Of all the animal rescues that take place every day, some of them do not even make it to the shelter. There are many people who find dogs which are abandoned on the street and take them home. When they see that no one is looking for them, they take them into their own homes and adopt them. How much of this off-the-grid adopting is taking place? I don’t really have any stats.
What makes people adopt a dog this way? Most of them know how the adoption process works. It’s not a bad one either, the only thing is that it does not favor dogs who are of certain age or a certain breed. Most people who go to a shelter to adopt a dog, want a breed that is known for being good with kids. Breeds like the Labrador, German Shepherd, or any other Shepherd breeds are usually favored. When it comes to adopting, it is pretty much like buying a new car, the newer the better.
This leaves dogs who are older at a disadvantage. These dogs often remain much longer at the shelter and some of them are euthanized in the end to make space for more dogs to arrive. I believe that there should be some strict licensing when it comes to breeding. Breeders are obviously producing much more animals that the general population can adopt.
Some people take the step of buying a dog, but when the dog gets a little too big for them to handle, they will often abandon them in the street without any consideration for these animals. This is why, if the dogs look of a certain age and someone finds them on the street, they will often take them into their home instead of taking them to a shelter where they run the risk of being euthanized just because someone decided they didn’t want them in their lives anymore.
One dog was abandoned at a gas station recently. The person who found him thought the dog had been walking for a long time because he was lying on the floor completely exhausted. He was not certain how long the dog had walked for. One of them was thinking of adopting the dog, who was later named Ralph, but was hesitant because he has a small daughter.
He had heard some stories of some of these dogs who are abandoned. They have sometimes endured a lot of abuse which has left them more prone to aggression. He didn’t want anything bad to happen to his daughter as a result of his decision but on the other hand, he did feel for poor little Ralph. He had heard that abandoned dogs are not worth adopting, but along came Ralph…
