I Never Want to Adopt Another Dog

I have this dream about how our next dog acquiring experience will go:

C and I will sit down and assess our current lifestyle and family situation in conjunction with the things we want out of our next dog. We will make a list of the traits that are the most important to us and prioritize them. Then, we will log on to some giant internet database, answer some questions about ourselves- our lives, our house, our schedules, and enter our dog trait priority list. Based on that information, the database would then spit out a list of breed and breed mixes that match our wants and needs.

The list would have a comprehensive information about the breeds, their strengths and weaknesses, health problems, common behavioral issues, life spans, grooming needs, feeding recommendations and the average monthly cost of (good quality) dog food based on those recommendations. After going over that list and arguing back and forth about our favorites, we would click on the breed/mix we chose and have to pass a quiz about the material we just read before being given a list of the breeders nearest us for that type of dog.

The breeders’ pages would give important information about how many litters they had a year, whether they had older dogs available or just puppies, health certificates for breeding pairs, fees, transportation costs and more recommendations for the proper care of the dogs. In addition, their local licensing requirements would be listed as well as a copy of their last inspection report from the licensing bureau.

There would also be independent reviews from people who had done business with that breeder- either getting their pet from there, deciding not to get their pet from there, or otherwise doing business with them.

From the breeder page, we would fill out a request to go visit the breeder, meet their dogs and tour their accommodations. It would give us a chance to interview the breeder and the breeder a chance to interview us. If, at the end, we liked the breeder and the breeder liked us, we would be given an application for purchase. Attached to the application would be the breeder warranty. In it, the breeder would agree to take back the dog for any reason at any time during the dog’s life. There would also be information regarding the breed network the breeder belonged to so that if the breeder were no longer in business, or the dog had moved across the country, a responsible breeder could always be found to take the dog back.

We would have to agree to a background check looking specifically for any history of animal neglect or abuse. We would have to put down a deposit. If we were looking for a puppy, the breeder would tell us how many applications were currently in and how many more they needed before they would breed for the next litter.

If we were looking for an older dog (because I don’t do puppies), we would be contacted after the background check was complete to come and meet the dogs currently available (either retired from breeding after just a few litters, or returned to the breeder). The breeder, having had a chance to meet us and given time to read the application and think about the situation, would then be able to make a recommendation which of those older dogs would best fit with our family.

Any other dogs in our household will have to come with us to this second meeting to make sure that they can get along with the dog we’re considering bringing home.

The process could be expedited (and background check waived) with letters of recommendation from our veterinarian or other breeders we had previously worked with, so that we could perhaps leave with an older dog after that initial visit. We would have to let the breeder know in advance that was our hope and receive permission to bring any current household dogs with us to that meeting.

In the end, it will be a time consuming and not inexpensive process, but we won’t regret a single second or penny.

How our next dog acquiring experience will really go:

One or both of us will start spending a little too much time on Petfinder. Eventually, this will grow into a conversation about whether it’s time to get another dog or not, and if we should consider fostering again. Once we decide that no, we really want to adopt our next dog, we’ll both spend some time on Petfinder. We may or may not find a specific dog that catches our eye.

We’ll swing by an adoption event or two at PetsMart and PetCo, meet some people, meet some dogs, but not do anything there. We’ll swing by the regional animal shelter and maybe find a dog there, but if not, we’ll visit the other local shelters, meeting a number of dogs.

We’ll have an idea of what we want breed wise, but we’ll be open to anything, really. We won’t have done any breed specific research. We both have enough dog knowledge to have an idea of what we’re getting into with any breed/breed mix, so we’ll depend on that. In the end, the dog we come home with will be determined based on how our meet and greet with it goes, and if there needs to be a meet and greet with any current dogs.

It might take a couple of visits to a couple of different shelters, but once we start looking in earnest, it will take a weekend, maybe two. And the cost will be a couple of hundred at the most.

The second process is obviously less onerous and less expensive. So why do I have a dream about the first? It is not because I want a purebred dog. Far from it. I really want our next dog to be another Pit mix. I have no desire to show a dog, have papers, or play keeping up with the Joneses when it comes to pets.

As long as there are animals in shelters needing homes, C and I will adopt.

Which is exactly why I have a dream about the first scenario. Because if that was what we were doing, it would mean there weren’t any unwanted dogs in shelters, waiting for their “forever” home. There would not be a pet overpopulation problem, dogs wouldn’t be being seized from neglectful or abusive homes or dogfighting operations. Instead, the demand would outweigh the supply.

And really, when it comes to dogs, isn’t that a dream shared by most of us? Don’t we all never want to adopt another dog?