There’s a backdrop to the recent Signal story about Kyle Harris and her Garage Mahal conversion in Canyon Country. From solo rescue efforts to boutique virtual rescue operations to breed-specific and traditional boarding facilities, pet rescue and adoption efforts are quietly sprinkled throughout our valley.
We got a real taste of it recently and ended up working across the rescue spectrum to find our 2 year old Boxer, Mavis.
Along the way we met Hsiawen Hull, a volunteer at the Castaic Animal Shelter, member of the Animal Rescue Volunteers organization in Simi Valley, and the SCV-based “Don’t Shop, Adopt” group.
“Every time you buy a puppy at the store, you kill a shelter dog.”
Hsiawen is passionate about animal rescue. He explained foster parents learn the temperament, quirks and endearing aspects of each rescued animal, that many are already housebroken, and 25% or more shelter dogs are pure-bred. All are spayed or neutered, many are healthy, up to date on shots, and in some instances already microchipped.
“Don’t Shop, Adopt” is fervently working to lobby the City Council to ban the sale of puppies and kittens for profit. That would affect Pet Adventure of Canyon Country and Just Jaws Pets, located adjacent to the children’s play area in the Valencia Town Center. Hull described the process by which puppies end up in the mall window. ”They generally are sold by a breeder from out of state for $100-$200, packed in a truck and shipped to the pet store, which then sells the dog for $1500-$2000.” Hull claims some breeders are operating environments that are questionable at best and inhumane, dirty and sickly at worst. He draws hope for the group’s efforts from a Missouri ballot initiative due before voters this November that seeks to regulate conditions in puppy mills, similar to CA Prop 2, which passed overwhelmingly in 2008 but focused on farm animal conditions. Still, banning the sale of animals and addressing breeder conditions are two entirely different things.
Hsiawen speaks from experience when he says “every time you buy a puppy at the store, you kill a shelter dog.” Castaic is known to euthanize, and there simply aren’t enough foster homes to handle the excess of abandoned dogs and cats. Despite being one of the most pet friendly areas in the County, according to Hull, there are a notable number of ongoing instances of SCV families that abandon their pets due to foreclosure, lifestyle changes, or other unforeseen circumstances.
After meeting a number of dogs, our search led us to a ‘breed rescue’, Boxer Rescue LA, located in Sun Valley. We were fortunate to be introduced to our sweet Mavis, whose primary form of communication involves her tongue and tater-tot tail.
- What’s not to love?
Looking at her face and watching my boys experience the joy of having a new four-legged friend in the house, I can’t imagine why anyone would want to pay $2,000 for a puppy from the mall – especially when there are hundreds of other Mavis’s waiting for a home.
Should stores be outright banned from selling puppies and kittens for profit?
Stay tuned: the emotionally charged debate is likely headed to City Hall in the coming months.
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This is change I can believe in.
Interesting what’s going on. The County requires all dogs & cats be fixed at a very young age, so your own pet can’t reproduce if you want more. No more getting a kitten or a puppy from a neighbor. My son and I wanted a cat. There were only two at the shelter, and neither was particularly child friendly. The cat-lady adoption people (we call them pet Nazis) wouldn’t allow us to adopt one of theirs. See, I work from 8-3 during the school year, and my son is 10. The poor thing would be alone too long during the day. And I don’t know, maybe my son would pull its tail? Of course, I’ve had cats my whole life and have a pretty good idea how to take care of them.
It took 6 months, but finally a stray showed up on a friend’s porch. We now have a happy, healthy cat. And we are a happier, healthier family for having a pet. Wish we could have just bought one.
Please make sure to have your cat spayed. They reproduce so quickly.
I encourage you to come by the shelter anytime this summer. See the 40 kittens we have out for foster or the 20+ puppies who have been through our fosters just this year alone. Better yet swing by Lancaster and try to just stomach walking through the door. It’s because people don’t spay/neuter their pets that we have Oops litters being dropped on our doorsteps. It’s because people want to “breed” their wonderful puppies, then realize that proper vet care is going to cost more than they can make off the litter that they get dumped off at the shelter.
As far as 2 cats at the shelter? I can’t remember the last time I walked in and saw two cats, and I’ve been there for 7 years. But I can tell you there are 4 shelters within a 30 minute drive of the SCV. It may be inconvenient but stop by and I’ll be happy to introduce you to Lilly and Billy, who have lived through hell so people to have easy access to shop for pets.
ND: Mavis is adorable and you can see she loves you and your boys very much!
My “girls” are all shelter rescues and you could not ask for more loving, loyal companions. I cannot imagine my life without them…
She looks dangerous to me.
Nice writing ND and great puppy!
Can we storm the valencia puppy mill yet? Who the hell buys juicy couture for their dog anyway?
If you are set on buying a puppy please download and read, “How To Buy A Puppy” before you consider parting with your money. It is free at http://www.howtobuyapuppy.net
Buying a puppy without problems is harder than most people think. Finding a responsible and knowledgeable breeder is very difficult.
http://www.howtobuyapuppy.net
But John, what if we go to Castaic and find a dog that would generally fit in a purse, but not in my wife’s purse, specifically? You expect her to buy a new purse? When does it end?
Please adopt, do not shop. We can find you the perfect shelter pet, but you may have to be patient. The pet stores are all about impulse buying.
John B.–That’s what we did. Looked at one shelter after another, and we heard many stories of other families who the pet adoption agencies didn’t deem “right” to take one of their cats. There were lots of dogs available, though.
I don’t think it is fair to villify the entire pet breeding industry as there are wonderful and professional breeders out there who do care about their animals. I have rescued or adopted 6 animals (3 cats, 3 dogs) in the past 17 years, and purchased one pet from a breeder whom I was able to research and check out his kennels before I purchased. All pets have been wonderful, but the one I obtained from the breeder has been the best dog I’ve ever had. Plus, I have his lineage, he is registered with the AKC, and I know that the breeder was kind and caring to his animals and kept them clean and safe.
That being said, my shelter and adopted animals have been wonderful, too. But usually they came with some behavior issues that I had to overcome with love and patience.
But to place the entire pet industry into a category of evil is wrong. Should there be stronger guidelines for retail sale that insure the pets are treated with the best of care? Perhaps. But you can’t just solve a problem of pet abuse and neglect by narrow minded restrictions. Plus, outlawing that sort of thing has the potential to drive it underground. Would it be better to sell puppies out of a garage or the back of a van as opposed to at least being able to question the retail establishment’s record of care and/or verify how the breeder treats their animals? I’m just askin’!
I sort of think it’s the pot calling the kettle black from some of the ‘rescue’ operations who blame retailers for overpricing when some rescuers charge upwards of $2K to adopt a mix-breed recsue animal. I understand it costs money to care for animals, but that seems rather extreme, not to mention their overtly stringent guidelines for adoption.
If you want a pure bred, check out the breeder. Do research on the breed so you know what you’re getting into. Ask the breeder those hard questions and check out the kennel. Choose a professional breeder over a pet store (impulse puppy purchases tend to cause issues down the road), but ask those same hard questions of the retailer if you really want to make the purchase there.
AND…Adopt from your local shelter if at all possible. Just know that you’ll have to overcome some potential behaviors through love, care and patience.
Numbers to Consider:
250,000, 100,000, 20,000
Number of puppies sold from the top 3 puppy mill states in the US, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Iowa. Totaling 370k a year.
4,000,0000
The estimated (low) number of animals euthanized yearly at area shelters.
80%
Estimated number of the puppies registered to the AKC born at puppy mills.
25%
Estimated Number of pure breed dogs in the shelter system.
$100-$300
Average adoption fee charged by rescues and shelters.
$200-$400
Average cost for the Spay/Neuter of an animal at a private vet.
Our target is not the reputable licensed breeder in and around the SCV. Those breeders are covered under current state and local ordinances. We are targeting stores that are dealing in animals that have been raised under the cruelest of conditions. Give your reputable breeder a call and ask them what side of the fence they sit on.
I’m going off my own experience., having ADOPTED 3 dogs myself over the years (2 from a shelter, one who was headed for a shelter). Also to clarify, I never said adopted pets don’t make excellent pets. I’m aware also of breeders overbreeding and/or selling puppies that are born with diseases they don’t overcome.
You can’t deny that most shelter dogs end up there because their owners either couldn’t handle them, did not have the time to train them properly, or made an impulse purchase and decided the pet was too much trouble. Also, even the best pets in the world are usually traumatized when they are suddenly yanked out of their world and put into an animal shelter.
What part of my statement made me look like I was anti-adoption? Yeesh, lighten up! I stand by my statements as my 3 adoptees DID have to overcome abandonment and abuse issues from their prior experiences.
I for one am not calling you anti-adoption. In fact I’m using some of your statements to address stereotypes and biases people, like yourself, have towards animal adoption. The fact is that you as an adopter took on problematic animals, and that is to be commended. Would I characterize that MOST shelter animals have problems making them hard to place? No. And if I had a dollar for every time someone who chose to buy from a breeder because “shelter dogs have issues” I would have lots of dollars!
I’m not a Breedist, I love pure breeds. I do find it funny though that people love the AKC papered dogs. Folks tout lineage like it’s some type of guarantee of this or that. In most cases lineage is vital if you were going to say, take your GSD to schutzhund, or work your Border Collie on a ranch, or how about show your King Charles Spaniel.
ND, my lab would like to set up a play date with your boxer! Boxers are his favorite playmates because they love to “box” as he does. My lab was an “accidental” breeder purchase and has his AKC papers which got tossed in a drawer when we had him neutered. He’s now just a pet with show dog qualities.
She looks like a wonderful addition to your family, ND. The boys must love having a dog to run around and play with.
All of our pets over the years have either come as strays or adoptees. It boggles my mind that someone would spend hundreds of dollars on a puppy at the mall.
Thanks for the information Hsiawen. People need to know the truth about the dirty secret called puppy mills!
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Mavis is gorgeous!! OMG love the tongue!
ALL of my dogs are rescues (I have 3 now)…for the last 10 years of my adult life I have only “shopped” at the local shelters and rescues. ALL of my dogs are socialized, wonderful, and loving. Each cost me anywhere between $40 (Castaic Shelter 7 years ago) and $350 (Thumping Tails rescue).
Though I have not ever run into a rescue who charges $2000, I am sure they are out there, but the majority are around $250.
For that bargain price you get a dog that is spayed/neutered, micrchipped, has all their vaccinations, usually knows basic commands (sit, stay, down) AND the foster family can tell you all about the animals temperment and personality. THAT is a damn good bargain!!
As for the rescues being too picky as to who gets to adopt…they HAVE to be. They do this to make sure the person taking one of their animals has the time, resources, adequate yard/home, experience and most importantly commitment for a new pet.
Too many dogs end back up in the shelter or rescue center even WITH all the strict requirements.
Believe me, I know how picky they can be…My 3 babies are pit bulls. I had to fill out 3 page questionaires, be interviewed in-person and have home inspections (even for my shelter dog) to prove I was the right type of owner for this breed of dog.
I have never understood why people buy dogs at pet stores. If you are looking for a pet…any type…just check out PetFinder.com or AdoptAPet.com.
One of our dogs is a shelter dog – apparently a couple times over. The story is that she ended up at the shelter and was adopted. Whoever adopted her brought her back to the shelter because they couldn’t handle her. What’s to handle? She is totally neurotic and OCD with a side of tourettes. She sees ghosts and startles easily. She obsesses about rats and squirrels. She barks at falling leaves. She can jump six feet high from an almost still position and goes into Cujo mode when she hears something on the other side of the fence. She is the best dog ever, quirks and all.
Our other dog was adopted as a puppy from one of those Pet Smart adoption day thingies. He is the complete opposite of our female. He’s so mellow I sometimes have to poke him to make sure he’s still alive. He loves to hug and cuddle and he’s a 45 pound lap dog. He’s the best dog ever.
Thanks to Jeff, I got to spend two weeks with a stray Australian Cattle Dog. I have wanted a Cattle Dog for forever and it was really cool to get to spend time with one. But we’re in a townhouse and the limit is two dogs, so we had to find our little stray a home. This little dog was your stereotypical Cattle Dog and I think I still have the bite marks on my ankles to prove it. He didn’t like being left outside for too long and would bark and howl and body slam the patio door to be let in. He was the best stray ever. We were able to place the dog (Sam) with my dad’s neighbor and they have been inseparable ever since. The neighbor says Sam is the smartest dog she’s ever owned.
As a kid growing up, we only owned purebred dogs. All bought as puppies directly from the breeder, not a pet store. All great dogs and all had their own little quirks.
Not sure what my point is. Eh, it’s probably that owing a dog is a big responsibility and not everyone is cut out to be a dog owner. All dogs have their quirks and issues, unfortunately some people can’t see past the quirks and those dogs usually end up being turned over to shelters. Oh yeah, and don’t buy dogs or cats from pet stores since that was the purpose of the original article. If you must have a purebred and you want a puppy, go directly to the breeder. But I’m pretty sure you’ll earn lots of good Karma points if you adopt directly from a shelter.
U R Awesome!