Why does everyone have to say 'Rescue Dog'

originally posted by: underpass61
a reply to: Nothin

I believe the ladies call "rescue boyfriends" "fixer uppers".

Perhaps some ladies prefer abandoned cats, rescue dogs, and "fixer-upper" boyfriends ?
Some folks have good hearts, and just want to help/save everybody and everything.

No matter if some of us like to tease them: me thinks the world is a better place because of them.

Bless the rescuers ! ( Whatever that means. LoL ! )

a reply to: DaisyRainbow

I adopted or rescued the sweet boy you see to the left. He has lots of quirks so, if someone asks about him I tell them his story as I know it. . When we adopted him he was estimated about 1 to 1 1/2 years old. He was found as a stray and was taken to a county shelter.

He was very well behaved at the shelter and pretended to be the best dog in the world- we wondered why no one was looking for him.

Next day after getting him home he had many things to work out.The most challenging was no one had taught him to not bite on your hands, not grab food out of your hand, potty outside, etc. It took a lot of time to break him of the hand biting, he now just licks your hand obsessively. He is naturally nervous and has a nervous tic of sneezing. Recently he has started to smile which cracks me up because he has two sets of cuspids(canine teeth) in his lower jaw- he almost looks menacing.LOL

I really wish I knew what happened to him before he came to us.

For me it is not so much as bragging that I did something so great; it is to tell people how great that sweet boy is.

originally posted by: underpass61
It seems like a relatively new thing, I remember the first time someone told me they got a "rescue dog" I pictured a Saint Bernard with a little whiskey barrel on its collar. Now I find that I use it too just because everybody else does.

Same! 🙌
I think of mountain rescue dogs, or police rescue dogs when I hear it 😂

originally posted by: AccessDenied

originally posted by: Nothin
Is there such a thing as: 'rescue boyfriend', or 'rescue girlfriend' ?

HOBOSEXUAL
A person who enters a relationship for a place to live.

Oh gosh that made me sad, only the other day I explained to a male friend when he asked why all homeless here are men 😢

a reply to: DaisyRainbow

When I was a kid we had a couple dogs we got from the pound, no one called them rescue dogs back then. That's just something people use when they want to feel special.

a reply to: schuyler

But it is true virtue signaling....

Can it get ridiculous??? Absolutely...


Does it still make them better people than those who contribute to the problems of pure Breds and puppy mills, in that very specific field of life???

absolutely..


If you raise someone else’s kids and wanna run around with a “worlds best dad” hat as your primary every day hat.. then have at it hoss...

Cleaning up someone else’s mess is literally the most honorable things you can do...

I think it is worse when people blame themselves for being unable to clean up someone else’s mess... honorable but silly..

Sometimes I will say "He's a rescue" to explain my rescue dog's trust issues with people. I said it on our walk tonight. A human approached him and he freaked out and skittered as far away as his leash would allow him to. When the human looked at me questioningly, I said "He's a rescue" and they instantly understood.

So, SCHUYLER, I wasn't virtue signaling there; I was explaining. However, if I met your grumpy judgemental ass on the street, my dog would probably instantly react to your awful vibes and run the other way, and I would feel no shame in virtue signaling to your ass. I would repeat it over and over and over and over again, saying it louder each time.

OP, I think South Park did an awesome episode dealing with the very "rescue dog" issue that you're asking about. One of their best episodes ever. 😊

I have a puppy I ‘rescued’ back in June. Of coarse, the shelter charged me $700 to ‘rescue’ him....

I never offer up to people that’s he’s a rescue. But when they ask his breed — ‘I say I don’t know. I rescued him’.

originally posted by: DaisyRainbow
Source question

Ever since we got our puppy, I've naturally be reading more threads/posts about dogs and I've noticed that even if someone has had their dog for years if it was a rescue, they'll say, we have a "rescue dog" instead of just saying, we have a dog. Even at the dog park people have made sure I know their dog was a rescue when they talk about their pet.

Why do owners of rescues have this need to clarify? who cares? Isn't it just great that you have a dog you love and are giving it a good home (hopefully) regardless of how it came to your family?

I don't get it (obviously) so why is that?

I read something earlier and it made me wonder the same so searched it and found the above question better than I could ask myself 😂
We don't adopt kids from orphanages and call them our rescued child lol, and if there is something particular to the rescued dog as am character then that is the important thing to point out isn't it?
Do people say Oh she's a rescue dog just to sound altruistic?

Not being inflammatory here, genuine question to ATS people because nobody really says your dog is a rescue in my country, we just say its our dog 🐕

I see there's a good few reasons why👍🏻

Also a lot of rescue dogs are very nervous or even vicious around new people/dogs, so it's kinda asking you to be extra gentle with him/her, or a hinting not to approach at all.

Then there obviously a whole bunch of people saying look at how awesome I am for rescuing a dog, that doesn't help.

All in all if it really bothers you, nobody cares, it's not important really,.. Or is it? 🤔

originally posted by: cognizant420
a reply to: DaisyRainbow

When I was a kid we had a couple dogs we got from the pound, no one called them rescue dogs back then. That's just something people use when they want to feel special.

Or maybe it could be an increase in homeless animals? Or one of the other multiple good reasons other members have provided already?

You do know the website motto right? 🤔

a reply to: FinallyAwake

? Not sure what you mean really. The animals would have been put down back then just like now. Calling them rescue started with the news media as there new term of the day and it stuck. No one said it 40 years ago when I was a kid.

The times I've heard rescue dog used were for usually what people consider "difficult" breeds like Rotties or Pit Bulls.
The context was always more along the lines of the animal need a second chance much more than the owner needed any recognition.

I've taken in strays and for about the first year only mention it due to the animal needing extra patience in being socialized or housebroken or convinced that jumping on people/other animals isn't as cute as you'd think.
Sure some people are self righteous idiots about "rescuing" an animal but those are the same people that got it for absolutely the wrong reasons.

Schyler- there are plenty of purebred rescue organizations. Even people who adopt purebreds from breeders sometimes later decide "I don't want this dog." It's not about the breed of dog, its about the dog's situation of homelessness and being in line to be euthanized if some human doesn't adopt him.

Sal

a reply to: schuyler

So you've drunk the kool aid. We've already covered that. People who get "rescue" animals are "better" than those who prefer a purebred. We get that distinction already, but it is virtue signalling. Not all breeders are "puppy mills." So if that's what you want to do, go ahead and do so so you an brag about it. Bully for you. We are all so so proud of you. Meanwhile if I want a pure bred I will do that and I don't need to apologize to anyone, particularly to people like you.

originally posted by: FinallyAwake




All in all if it really bothers you, nobody cares, it's not important really,.. Or is it? 🤔

I was just wondering because nobody really says they've got a rescue dog in the UK, just I've got a dog, I read it tonight, did a search, found a similar question on some site and posted it here curious what ATS members thought.
My mother died 6 weeks ago, my grief is more important than anything in my life right now, this thread question is just an intellectual distraction from emotions 😢

a reply to: Onlyyouknow

No offense, because it's a cute dog and cute story, but your history there is exactly why I prefer people -- especially ones with kids -- look at breeders and NOT shelters. You just do not know the history at all versus knowing the litter's lineage & thus history from an established breeder.

I'll never adopt a dog from a shelter. We're considering getting a dog in a few years, and this is more work than just picking one out at a shelter. We're looking for breeds that fit our activity level/lifestyle, have breed temperament expectations within reason, etc, etc. Dog breeds were bred for specific traits for ages for a reason -- I know what I want out of a dog, a few specific breeds fall into the criteria. Shelter dogs of mixed origins and utter mystery origins simply don't. That's a huge gamble I'm not willing to take with kids.

It's funny, my kids' two best friends both have dogs. One has a papered purebred Husky. The other's dad simply wanted a dog, and couldn't be bothered to put in any effort to researching breeds to find the best fit for their family. The PIT MIX they adopted that was "sooo sweet" when they adopted it went back to the shelter because it was NOT a good fit for them, and got far too comfortable with aggression toward the kids. Stupid is as stupid does. Do not just run off to a shelter to try to "save" something, do your damn homework and know what breed (BREED, not random shelter animal) will work for you.

On the bright side, the dad learned his lesson and is researching reputable local breeders. Evidently, a French Poodle might be in their near future.

a reply to: DaisyRainbow


Implying you "rescued it" saving it from being put down. "Rescue-d dog"

Or...
You actually did rescue the animal from the streets, woods, highway...whatever. "Rescue-d dog"
Or...

And in my ER field...the dog (K9) can also be a rescue dog, aiding in our Search and Rescue ie: a "Rescue-search K9"

So the PETA shills have arrived. It used to be you went to the pound and got a dog. End of story. Cheap dog with an unknown past. Now if you get a dog from the pound you can get all emotional about your "rescue dog." You'll feel so much better about yourself and try ti shame anyone who doesn't do it your way. That's the part that sucks.

originally posted by: hombero
Dont worry, we don't care what you do anyways.

Have you missed the point of the entire thread? That's the entire issue here, "virtuous" people (in their own mind) telling others what they ought to do.

a reply to: schuyler

There is nothing wrong with buying a papered dog and there is nothing wrong with rescuing a pet from a shelter. Both are perfectly fine things to do. So called puppy mills (bad breeders who abuse their dogs) should be put out of business.

Seems like a strange thing to get agitated about in the first place. The problem people are those who don't spay or neuter and cause the shelters to be so full in the first place. They should be shamed and criticized.

My last dog was actually a purebred Black Lab that came from a shelter. Lost him to old age, but he was pretty much a perfect dog that just happened to also be a rescued dog. The previous owner abused him and lost him over that. Even tracked me down somehow and came to my home. When the dog attacked him at the gate, he finally gave up and said OK, he's your dog. It was clear he had abused the dog before I acquired him. Wonderful animal in the field and a beloved member of our family that just happened to come from a shelter.

What's wrong with encouraging people to consider rescuing an animal when they look for a pet?

PETA people don't own pets by the way, but that's for another topic.

The issue is that are deemed a "better person" if you get a mutt from a shelter than if you want a pedigreed dog. People who "breed" a given kind of dog or cat are "part of the problem" to someone who thinks like this. But if you give a shelter dog or cat a "forever home" you can bask in the glory of doing the right thing. That's the basic issue.

a reply to: schuyler

So that is it huh? your personal opinion though right?