Shame on him.

I did a double take when I first saw them. Two of the world's cutest Yorkishire terriers. Just eight months old. They'd been brought to our shelter by a man who said he'd spent $1,600 purchasing them.


He had them for just a few months. But, he explained, they were just too active. And so he tossed them aside like garbage.



He was outraged when he learned our adoption fee for the boys would be $60 each. Compare that to the $800 each he'd paid. His outrage should have been self-directed.



In the shelter world guys like these yorkies are called "10 minute" dogs. And indeed they were adopted within ten minutes or so. Word travels fast.



They both went to loving homes, adopted by folks who understand that yorkies can indeed be "active." So can Jack Russells. And Basset hounds. And Beagles. And almost any puppy. That's what puppies do.



Makes you wonder why that guy wanted a couple of yorkies in the first place. My guess is "Breed Envy." Or perhaps he wanted a status symbol.

In 2006 yorkies were the second most popular dog registered with the American Kennel Club, an organization that encourages birthing, rather than spaying or neutering dogs. Labradors are number one.



Nartionwide, according to the International Society for Animal Rights, a growing percentage of dogs who end up in animal shelters are purebred. That's true at our shelter too. We regularly see purebreds including collies, yorkies, Beagles, Great Danes, and even Bernise Mountain Dogs.



Many arrive with their owners clutching AKC registration papers, which we toss in the trash, not wanting to encourage "breed envy." They come to us because the owners know we're a no-kill shelter. Somehow that eases their guilt. At least we didn't send them to the city pound, many must be saying to themselves.



But why did they purchase the dog or dogs in the first place? What were they thinking?



Why try to convince folks to keep their dogs. But that rarely works. By the time they arrive at our shelter they have convinced themselves they are doing the right thing.



Well, shame on them. Although the dogs are most likely better off in someone else's home.

(c) Ron Aaron 2008