDeleteStill think it's creepy she was an adult he was like 16 when they got together. That, on top of the fact she looks like she has a toddler face/head on a woman's body.
Eh. I would imagine most teenagers still live at home and would need their parents to o.k something like a dog, so I'm not too worried about thousands of teenagers getting a dog because the Beebs did.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Princess' comment. This shouldn't be a news story.
ReplyDeleteAs for the question, I am a 44 year old mother with a new puppy and I'm in way over my head. I'm so not ready to be a dog owner.
Yes, because teenagers are SO stupid and impressionable that they'll do ANYthing to emulate Selena and Justin.
ReplyDeleteGive me a goddamned break, Enty.
Selena does a lot of work regarding animal welfare advocacy. If she's bringing awareness to adopting shelter pets -- as opposed to spending hundreds to thousands of dollars on overbred, unhealthy designer purse dogs -- then I say more power to her.
Besides, most shelters won't LET kids adopt pets; the people who work there are all too aware of the fact that responsible pet owners are few and far between. In many cases, there's a screening process before you're allowed to take an animal home.
Selena is eighteen, and she's not some sorority girl who'll end up pawning the dog on her parents when she finds out she can no longer take care of him. At least Justin and Selena have the financial means to always take care of this puppy, even if/when they break up.
Agree with Ida - most shelters I'm familiar with have a screening process. There's a big difference between Paris and Selena...I don't think Paris would ever deign to adopt a dog that wasn't a toy purebreed. #Adoptdon'tshop
ReplyDeleteWell if there's a screening process I'm sure I couldn't adopt. I'm not yet at that age where I would be ready for the responsibility of owning a dog. I can barely care for myself!
ReplyDeletedon't even want to think about it. super sensitive about this issue. both my dogs are rescues.
ReplyDeleteFor the love of God, celebrities can adopt a dog if they want to without thinking of the sociological ramifications.
ReplyDeleteThe comparison to Paris is unfortunate if the rumors were true with regards to her abusing dogs. Well, ANY comparison to Paris is unfortunate.
ReplyDeleteIf these two crazy kids want a dog, I say what a lucky dog.
Wouldn't it be up to parents whether or not to adopt a dog? Although from what I see with many of my friends, when their kids say "Jump" the parents ask "How high?" so maybe Enty is right. If households exist where the parents are in charge, I don't think there will be a rash of irresponsible adoptions.
ReplyDeleteI used to volunteer at a shelter for years...you cant adopt unless you are an adult, and even then there is a screening process.
ReplyDeleteI think she is cute!! Justin is a gross post-pubescent. Good for the dog. I'm team dog here.
ReplyDeleteHow is it creepy she was an adult when they got together? Wasn't she 18 and he was 17 or possibly 16? There are a million more 16 year old girls dating boys that are a year or two older.
ReplyDeleteMeh, I have already had this argument several times with various people, but I am so damn tired of being "judged" for purchasing a puppy from a responsible breeder. I knew the breed I wanted, when I wanted her, and that I could and would take care of her for the rest of her life. I love her as if she were my child. I think that is the most important thing, anyway. If you think otherwise, you can probably just keep it to yourself. I don't need to be judged for loving my dog with my whole heart.
ReplyDeleteI could keep going, but the bozo wants to play.
Thanks Enty for supporting animal adoption and rescue. I am a veterinary consultant for the ASPCA and strongly believe that if people volunteered at a rescue/shelter first then they would NEVER buy from a breeder, or even worse a pet store or puppy mill. Every dog purchased = a dog in the shelter dies (and some calculate that for every dog purchased 2 shelter dogs die if you take into account the space that will be available in the shelter for a new dog). Never buy while shelter pets die
ReplyDelete@firebug -- Beautifully and perfectly stated. You're awesome.
ReplyDelete@Lauren -- This"bozo" thinks you can just cram the passive aggressive tone and address me directly next time. Thanks!
It's wonderful how you love your dog and all (I'd like to think that would be a general prerequisite for ANY animal adoption, though, whether your critter is a designer dog or a mutt), but saying things like "if you think otherwise, you can probably just keep it to yourself" strikes me as *just* a tad defensive. It sounds as if you've encountered the argument against purebred dogs multiple times. There's a reason for that. Puppy mills are absolutely egregious, and the animals who originate from them often eventually suffer from terrible health problems which most shelter dogs seem to avoid.
And I also love how "reputable" is everyone's go-to adjective when it comes to the defense of breeding. A "reputable" breeder isn't necessarily a compassionate person. They're not animal lovers -- they're money-grubbers. If they LOVED animals, they'd support the principle of adopting from shelters. The adorable purebred puppy with the traceable lineage probably had a mother who spent her entire life miserable and perpetually pregnant in a puppy mill -- just so someone could get the exact breed they desired.
Somewhat on-topic: I went to a cat show a few years ago, out of pure curiosity, and it struck me how NONE of the owners deigned to pet their kitties or show them any love. They were more concerned with keeping their coats pristine and making sure they performed all their tricks adequately. So sad.
Totally unrelated but I adopted a yesterday !! She's a little pomchi that looks like a fox. It was love at first sight.. Her name is Mary Jane and she is the sweetest pup I have ever met. I feel like I have a new baby!!
ReplyDeleteOver excited .. Ha to share
Damn Ida. I wasn't talking to you. Maybe not everything is directed at you.
ReplyDeleteI could give you a whole list of everything you assumed about me and my dog that is completely wrong, but I receive no enjoyment from bickering with some sad lunatic on the interwebs. How about you go cram another HoHo down your throat while the rest of us enjoy the silence.
I have always adopted and did so at as a young teen. The first one I adopted was one a friends mother was going to shoot because he was her husband's and they were going thru a nasty divorce.
ReplyDeleteGood for Selena. I wish she had adopted an older dog but God Bless.
Paris can rot forgottwn in the back of someone's closet the way she did her purse dogs.
I think that adopting animals from shelters is not really addressing the heart of the issue. There are so many dogs that wind up in shelters because people are NOT being responsible pet owners. Like Enty stated, a dog is a decade-long commitment (if you're lucky, longer if you're really lucky). There are not enough people in the world to adopt all of the shelter dogs IF people keep giving their dogs to the shelter. It is these people we need to attack, not people who choose to get a dog from a breeder. Get mad at the people who give their dogs to shelters, not the people who keep their dogs for life. Get a dog, love a dog, never leave a dog. The problem would be solved not if everyone adopted a shelter dog, but if people quit giving their dogs to shelters. Am I being too simplistic? I have no hate for someone who loves a dog for life, regardless of where that dog came from. I have an abundance of hate for people who get dogs and then abandon them to shelters.
ReplyDelete@Lauren -- Hmmm. Well, then. I guess you were passive aggressively communicating with some other "bozo" who'd commented on this thread before you chose to chime in. My bad!
ReplyDeleteAnd I love some junk food, but I haven't ingested a Little Debbie snack since I was about eleven or so. Thanks for the recommendation, though.
BTW: you still sound overly defensive.
@Princess: I have a hard time with that head thing, myself.
ReplyDeleteExactly, FirebugDVM, exactly.
ReplyDeleteAnd well said, RL I would like to add to that those people that don't fucking bother to spay and neuter their pets. If you can't afford to spay or neuter, don't get a companion animal.
@RL: you are correct about people viewing their pets as disposable and it is heartbreaking. That view, coupled with people who do not spay and neuter are the reasons so many dogs are in shelters to begin with.
ReplyDeleteHowever, one statistic recently showed that if just 1 in 4 (25%) of people rescued their next dog then there would be no need for shelters/rescues. For true animal lovers this is the one statistic that we can help effect. We will never change the minds of the idiots that own pets (then relinquish them, mindlessly breed them to make $ (HA)or allow them to procreate excessively), but we can encourage future owners to the very important merits of adopting instead of buying. It always seems like such an impossible mission to accomplish but that statistic makes it so much more plausible that we CAN make a difference for the lives of the animals in shelters.
I always wonder who people would rather get a pet from: a rescue that works with mostly volunteers to save lives, or breeders/pet stores that do it for the $$$. Which one really care about animals? Obvious answer for animals lovers
ReplyDeleteWow. You are so right. Talk about a moment of clarity. I'm sure you are a much bigger animal lover than I. *eye roll*
ReplyDeletePerhaps my only comment today should have been:
I have not and will not ever abandon a dog anywhere. I will love and take care of any dog in my possession.
I will not allow anyone to tell me that they are a better dog owner than I because they adopted from a shelter, and I expect to be treated with respect for caring for my dog just as much as you do.
You all seem very self righteous about yourselves. Whatever. I guess if it helps you sleep at night.
"...because teenagers are SO stupid and impressionable that they'll do ANYthing to emulate Selena and Justin."
ReplyDeleteHave you been on Twitter? :) Trust me, the Beliebers would do far stupider things than this if they thought it would somehow bring them closer to him.
RL, I think if someone cares so little about their pet that they're willing to give it up, that pet is better off going to a shelter than being abused or neglected. Even if they are euthanized, that's less awful than living a life of suffering.
I always adopt adult dogs, because I am lazy. They come pre-trained. They're always so happy to get out of the shelter they seem to know to be on their best behavior.
ReplyDeleteI live in the north east. We adopt adult dogs here more than other places so the Chihuahuas that weren't adopted from the rest of the country are shipped here. Enty may be being a bit snooty about the whole thing but hes right. Another reason to hate Paris Hilton.
The rescue group I've worked with has a minimum age of 25, but they were STRICT.
ReplyDeleteI don't know that there is a right age. Depends on the person. I was 21, which was probably too young, looking back on where i was in life.
Rescue groups and shelters do a TON of education during screen/adoption process on the commitment of owning a dog: Years involved, costs of vet care, food, time/exercise commitment, personality/lifestyle match ups.
Some people are so gung ho to get a certain breed, they do zero research, so I'm just curious....do breeders do all of the above?
Boyfriend bought our kitties at a breeder because he wanted a specific breed. Personally, I'd rather "rescue" one that no one wanted, but I console myself in knowing I ratted that shitty breeder out to the vet because the cats we got were ill-fed and suffering from the poops big time, and now they have a really good home with us. I legit wished we could have taken them all.
ReplyDeleteI want to know the story behind her shirt! It is not every day that you see a celebrity wearing a Baylor University sweatshirt!
ReplyDeleteSince Baylor is my alma mater, that really jumped out at me.
@Jennifer - She's from Texas AND the dog's name is Baylor. Maybe she loves your school? I also read she has 5 other rescue dogs!
ReplyDeleteWe can disagree with people and even fight about it but WHY do you have to bring food into it- as if to devalue Ida's opinion based upon some presumption that she is, what, fat or something and thus her value is worth less than yours?!
ReplyDeleteWhat the fuck is wrong with you?
I wasnt judging you for choosing to get a breed dog but I am judging you for being a cunt.
Nice work.
btw, I adopt because I've had this dream since I was a little girl that if I won the lotto I would buy enough land where I could go into my local animal shelter and sort of grandiosely walk in and say 'Hi, my name is Jasmine and I want to adopt every animal in here!' and then take them all off to be loved and free on my land.
ReplyDeletelol
So now, every time I adopt I feel like a tiny piece of that childhood dream is coming true ;-O
@Jasmine - That has always been my dream too! ;)
ReplyDeleteJust google Dalmatians, mass marketing, Disney, 101 and back yard breeders to get an idea about what, not just irresponsible teenagers will do, but the idiot parents of children will do when their children are clamoring for one of those adorable puppies.
ReplyDeleteDalmatians are high energy dogs that, although they typically are good natured, need more than the normal amount of an owner's time. Bye bye baby when the adorable puppy grows up. And besides abandonment and euthanasia, poor breeding practices have led to more congenital defects and propensities for certain illnesses.
Education of humans needs to be emphasized because we are the cause of most of the problems. Although the people who will properly care for their pets are for the most part already educated, and it's the other nincompoops who won't pay any attention.
The last breeder i bought a dog from sold her to me for 10% [$100] of the price she was offered by a pet shop [$1,000]. She lost money on raising her and her litter; i was questioned as if i were adopting a human child. The purchase contract [and i hate to refer to a K when i'm talking about one of my babies] included a clause requiring me to return her to the breeder if a time came that i could not keep her.
The last dog i got was a Sheltie from the shelter. I'm currently dealing with a Sheltie rescue group about adopting another Sheltie. So there are highly ethical breeders out there, but i'll probably take the rescue route from now on.
THXnNITE
My dog Benjamin is 11 years old. My day, everyday, revolves around his needs....eating, drinking, exercise. He is always with me. It is like being married.
ReplyDeleteDog is God spelled backwards for a reason.
A good friend of mine worked all over the country finding candidates for becoming rescue dogs. A very arduous process to say the least. She told me many shelter stories. One that always stuck out was how one time she went to a shelter to meet a K9 candidate. There was a line app. a block long with people and their dogs on leashes waiting to drop them off at the shelter. Fuck those assholes.
I can stand seeing a lot of horrible shit, but when it comes to animal cruelty I can't deal with it at all. That is the one thing that totally silences me and wrenches my heart.
I would be homeless with my dog before I put him in a shelter.
@Jasmine -- Aw, girl. Thanks for having my back, but it's all good. I didn't take any offense. I just giggled. ;-)
ReplyDeleteThis is the same person who claims she "deserves" respect -- but we all know that's something you have to earn. Tossing out lame insults involving food, weight, appearance rarely result in making one look like a more mature person.
Ida- It was a combination of having your back and just being disgusted when people go there by leveling fat insults at others that pissed me off.
ReplyDeleteBut regardless, I miss you. Come back to facebook darling.