Am I really overreacting?

[Amandastander]

Hey guys, I'm fuming! Tell you why: I just read and replied to a post on another group, not petrelated but nonetheless. Short version, guy wants fully grown dog that can warn him and protect him from intruders! Okay doesn't sound too bad, BUT, he clearly states that he's not willing to pay the 500 south african rand that the spca requires to rehome a dog to him. Now my question: should a person who cannot even afford that amt for a sterilised inoculated dog, that he basically plans on usong as a human shield so to speak, even be allowed to have one? I asked him if he has considdered a security company as dogs are meant as companions and not as defence, unless they've bn trained for that specific reason( even that I struggle to stomach). I got horrible rude replies from people who think dogs are expendable assets for your security need! Duisgusted! If this man isn't willing to pay that amt for his so called protection, is he even gonna give that animal a decent life, enough and nutritious food, proper shelter and medical care? I think not. Why do people get so defensive of their "right" to have a dog if they so please, but the rights of the animal is disregarded? For this q I was called a *****! Comments please?

 

[Kern2012]

I agree with you completely.. They are only getting nasty cause you are telling them the truth. That is probably why they never gave him the dog. I wouldnt worry about it. People are immature in this world and Im a big animal person so i agree with you!!! Im on your side!

 

[paulhanlon]

I just think using any animal as a protection object is utter crap it really gets under my skin even the dogs the police use is wrong these animals are ment for loving and caring for not to be put in harms way if i had anything to say about it no dog would be used as protection even police dogs

 

[Amandastander]

Thanks guys, they treated me as if I was mentally insane! At least a police dog is trained in such a way that he/she can defend themselves in a proper way, although I still don't approve they have a better chance at survival than any old dog! Well I did tell them that I considder it animal abuse cause the dog has a right to a safe environment! And just as a smoker defends his habit, so they defend theirs! No reply to that. Glad to know I'm not the only avid animal lover in the world!

 

[WharfRat]

I'm not defending the guy at all & you have a valid point and you shouldn't have been verbally assaulted. Some dogs however do this instinctively! I know, I've had some. Paul, my last dog was bought for this purpose (but also to be part of the family which she was). But she dang sure wasn't given to me either! I didn't teach that dog a thing other than the basics but if you weren't family, you were NOT coming in the house!

BTW, she was imported from E. Germany and was VERY hard to obtain.

 

[BillsBirds]

I have spent my life in Animal Welfare & Rescue, and you would be amazed & horrified at the ways people think of animals. The things that I have seen, and the arguments that people make to defend their thinking is beyond belief.

 

[lokiNotis]

Ok, here I go. I will probably be fussed at as well but this is my opinion. I don't agree that you should have been treated the way you were. I do believe people should take responsibility and take care of the animals food, health, love, etc. With that being said, I do not think there is anything wrong with training a dog for protection. IMO it doesn't mean you are being cruel to the dog. Like someone else said some dogs do this instictively. A trained protection dog can also be a great companion and a member of the family. If a dog is trained or not if there is an intruder the dog is considered a threat regardless. Again this is my opinion. Sorry if it offends.

 

[DebsFlock]

I agree with you that treating a dog as an expendable weapon is bad behavior and I would also have been upset. I share your concern that not being willing to expend the adoption fee bodes poorly for the standard of care and that the ignorance displayed suggests that the person in question would likely have trouble managing a dog properly. I also agree that people should not have disrespected your opinion.

However, this is essentially a moral question and therefore tricky ground in some ways. I don't know what the laws are in South Africa, but in the US as long as you provide reasonable food water and shelter and abide by local ordinances there is nothing to say that people must treat dogs as beloved companions rather than pragmatic working animals. And I don't have any issue with training dogs to be used as guard dogs or personal protection so long as reasonable care for the dog's well being is part of the picture.

MHO and I suppose maybe I will get fussed at, too.

 

[Customcasket]

*sigh* Somebody like him shouldn't have the dog. If you aren't willing to pay the fee to adopt the dog then what's to say you'll pay to buy food or care for it? I feel bad for whatever dog he obtains.

For 15 years of my childhood I had a White German Shepherd. She was a very well loved part of our family. Everybody in our neighborhood loved her because she only barked when we got home (a distinct bark) and when somebody didn't belong in the neighborhood (another very distinct bark). Our neighbors knew when they heard her barking that somebody was in the neighborhood and didn't belong. She used to watch all the neighborhood kids when we played in our yard. She would try to follow us from house to house to continue watching us, but my brother and I always chased her back home and sometimes she'd go back to the yard we chased her from to make sure we were still ok. Other than that she NEVER left the property. There were a few instances when she chased Mormons into the back of my dad's pickup truck. She would bark at them until they stepped onto the property and then she chased them. She was an amazing watch dog and an amazing companion. I miss her dearly.

All in all, I don't think you're overreacting. Anybody not willing to pay the adoption fee should not be allowed to have the animal. I would never have a dog trained just to be a guard dog, we got lucky with Jasmine and her instinct was to guard her house and family.

 

[MaraWentz]

I have only paid for one of those dogs I've ever owned and he was great as a puppy, but turned out to be real nasty towards other dogs and really loud and this was under a year old! My best dogs have been free- esp. Roxie. She was a stray and amazing. And she instinctively protected me. If a stranger came to the door or was out at night on a walk with us, she'd grow and get in front. Personally, had I the money then I would've put of her through training to be a guard dog because it's safer. If something were to go wrong and she were to take it too far or attack a stranger who showed up surprisingly and meant no harm, I would like commands to tell her to stop. And if I really were in trouble I would like a command to have her defend me (being there's no weapons). Unless they're being treated like crapt and being tied out and only used to attack there is no problem with training a guard dog. And I hate paying money for breeders or outrageous rescue fees for dogs. There are many accidental litters out there and stray dogs that need homes. I don't mind a modest adoption fee but once you pass $200 that's ridiculous. You can get them spayed/nuetered for 60-90 bucks depending the size and all the vaccines for about $60 and microchipping is about 20-45. Shouldn't exceed $200 if they've had everything done.

 

[MaraWentz]

*sigh* Somebody like him shouldn't have the dog. If you aren't willing to pay the fee to adopt the dog then what's to say you'll pay to buy food or care for it?

Whenever I see pet I can take in that is charging a rehoming fee I let them know that if they can't sell it I will take it in for free. I did that with poor Diesel and he went from a horrible condition, dozing in and out of consciousness, couldn't look you in the eye, every single bone showing, to a fat, happy, comical, dog.

Just because I refused to pay a rehoming fee (which wasn't even $500, but only $150) didn't mean I wouldn't feed and love him. He went from a walking skeleton, that could barely breathe and had no self confidence at all to a healthy, happy, hand shaking, treat loving dog, who swims in the bay, plays fetch, loves to wrestle, plays at dog parks, runs up to every stranger, and loves to hike.

Don't judge people by the amount their willing to pay. It took 3 months for Deisel to look us in the eye and after having him for 6 months he was a normal dog. That I refused to pay for but took in for free. And gave a great life to. And no one can say I didn't better his life and save him.

 

[Customcasket]

Mara, what I meant was the SPCA fee. If he isn't willing to pay that then he's got issues. They took the dog in, fixed it and gave it all it's vaccines. I don't agree with random people just selling their animals. If its coming from a county shelter or organization I think the fee is perfectly justified considering all the animals they take in and care for. I wouldn't charge a "rehoming" fee for any of my animals if I (God forbid) had to give them up for whatever reason. I see people do it all the time and I think it's wrong. They would be "free to good home" and I'd be particular about where they went.

 

[MaraWentz]

500 is outrageous. 200 pays all the vaccines microchipping and fixing

 

[Customcasket]

500 is outrageous. 200 pays all the vaccines microchipping and fixing

What about feeding animals and taking care of other medical issues they have when they're obtained? Food isn't cheap and there are a lot of animals who spend long periods of time waiting to be adopted. I know where I'm at you can adopt a cat for $95 from the county shelter. At that rate they're counting on a lot of donations to care for animals. I forget how many cans of food are needed just for the morning feeding alone. If the man "shopped" around a little bit more he could find a dog who's "free to good home" which is how my best friend got one of her cats. She got him as a kitten from a vet's office who had the pregnant momma cat dropped on their front step in a box. All the kittens were free and had their shots and were fixed. I'm just saying that without the money from adoption fees these already overrun shelters would not be able to sustain themselves for any length of time.

:/ now we're off topic. Sorry for kind of hijacking your post.

 

[DebsFlock]

We are talking South African currency, not US$. I haven't looked up the exchange rate, but I'm assuming since it's an SPCA, it's a reasonable fee.

 

[DebsFlock]

One rand is .1228 US$ so the fee is a very reasonable $61.40.

 

[Customcasket]

If google is to be believed its $61?? in US dollars. That's really inexpensive.

 

[Customcasket]

I paid more on the fee to adopt Kayak. I paid $100 for her fee. It was worth it though. She's my baby.

 

[MaraWentz]

Oh whew i thought we were talking us currency. Everywhere around me does shelters for 150 and under.and foodmisnt the best brand at shelter so its not too expensive. And a dog is only at a shelter for a couple of weeks until theyre put down or transfered to a new shelter

 

[Amandastander]

You guys all make great points. That was my concern, if you can't pay for a small adoption fee that includes everything, how are you gonna pay for a vet which asks that amt just for one set of innoculations. Here in South Africa they get innoculated at 6 weeks, then at 14 weeks then again 6 weeks after that. After that they need yearly booster shots. Not to forget Rabies is rife in some provinces and this guy lives in such a province. If he wants a dog for security purposes he obviously won't plan on socialising the animal and if this dog hasn't had rabies shots and attacks or even scrapes an innocent person with his teeth, the consequences could be fatal. Dogs are trained for security purposes around here, but then he should buy a trained dog if he wants it for that purpose and oh my goodness yes! He's not willing to pay. Basically the same laws apply here in regards to food and shelter, what concerns me is that I own two dogs, 1 weighs abt a hundred pounds,and large dogs have very specific diet needs as those of you who owns large breeds will be well aware of. If he can't pay the rehoming fee, how can he afford the proper food? My 2 large dogs munches away 20 pounds of good quality dog food in about 3 to 4 days, in addition to that they need regular exercise to keep their leg muscles strong and agile in order to support their massive weight. My largest dog goes to the vet every 4 months for a checkup to make sure his food meets his nutritional needs etc! And now some may think that I'm rich, sadly that's not the case. My gorgeous babies as I call them also protect instinctively because they have a home worth protecting. But in no way do I expect or encourage them to do so. I never let them trail my fenced front yard unsupervised as I do not want them to injure some one. My main point is just if you want an animal be it dog cat bird hamster etc. You have to be willing to walk the whole way and pay for what needs to be done, a person who truly loves animals would agree that they deserve a good diet, attention and medical care. Wish we had stricter laws here regarding the right to be an animal owner. Ps. Most people here also don't realise the benefits of spaying animals, so stray inbreeds are also a huge issue. All the dogs in your pics are absolutely gorgeous guys!