PETS

P ws for Thought: Your Pet Adoption Options

BY MARY ANN BARTON

Across the country, animal shelters, rescue groups and breeders have reported an increase in pet adoptions as people are looking for some extra companionship during the pandemic.

If you’re thinking about welcoming a new member to your family, your first thought should be to consider adopting from the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria. There are dozens of dogs, cats, rabbits and other friends waiting for their forever home.

In fact, the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria discourages a pet as a surprise present, instead telling gift givers to have their loved one meet potential pets first to make sure there’s a good match. “Whether you adopt the pet as a gift that day, or put a hold for future adoption, your new best friend is just as likely (and maybe even moreso) to be a welcome addition because your recipient met them first,” according to staff there.

If you don’t find your new sidekick at the AWLA or at the Fairfax County Animal Shelter, you can broaden your search to one of the many rescue organizations (including breed-specific ones) in our region.

PHOTO BY DESILVA STUDIOS

If you’re considering going to a breeder, the Humane Society of the United States has tips you should consider. There are many responsible breeders who treat their dogs with care and provide exercise, personal attention and spacious, clean and comfortable living quarters. Unfortunately, there are also more than 10,000 puppy mills in the United States.

Before you begin to search for your family’s new pet, the Humane Society of the United States provided this information for anyone considering adopting a pet, asking potential pet parents to take a good look at these statement commonly made by questionable sellers, and what they may really mean:

Puppy mills say: “My place is hard to find. I'll meet you in the local parking lot.” What they mean is: “I don't want you to see where I keep my dogs.”

Be extremely wary of anyone who discourages you from visiting their facility or who invites you to their home or property, but only shows you one puppy at a time. Responsible breeders have nothing to hide and will be glad to show you not only the puppy you are interested in, but his or her parents and the other dogs on the property as well. They will also show you the areas where both the adult breeding dogs and the puppies spend their time.

Puppy mills say: “My puppies come with a health guarantee.” What they mean is: “If you sign this, it limits my liability if your puppy gets sick.”

While a health guarantee itself is not a sign of a bad breeder, it’s important to read health guarantees or contracts with a critical eye. They are often designed to protect the seller’s interests more than yours. They can be full of exclusions and loopholes and often require you to return a sick puppy to the seller in order to get a refund — which might be the last thing on your mind when you are trying to save a sick animal’s life.

Puppy mills say: “Our puppies come with a health record on our kennel's letterhead listing all the care we provided.” What they mean is: “We ‘play vet’ to save money.”

A truly responsible breeder will be able to provide you with the name and number of their veterinarian, as well as proof of the puppy’s full veterinary examination on their veterinarian’s letterhead.

Many will also provide you with health reports and screening results for the puppy's parents.

Less reputable breeders will give you a list of treatments they administered themselves, rather than a record from a licensed vet. Amateur breeders who skip veterinary exams to cut costs are likely to be cutting costs elsewhere as well — often at the expense of the dogs in their care.

If the seller has administered their own vaccinations, ask for a detailed explanation. Each vaccination listed on the record should be accompanied by a small label with the expiration date and lot number of the vaccine (which the manufacturers provide in self-stick format with each vaccine for this very purpose).

Puppy mills say: “Ours is a family business. We raise healthy puppies on our 20-acre farm.” What they mean is: “We produce puppies.”

Almost every breeder, even disreputable ones, has a family and many commercial breeders breed puppies on family-owned farms. Don't assume that a website offering “farm-raised" or “family-raised” puppies isn’t a puppy mill. Once again, you need to see the property for yourself and view the areas where the dogs are living. Unfortunately, being raised on a 20-acre farm doesn't mean that the dogs have access to the space. Too often, the breeding dogs at puppy mills are forced to live in small cages on the property; frequently they can see open, grassy spaces but never run and play in them.

PHOTOS BY ALISON LANE PHOTOGRAPHY

In addition to local and regional shelters, breeders and rescue groups for various breeds (labs, collies, cocker spaniels and more) and lovable mutts, there are a variety of organizations where you can find a dog or cat:

Lucky Dog Animal Rescue luckydoganimalrescue.org

Homeward Trails Animal Rescue

homewardtrails.org

Humane Society of Fairfax County

hsfc.org

Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation

lostdogrescue.org

Homeless Animals Rescue Team (HART)

hart90.org

A Forever Home Rescue Foundation

aforeverhome.org

Wolf Trap Animal Rescue

wtarescue.com

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Toni Slye Miller Mortgage Banker NMLS# 1083974 D: 703-466-4016 C: 703-402-6970 Toni.Miller@amerisbank.com