PLFXpert

I can relate to this. Just this past Christmas I was given a giftcard to a pet store I boycott. There was nothing to gain for anyone if I were to have refused the gift. And it's not like I could return the gift card to the store for money back. The money was spent, the store I would not have otherwise supported already had the money, so I called the shelter where we adopted Cruz and asked what they were most in need of. I bought exactly the gift-card amount for that at the store, then matched it at the store I normally frequent, and Cruz and fam went to play Santa at the shelter.

Exactly. I stop short, however, of "never supporting them". It's like anything else. A perfect anything--especially an organization--is tough to find. I find supporting the ones I agree with on an often enough basis gains me somewhat more of an influence on them to make changes in such areas I disagree with. Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back.

I'm not exactly the audience either, but closer to than you. I disagree it will be effective in reaching "those folks". It looks like a scene in a movie many people would watch as entertainment. It's not the "in" so-to-speak. At least that's what I call it. The "in" is the weak spot in an adversary (not necessarily in their argument). Simply showing them a waterboarding is not an "in". You have to find what the intended audience is sensitive toward and hit them there (in a relatable way that asserts your point). Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back.

Again, not meaning this to sound antagonistic: Did you ask the shelters about a wait-list for a mini-dachsh? Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back.

Which did you buy at the store and why? (Unfortunately tone and manner can not always be easily transfered into online chat, so for the record I don't mean that question to be antagonistic.) Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back.

Yea! Mine just arrived! Unrelated funny--my dog scares the shit out of the UPS man every time. His fur stands straight up and he growl-barks, but like he's totally wagging his tail, dude. Geez! Before looking into to it to purchase, I also thought it was a CD I could pop in a car or DVD player. It makes me wish I had the whole computer-to-TV set-up. A very good friend of ours gets paid to set up all sorts of technological thingies. I am SO jealous of his home set-up. He can do anything he wants right on his living room couch and it shows on the big, flat-panel widescreen TV on the wall. Genius! I wish Billy and I had that, as we are going to do Rosetta together. Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back.

I agree; I wish I'd had Rosetta Stone in high-school and college. I took German, and even though I took four years, I learned more just listening to and speaking with my Oma than I ever did in a book or workbook. My Spanish (Latin America) Rosetta Stone should be arriving today!

I tried that (with another language-learning CD set) and it felt like it made the trips even more of a chore. Off the subject, but I LOVE books on CD for those trips (I have to make a nine-hour roundtrip every three months). The time flies by.

I think you misunderstood my point, but I take partial fault for making an argument-by-analogy (never the strongest way to go ). I also see a big difference between a pet store puppy and an ethically bred one. My point, again, is for every "reputable breeder" there are probably 100 others posing as such. Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back.

Great feature! I love the name--Simba al-Tikriti. And excellent point, sneaky girl--that's definitely a cat I'd pay ($3,500) for. But I'll leave the overseas adoptions to Angelina for the time being. Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back.

Congratulations!

If it was a negative-edged pool filtrated to ensure removal of every micron of dirt and had a water temperature of 74.2 degrees, I would have no problem going for a swim. They're out there, but if someone is hot & ready to swim, they're probably just going to settle for one of the 100 other pools nearby. Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back.

I struggle with the humane-kill vs. no-kill argument. When our local Humane Society went no-kill, Animal Care & Control almost doubled their number of euthanizations--not to mention adoptable animals being euthanized because of lack of room. Another concern is what people do with their animals when they have tried to surrender them to a no-kill shelter and are told the shelter is full. Which brings me to my point, with all the animals euthanized each day (and not always humanely), and all the animals turned away from a no-kill shelters (and likely then abused or neglected), the argument of "the puppy in the store is just as deserving of a good home" is easily refuted. It's like saying, "I don't like you breeding dogs for profit, but since you already did I'm going to go ahead and pay you so you can do it again." Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back.

We agree on this point. My point, however, is for every "non-profit" breeder there are probably 100 profiting. And most people are not aware of how to recognize the difference. Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back.

Get a rescue puppy. Train it. At the very least--before making assumptions about what might be unknown--perhaps visit the two nearest rottie-specific rescues. I'm pretty sure you'll find they're not handing out dogs with an unknown temperament. As peregrinerose first mentioned, they're fostered out, tested with other dogs, cats, kids, etc. usually for a minimum of three months while also undergoing medical check-ups and spay/neutering. Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back.

And what is the ratio, by your estimation, of "good breeders" to breeders who profit (fairly well)? It sounds as if you're under the assumption few breeders profit. Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back.

Absolutely! And there are definitely some other good reasons for going to a specific breeder. Rehmwa mentioned another about having allergies and wanting his child to have a pet. I keep hearing the same argument, however, about "don't know what you're getting" from a rescue. Me thinks these folks have not been to or looked into many rescue operations. Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back.

I like you, but that's hilarious. She's naked (at least topless) with a blanket covering her goodies. She didn't know at 15-years-old that was a little racy? I agree, however, it will not likely hurt her in the long run. Frankly, I don't think she should have addressed it so soon. It's almost as if she brought attention to it herself. I don't think it would have been such a big deal had she not made a pre-emptive statement about it. Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back.

No links, but I hit the wrong number on my remote and ended up on the bible-channel. I'm sure that's not its official name, but there was Lost's Desmond as Jesus in the Last Supper scene. I'll never view the Last Supper the same way. I could not stop giggling. It was so hilarious. There Desmond was talking about how someone would betray him. It begged so many questions. I mean, how does a producer pick "the perfect Jesus"? And where is the chosen actor to go from there? Do you put that on your resume'? Like, "Oh, yea! And I was Jesus." Whoa! Dude, I think you're like totally over-qualified for this role... And I'm thinking, one has to be super-cool to be Jesus. But, I can't think of one amazing Hollywood actor that might pull off the role. I mean, can you see De Niro as Jesus? Or Kevin Bacon? THAT would be the ultimate six-or-less degrees of separation. Alas, this particular producer chose Desmond. And Desmond looked frighteningly/EXACTLY like his Lost character--except he was eating supper. SO funny. Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back.

I've always tested in the middle leaning a little here or there depending. The easiest way to figure it all out is several glasses of wine. For me, metaphysics tend to come more to light than like just plain old physics. I'm good at math, though. Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back.

And Sampson & Fifi's owners decide to be breeders to help pay for Little Johnny's roller-sneaks. Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back.

Therein lies the rub. Why do you think so many animals need homes in the first place? Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back.

I'm assuming you aren't "rescuing" them from the wild. Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back.

I agree to a small extent, but again shelters often know the temperament of dogs and list such on their cards. The more valid point you make is "young". Still, in most cases the breeds mixed are known and one can still decide if either is right for them--and since they're young (like any young dog from anywhere) they'll require proper training by the parent. Training is a big part of why people end up with temperament issues. Even when you believe you know the temperament ahead of time, you still need to train a puppy or young dog to your likes and dislikes. Period. Genetic health problems are greatly reduced by mixed-breeding and so on. But that aside, I'm familiar with the rates of health problems of pure-breds vs. mixed breeds. Are you saying it's more or less likely for a mixed breed without papers, whom did not come from a breeder to have a health problem than one who came from a "reputable" breeder? Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back.

I agree. One problem, however, is "reputable" breeders are not the more common type. And Joe Average isn't aware of the difference. Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back.