Complaint Review: Humane Society Of Southern Arizona ARTA Adopt-a-Bull

I bought a house with a big, fenced yard. I've been wanting a dog sinse my Irish Setter died, almost 20 years ago. I wouldn't get one for several different reasons over the years - everything from living in an apartment to not being home enough.

So I can now be a responsible dog owner - I have a big, fenced yard, I'm gone no more than eight hours a day and, above all, I WANT a dog.

I put some thought into the qualities I wanted in a dog and contacted ARTA, after I found them on the internet. I spoke with the lady there on a few occasions when I called. She seemed reluctant to allow me to adopt the Mastiff I was interested in, but agreed to do a home check, after the holidays. (This took place about a week before Christmas.)

I tried several times to contact ARTA after New Years, with no success and call back.

I then found another shelter called Adopt-a-Bull. They apparantly specialize in "bully breed" dogs. I sent them an email and filled out their application per the instructions on their website - but without the phone numbers and addresses of two friends that they asked for. (It's one thing to put your own info out there, I won't give out someone else's.) No phone number or mailing address to be found. I never received a reply from them either.

I decided to go to the Humane Society of Southern Arizona. I filled out their application and went to go look at and meet a few of the dogs they had there. They had an excuse for not letting me adopt every dog I looked at:

One hadn't been nuetered yet. (Yet the nuetering is included in the adoption fee.) I told them, "So nueter him." I was told, "The dog can't be outside with a fresh incision. Your application says you want to keep him outside when you're not home." I told them, "The dog can stay in til his incision heals - not a big deal." No dice.

Most of the other dogs were strictly inside dogs, according to them. Some were inside dogs because their previous owners had kept them outside all the time. Others were inside dogs because their previous owners had kept them inside all the time. They completely lost me on that one.

I finally got a dog through a friend - no shelter involved. I had him nuetered and took him for a vet check. He stayed inside til his incision healed. He's happy, healthy and stays outside while I'm at work. He has fun chasing rabbits and playing ball with me in the yard. He rides in the truck (up front), goes camping with me and is fantastic on a leash. Why? because I WANT to keep a dog, I know how to train one and I know how to take care of one.

I'm convinced that these animal shelters want to do nothing but whine about animal welfare and accept donations. They restrict everyone except those that want to keep a dog inside all the time and turn him into a house pet, insead of letting the dog have fun and be what he is - a dog.

Warrens
Tucson, Arizona
U.S.A.