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I Photographed Pedigree Rescue Dogs To Show That It’s Not Just Mutts Who End Up At Shelters (26 Pics)
I'm a passionate proponent of shelter dog adoption. I have several mixed-breed rescue dogs and I honestly don't have a particular dog breed preference. I am, however, aware that some people do, so for this project, I shifted my focus to the realm of purebred dog adoption and what I uncovered in the process was alarming, to say the least.
Whilst mixed-breed dogs often find themselves unwanted and surrendered to shelters thanks to unchecked breeding, they have no intrinsic saleable value, which puts them at a disadvantage when it comes to adoptees wanting a dog of a specific breed and at a clear advantage because, unlike their pedigree counterparts, they can't be traded like commodities.
During the process of creating this series of work, Dogs Unleashed, I discovered that the previously unwanted pedigree dogs I photographed found themselves in need of rehoming for three main reasons: a lack of understanding of breed-specific requirements, no longer being of financial use to a breeder, and puppy mill breeders closing or offloading their pups.
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Akela - Unwanted By Her Owners
Firstly, it’s essential to research the dog breed you’re considering acquiring. One of my models, Leila the bluetick coonhound, is now in her seventh (and forever) home. Coonhounds are similar to German shorthaired pointers in that they are extremely active and need A LOT of physical and mental stimulation. As a result of originally being acquired by people who had no understanding of the breed, Leila scaled walls, escaped multiple times, and got herself caught in snares whilst out and about. Her unruly (and quite natural) behavior led to her being given up repeatedly. This is a common problem for active, busy, working breeds.
Milo - Confiscated From An Abusive Home
Leo - Found Wandering The Streets Of Johannesburg As A Stray
As well as making sure you choose the right breed for you and your family, choosing the right breeder is essential. Not all breeders have their dogs’ best interests at heart, many are simply motivated by the money they can earn from selling puppies with no care for the welfare of their breeding dogs.
Brooklyn-Stella the bulldog, Queenie the Chihuahua, and Lisa the schnauzer were all given up for adoption once they were no longer financially useful to their breeders. Brooklyn's breeder attempted to sell her off on Facebook and both Queenie and Lisa spent their lives caged in a backyard producing puppies. Getting adopted in their senior years is the first time they’ve been part of a family. When you, often unwittingly, financially support breeders like this by buying puppies from them, you’re supporting animal exploitation and cruelty.
Riley - Left To Fend For Herself At A Rental Property
Gunther - Now In His Fourth (And Final) Home He Was Passed Around From Place To Place By People Who Couldn't Cope With Him
Oh if that home doesn’t work out send him over to me!!!!! My golden would love him!!!!!
Kennel Club registration is meaningless when it comes to the welfare standards of a pedigree dog breeder, so doing your homework is essential.
As a champion of the adopt don’t shop message, I will always encourage you to adopt your dog breed of choice. A quick Facebook or Google search will tell you that there’s a rescue organization for your favorite breed and sometimes they even have puppies available.
Callie - Rehomed After Her Breeder Died
Jesse - Given To A Weimaraner Rescue After She Broke Her Leg And The Owners Couldn't Afford The Vet Bills
I feel the owners did the responsible thing I this case. Circumstances changed and thy could no longer care foe her, so gave her to an organization that could provide the best home.
If you do have your heart set on a particular breed of puppy, there are plenty of responsible breeders out there, here’s how to spot one:- You’ll likely be added to a waitlist:
- Visiting the mom and pups at their premises won’t be an issue
- Pups will only be available from 8 weeks old (10 to 12 weeks is preferable)
- You’ll be able to collect your puppy from them
- The breeder will ask you to sign a contract that stipulates your pup being sterilized, that you can’t breed with your pup and that should you no longer be able to care for your pup, you’ll return the dog to them
- They’ll ask you for references from your vet
- You’ll receive proof that both the pup’s parents were screened and cleared of breed-specific genetic problems
- They won’t be selling a collection of different dog breeds
Nova - Surrendered To A Shelter Because She Was Born Deaf So Of No Saleable Value To Her Breeder
I have had two boxers others did not want. The two I had were perfectly healthy but too active or mischievous for their owners. The first I got as a puppy and kept her till she died. She loved me and loved her till the day she died in her old age. The other I got as an adult, and he is beautiful and fun. Know the breed before you buy. Dogs are champions of overcoming disabilities.
Twig - Left Behind When Her Owners Emigrated
As dog lovers, we have the power to protect the welfare of animals by making more informed and ethical choices and I hope this project promotes doing just that.
I photographed 68 dogs for my Dogs Unleashed series (all of whom are now happily in their forever homes), you can see more images and find out about the individual dogs’ stories on my website and Instagram which you can find at the beginning of the post!
Bonnie - Found Wandering The Streets After Escaping From A Backyard Breeder
Lisa - Used As A Puppymill Machine Until She Was Too Old
Luca - Surrendered Because Her Owners Couldn't Cope With Her
Zapa - Surrendered To A Shelter, No Reason Given
Chucky - Surrendered After His First Owners Couldn't Cope With His Energy Levels
This is common- people don't know the energy levels or health requirements of a breed and thusly they are abandoned or surrendered.
Queenie - Used As A Puppymill Machine And Kept In A Cage For 8 Years
Bonsai - Part Of An Unwanted Litter Of Puppies
Tyson - Unwanted Because He Was Too Energetic
Eddie - Put Up For Adoption After The Family Who Bought Him Couldn't Cope With His Boisterous Behaviour
Hunter - Surrendered Because The Other Dog Kept Attacking Him
Maddy - Rehomed After She Was No Longer Of Use To Her Breeder
Nova - Surrendered Because His Owner Could No Longer Care For Him
This one I will not judge because some elderly patients have dogs that they can no longer care for once medical issues kick in. It would be great if they could stay in the family.
Brooklyn-Stella - Sold On Facebook After She Was No Longer Useful To Her Breeder
Who would do something like that that is just cruel!! and that's coming from a junior!!
Enzo - Left Behind When His Owners Emigrated
Leila - Now In Her 7th Home (Please Read The Article For Her Story)
Stoffel - Unwanted By His Owners
Luca - Surrendered To A Shelter Because He Chased The Cat
It makes me so sad to see beautiful dogs like that get horrendous haircuts
Breeders, Puppy Farms are the lowest vilest forms of scum known to Man. My heart hurts when looking at any abandoned or once-loved animal regardless of breed. I wish people would actually look into a dogs known traits before getting a dog they can't cope with. We live in a throw away society that just doesn't give a flying f**k ....
Backyard breeders are, Yes. But there are plenty of responsible breeders who bend over backwards for their dogs.
Load More Replies...my philosophy is that once a pup is brought home it stays home. i look at them as children. i wouldn't have given up my autistic child so why would i give up a pup that has issues. i have rescued refugees from puppy mills and they do come with issues. my dobie was an opportunistic eater due to having to compete for food so she would raid my garden regularly- including the jalapenos and apricots (apricots aren't bad but the seeds are toxic)> currently have a brain damaged pup that tries my patience but i would never get rid of her. took her two years to get her to sit with me for 15 mins. she's now 6 and we are up to 30 min as well as laying on my feet for an hour. it's progress. one day she may even sleep with me as now she says goodnight and then disappears to another room.
I agree with one exception: When you can no longer provide a home your dog can be happy in. It can be medical or other, but sometimes circumstances do change and the dog ends up being stressed out non-stop. Then, as much as it hurts, it is our responsibility to find a better home for our pooches.
Load More Replies...Uhg. I want a dog so much, but I'm not in a place for it right now. One day though.
Thank you Ray. I just wish more people thought like you
Load More Replies...There is no breed, no matter how expensive, that doesn't have its own rescue society
Good, because different breeds have different needs. And some breeds need more advocacy.
Load More Replies...I had to surrender a puppy (6months) because I couldn't give her what she needed. Before I get any hate mail, I would like to state that I never wanted to get a dog because I'm not a dog person, and I don't want to take a dog for walks in all types of weather and pick up after it. My now ex husband insisted we should get a puppy because it would be fun for our daughter... She was a very smart Labrador, and I trained her to walk beautifully on the leash, to sit, to wait and to lie down. I also had her house-trained and crate-trained. But my heart really wasn't in it and I wasn't happy that I was the only person looking after the dog after my husband begs to get one and promised to walk her etc. I found a lovely couple who were professional dog trainers for the blind; their son was losing his eyesight and they wanted to train a dog to be his assistant dog. My beautiful puppy was perfect for these people and we received emails and photos showing her progress. She was in the right place with people who could give her everything that she needed and deserved. It broke my heart to take a dog that I knew I wouldn't want to keep, but I thought my (ex)husband would step up and he didn't
People buy dogs without the research and don't understand the personalities of these dogs. A working dog needs things to do. Not just sitting in your home or backyard and shame on the breeders for just selling their dogs to any idiot with money.
You're absolutely right here wish I could upvote you more. I'm a chihuahua breeder and I have a bit of a reputation of being very picky about selling my puppies because I won't sell just any one. I spend a lot of time talking to people like an interview. I ask a lot of questions. And I won't sell to anyone with children under 5. Chihuahuas are great when raised with older children who understand how fragile they are.
Load More Replies...Wanting a dog is so very different from being able to have the time for a dog. In most cases they are atleast 10 years of responsibility, with vet bills and other costs to consider. If you've really considered everything and decide a dog is right then please don't fall at the last hurdle and get from a dubious breeder.
These are some of the most beautiful photos of dogs I've ever seen. I just want to hug and adopt all of them, and I'm not really a dog person.
I had to stop reading and just look at the pics. Brb, going to cry my eyes out.
We rescued unwanted dogs with problems (older, behavioral, etc) for years. After our last died unexpectedly from a tumor I said I needed a puppy break. A local shelter had purebred pups and we got one :) Breeders sometimes need to trade for bloodlines, and buyers say they want specific sexes, etc, so shelters work with them. The place we went to has high BBB marks and ratings from people. We've been there before and it's a wonderful thing she's doing for all the dogs.
Here I am sobbing after going through this list. How can people be so heartless??
I got my dog (a mini sheepadoodle) from a shelter. He was given to the shelter from a puppy mill because nobody wanted him :( He’s in a much better place with me now!!
Anyone who abandons or deliberately hurts an animal is feral and I hope dies a painful death
And beyond that painful death, I want them to serve eternity in Hell.
Load More Replies...This is so very sad! And wrong. It clearly shows on most of these pups that the owners didn't study up on what the breeds were like a d just bought a dog from looks and couldn't handle the energy levels!! Good dogs, stupid humans. Breeders PEICES OF CR*P.
It's not fair to lump them all together. For all we know some of these "owners couldn't cope" stories could be because the owner fell ill or became disabled. Full agreement on the bloody breeders though, especially those puppy mills scum.
Load More Replies...I've worked in multiple animal shelters over the years and I would like to assure you that not all humans who give up their animals are bad people - not even close. Almost every person I’ve dealt with who are surrendering their animal to a shelter is bawling their eyes out, clearly doing something they don’t want to do, but know it’s necessary. Yes, every once in a while someone surrenders an animal with (seemingly) little care, but I can count on one hand the number of times that has happened in my 4 years of working in shelters. It’s so easy to want to criticize someone for giving up their cat or dog, but the vast majority of the time, people are doing the right thing by surrendering their animal. This was one of the most surprising and unexpected things I learned when working in animal shelters. Horrible humans exist, but most are doing what they think is best.
In the USA you can go to the AKC website, AKC .org without the space, choose your breed from the drop down menu and then you will find a link to the National Rescue Club for that breed plus good info for prospective owners. They have reps and volunteer foster homes all over the country. They register at all the shelters so they will be called if one of their breed, or one that is mixed but distinctly part of their breed, comes in. I've gotten 2 Golden Rtvr/Lab Rtvr mixes though the Golden Rtvr rescue group.
Breeders, Puppy Farms are the lowest vilest forms of scum known to Man. My heart hurts when looking at any abandoned or once-loved animal regardless of breed. I wish people would actually look into a dogs known traits before getting a dog they can't cope with. We live in a throw away society that just doesn't give a flying f**k ....
Backyard breeders are, Yes. But there are plenty of responsible breeders who bend over backwards for their dogs.
Load More Replies...my philosophy is that once a pup is brought home it stays home. i look at them as children. i wouldn't have given up my autistic child so why would i give up a pup that has issues. i have rescued refugees from puppy mills and they do come with issues. my dobie was an opportunistic eater due to having to compete for food so she would raid my garden regularly- including the jalapenos and apricots (apricots aren't bad but the seeds are toxic)> currently have a brain damaged pup that tries my patience but i would never get rid of her. took her two years to get her to sit with me for 15 mins. she's now 6 and we are up to 30 min as well as laying on my feet for an hour. it's progress. one day she may even sleep with me as now she says goodnight and then disappears to another room.
I agree with one exception: When you can no longer provide a home your dog can be happy in. It can be medical or other, but sometimes circumstances do change and the dog ends up being stressed out non-stop. Then, as much as it hurts, it is our responsibility to find a better home for our pooches.
Load More Replies...Uhg. I want a dog so much, but I'm not in a place for it right now. One day though.
Thank you Ray. I just wish more people thought like you
Load More Replies...There is no breed, no matter how expensive, that doesn't have its own rescue society
Good, because different breeds have different needs. And some breeds need more advocacy.
Load More Replies...I had to surrender a puppy (6months) because I couldn't give her what she needed. Before I get any hate mail, I would like to state that I never wanted to get a dog because I'm not a dog person, and I don't want to take a dog for walks in all types of weather and pick up after it. My now ex husband insisted we should get a puppy because it would be fun for our daughter... She was a very smart Labrador, and I trained her to walk beautifully on the leash, to sit, to wait and to lie down. I also had her house-trained and crate-trained. But my heart really wasn't in it and I wasn't happy that I was the only person looking after the dog after my husband begs to get one and promised to walk her etc. I found a lovely couple who were professional dog trainers for the blind; their son was losing his eyesight and they wanted to train a dog to be his assistant dog. My beautiful puppy was perfect for these people and we received emails and photos showing her progress. She was in the right place with people who could give her everything that she needed and deserved. It broke my heart to take a dog that I knew I wouldn't want to keep, but I thought my (ex)husband would step up and he didn't
People buy dogs without the research and don't understand the personalities of these dogs. A working dog needs things to do. Not just sitting in your home or backyard and shame on the breeders for just selling their dogs to any idiot with money.
You're absolutely right here wish I could upvote you more. I'm a chihuahua breeder and I have a bit of a reputation of being very picky about selling my puppies because I won't sell just any one. I spend a lot of time talking to people like an interview. I ask a lot of questions. And I won't sell to anyone with children under 5. Chihuahuas are great when raised with older children who understand how fragile they are.
Load More Replies...Wanting a dog is so very different from being able to have the time for a dog. In most cases they are atleast 10 years of responsibility, with vet bills and other costs to consider. If you've really considered everything and decide a dog is right then please don't fall at the last hurdle and get from a dubious breeder.
These are some of the most beautiful photos of dogs I've ever seen. I just want to hug and adopt all of them, and I'm not really a dog person.
I had to stop reading and just look at the pics. Brb, going to cry my eyes out.
We rescued unwanted dogs with problems (older, behavioral, etc) for years. After our last died unexpectedly from a tumor I said I needed a puppy break. A local shelter had purebred pups and we got one :) Breeders sometimes need to trade for bloodlines, and buyers say they want specific sexes, etc, so shelters work with them. The place we went to has high BBB marks and ratings from people. We've been there before and it's a wonderful thing she's doing for all the dogs.
Here I am sobbing after going through this list. How can people be so heartless??
I got my dog (a mini sheepadoodle) from a shelter. He was given to the shelter from a puppy mill because nobody wanted him :( He’s in a much better place with me now!!
Anyone who abandons or deliberately hurts an animal is feral and I hope dies a painful death
And beyond that painful death, I want them to serve eternity in Hell.
Load More Replies...This is so very sad! And wrong. It clearly shows on most of these pups that the owners didn't study up on what the breeds were like a d just bought a dog from looks and couldn't handle the energy levels!! Good dogs, stupid humans. Breeders PEICES OF CR*P.
It's not fair to lump them all together. For all we know some of these "owners couldn't cope" stories could be because the owner fell ill or became disabled. Full agreement on the bloody breeders though, especially those puppy mills scum.
Load More Replies...I've worked in multiple animal shelters over the years and I would like to assure you that not all humans who give up their animals are bad people - not even close. Almost every person I’ve dealt with who are surrendering their animal to a shelter is bawling their eyes out, clearly doing something they don’t want to do, but know it’s necessary. Yes, every once in a while someone surrenders an animal with (seemingly) little care, but I can count on one hand the number of times that has happened in my 4 years of working in shelters. It’s so easy to want to criticize someone for giving up their cat or dog, but the vast majority of the time, people are doing the right thing by surrendering their animal. This was one of the most surprising and unexpected things I learned when working in animal shelters. Horrible humans exist, but most are doing what they think is best.
In the USA you can go to the AKC website, AKC .org without the space, choose your breed from the drop down menu and then you will find a link to the National Rescue Club for that breed plus good info for prospective owners. They have reps and volunteer foster homes all over the country. They register at all the shelters so they will be called if one of their breed, or one that is mixed but distinctly part of their breed, comes in. I've gotten 2 Golden Rtvr/Lab Rtvr mixes though the Golden Rtvr rescue group.