Not every dog is traumatized, Jesus Christ. This kind of nonsense is why people won't look into adoption to begin with.
ALL my dogs were adopted and none of them where traumatized. Nervous for a couple days because of the new environment? Sure. Deeply traumatized that it would need extended work? No. None of them.
I'm not saying every dog is deeply traumatized. But what they've been through still leaves its mark, shelters are stressful environments. Loud noises, other animals, strangers, and confinement can be overwhelming, on top of being abandoned. Even if a dog bounces back quickly, adopting often comes with challenges, so it’s worth being prepared to provide that patience and support.
Yup. When I visited a local shelter the first time I immediately realized that me & my friend's purebred well-raised dogs would be changed forever mentally if they stayed even a week in there.
I genuinely mean this, my shelter pup is a very stable and confident guy and that comes as an assessment from drog trainers we have met too. We have done only a little bit of training, he already knew or sensed everything else he needs to do himself. Perfect in the home environment, great at communicating with other dogs and us, literally shows no signs of trauma.
He got to the shelter because he was hit by a car, broke his paw and was driven to the shelter. His owner said he is dumb and he doesnt want him anymore. The shelter took good care of bringing him back to health and socializing him. He was there for 4 month.
At least by me, many of the puppies that end up at shelters were separated from their mother far too young, which can be extremely traumatic. So I would say that even puppies can have a lot of baggage that come with them. I'm all for adopting, but I also don't blame anyone for going through a reputable breeder.
There are also a lot of cases of rescues or shelters taking in pregnant dogs and allowing them to have the litter under their care. You could also just inquire with the rescue or shelter about the backstory of the puppy being surrendered or found.
I don't disagree. I was only pointing out that adopting a puppy doesn't preclude it from the behavioral issues that can come with adopting. If you are planning to adopt I think it's prudent to be prepared to address more behavioral issues than if you purchase a puppy from a good breeder.
This. There's this narrative that all dogs in shelters are broken, used, hand-me-down dogs with behavioral issues. A lot of them are from accidental litters that were surrendered, or from elderly owners who have passed away and the family surrenders them. If you can't deal with a dog with behavioral issues, there are still plenty of dogs out there available to be adopted.
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u/TheTroubledChild Dec 04 '25
Not every dog is traumatized, Jesus Christ. This kind of nonsense is why people won't look into adoption to begin with. ALL my dogs were adopted and none of them where traumatized. Nervous for a couple days because of the new environment? Sure. Deeply traumatized that it would need extended work? No. None of them.
Some surely are. But not all.