opinion needed

[dlcenters]

So Freddie is gone and we want to adopt another boxer for us and for J.C. Ironically there were 2 "perfect" males at the local shelter just 2 and 3 weeks before Fred left us-now there are none within 100 miles. A litter just came in to a fairly local shelter last night so I went to an adoption event to find out about them today. Problem #1-they came from a puppy mill. Problem #2-the one male that is not white is "black" so I mentioned that they are probably not pure bred and got an argument from the shelter volunteer that 'yes there are "black" boxers-she sees them all the time..." whatever. Problem #3- they are only about 10 weeks old and they are getting them fixed? already? too young? and Problem #4 is the adoption fee-$350! I'm trying to use common sense and not be desperate to get another dog, but I AM feeling desperate. We had to wait 3 months to find Fred and I don't want to wait that long again, but I also don't want to be heartbroken with another sick dog either. I guess I just want someone to talk me out of this...thanks.

 

[Cami]

Problem #1-they came from a puppy mill. Problem #2-the one male that is not white is "black" so I mentioned that they are probably not pure bred and got an argument from the shelter volunteer that 'yes there are "black" boxers-she sees them all the time..." whatever.

#1 needs no explanation. RUN.
#2 *if* they are from the same litter and you suspect ONE is a mix then it is fairly safe to assume that all of them are. Unless you want a mix?

The majority of the time I would say that saving a life is NEVER wrong. However in this situation those pups will have no problems finding homes. Pups never last long in a shelter. If you want a pup then keep looking! If it were an older dog I would say go for it since they are harder to place.

 

[gary766]

I agree with Cami. Also I think when you are getting a new baby when one has passed the right stuation comes along and you know it. When we lost Conner I really wanted to get a new puppy but passed on the first offer. I waited a while and found Margo at the shelter and knew right away she was the girl for us. When the right baby comes along you will have no doubts.

 

[dlcenters]

still looking and waiting...

We are still looking for a new family member. We have passed on 3 so far that didn't feel "right" (not neutered yet-up to us to get it done-don't want to bring an intact male into my girl's world, aggressive, health issues). Still waiting to hear about 2 (jasper and monty in my gallery). Jasper is around 2 years old and was a stray-nothing else known about him. Monty is around 11-12 weeks and came from a "puppy mill type" rescue, according to the rescue (dark reverse brindle or mix?). J.C. is 6 years old now and she got along fine with Fred, 3 1/2 years old-J.C. was 3, when we rescued him (he was somewhat of a dominate male), but now I don't know which way to go. Suggestions?

 

[BxrMommieNAZ]

I will say that most of the dogs you get from the Humane Society, shelters, rescues, etc obviously do not come from wonderful reputable breeders, so you just happen to "know" this time for sure that it was a puppy mill, but if you've ever adopted a dog and didn't get it from a reputable breeder than more than likely it came from a puppy mill or backyard breeder so I wouldn't tell you to run, I would simply say that's what adopting a shelter dog means and most people know that.

On the fact that it's "black" I will say I HAVE seen yes real and true 100% full blooded Boxers that LOOK black but are simply a very very dark brindle (or what some people call a "reverse brindle"), they are not truly black but for someone that doesn't know that Boxers cannot be black they could very easily classify the coat color as such. So puppy may not truly be black, simply be an extremely dark "reverse" brindle.

Third, yes, Humane Societies, most shelters, and reputable rescues spay and neuter ALL dogs and puppies before placing them in a home. Some used to do the you paid a deposit and once you showed proof of the procedure you got your deposit refunded to you, however too many people simply chose to lose their deposit didn't get the surgery done and so they unfortunately had to change their practices. Most that get puppies in spay/neuter them between 8 and 10 weeks so that they are able to adopt them out as obviously they do not have the room or the resources to keep them for 6+ months not to mention it becomes harder to adopt them out at that point too. So their reasons for doing this are sound and where it isn't everyone's cup of tea it has been proven to be safe for the pups.

And it isn't uncommon for rescues/shelters to charge more for puppies, I would expect to pay anywhere between $275 and $350 so where what they quoted you is personally on my high end, it is definitely not unheard of.

I'm not saying get them or don't, that is obviously your decision and needs to be your decision solely, however given that you know you are adopting from a Humane Society I see no red flags here at all.

 

[Widges]

I will say that most of the dogs you get from the Humane Society, shelters, rescues, etc obviously do not come from wonderful reputable breeders, so you just happen to "know" this time for sure that it was a puppy mill, but if you've ever adopted a dog and didn't get it from a reputable breeder than more than likely it came from a puppy mill or backyard breeder so I wouldn't tell you to run, I would simply say that's what adopting a shelter dog means and most people know that.

I don't agree at all, situations change and people give up animals for lots of reasons, no matter where they got the animal from. To imply that most would come from mills is unfair in my opinion.

 

[BxrMommieNAZ]

I don't agree at all, situations change and people give up animals for lots of reasons, no matter where they got the animal from. To imply that most would come from mills is unfair in my opinion.

Well I don't know about anyone else, but when I got my pup from a reputable breeder I signed a contract stating that I would return the pup to that breeder if I could no longer care for him, didn't want him, etc. I have come to find this is one of the key factors in purchasing from a reputable breeder. So if you follow the law and hold to what you signed in a contract (which I would say most people that seek out a reputable breeder and pay that kind of money for a pet probably would) then the reputably bred dog should not end up in a shelter, rescue, etc.

So I would still stand by what I said. I think it's pretty common knowledge that many of the dogs (I did not say all I said many/most) found in rescues, shelters, etc are poorly bred (if purebred) from BYB's, puppy mills, etc, mixed breeds, etc and not from reputable breeders who do health testing, genetic testing, temperament testing, etc on the parents. There may be the needle in a haystack reputably bred dog floating around in a shelter, rescue, etc type of situation but it definitely isn't the norm by any means.

I typically adopt from rescue, shelters, etc, but I do so knowing that the chances of health issues further down the line (mainly in a purebred dog) is probably greater than that of a dog from a reputable breeder, however I am also saving a life, giving a home to an unwanted animal, etc.

 

[sargboxerluv]

Reverse or black boxers are along the same line as a black panther. Black panthers are very dark leopards or jaguars, if you look up close, you can see the leopard or panther spots.

here is a link that has areally good panther picture that shows what I mean.
http://y2u.co.uk/Knowledge_Information/I_zq5/RN_Animal_Black_Panther_1.jpg

I also found one with boxers. Im sure those with no knowledge of boxer would say the big one is black, but you can see the brown flecks. http://www.freewebs.com/backinblackboxerkennels/Autumn and Bucca 8.23.07.jpg

 

[sargboxerluv]

Some people just don't know facts and pretend they do. Or, she just uses the term black in place of reverse or sealed or whatever people use.

As a side note, when I said like panthers, I was refering to the way you can see it is not true black. I think panthers actually do have a black recessive gene, but boxers do not. But now I'm too tired to look it up to know for sure.



I was rechecking the links and accidentaly submitted this before i was done. Hit the wrong thing.

 

[Widges]

I dog walk at my local shelter and have many pure bred boxers (and other breeds) handed in with their papers, due to the huge amount of people losing their homes in my area. I have called the breeders listed on the papers and then the breeders have come to collect the dogs or they have been collected by the breed rescue. But yes, there is also a huge number of BYB dogs also at shelters.