Snob treatment til.....

[Susan, Zeke. Lily & Jasper]

Lily is attending Advanced Obedience and is in a class of 6. Most of the dogs are older and some are there as a refresher. In our 3rd week of class we started out by discussing any problems we were having and expressing frustrations. One lady pointed out that you must have to spend a lot of money like I must have done to get a dog who learns quickly. Her dog is a darling hound mix who is a rescue ( and doing just as well as Lily ). She was totally caught off guard when I told her that Lily was a rescue also. In fact when we all talked about our dogs we discovered that 5 of the 6 were rescue dog! After this conversation, the snobby attitude toward Lily has vanished.

[sian]

Its funny but when people ask me what kind of dog Dougal is I find I tell them and then quickly add "he is a rescue." Not sure why I do that.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I do it too, and I do know why I do it. But I am in the minority in this regard.

[Moose&Mica]

I do that a lot also. Sometimes I work it into the next sentence. I think I do it for a variety of reasons. Some is because people think everyone spends a ton buying a doodle (nothing wrong with that, it's their choice). Some is because I want folks who are taken with my dogs to know there are rescues available. Last, sometimes I just want folks to know I rescued them. I know, not very altruistic of me. :) Plus, for some reason people who like my dogs seem even more impressed by them when they find out they were rescued. Go figure.

[Chris & Boys]

Too funny Sian, I do the same thing. I'll tell you why I do it ( you know me, I am not shy) - because before I started doing it people used to give me this look like "Oh, it must be rough!" Also, the main reason I went through a rescue to get a dog is because there are so many dogs in need, I just couldn't help but want to give a home to a dog in need.. We watch a lot of animal planet shows and it just breaks my heart to see all these dogs in shelters. And, in this economy I think a lot of people think it seems indulgent to spend $1000+ on a dog and it makes me feel guilty knowing that some people are going through very difficult times. By the Grace of God, I am not one of those people. (knock on wood)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I agree with your reasons, Chris. But I don't think rescues are for everyone. There are usually a lot of issues and a lot of unknowns. My guy would not have worked for a family that didn't have a lot of dog experience, and the ability to pay for his ongoing medical care. I can understand buying a puppy from health-tested parents. (Especially a purebred puppy, because let's face it, with these dogs, nobody really knows what they're getting, breeder or not.) What is particularly upsetting to me is that lately there are a lot of people wanting to adopt simply because they want a doodle, but can't afford to pay the breeder prices. And a lot of people believing the hype and getting doodles for the wrong reasons. I usually tell people that Jack was adopted because I want people to know what happens when unprepared, uninformed people buy puppies based on word-of-mouth without really doing their homework. As I say, I think it's a very complicated issue, and the "doodle" part of the equation makes it more so.

[Chris & Boys]

You are right Karen - that is why I was so surprised that we got Fozzy as quickly as we did. We knew we would find GD's, but finding one that would fit our situationn we figured could take months if not a year. We did have a contingency plan to get one from a friend who will be breeding their GD this coming fall. But as luck would have it, we came across Lauren's brood and found the love our lives! We are VERY lucky.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The thing for me is that I did not set out to get a "doodle" and in fact was one of the people who laughed at the whole idea. I almost didn't go to see Jack when the shelter called about him because he was a doodle. For me, this has nothing to do with "purebred snobbery" at all, nor does it have anything to do with there being something wrong with buying the dog you want from a responsible breeder. There are other, more complicated issues involved, and this is not the appropriate place to discuss them...we have lots of DK members who truly feel that every person in the world should have a doodle, and quite a few whose livelihood would be threatened by any comments about doodles that are not 100% positive. I will say it saddens me that so many of us feel a need to have our choices validated by strangers.

[Susan, Zeke. Lily & Jasper]

My reasons for getting doodles are purely selfish. I don't give a flip what other people think about them or me. What does bother me is their need to express those opinions.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I agree with that! I can't imagine making a negative comment about the breed of someone else's dog. But it did happen to me all the time when I had a purebred poodle. And many doodle owners, even here on DK, make negative comments about purebreds in general & poodles in particular. So it goes both ways, unfortunately.

[Bren & Reagan]

I rescued several dogs over the years as my children were growing up. My 21 year old moved out in May of last year...and being alone I decided to wait awhile before getting a dog. In February I decided I really wanted a dog again. (My daughter had taken the dog we adopted through Katrina with her.) I went to the animal shelter several times and mostly there were pit bulls which was not the type of dog I was personally looking for. One day I decided to do a google search of all the things I was looking for in a dog. Up pops a labradoodle which I was not really familiar with. Over the next few weeks I decided this is the dog for me and first tried several times to rescue one. I have fibromyalgia thought this would be the perfect dog to love and raise. I ended up getting my doodle from a breeder, who (the breeder). I had never worked with a breeder before and he is someone that ended up being a nightmare. Long and just...my Bindi a sweetheart and definately the perfect dog for me, I adore her. The reason for a little insight above is because whenever I bring her somewhere or talk about her 8 times out of 10 someone will say, why would you get a labradoodle, they are a designer dog when you can get from a needy dog from the pound. Or, you do realize she is only mutt... I have never had so many people judge me for not adopting. They know nothing about me and I am bad for not adopting. I picked my dog for my needs. I am 52 with a painful health issue, living alone and decided this was the dog for me. I have been shocked at the reaction I get. The first several times I defended with over the years I always adopted...the reason for getting her and then one day I said...I don't owe anyone a reason, they are rude for approaching me that way. Now I smile and say, yes, I adore her and walk away.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I think your solution to these rude people is the best one. Rude people don't deserve any explanation, regardless of the subject.