Thoughts on this statement?

Background - this statement was made to me on a facebook group in response to my saying that I could not previously adopt because I do not have a fenced yard.  There is another member from this forum who is on the same post and saw it but I wanted other peoples thoughts. (blanket statement that I personally think is absolutely absurd)

Me: Hell - I couldn't even adopt from a rescue prior because I don't have a fenced in yard and many rescues will not even consider adopting out if you don't have that.

As I said - adopting is not always an option for one reason or another and going to a good breeder is not a bad thing.
about an hour ago via mobile · Like · 2

Other person: Ceara, you shouldnt have a husky if you dont have a fenced yard. Thats why the shelters want to see if you have a yard. How do you think they got all of the huskies in the first place? They escape! I dont think breeders are a bad thing, but $1000??! You guys are naive to pay that, you could buy a used car! LOL. Save a husky in a shelter and save a few $$

I got that from several rescue groups and shelters when I was looking to adopt. My thought is huskies are known escape artists, I wouldn't want one loose even in a fenced in yard. And there are better ways to exercise a husky then just letting it run in the yard, and a long leash does not prevent my dog from running around in my yard, either. A fenced in yard is great but shouldt be the be all for adopting dogs.

Despite the discouragement, I kept looking and lucked into adopting a husky mutt puppy from another shelter.

Yeah I think that is a ridiculous thing to say. Thats not how all huskies end up in shelters and if that was true, don't you think most of them are escaping out of fenced yards when left unattended? I do not have a fenced in yard, and my dogs live in an apartment so I can't imagine what they would say about me! But my dogs go to daycare, bike when the weather allows it, we go hiking, running and they go on walks so I think my dogs actually get more exercise then they would if I had a fenced in yard because I'm not just letting them out and leaving them there and considering that exercise. And there is also nothing wrong with spending that kind of money going to a responsible breeder if that means the your husky is health tested and you know you have a good dog on your hands that is not being naive, that is being responsible. I agree with both breeders and adoption and I think this person is just crazily one sided and does not really know what she is talking about.

I think it's a dumb broad statement. However seeing posts like "We'll I had to buy because rescue xyz wouldn't give me a Husky because I live in a apartment/townhouse/rent/have no yard" annoy me. There are many other places than just breed specific rescues to adopt. Granted most of those people instead chose to buy from some BYB who didn't give a rats ass where the dog ended up... But whatever.

No matter what your living situation- there is always a way to adopt. I did twice in an apartment when the rescue said "no thanks." I don't have a problem with people buying from a GOOD reputable breeder- but to do so solely because of a living arrangement is in a way lazy or at least a cop out.

Just how I see it.

The rescue I volunteer with asks potential adopters if they have a fence but also recognizes that a fence is not required if the potential adopter is willing to commit to leashed walks/exercise.

However - I could not believe the ignorance of that statement or how uneducated it is. The post wasn't even about rescuing vs breeding it was just asking how much people paid for their dog if they got it from a breeder and many of the "adopt don't shop" people came out.

This is the comment that spurred it (followed by my comment)

Other person: Holy shit!! You guys have too much money. You could save about 6 dogs from a rescue for what you pay for ONE!! Rescue a husky first please!!! There are soooo many in shelters under 1 year old

Me: Not everyone can or has the means to rescue. There is nothing saying someone can't or won't rescue...someone just asked how much people have paid from a breeder.

Before anyone jumps on my case about rescue vs. Breeder. I volunteer for a Siberian rescue and have a rescue girl myself.

Stop being absurd - there is nothing wrong with buying a dog from a reputable and ethical breeder. (And no - good breeders don't contribute to the "overpopulation problem" before anyone jumps on that bandwagon either).

(Followed by the comments in the first post)

Oh boy. This one always touches a nerve with me. I deal with it ALL the time while walking Dizzy, the new elitist fad in my neighborhood is to have an adopted shelter mutt, the more mixed the better. I have nothing against mixed breeds, but I knew what I wanted, I went to a good breeder, and got a puppy. Do I used the excuse that I have cats and live in an apartment, so rescues wouldn't look at me? Sure. Did I look at rescues when deciding what I wanted? Yes. In the end, I decided I wanted a puppy. From an experienced reputable breeder. Sue me. I feel like sometimes, I have to have an excuse or reason for getting Dizzy from a breeder. Just saying its what I wanted, isn't enough and people think I'm some heartless b$tch for BUYING (by the way another pet peeve of mine is people using the word adopting when they purchase a puppy from a breeder) a puppy rather than going to ACCNY and adopting a pitbull. 90% of the dogs in city shelters are pitbulls, other breeds are scooped up by rescues so fast you can't even get an ap in.

As for the fenced yard comment its totally ignorant. Let me guess, this person is a female in her early 20's? At that age, its really easy to be totally certain in your beliefs, judgemental of others, and think you are on the moral high ground, pretty great to be up there (not saying all 20 year olds are like this, but many that have no life experience are, there are of course exceptions). The world is black and white, and this person hasn't had enough life experience to know that her view from the top is actually from the bottom of a crevasse. I'm pretty sure the amount of huskies that end up unclaimed in shelters from not having a fenced yard is like 3%. Gee, why else could a husky end up in a shelter? Anybody? Sigh.

One more thing to add, it actually scares me a bit to hear the radical AR language creeping into the conversations regular dog owners have with each other. Shows their reach is subtly sinking into the average person's belief's about dog ownership.

Agree with what many posted on here. I wholly support adopting and volunteer at rescues myself, but my fiancee knew from the start that we wanted a Siberian husky puppy from a reputable breeder. We put in the time, did our research and waited for the best time for us to know that we could raise a puppy in the best manner. We live in an apartment (so no fenced in yard), but our apartment complex has a lot of green to walk in, has a lake to walk around and because of that there are a lot of dogs here. The area that we live in also has a plethora of trails for walking/hiking. We've been over to our family and friends' houses who have fenced in yards and it has been nice. But honestly, Kai loves human/other dog interaction, so if we just let her out in the yard by herself, she gets bored and then starts to imagine how she can try to escape. I think it's a ridiculous comment because we give her plenty of exercise in an apartment, she attends daycare and is incredibly happy.

I agree with what you said Jenn. It's almost like if you buy a puppy you need to justify and explain yourself. If it was just me, I would rescue. I have two small kids and let's face it, some rescues/shelters do not give the whole truth in a dogs background to get them adopted. I am not willing to take a chance around my 3 and 6 year old because ultimately the dog will be the one to leave. That's not discounting a puppy will need to be supervised with my kids, but at least I can be confident in training her.

As far as the yard goes, I totally agree. Many who have fenced in yards do not exercise the dog anymore than opening the door, where as someone without has to put effort into it. Also how the hell is my dog going to escape? Jump out my 2nd story window?!! No, the dogs who do escape are usually the ones left in the yard via digging or chewing through their tie out.

That statement is ignorant.

I saw the original post asking how much people pay. There were only 2 comments at the time.

Up to 77 now.

Just as a statement my dogs have all had only positive exposure to children and live with 3 cats. They're all from shelters/dumped whatever.

Like I said- I have nothing against those who choose a truly reputable breeder. But it is not the ONLY option just because there are a few stipulations (kids, cats, apartment, color, age, ect) What bothers me is those who act like those dogs who find themselves in unfortunate situations aren't worth any effort and they would just rather "start from scratch." Not directed at anyone- I can truly appreciate a actually well bred dog and the want to have a healthy puppy from the beginning. But that mentality is what prevents people from considering a rescue Husky and (more times than not) opting to line the pockets of someone who truly is adding to the problem.

I think having a fenced in yard is definitely a plus. Loki looks so happy when he is running around the back yard and my other dogs did particularly when they were younger. It is also easier to just open the door and let him do a few laps outside when he gets the zoomies too. With that said, if you can commit to alternatives and have a good plan, I don't see why it should matter that much. Even with a back yard and fence, I don't think it would go well if we didn't do 1-2 walks a day with him. The walks provide the mental activity like training does that any working breed needs. Personally though after having a fence, I would probably always want a fenced in yard if I have any dog with a reasonable level of energy. It is just so much easier. Kudos to anyone who can do it without a fence.

I also rescued Loki as well as 3 of my other current pets. I have not found a heart dog breed (there is so much good about so many breeds) and I like getting puppies, so shelters/rescues seem to work for us. Though I do have a heart cat breed, so if I get another cat in the future, it may very well be from a breeder particularly if I want a kitten as it would be next to impossible to find bengal kitten in shelters. There are also some breeds of dogs I like that I would never rescue - for example, dogo argentino. Just best to get those breeds from good breeders to know their full history.

Recently I was in a big disagreement with a person about Obama's choice to get a dog from a breeder. I'm a conservative and don't like his policies (just me), same as this person. Yet, that is not a reason to bash the president in my opinion. He has that breed, fell in love, and wanted another one. Just because there are tons of puppies in shelters, doesn't mean he should be forced to adopt those puppies. Most puppies get adopted anyways. It was kind of a loss cause though as she kept saying he is the president and should be a better person. I gave up and just said our opinions on this topic are different. Sometimes it amazes me how much people put their personal opinions on others. And honestly if I got any pet from a breeder, I don't think anyone has reasons to pass judgement on me as a person as I will take care of that pet and give it all the love and resources I can until it dies.

Our backyard is more of a bathroom for Loki then anything. He gets his exercise in walks and runs and wrestling in the living room. A fence is not a must in my eyes.
So I do volunteer work with a rescue and have fostered (and probably will in the future), this is something my mom likes to brag about (she is Korean she has to brag about something). This weekend I saw them for a my dad's B-day and my mom wanted to take her "grand-dog" to see her friend a few houses over because she loves big dogs. After all the fawning was over she starting questioning me about how could I get a dog from a breeder considering how I have fostered and worked with a rescue, why couldn't I get a dog from them, etc etc. I shouldn't have to explain myself to strangers and I only started getting into rescue/fostering after I got Loki but no I'm evil and should have not got in him the first place. To say the least that lady won't ever see my dog again.

The rescue that I foster for does not turn their nose up at people who live in an apartment, as long as they understand that Huskies need plenty of exercise.

The "other person" is only half right. Not all huskies are in shelters for being escape artists. MOST of the huskies are in shelters because owners turn them in! "He sheds too much." "He's too hyper." "She doesn't listen to me." "He digs too much." ALL which could have been prevented had they done their research.

Judging by the other person's behavior, they are just trying to make you feel like crap. Don't give in. I know you're a really responsible person and you spent a lot of time and effort to find a breeder that had good breeding lines. If she really meant the statement, "I don't think good breeders are a bad thing," then she would have never said that to you because Mechta is from good lines.

My opinion: From what I've read you don't need a fence to own a Husky or any other breed of dog, although it is beneficial to have a fence. It sounds a lot like "you shouldn't have a car if you don't have a garage" to me. :I

Jackie, I am so glad you commented. The huskies we see in the shelters here are typically owner surrender! Yes, there are ones that get out of yards (and oh so many of those yards are FENCED), but really just as many are from people who were unaware of what they were getting when they picked out a "cute" husky. The same with Craigslist - so many posts state "not enough time".

Bottom line - a responsible Husky owner will be responsible regardless of where they live and what kind of yard they have or don't have. In MHO anyway!

i can understand why they said it but dont agree with it. I have a yard with no fence but because we are active people, kiba gets tons of opportunities for exercise and we've not had any problems with our fencless backyard. if i let her out and simply expected her to stay in my yard id be an idiot  and shouldnt even own a dog. When she's going out to potty (which is all we use the yard for) she's under my supervision with a leash on.

ive had a lot of people tell me they had a husky but it was too hyper or "wouldnt listen" and thats why they dumped it. lack of research into the breed. Also people have kids and assume you cant have kids and dogs at the same time. another common reason is people move houses/states ect and dont take their pets with them. people dont see them as a lifetime commitment. i dont think escape artist huskies are the #1 reason why huskies end up in shelters.

I had a hard time with shelters looking down at me or just plan old telling me no because I dont have a yard to speak of and we arent allowed fences. What I think turned them off even more was that I didnt live in a house but a mobile home or trailer whatever you want to call it, you could just tell that they didnt even want to talk to me after asking that and my answer. I also ran into the problem of not everyone present in the house being able to visit or wanting to, that there is a rott mix in the house already, we had two cats at the time, and a three year old child over daily. And I wasnt solely looking for a husky at first, it was my preference but I really just wanted a larger sturdier dog because of my nephew, I had looked into shepards, labs, dobes, mixes, thought about danes or mastiffs at one time. Bessides those issues for me much of what I found were pits and pit mixes and one of my family members refused to have that breed or mix there of in the house. But my two seem to do fine with there tie outs they actually do their business and often have to be told to wait and be quiet because they would rather laze around inside then be outside especially in anything over about 75 degrees. When they did visit a fenced in yard they seemed a bit confused and it took them 15 minutes to finally walk around the yard they still didnt run in it. A yard is not needed in my opinion, hell my sister wants to get a house and we are still thinking of doing tie outs with the dogs just so they can be outside more securely alone while we do things in the house or just so they can enjoy the fresh air with us needing to sit with them. And I have found two other huskies in the mobile home park now that dont have yards either. Its a bonus yes but thats about it then again I have kinda lazy dogs sooo....

I currently do not have a fenced in backyard and never had and Kaia is 4 years old. Would I like to have one so I coul just let her out to use the bathroom instead of using a leash...sure I'd love it. But I in no way think that a fenced in yard is a must especially when a lot of huskies will jump or dig their way out, especially if left alone/bored under exercised dogs. As Long as you regularly exercise your dog, husky or other breed they will be better for it. So don't let people get to you, a lot of people har nothing better to do than tick other people off, everyone's entitled to their opinions but there's a nice way to do it!

I think it's a good statement to be honest. I know there are people who live in apartments or unfenced properties with good and happy Huskies. Because they can and are motivated enough to walk ALOT everyday.
But lets be realistic, so many people say 'oh I can do that' but soon enough they burn out then they still have a big energetic dog in a small space. At least with fenced yards even if the owner gets burnt out they still have that bit of space they can use to dig or something. I know a big backyard is no excuse not to walk a Husky or dog in general but In my mind it's;
'what would I prefer in the worst case scenario to be?'
Both cases the dog isn't taken out alot: A Husky in a small apartment (or a house) with carpet and tiles. Or a Husky with an average yard and space' - the shelter people might know you by meeting a couple times and through questions, but they don't know you that well to make that call.
That's just how I see it though and having never worked or visited a shelter I don't know how they judge these things.

I don't see how this could be seen as a good statement.

I live in a one bedroom apartment and I have four dogs in it. So, I am unworthy of any dogs because of my apartment? I'm going to just "stop" walking my dogs one day and dump them all?

People who do that are going to find some dumb ass reason to dump their dog anyway. Living space has nothing to do with it.

I walk my dogs 2-3 times a day, everyday. Only exceptions are when it's raining so hard I can't drag their butts down the road and when it's too hot for them. I've walked with them in a snow storm. I've walked them rain. My drive as a dog owner has nothing to do with whether I have a yard or not. To be honest, I wouldn't change a damn thing about the way I do things even if I did have a yard. It would just be one big bathroom for everyone.

I see plenty of dogs with "fenced in yards". So, by that alone they should be happy, right? Wrong. They live their lives in that fenced in yard. No attention, no exercise, nothing. Fenced in yards are the best things in the world and they don't make a dog owner any better then an apartment dwelling owner.

Sheba&Kennedy wrote:

I don't see how this could be seen as a good statement.

I live in a one bedroom apartment and I have four dogs in it. So, I am unworthy of any dogs because of my apartment? I'm going to just "stop" walking my dogs one day and dump them all?

People who do that are going to find some dumb ass reason to dump their dog anyway. Living space has nothing to do with it.

I walk my dogs 2-3 times a day, everyday. Only exceptions are when it's raining so hard I can't drag their butts down the road and when it's too hot for them. I've walked with them in a snow storm. I've walked them rain. My drive as a dog owner has nothing to do with whether I have a yard or not. To be honest, I wouldn't change a damn thing about the way I do things even if I did have a yard. It would just be one big bathroom for everyone.

I see plenty of dogs with "fenced in yards". So, by that alone they should be happy, right? Wrong. They live their lives in that fenced in yard. No attention, no exercise, nothing. Fenced in yards are the best things in the world and they don't make a dog owner any better then an apartment dwelling owner.

I whole heartedly agree with this, owning three dogs in an apartment and growing up with two dogs that had a fenced in backyard but rarely ever got the opportunity to go out and lived their lives running from one side to the other.

Sometimes I think rescues are too strict. I completely understand why they are strict, and I know some are more strict than others, but at the same time, not everything is black & white. I would never allow a rescue to do a background check or credit check on me, but I've had one ask in the past. I don't even have as much as a traffic ticket, and I have excellent credit, but the idea is just creepy!

wpskier222 wrote:

Sometimes I think rescues are too strict. I completely understand why they are strict, and I know some are more strict than others, but at the same time, not everything is black & white. I would never allow a rescue to do a background check or credit check on me, but I've had one ask in the past. I don't even have as much as a traffic ticket, and I have excellent credit, but the idea is just creepy!

Wow. From a rescue standpoint, credit pulls are definitely not necessary! Background checks seem a little extreme too.

I honestly think vet references would be more important than credit pulls. At least that way they can let them know if the person regularly took care of their pets.

I understand the aspect of it because it shows that you can financially afford an animal, but it seems a little much.