1. How could the shelter just sell you a lie?
***They make you fill out an application and ask you a bunch of things and also ask you to provide some kind of proof that you are allowed to have pets at your home/apt, yet they don't live up to their words.
2. Though it wasn't a big amount, you still pay for those dogs.
***I know the money really goes to the dogs care, food, the staff and so on, and what I paid as "adoption fee" does not even cover for the cost of keeping Touchdown at that shelter for however long she was there. But still. But still!! I feel like it was a false advertisement. It's like selling a Nokia phone as iphone.
3. Why lie only about the breeds?
***Before I made my decision of adopting Touchdown, I asked the staff a lot of questions. How old do hey think she is? How big do they think she would get? And so on. Since North Shore Animal League is a huge shelter, I understand they get a lot of dogs and cats. And they may not know the entire story of each animal, so I wasn't expecting precise answers to my questions. But the ONLY answers I got was "We don't know." Ok, fair enough. They don't know where she came from, they don't know how old she is, they don't know how big she is going to be and they don't know if she would get along with other animals/kids. But when it came about what breed she was, they said she was a Rottie mix. Why couldn't they just add that in the "We don't fucking know." basket?
4. Breeds can increase/decrease the chances of the dogs of getting adopted
When people adopt a dog, they usually have preferences of certain breeds. They may be afraid and reluctant to get a pit bull. They may want a small size dog because of the limited space available in their apartment. Touchdown was the first dog I asked the staff to see ONLY BECAUSE her plate said "Rottweiler mix". I might have gotten a different dog if it stated otherwise. Touchdown might have gotten adopted sooner if people knew she wasn't a Rottie.
I am saying all of this knowing that the shelter is understaffed, yet many many animals come every day and their funds are limited. I know many people who adopted animals from North Shore and they all seem to be happy with their furry family. And so am I. I would never replace Touchdown for anything in the world. I freaking love my dog. She is such a sweetheart and I have so much trust and unconditional love for her, and I do feel she has that for me, too. I always wanted a puppy that follows me everywhere. I can't say this enough. She is a perfect dog for me and I love her so much. But I am still very angry about this mainly because I feel cheated. I really don't think this was an honest mistake. I believe that the staff at the shelter determines the breed just simply by looking at it. Touchdown has the coloring of Rottie, so they went with that. But if their funds and staff are limited, why are they adding the layer of this bullshit work? This is such a waste of time, labor and money. If those labels of breeds are totally groundless, why even bother doing it? What's wrong with saying, "We have no idea what the fuck she is other than she is a dog."When I decided to adopt Touchdown, I pretty much took my chances. She could be allergic to certain food, she may hate kids, she may be traumatized by thunder and she may have been a stripper back in her days. But I was ok with that. I understood that when I got Touchdown, I didn't just get a dog. I got a life and I was responsible for it. If I am that serious about adoption, (and the shelter asks you to be, which is totally understandable...Don't ever get anything without seriously considering many aspects!!) then so should the shelter. Don't tell me all is fine because the adoption was a success and the dog and I are happy. It's like with anything, no clue is better than a lie.
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| Shetland Sheep Dog |
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| Boxer |
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| Touchdown doesn't look anything like the above 2, does she? |
