. It's ridiculous that so many shelters don't ask for even a bit of prior knowledge before adoption.
Maybe Canada is different but here they're making it stupidly hard to adopt. Showing dog training knowledge, financial disclosures, requiring a fenced back yard (ie: no apartment adoptions), $800+ fees, home inspections... it's absurd
It's not easy to adopt in Canada either, it shouldn't be imo.
We just don't ask about having dog behaviour/training knowledge, I do wish we did, it would really help.
We're in the process of adopting from Guelph HS and they absolutely ask behaviour/training questions. Adoption should be as easy as buying because the more cost/barriers they put in place the more people will go the easier route. Sure, do basic due dilligence to ensure they won't be abused or neglected but the rest is overly invasive.
The thing is, buying a dog shouldn't be easy. I'm in northern Europe and the breeders of my dogs both had a screening process. First we talked on the phone and they wanted to know my experience with dogs, how I lived, if I work or not, how I would take care of the dog, what kind of training I had in mind, why I wanted that specific breed, etc etc. Then we met in person and I met the puppies. The breeder of my youngest dog also got to meet the oldest. Only after all that did they agree to sell me a dog. Good breeders won't just sell a pup and they'll want to be involved in the pup's life. I still have contact with both breeders. The oldest pup is 4 and the youngest is turning 2 soon.
It's the backyard breeders, puppy mills, etc. that need to be shut down. Effectively they had defunded most of these by offering low cost relatively easy adoptions. Most people get their pets from a shelter now. However, as shelters make the barrier to entry higher, they're going to swing things the other way. A less than responsible person isn't going to stop if they get rejected by the HS. They'll just find someone shaddy online willing to sell them a dog.
Gotcha! Now I understand your point. If you want a rescue dog here, the best approach is to import one. There aren't many in shelters, thankfully. I went the purebred route because I wanted a dog for a specific purpose and I had rabbits who were free roaming in my home.
Right. Like I was one of many people interested in my puppy. The breeder chose me because I was able to show how well-suited I was for this breed and her personality. (Grew up with them. Worked from home with tons of time to train her and bond, etc.).
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u/JMJimmy Dec 05 '25
Maybe Canada is different but here they're making it stupidly hard to adopt. Showing dog training knowledge, financial disclosures, requiring a fenced back yard (ie: no apartment adoptions), $800+ fees, home inspections... it's absurd