kswl, I've never heard or seen it as rescued dog.

What an interesting - even when totally derailed - topic. I identify with bestyears, I cannot ignore an animal in need.

lol fori... i always refer to my hub as 'daddy' when i'm talking to our dogs-it drives him nuts!! :)

That's cruel, Bee! I'm going to try that. :)

I'm a sucker for animals, but ever since I was a kid, it's never been "can I rescue that?". It's always CAN I KEEP IT???

I don't consider my Jaxson Brown a rescue dog, and never use that terminology. I picked him up on the road and decided I wanted to give him a home. Same goes for cats. I think of it as adopting, not rescuing, and no matter your choice of words, it's a wondeful thing to take on the responsibility of another life. Lke many of you, there isn't an animal I couldn't love, or want to give a home. If I see an animal and bring it home, it's already mine. There is no way I can ignore God's homeless little creatures.

We just adopted an adult dog from a rescue organization, and I will sometimes use the word "adopted" or "rescued" when out with her, but I do it as a way of explaining why I don't know what breed she is (she looks like a pit bull, but really, we have no idea what she actually is), how old she is, or why I don't know how she'll behave with other dogs. It isn't something I lead with, but it helps explain why I don't know much about the obviously adult dog who is with me!

I have two rescue dogs - one a standard poodle that was bred by an animal hoarder and a standard poodle/airedale mix from the pound. I don't tell people they are rescues and the unspoken judgement I feel when I am out with my poodles is palpable. Meaning people assume that they were gotten from a breeder. People are super judgey about this kind of thing and I wish everyone would just mind their own business. You want to pay $1000 for a dog? Go for it. Now I might judge someone for paying a lot of money for furniture when there is loads of rescue furniture just waiting to be adopted at the thrift store but I digress (just kidding of course).

If you visit a purebreed dog forum you will see everyone who thinks rescues are awful and a crapshoot.

This is the best video ever.

Hilarious video about rescue dogs

I don't refer to my cats as rescues, although I guess that's what they are. They were born to a feral mother under a deck and if they hadn't been rescued and fostered, there might have been a much different outcome, instead of living the Life of Riley.

I adopted my cats from the local Humane Society and they bring in all sort of dogs and cats and bunnies (also some other critters too) that would have otherwise met a sad and unfortunate fate. They nurture them, foster them and determine the best kind of home for each animal (gets along with other dogs, hates cats, shy, outgoing, etc.). If that isn't a rescue in the best possible sense, I don't know what is.

That's funny, I always call my husband "daddy" when I talk to my cat about him and he calls me "mamma", and we did the same things with out dogs. It just seems so totally natural to me because for us they are our children, just a little furrier than usual.

Ingrid, I'm the same way. I call my 4 'my kids'. I got them all from the same rescue organization here in New England over a course of 12 years. They range in age from 12-ish down to 2-ish. I now do volunteer transports for the organization. My father got his first dog for the family when I was 5, and he always called them our 'brother' or 'sister'. They got Christmas and birthday presents just like any other family member and were adored, just I I feel about mine.

my first dog came from a store, she wasn't a purebred, a shepard/lab mix we thought. it was called Bazaar of all Nations and one of those places that sold EVERYTHING. closed about 15-20 yrs ago. 2nd dog came from the mall, i know i know., but she wasn't a purebred, store decided to take on a litter of pups., she was a black lab mix with short legs. 3rd dog came from the SPCA, mix of God knows what. my vet called her Heinz 57...lol.....no purebreds here. my first 2 were great dogs., great temperament with kids and people, just great dogs. now my 3rd dog was the "crazy" one., loved her but a real bad girl at times.....

we would always rescue and to me that means going to the SPCA or something similar...i wouldn't go to rescue purebred place. i like the "mutts", i feel they make the best dogs., (except for #3!!!)

we are now looking to MAYBE rescue another one from the pound but i don't know if i am ready for another one. kids are in college and most of responsibility will fall on me....so i am thinking about it... DH thought i went to SPCA today to pick her up, but i didn't, maybe Sunday....

we do have a cat, which was a "rescue" i guess. he was dumped at the beach and we took him home and have had him ever since., 6mos old when "rescued" and 10 yrs old now. HE IS THE BEST CAT EVER!!!! so spoiled, so cool, so serious at times we just laugh at him. we always say if he could talk , God forbid, he would prob have a "potty" mouth., we just love him so much!!!!

sometimes, pets just find you, as our cat did....

I've adopted stray animals that rescued me.

For people who don't believe in planned breedings of any sort-- let's suppose that there were no such thing as dogs needing homes (no more abandoned or abused animals). Then what? I know that would never happen (though apparently it is in some parts of the country), but what is the hypothetical perfect vision, then, for the future of Dogdom?

Personally, I would love to see purebred dogs maintained with ongoing analysis of breed standards aligning with temperament and health as critical priorities. Adding more breeding stock, more mixing of breeds (planned carefully), far FAR more rigid rules for the AKC (this would drastically cut down on puppy mills) and so on.

As for the inevitable unplanned or poorly planned breedings, if we could take a serious look at how dogs are temperment tested in the care of rescues and make this a standard and mandatory process, and also more access to training classes at a low cost to the public-- it would be amazing.

Frankly, I think there should be MORE awareness of how to get a dog from a reputable breeder. The supply of dogs from reputable breeders does not keep up with the demand. It is often very tricky to find one, and a good breeder will ask you just as many questions as a good rescue. If this info would be more available to the public, then I sincerely believe that the puppy mill and BYB industries would be hurt. By stigmatizing people who want purebreds, we do dogs no favors. And, if you are like me-- you can't get the dog of your choice through a rescue because my breed choice won't adopt out to families with children under 6. The breed? Golden retriever.

Love that Amy Shumer video, thanks for posting it!

Interesting conversation - Im fine w/ intentional breeding but only if the health and wellbeing of the animal takes top priority. Dogs particulary- have been bred for specific traits for literally thousands of yrs - the very concept of "dog" as we know it is a result of human intervention.

But that said - I consider any intentional action that results in harm, pain or poor health to an animal to be abusive - period, end of story. Harsh? Well OK - so be it.

Ive always liked cats for being (mostly) genetically true to their wild ancestors but now even their genetic code is being messed with - foxes being bred to be docile, glow in the dark fish, etc. Knowing the human propensity for messing with things we really shouldn't be messing with - I cant help but fear to what extremes this trend could go.

Anyway. To answer the original question, I only say say where my kitties come from as a way of saying "isn't this a great cat! Hope youll get your next pet from a shelter and tell all your friends!" That's all it is - Im not patting myself on the back. If the info is not useful to you that's fine but you bet Ill advocate most strenuously for all those unwanted but so deserving animals out there waiting for a home.

i know Resident.... it's scary to think about what people might be doing to modify people down the road! smarter, stronger, more beautiful, more muscular, more docile, more immune...

And BTW rescue is indeed an appropriate word. Not really understanding the quibbling about that. These animals are indeed being "rescued" either from physical death or trauma of prolonged unrelenting confinement in a small space with all kinds of noise and stress pheromones coming from other animals. My vet tells me that even in a good shelter, X no. of pets are stressed to the point of physical ill health or even going crazy.

I think anyone who rehomes an animal from a shelter or poor home, or any situation where there is risk of euthanasia or abuse, deserves to call it a rescue.

And it's not just dogs - but birds too. I sometimes refer to my nanday parrot Scout as a rescue bird, although lately I have been calling her a rehomed bird. But the fact is, she was kept in a cage that was barely bigger than her. She had a broken wing, sores on her leg, and looked the worse for wear. I couldnt bear to see her week after week on craigslist. So, I bit the bullet, negotiated a price of $125 for her and met the owner at a gas station. I was told she was mean, untame and had not been out of the cage in a long time. Her legs were so weak, she couldnt perch on my finger, and so I carried her around cradled against my chest until she grew strong enough to balance on my finger. She has never bitten and she is the sweetest thing. It cost $700+ in vet bills to get her up and running. I meant to rehome her, but she refused to go to the new owners. Now my sweet girl is here to stay. She tends to have anxiety when there is a new person in the house or outside and she screams. I explain it to people sometimes by saying she is a rescue bird and not good with strangers.

Sweet little Scout:

Since I'm in the company of fellow dog lovers, would you all please read the topic I did this morning on the Pet Forum? Its not a very active board and I seriously need help trying to find the right dog comb. :)

Save my house from dust!

OMG Rocky - so glad she is with you now. Sweet indeed - and, I might add, her pic is quite appropriate for a home dec forum - love the combination of the colorful bird and the retro furnishings!

@Resident Thank you so much! i love that pic for the reasons you state! I cannot tell you how rewarding it has been bringing her into my life. Unfortunately, there are far too many parrots out there in poor living situations. I wish I could take them all. :(

I always tell people I adopted a rescue dog simply because I think a lot of people are nervous about it--kinda like buying a used car--they may be concerned that they would be buying/adopting someone else's problem. I just point it out because my dog turned out to be the best 50 bucks I ever spent at the local SPCA. She is a wonderful, kind animal. I don't judge people who buy pure breed dogs, etc... I've had a pure bred from a breeder as well.

For Oakley - maybe this?
Vacuuming dogs!

No problem with the word at all. I think it may have come about because of the many private *rescue* operations that have sprung up vs the county funded Humane Societies.

We got our wonderful Maci from our county Humane Society. It would be hard to say who rescued who.

Rescue cats = counter cats

Isn't every animal that you invite to live in your home, a rescue if it didn't come from a breeder? I don't understand. This either. I had an ex boyfriend who was introducing me to his mom's cats, and he said "they're all rescues" and I said to him "isn't every animal in a home a rescue?" and he seemed to get a little irritated that I took away from his statement. Weirdest thing. Just be glad you have the damn animal.

kswl, I've never heard or seen it as rescued dog.

Neither have I, but I thought if the use of "rescue" as an admittedly misused verb doesn't appeal to the OP, perhaps she would like it better as an adjective :-) I was going to call them "saved" dogs but did not want that to be misconstrued.......lol!

I've adopted (rescued) many cats from shelters over my lifetime. Cats are so independent that when rescued as kittens/adolescents, very little emotional damage has been done beforehand. Cats tend to show up in shelters because of unwanted kittens and strays, rather than abuse, like many dogs I've seen in the shelters.

Dogs -- I select my companions based on temperament, personality traits, shedding, etc. I've had purebreds over my adult life.

Australian Shepherd -- he was selected from a reputable breeder when a puppy. His mom and dad were both onsite, a working horse farm. I had a herd of Arabian horses at that time and selected Indigo to be a horse farm dog. He was excellent with the horses, and a smart, loyal companion to my family. He also loved our adopted/rescued cats. My son was a toddler when we purchased Indigo, and the dog never posed a problem. No regrets.

Greyhound - we adopted Charm (aka Won By Her Wits, registered name) from a retired racing greyhound re-homing kennel. She was a fabulous dog with quirks/nervousness/shyness because she'd not been out in the real world until we got her when she was 4 1/2 years old. Didn't shed; didn't smell; didn't bark at anything. Walking her was like going out with a celebrity. Greyhounds are so rare as pets, they attract a lot of attention. Died of bone cancer.

We ruled out another greyhound because we were seeing too many statistics on bone cancer in the breed.

Four years passed and I watched all the dogs at the shelters from three surrounding counties. Seriously, all three were full of pitbull and pitbull/mixes, and few dogs of any other background. In our neighborhood, we had an unrestrained/untrained pack of 3-5 pitbulls that would run through and take down down deer; corner pedestrians and terrorize other dogs and cats. I fault the dogs owners, but this led to the breed being prohibited in the HOA covenants--and, our insurance company also had restrictions on dog breeds!

Miniature poodle -- Brie is now 3+ years old and is a purebred from an AKC breeder of merit, with a long contract of health guarantees, DNA testing, etc. The breeder made it mandatory that she be spayed to prevent her being used in a poor breeding program. The breeder also made it mandatory that, if I have to give her up or die first, she is to be returned to the breeder.

My late husband and I selected her because we wanted a dog that 1) would fit in the cabin of an airplane; 2) didn't shed or smell; 3) smart, good temperament, and 4) with a documented history. I grew up with a miniature poodle, so i love the breed. As it turned out, she's literally been an emotional support dog to me during his terminal illness and since he died two years ago. I don't know how I would get through each day without Brie.

Now...I find people judge me for having purchased a purebred poodle instead of rescuing a dog! Why do they do that to me? Does this make me a bad person?

I think I say rescue because I want people to know that their breed cannot possibly be known. What kind? Dunno! It looks and acts like _______, but I can't guarantee it?

dyhgarden, of course it doesn't make you a bad person. Eff those who judge you for your personal reasons for choosing a companion dog. Their opinions don't matter. My cats made the difference for me after my husband died, waiting at the door to welcome me whenever I came home.

dyhgarden, absolutely NOT! I think anyone who gives a loving home to an animal, whether it's a purebred from a breeder, or from a shelter or rescue organization, as long as the animal is loved, that is all that matters.

As for the term 'rescue', mine all come from an organization called 'NEBR' New England Brittany Rescue. If you look at pets on, Petfinder

MANY of the organizations have 'rescue' in their name, as they pull pets from kill shelters, awful 'breeders' who keep them caged all their lives, and take them from people who for whatever reason, simply can't have a pet any longer. Even the organizations that have a purebred in their name, like NEBR, have mixed breed dogs. Three of mine are pure Brittanys, and the last one was called a 'Brittany blend', but she has no Brit in her.

These 'rescue' organizations depend on donations when you adopt a dog, so they can keep saving others. NEBR takes dogs from all over the country, using volunteers to transport them to their future families, or to a loving foster home while they await adoption. My oldest dog came from Maine, then one from Missouri, then Kansas and the 'blend' came up from NC, but went there from a shelter in Wisconsin! I contacted the shelter, and told them that she now has a wonderful home, and they were thrilled.

i can't imagine anyone judging you for buying from a reputable breeder!! that is a responsible decision too!!

if you feel that much judgement from others, call her a rescue if it would make you feel better-- i'm sure there are poodle rescue organizations!!

A rescue rejected me. Told me my other dog would possibly snap the neck of a puppy and kill it. Said they would come to my house with an older puppy and then wouldn't return my phone calls or emails. So I found my puppy on Craigs List. I took a chance and trusted my gut.

The other dog never snapped her neck. Dogs instinctively know how to get along with puppies. The puppy is perfect. I believe she was sent from heaven. She's an unregistered purebred. Her parents are pets who live on a farm. I'm fine with that.

I went to the shelters first. One wouldn't let me see any dogs. They said none of their dogs liked other dogs. Others had only power breeds available. I already know my energy is too soft for a power breed. Even when meeting the shelter power breeds, my other dog was the submissive one.

Since the rescue had an abundance of puppies, I came to the conclusion that rescues pick off the adoptable puppies and dogs from the shelters. The dog I adopted from a shelter in 2002 was awesome. In 2015 the pickings were slim. At least around here. I've even heard one shelter rep say they had a shortage of dogs. They want people to adopt cats.

I'm still pissed at the rescue for spooking me. I will probably always look first at shelters, but probably avoid private rescues when I can. They rejected me anyway, so no love lost. BTW I am on dog #6 and have not given one up. All passed dogs lived past the age of 12.

So I don't like the term "rescue" for personal reasons. I associate it with an organization, not a dog.

I say my dogs "rescued" me..... and its true

Jane, there are lots of documented problems with private rescues, some of which operate more like businesses than not-for-profits. Some of them ARE businesses, although they don't say so where anybody can hear them and their advertising would give you no clue. Glad you found the perfect puppy on Craigslist!

I'm directly involved with one private shelter because I know most of the people involved. Other than that I support the ASPCA and our county pound.

I got my sweet border collie mix from a shelter. Found her on petfinder. I did stick to looking at organizations that were a 501c3, not all were. The ones that were not seemed to have higher adoption fee's, I don't know if they were covering costs or actually trying to profit.

I got her at 4 and she is 12 now. Best dog I have ever had. I was looking around about a year ago, thinking of adding to the family and ran into the rejections also. I am on acreage but no fence. I have decided to wait for now, but not sure what I will do when I think its the right time to start looking again. On the bright side, they had many applicants and did not have to resort to somebody with no fence.

When I had my Border collie in agility, every other dog in the class was a purebred. Even though my dog was one of the best at agility, I did feel we were looked down on for being a mutt.

When we went to the greyhound re-homing kennel, Charm selected me. She wrapped her long body around my legs and blocked the door until we all (husband and both boys) agreed not to look at any other greyhounds and take her with us.

East Bay SPCA "Uptown Funk" starring dogs in the shelter.

https://youtu.be/-SY2Pa6xlQc

Dhy, both of my dogs are pure bred. Buying from a reputable breeder is absolutely nothing to be ashamed. As you know reputable breeders are a wonderful resource for a pet. There is always a clause that precludes thee purchaser from giving their pup up to anyone but the breeder should the adoption not work out. I know there are some disreputable breeders as well but the good ones have their dog's welfare as a top priority.

I love dogs and cats and I am involved with a breed specific rescue group. I know that often the rules and hoops that you have to jump through to get a dog from some rescues seems overzealous to say the least. I can assure you though that it is done to try to weed out people who think they want a dog and then give up on it if there are issues. It costs a lot of money to rescue as all our guys have all health problems resolved by the fosters before going to a forever home. The last thing we want to see is a return because we failed to do a thorough background check.

I have two dogs - The first one was rescued about 9 years ago. When I say "rescued" I mean - he was two weeks overdue for being put down (KILLED) so he was on sale - only $40 bucks (true story). Best forty bucks we spent... We got him from a small almost lifeless town about two hours outside of St. Louis.

Fast forward 4-5 years and I tell my hubby I want a puppy. He immediately shoots down the idea so I wait about 2 weeks and then tell him I want a baby. His response, "what kind of puppy did you want?" - hahahaha ... This time around I wanted a puppy and a certain breed (one that matched our rescued dog) so I did buy from a breeder. I don't feel bad about it - those dogs need homes too. But it does make me sad seeing animals in poor living situations with breeders who only care about $$$ - keep in mind there are TONS of animals that need good homes... from breeders and rescue shelters.

I donate to a couple of rescue places each month. It melts my heart when I see an animal taken off the streets and given a nice loving home.

Next time around I do want to rescue again... Oh and no more puppies!!! My goodness I almost lost my mind during the puppy days.

Oh, I forgot to mention, try not to take offense if someone says they rescued a dog. It's nothing personal.

Mrsshayne, I said "no more puppies" too after dog #5. Then when we couldn't find a good adult dog match for dog #5, we had to get a puppy. She turned out to be an angel. She even calmed down the other dog!

I didn't just come across this article I actually googled "i'm sick of people telling me their dog is a rescue" and this article was the first to pop up! That being said, "i'm sick of people telling me their dog is a rescue"! Here's why... probably 75% of the time when I ask an owner "what kind of dog is that"? they answer "its a rescue". It drives me crazy because they know I have asked them what breed they have but they insist in on first letting me know that they are a wonderful person because they have rescued a dog. Wait.... the question wasn't did you get your dog from a breeder or did you get your dog elsewhere (naturally if it didn't come from the breeder you have rescued a dog from somewhere, hence making most dogs rescues). But the actual term "rescue dog" is very misleading so I always ask them to clarify with the following question.... "Wow, a rescue dog, that is incredible, you must be so proud of him/her... I just read about this rescue dog that pulled a little baby out of a burning building.... what exactly did your dog do?

I don’t say “rescue,” I say “shelter” dog. I think many of us respond that way because we don’t know what kind of dog we have, since it was adopted as an adult dog and is likely some mixed breed.

This is why I only talk to dogs at the dog park, that and I don't really care about anybody else especially because I hate the city we live in.

Oh by the way I have 2 purebred, gorgeous, dachshunds.

I am proud to have gotten a pure bred dog from a responsible and knowledgeable breeder. To each his own!

A friend in California helped to start a foundation to train rescue dogs. The National Disaster Search Dog Foundation. A very worthy group, if you'd like a good cause for donations.

Like Jen K above, I also have a purebred, gorgeous dachshund--adopted from the wonderful Midwest Dachshund Rescue organization. So just to clarify, a purebred dog can also be a "rescue". It doesn't matter to me where a dog comes from as long as they're well taken care of.

I've adopted three purebred miniature schnauzers from various sources. One from the Mid Atlantic Schnauzer rescue, one the Airdale Rescue Association and one from the local dog control. Dog love from everywhere!