Quote Originally Posted by Stolly View Post
Longdogs I appreciate that you work in the front line of all this and are also a massive dog lover and very emotionally attached to the plight to dogs in rescue pounds but don't you think that its emotional blackmail to say that anybody who wants a dog must take on a rescued dog rather than buy a puppy of their choice?

I have a client who is a vet by the way who, despite all of the trauma and troubles of the job, seems to get by okay, drawing earnings in excess of £150,000 a year! Not typical I'm sure but, as an owner of two cats and now one dog and various pets before these, many pet owners might also criticise vet fees and, you never know, the cost of vet treatments themselves I'm sure lead some (horrible) pet owners to discard or in your example have put down unwanted pets. I'm not really having a pop at vets here (our local vets are brilliant) but in a round about way what I'm trying to say is that all sorts of things lead to there being too many unwanted cats and dogs in rescue centres and its certainly not all because breeders sell puppies.
It's only blackmail if you can harm someone when they don't do what you want.

Your client has an exceptional salary. Most vets won't earn a quarter of that. I never said the problem was all caused by breeders, that's just how the thread started.

Vets fees- it would be an interesting proposition to present each bill with a copy of the equivalent cost to the NHS for equatable human treatment. When the man comes to service the x-ray machine, it doesn't cost less because its used on animals. Neither do the other overheads, wages, pharmaceuticals etc. Does a surveyor charge less because he likes houses? Or a dentist because she likes teeth? We already earn way less than equivalently qualified professionals. I'm not complaining about that, but vets fees are cheap! A pet is a luxury item, not an essential. There is insurance for those who need it. I'm sure fees contribute to abandoned animals- but should we encourage irresponsible ownership by giving our services for free? In genuine cases we often do.. but on the whole how would it make it better?