You CAN shop, You don't HAVE to adopt

From the coffee cup of Tarma Shena

This is Pan, if you have been following along you know that she is a Cairn Terrier and will turn one next month. We purchased her from a breeder who also has a farm, (sheep & chickens) because we wanted to ensure her temperament would succeed in our environment.

We specifically purchased her to hunt rodents and waited patiently for the breeder to select one who had the drive to work on our farm. We were on her wait list for eighteen months. Was it hard to wait? Absolutely! I am as susceptible to the need for instant gratification as the next person. But it was also worth it.

In a world of Adopt don't Shop, I tell you it is not only OK, it is sometimes necessary to say no and make a purchase that fits you. The fanatics will assure you that no matter the breed or type of dog you are looking for it can be found in the shelter.

I saw a comment yesterday that said, and I quote " it might take years but..." They are so dedicated to their narrative that they do not even see the absurdity.

They will tell you that Pure Bred dogs wind up in shelters all the time, do not be fooled. There is a difference between Pure Bred and Well Bred.

On the flip side, if you are looking for a companion and feel confident in your ability to adopt and bring a shelter dog into your home, by all means, DO SO! But do not tell me that a shelter is the only place I am allowed to get a dog from.

Do not tell me that I am only allowed a dog of questionable heritage, health, and temperament. I have often wondered why we do not push the "adoption" of anything else as hard as we do dogs. If I purchase a horse, a rabbit, even buy a hamster from the store. NO one is out there screaming I must get it from a rescue, yet all those species have rescues that take in unwanted members.

But in America, if you want to be seen as an upstanding member of society, you must have an adopted dog. Except doodle people, they don't seem to care if you buy one because doodles are just awesome and are not available in shelters. So I was told in a recent comment full of capital letters. That's a whole different type of crazy we won't get into.

I digress.

Pan has turned out to be everything we could have wanted in a ratter for our farm. I include this video for two reasons;

Pan's recall is fantastic and I wanted to include it because I know that "breed expert" lady is just waiting out there to accuse me of brain transplants, drugs, or perhaps alien probing because terriers "DO NOT RECALL" .

But also to point out the environment. If you pay attention to the pictures we share you know that there are hundreds of birds down in the big pasture including babies of all ages, nests we haven't found yet, and several barn cats. All things that could tempt a terrier at such a young age. You'll notice how far I got from her before I noticed she wasn't on my heels and called for her.

When we say our program is a mentality about expectations and communication and how focusing on these things make us better Shepherds and that helps us build healthier relationships.

This isn't just about LGDs or even just about dogs.

We rehab people. 🙂