BARTONVILLE, TX--(Marketwire - May 28, 2010) - Diane Pomerance knows what people say about adopting pets from animal shelters and rescue organizations.
"They think, 'I don't want to inherit someone else's problem,' or they simply think all the dogs there are abused or hard to train, or that they won't be able to find the breed that they want," said Pomerance, author of seven books about pets, including Our Rescue Dog Family Album (www.animalcompanionsandtheirpeople.com). Her family has saved and adopted more than 40 rescued dogs over the years and currently have 21 in their home. In addition, she has helped place hundreds more with good homes. "All of those notions couldn't be further from the truth."
She wants to dispel erroneous myths about shelter dogs:
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Most shelter dogs are sick or aggressive from abuse -- Rescued dogs receive better care and feeding than pet shop dogs, and they are treated by veterinarians before they are offered for adoption. Also, most shelters don't allow dangerous animals to be adopted.
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Pet Shop dogs are better quality animals -- Pet shops typically get their dogs from puppy mills that breed them in unsanitary and inhumane conditions, which means many new owners bring home pets with illnesses not immediately obvious or disclosed at the time of sale, and they are offered no compensation for it.
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Most of the dogs who are euthanized wouldn't make good pets, anyway -- Rescuing a dog helps deplete the high population of animals in these shelters and reduces the number of good, faithful, loving animals that are euthanized every year.
"Animals are deserving of our respect and appreciation, which is why we should try to be responsive to the crisis facing animal shelters today," Pomerance added. "They perform many important tasks for us -- in the military, as bomb and weapons detectors, as service animals, as healing companions and friends of the lonely and bereaved and even as search and rescue assistants in natural as well as man-made disasters. They heal and even save human lives."
About Diane Pomerance
Diane Pomerance has a Ph.D. in Communications from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and is widely regarded as a pet expert. She has written seven books about animals including the Animal Companions Series and her new book Our Rescue Dog Family Album.
Contact Information:
Rachel Friedman
Rachel@newsandexperts.com