article: 21 things to never buy new

[lilyfoot]

Date: 6/30/2010 2:55:05 PM
Author: dragonfly411
I''m trying to grasp why Ikea is so popular if it just falls apart. Can anyone offer some insight?

Honestly, I don''t get it either. I think Ikea is great for accessories (candles, dishes, whatever), but NOT furniture. We do not own, and probably will never own, any Ikea pieces. We buy quality furniture that we plan on having for a long time.

Although, I do see why Ikea furniture would be appealing to college students, etc., because it is cheap!

 

[lucyandroger]

Date: 6/30/2010 3:35:40 PM
Author: lilyfoot

Date: 6/30/2010 2:55:05 PM
Author: dragonfly411
I''m trying to grasp why Ikea is so popular if it just falls apart. Can anyone offer some insight?

Honestly, I don''t get it either. I think Ikea is great for accessories (candles, dishes, whatever), but NOT furniture. We do not own, and probably will never own, any Ikea pieces. We buy quality furniture that we plan on having for a long time.

Although, I do see why Ikea furniture would be appealing to college students, etc., because it is cheap!

Yes, because it''s cheap. Not everyone can afford "quality" furniture or some people are furnishing apartments or dorm rooms etc. that they only intend to live in for a short period of time. Why would you invest in a quality piece for an apartment that you''re leaving in a year and may or may not fit your new home?

Also, some people like to decorate and re-decorate their homes. They don''t need a quality piece that will last many years because they will re-decorate in a few years and buy all new cheap Ikea pieces.

 

[that_someone_special]

After making my first new car purchase last year, I would absolutely do it again. I hope to do it again.

DVD''s, CD''s.. I agree!!

 

[Mara]

as a total bookophile...i love to buy used as it's WAY cheaper and i read quickly, but i do agree it's pretty gross when you are reading away and turn the page and see something questionable. aka a big brownish red spot (IS THAT BLOOD?) or something 'crusted' (food?? from WHERE? the mouth?) onto the page.

and lol steal on the recreational comment. no brainer, right!

and used shoes kind of gross me out. people sweat in there!!

re: ikea furniture, i just got a 100% wood dining table that looks amazing and people think is way more exp and it was only $200. i imagine it will last us years.

 

[waterlilly]

Date: 6/30/2010 1:53:12 PM
Author: girlface
I do not agree with PETS.



While I agree that adopting is a wonderful thing, it is not the best option for everyone. Sometimes I get a little angry with people who just push and push and push the pet adoption issue. I would love to adopt a pet someday and I do believe that these animals really do need and deserve loving homes, but frankly, I LOVE MY NON-ADOPTED, NON-NEUTERED, PURE BREED AMERICAN BULLDOG. That we got from a breeder. YES, A BREEDER!!!!

ETA: I''m not yelling at anyone here, I just think that this is a very sensitive and personal choice, as it is such an important choice. I got a little miffed to see it on this list.


Our pets should not be placed in a category with DVD''s and jewelry. They are far more important.

I work in dog rescue, so I''m biting my tongue while commenting on the ignorance of your post. Any breeder worth their salt will advocate adopting over buying any day. Breeders are not in the "business" of selling dogs, they are in it because of their love of the breed and to produce superior specimens. Do you think only mutts are in shelters? Please, bully breeds are overflowing southern shelters and the one I work with euthanizes TWICE A WEEK.

I''ve fostered plenty of bully breeds, why on earth would you ever want an unaltered male? I can''t wait to get them snipped, they are a major pain in the a** until it happens.

Unless you are showing and titling your dog, no real breeder would EVER allow someone to have an unaltered male from their line.

Pets belong on the list because there is NEVER a reason for anyone to purchase a dog when millions are euthanized yearly. Every age, EVERY breed. Maybe you need to spend some time in a kill shelter and be the one that holds down a few dogs on kill day, you''ll change your mind pretty quickly.

 

[sctsbride09]

Waterlily- while I do agree with you on the adopting pets issue, I dont think its very nice to call someone "ignorant" because they want to buy a dog from a breeder. As long as Girlface is a responsible pet owner, isnt it her right to pick out a dog any way she sees fit?

 

[Laila619]

Girlface, why do you have an unneutered pet? That''s just irresponsible IMO.

 

[Hera]

Date: 6/30/2010 5:08:55 PM
Author: lucyandroger

Date: 6/30/2010 3:35:40 PM

Author: lilyfoot

Date: 6/30/2010 2:55:05 PM

Author: dragonfly411

I''m trying to grasp why Ikea is so popular if it just falls apart. Can anyone offer some insight?

Honestly, I don''t get it either. I think Ikea is great for accessories (candles, dishes, whatever), but NOT furniture. We do not own, and probably will never own, any Ikea pieces. We buy quality furniture that we plan on having for a long time.


Although, I do see why Ikea furniture would be appealing to college students, etc., because it is cheap!

Yes, because it''s cheap. Not everyone can afford ''quality'' furniture or some people are furnishing apartments or dorm rooms etc. that they only intend to live in for a short period of time. Why would you invest in a quality piece for an apartment that you''re leaving in a year and may or may not fit your new home?


Also, some people like to decorate and re-decorate their homes. They don''t need a quality piece that will last many years because they will re-decorate in a few years and buy all new cheap Ikea pieces.

I disagree that you should buy Ikea used. Ikea furniture is a great resource for the reasons listed above, but really, with their quality, I can only see it used once. They don''t make their furniture conducive to being reassembled at a different location. I would much rather go onto Craigslist and buy a more quality piece of furniture for a price very similar to Ikea. That route does require hassle, though, and sometimes I do cave in and go to Ikea.

 

[sctsbride09]

May I ask WHY it is irresponsible to have an unneutered pet if you are a good pet owner and your dog isnt just "hanging out" in the backyard? If your dog is in the house with NO chance of getting out to breed with others? I ask because I happen to have a dog that is unneutered, and I am one of the best pet owners I know.. I know plenty of people however, that fix their dogs, then just toss them outside to be by themselves. Is that better because they fix them?

Apologies for the thread jack, it just pisses me off when people make judgements on others when they dont know the full situation.

 

[waterlilly]

Date: 6/30/2010 7:23:08 PM
Author: sctsbride09
Waterlily- while I do agree with you on the adopting pets issue, I dont think its very nice to call someone ''ignorant'' because they want to buy a dog from a breeder. As long as Girlface is a responsible pet owner, isnt it her right to pick out a dog any way she sees fit?

Yup, anyone can buy anything they want. I didn''t call someone ignorant because they bought a dog from a breeder. I said "the ingnorance of your post". Not "you are ignorant because you bought a dog".

Ignorant = lacking knowledge or comprehension of the thing specified.

She didn''t understand why pets were on the list and went on to plug having a pure breed dog. Pure bred vs. mutts have nothing to do with adopting vs. purchasing pets.

Having an unaltered male if you are not showing and titling is not even remotely being a responsible pet owner.

 

[Laila619]

Date: 6/30/2010 7:49:33 PM
Author: sctsbride09
May I ask WHY it is irresponsible to have an unneutered pet if you are a good pet owner and your dog isnt just 'hanging out' in the backyard? If your dog is in the house with NO chance of getting out to breed with others? I ask because I happen to have a dog that is unneutered, and I am one of the best pet owners I know.. I know plenty of people however, that fix their dogs, then just toss them outside to be by themselves. Is that better because they fix them?

Apologies for the thread jack, it just pisses me off when people make judgements on others when they dont know the full situation.

Because the reality is animals do escape and do get out of the house. There are SO many homeless and suffering animals out there already; we don't need to be breeding more unnecessarily. Not to mention, the pet himself is probably a heck of a lot more comfortable being neutered. /threadjack

 

[sctsbride09]

Waterlily- Thank you SO much for explaining to me what ignorant means.

Laila619- fair enough, you are entitled to your opinion, as am I.

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

Actually, I would buy a number of things on the list used that others might not.
I love antique jewelry and furniture. In fact, other than my mattress, there is not a piece we own that did not belong to someone else. I don''t like Ikea''s style so I wouldn''t buy their stuff anyway.
I would buy a certified pre-owned car since they are substantially cheaper but usually quite close to new.
I would only want a used house as I love old houses. Our current apartment was built in 1980 and it is the newest place we have ever lived in, even my dorms on campus were from turn of the century.
For exercise equipment, it can really depend on what it is. There are few better deals than buying used golf clubs as good ones are so unbelievably expensive and high end bikes get sold at a pittance but are still amazing to use.
I buy used text books, always, but for personal reading I do buy new, but off the bargain bin. If I allowed myself to buy a full price book every time I wanted something to read, I would be very poor and my house would like like it was straight out of hoarders.
As for pets, I will simply say that every pet I have ever lived with was spayed/neutered and only one of the 9 was not a stray or shelter animal, but from a breeder. As someone who regularly worked with cat colonies that had a large number of former pets the owners never got around to getting fixed, I will restrict myself to saying I have very strong feelings on the matter.

 

[Prana]

I clarified in a separate post to Waterlilly so as not to threadjack, but I suppose I will clarify here as well.

We wanted an American Bulldog-not a common breed. A bully breed, yes, but we did not want a pitbull or a staffy, or a boxer, or any other bully/bullyish type of breed.

My dog comes from a long line of highly titled dogs with good health and breeding. We have his family tree from the UKC that came with all of his family information, down to the excellence of the hips that run in his family. We researched this heavily before making our decision.

We wanted an American Bulldog. A bully breed. Bully breeds are some of THE MOST overbred, inbred dogs out there, and because of this, suffer a huge range of psychological and health issues. 99% of shelter bully''s probably fit into this category. We didn''t want to take the chance of having an unstable BULLY-as I''m sure you know, these are the breeds that the new''s loves to report on after they maul children and other animals. Through no direct fault of their own, unfortunately. Not all shelter bully''s will have issues, but it didn''t seem like the best option for us.

Our dog is not neutered because we plan on getting him titled, showing him and possibly studding him out. Yes, we plan to continue the vicious cycle of breeding. If we do not follow through with any of this (he cannot be bred without titles and championships), he will have a vasectomy. We are responsible dog owners, he is never left unattended. We also trained him, so he knows better than to ''break out of the house'' just because there''s a dog in heat down the road. That is the type of behavior evident in overbred dogs with no training.

I personally am not surprised by some of the posters reactions to my choices. We are so bombarded with pet adoption commercials and advertisements being thrown into our faces by the ASPCA and PETA that we are programmed to feel guilty if we own a non-shelter pet. Personally, I never considered NOT adopting my first dog...until we researched what we wanted and found out that adopting what we WANTED was not the best option. Not everyone is going to agree with every choice we make, but whatever.

However, in defense of myself and my husband, we are the most responsible pet owners out there, and probably up there with the pro''s in terms of his training and the lifestyle he lives. He gets the best of everything because he is a life that we are responsible for, and I would feel that way regardless of his breed or where he came from.

And my original post was NOT pro-breeder. It was in defense of a stupid decision to place pets on a list of ''things'' that should be bought used. Owning a pet is not trivial, and I was miffed.

 

[missy]

Sorry for a mini threadjack but I just wanted to add another reason for neutering your animal and that is for health reasons. Unneutered animals have a higher incidence of health problems like certain cancers.

 

[partgypsy]

Hmm. My parents in law have had 2 collies and one standard poodle, but they were all adopted.

The reasons there are high emotions out there, is because, except for the 1% of cases like girlface (who is planning on titling and showing and breeding a pedigreed lineaged dog), is that most dog breeders, are doing it for the money. They are not doing it in the best interests of the animal, the breed, or the species; they are inbreeding, not screening for inherited diseases or behavioral problems, not giving proper preventative care, and not properly screening potential adoptees. Which leads to alot of purebreed animals being overbred, dumped, or showing up at the shelter after problems occur, etc. Although it is painting with a broad brush, many people see it as contributing to the problem (of overpopulation).

Yes, having an animal as a companion is a very important decision. 99% of people who have a pet get one for love and companionship. There is no NEED for a pedigreed breed to make it a good, loving, faithful companion. I am not talking about people who own sheep who need a sheepdog, or hunters who have hunting dogs, etc. Again that is 1% of the population. The vast majority of this is done for vanity, treating animals as an accessory, for bragging rights, or for machismo, etc, which is not necessary and not in the best interest of the animal. Just my opinion.

 

[partgypsy]

This is a strange list. I guess I find the word "never" a little strong
1. DVDs and CDs (sometimes buy new, sometimes used)
2. Books (I love used books but sometimes the book you want isn't available used)
3. Video Games (the very few we get, it is something my husband has researched and wants for a holiday, not going to wait a year for it to be available used (and potentially scratched, messed up)
4. Special Occasion and Holiday Clothing (huh???)
5. Jewelry (yes to used. But both my engagement ring and anniversary ring were custom made because I couldn't find what I was looking for in the stores)
6. Ikea Furniture (The whole point is that it is so cheap you can buy it new!)
7. Games and Toys (depends on what it is)
8. Maternity and Baby Clothes (agree with this along with kids clothes)
9. Musical Instruments (yes)
10. Pets (When is a pet new, and when it is "used?" Can a puppy be considered used?
11. Home Accent I'm not even sure what a home accent is.
12. Craft Supplies. Sure. I'll go on Craig's list and spend half a day looking for a list of very particular things, versus go to Michaels or the sewing shop to buy $5 worth of supplies. If you do want to do something like this (I have a couple friends) they basically have a room devoted to storage of all the various cloth, buttons, objects, etc they have found along the way and may make craft items in the future of.
13. Houses I like old houses, but all houses were new at some point.
14. Office Furniture (see Ikea)
15. Cars (yes in general)
16. Hand Tools (I'd rather buy 1 good new, and keep it for it's lifetime)
17. Sports Equipment (like tennis balls?)
18. Consumer Electronics (when was the last time you saw a used working dvd player?)
19. Gardening Supplies (again, not something I see at the thrift shop)
20. Timeshares (agree)
21. Recreational Items (???) like dildos?

 

[yssie]

Date: 6/30/2010 8:58:40 PM
Author: part gypsy
Hmm. My parents in law have had 2 collies and one standard poodle, but they were all adopted.

The reasons there are high emotions out there, is because, except for the 1% of cases like girlface (who is planning on titling and showing and breeding a pedigreed lineaged dog), is that most dog breeders, are doing it for the money. They are not doing it in the best interests of the animal, the breed, or the species; they are inbreeding, not screening for inherited diseases or behavioral problems, not giving proper preventative care, and not properly screening potential adoptees. Which leads to alot of purebreed animals being overbred, dumped, or showing up at the shelter after problems occur, etc. Although it is painting with a broad brush, many people see it as contributing to the problem (of overpopulation).

Yes, having an animal as a companion is a very important decision. 99% of people who have a pet get one for love and companionship. There is no NEED for a pedigreed breed to make it a good, loving, faithful companion. I am not talking about people who own sheep who need a sheepdog, or hunters who have hunting dogs, etc. Again that is 1% of the population. The vast majority of this is done for vanity, treating animals as an accessory, for bragging rights, or for machismo, etc, which is not necessary and not in the best interest of the animal. Just my opinion.

This.


I volunteer at the local shelter. It's a no-kill shelter, and the paid and unpaid workers lavish attention on the animals. Great, right? Not. There's never enough to go 'round, and while we can give them food, water, clean litter, and places to play, they are surviving, not thriving. Walk into any animal shelter, kill or no-kill, upscale or not, and you will find hundreds of animals waiting, wanting, needing a good home and lots of love and attention.


If all you want in a pet is an animal to love, and to have return that affection, and you don't have allergic constraints, etc. you don't need a certain breed or pedigree, and in these cases supporting the creation of more animals that will compete in an ever-increasing pool for the attention of such a few worthy owners, by comparison, is downright irresponsible.


In my not-so-humble opinion.

 

[missy]

Date: 6/30/2010 9:19:58 PM
Author: yssie

Date: 6/30/2010 8:58:40 PM

Author: part gypsy

Hmm. My parents in law have had 2 collies and one standard poodle, but they were all adopted.


The reasons there are high emotions out there, is because, except for the 1% of cases like girlface (who is planning on titling and showing and breeding a pedigreed lineaged dog), is that most dog breeders, are doing it for the money. They are not doing it in the best interests of the animal, the breed, or the species; they are inbreeding, not screening for inherited diseases or behavioral problems, not giving proper preventative care, and not properly screening potential adoptees. Which leads to alot of purebreed animals being overbred, dumped, or showing up at the shelter after problems occur, etc. Although it is painting with a broad brush, many people see it as contributing to the problem (of overpopulation).


Yes, having an animal as a companion is a very important decision. 99% of people who have a pet get one for love and companionship. There is no NEED for a pedigreed breed to make it a good, loving, faithful companion. I am not talking about people who own sheep who need a sheepdog, or hunters who have hunting dogs, etc. Again that is 1% of the population. The vast majority of this is done for vanity, treating animals as an accessory, for bragging rights, or for machismo, etc, which is not necessary and not in the best interest of the animal. Just my opinion.

This.


I volunteer at the local shelter. It''s a no-kill shelter, and the paid and unpaid workers lavish attention on the animals. Great, right? Not. There''s never enough to go ''round, and while we can give them food, water, clean litter, and places to play, they are surviving, not thriving. Walk into any animal shelter, kill or no-kill, upscale or not, and you will find hundreds of animals waiting, wanting, needing a good home and lots of love and attention.


If all you want in a pet is an animal to love, and to have return that affection, and you don''t have allergic constraints, etc. you don''t need a certain breed or pedigree, and in these cases supporting the creation of more animals that will compete in an ever-increasing pool for the attention of such a few worthy owners, by comparison, is downright irresponsible.

+2
I also volunteer at a no kill shelter and have been working as a volunteer for many different animal groups/shelters for the past 2 decades and have always been an animal lover and advocate for their rights. And I 100% agree with part gypsie and Yssie. There is just never enough for all the animals needing homes. So many wonderful amazing and healthy animals are killed every day- every.single.day. For no reason other than there is just not enough people to adopt them all.

It breaks my heart.

 

[HVVS]

Date: 6/30/2010 7:23:08 PM
Author: sctsbride09
Waterlily- while I do agree with you on the adopting pets issue, I dont think its very nice to call someone ''ignorant'' because they want to buy a dog from a breeder. As long as Girlface is a responsible pet owner, isnt it her right to pick out a dog any way she sees fit?

It''s just an issue that people who have worked in or around animal shelters feel strongly about. There are videos posted online of animals being euth''d at shelters. In the best cases, the animal is held or petted and is treated lovingly and compassionately. In others, it''s appalling: Workers open the cage door, the animal(s) stick their heads out expecting a pat or food or a chance to get out for some exercise. But the shelter worker grabs them by the scruff of the neck, sticks the needle in, then tosses the dying animal back into the cage and grabs the cagemate and repeats the process. It''s sickening how many friendly and adoptable animals might be killed this way, daily. Many mature pets are dropped at the shelters by owners who lost their homes, or when elderly owners die or go to nursing homes, and there are few homes for mature pets. So, I think it makes sense to try to rescue from Death Row first. Breeders have the option of scaling back the production. The shelters are overflowing in many places.

My first cat was second or third hand. I adopted him from neighbors when his owner had to leave for the Air Force. The other three are all from the city animal shelter, and they were 14-19 weeks old when I adopted them. They were all at risk of being euthanized because they were growing out of the kitten stage but hadn''t gotten homes yet. Personally, I''d rather get a more mature cat (or dog). Their appearance is pretty much how it''s going to be (no surprises, and you see what the breed or mix might be), and their personality is rather evident by then, also.

 

[Prana]

I totally agree with part gypsy regarding most breeders doing it for the money. It is sad. Unfortunately, I don''t see the problem of pet overpopulation going away. There''s really no way to make it illegal to breed unfit dogs, and sadly, people in it for the money don''t care about the actual well-being of the animals. The only way to stop overpopulation would be to have tightly controlled breeding regulations, with only responsible breeders allowed to breed and cross breed certain types of dogs. But that is never going to happen. Then, only responsible pet owners would be allowed to own pets. That is also never going to happen. It''s a no win situation no matter how you look at it.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 6/30/2010 9:15:57 PM
Author: part gypsy

18. Consumer Electronics (when was the last time you saw a used working dvd player?)

My husband bought a used DVD player from a pawn shop and paid either $20 or $35 (I forget) and we''ve had it for a few years now. We bought a blue ray in Dec but still have the pawn DVD to use with our second TV.

 

[HVVS]

I am pretty much Secondhand Rose, lol. I prefer prewar houses or apartments. I lived in one 1930s house, a 1920s apartment building, a 1948 house built to prewar standards, and grew up in what is now a 141 year old Victorian. My furniture is a mix of inherited pieces, antiques, tag sale, thrift shop, estate sale, and good solid wood '40s and '50s pieces. I bought my last brand new vehicle in 1992. Some of my diamonds are "used" antique or pawnshop pieces, and my GOG diamond lives in a very nice used mounting purchased on ebay. My favorite sewing machines are a Singer 401 and a Singer 319K, made in the 1950s or so.

Saddles and other horse tack are great items to never buy new. I've bought used bits. I figure a soak in the bucket and two good runs through a very hot temperature dishwasher should remove or disable any microorganisms. The Never-Rust and Star Silver and other real oldies, I soak in vinegar and salt and then scrub with a Brillo pad, then run through the dishwasher, and finally polish with Mother's Mag and Aluminum Polish. Used stirrups with a patina, I polish with a buffer wheel installed on a grinder and metal polish paste in tubes. (I'm out of the horse biz now, but I still like to clean and refurbish tack.)

I know someone who wore a secondhand wedding gown in her wedding. She looked lovely, and you could not tell that gown had been previously worn. (No Trash the Dress back then, lol. People would not DREAM of doing that to a good gown.)

My family is the waste-not-want-not type, I guess. There's no reason to be shabby, but there's no reason to not buy great secondhand "somethings." The way things are trending, the old stuff is better quality than the newer stuff.

 

[partgypsy]

girlface, it''s all about supply and demand. If people are not paying 200+ dollars for dubiously bred "purebred" animals, these people will be put out of business. It is a choice.

 

[House Cat]

Date: 6/30/2010 7:04:46 PM
Author: waterlilly

Date: 6/30/2010 1:53:12 PM
Author: girlface
I do not agree with PETS.



While I agree that adopting is a wonderful thing, it is not the best option for everyone. Sometimes I get a little angry with people who just push and push and push the pet adoption issue. I would love to adopt a pet someday and I do believe that these animals really do need and deserve loving homes, but frankly, I LOVE MY NON-ADOPTED, NON-NEUTERED, PURE BREED AMERICAN BULLDOG. That we got from a breeder. YES, A BREEDER!!!!

ETA: I''m not yelling at anyone here, I just think that this is a very sensitive and personal choice, as it is such an important choice. I got a little miffed to see it on this list.


Our pets should not be placed in a category with DVD''s and jewelry. They are far more important.

I work in dog rescue, so I''m biting my tongue while commenting on the ignorance of your post. Any breeder worth their salt will advocate adopting over buying any day. Breeders are not in the ''business'' of selling dogs, they are in it because of their love of the breed and to produce superior specimens. Do you think only mutts are in shelters? Please, bully breeds are overflowing southern shelters and the one I work with euthanizes TWICE A WEEK.

I''ve fostered plenty of bully breeds, why on earth would you ever want an unaltered male? I can''t wait to get them snipped, they are a major pain in the a** until it happens.

Unless you are showing and titling your dog, no real breeder would EVER allow someone to have an unaltered male from their line.

Pets belong on the list because there is NEVER a reason for anyone to purchase a dog when millions are euthanized yearly. Every age, EVERY breed. Maybe you need to spend some time in a kill shelter and be the one that holds down a few dogs on kill day, you''ll change your mind pretty quickly.

Wow.

And how many purebred cats have we seen on this forum?

In my county over 20,000 cats are put down each year. That''s almost 55 cats per day. Millions of shelter cats are put down each year in this country.

I think this post is biased and uncalled for. If you''re going to call out one person, call out everyone who''s bought a purebred animal.

 

[House Cat]

In the blog world, the ladies LOVE their slipcovered Ikea sofas. The Ektorp line. They love the fact that the covers are machine washable. Some even have white with kids! They just bleach them out.

They say they won''t buy more expensive until their children are older, but the sofas are holding up really, really well.

They''re raving so much, I''m almost ready to buy. I was considering Pottery Barn''s slip covered sofa, but after everything I''ve read about these sofas, I am going to check them out!

 

[Hera]

Date: 6/30/2010 10:26:11 PM
Author: House Cat
In the blog world, the ladies LOVE their slipcovered Ikea sofas. The Ektorp line. They love the fact that the covers are machine washable. Some even have white with kids! They just bleach them out.


They say they won''t buy more expensive until their children are older, but the sofas are holding up really, really well.


They''re raving so much, I''m almost ready to buy. I was considering Pottery Barn''s slip covered sofa, but after everything I''ve read about these sofas, I am going to check them out!

Just take a trip to Ikea to see how these couches are holding up. It''ll immediately change your mind. I would love them if they would just build them better!

 

[risingsun]

Date: 6/30/2010 7:04:46 PM
Author: waterlilly

Date: 6/30/2010 1:53:12 PM
Author: girlface
I do not agree with PETS.



While I agree that adopting is a wonderful thing, it is not the best option for everyone. Sometimes I get a little angry with people who just push and push and push the pet adoption issue. I would love to adopt a pet someday and I do believe that these animals really do need and deserve loving homes, but frankly, I LOVE MY NON-ADOPTED, NON-NEUTERED, PURE BREED AMERICAN BULLDOG. That we got from a breeder. YES, A BREEDER!!!!

ETA: I''m not yelling at anyone here, I just think that this is a very sensitive and personal choice, as it is such an important choice. I got a little miffed to see it on this list.


Our pets should not be placed in a category with DVD''s and jewelry. They are far more important.

I work in dog rescue, so I''m biting my tongue while commenting on the ignorance of your post. Any breeder worth their salt will advocate adopting over buying any day. Breeders are not in the ''business'' of selling dogs, they are in it because of their love of the breed and to produce superior specimens. Do you think only mutts are in shelters? Please, bully breeds are overflowing southern shelters and the one I work with euthanizes TWICE A WEEK.

I''ve fostered plenty of bully breeds, why on earth would you ever want an unaltered male? I can''t wait to get them snipped, they are a major pain in the a** until it happens.

Unless you are showing and titling your dog, no real breeder would EVER allow someone to have an unaltered male from their line.

Pets belong on the list because there is NEVER a reason for anyone to purchase a dog when millions are euthanized yearly. Every age, EVERY breed. Maybe you need to spend some time in a kill shelter and be the one that holds down a few dogs on kill day, you''ll change your mind pretty quickly.

I responded to you in another thread. Having read this post, I am also responding to you here. Ethical breeders are indeed "in it" for the love of the breed and for improving that breed. They don''t make much money because of all of their expenses in doing so. These breeders cannot and do not keep all of the dogs that they breed. The dogs that do not stay with the breeder are sold to carefully screened buyers with whom the breeder has an ongoing relationship. I would not buy a dog from anyone but an ethical breeder. I have a breed that I support and love. It took me a long time to find a breeder who was willing to work with me. Every day is proof that the effort was worth it. He was the right dog for us and we were the right family for him. The breeder chose which puppy she felt was the best match.

Blame the dog owners that buy or adopt breeds that are not a good fit for them: those people who buy a potentially aggressive breed and don''t train them properly or encourage them to be aggressive; those people who don''t spay and neuter; those people who are not committed to dog ownership; those people who keep their dog chained to a tree in their back yard!! I cannot imagine the horror of watching these poor animals die in shelters, but please save your comments for the people responsible for putting them there in the first place. There are many reasons to purchase a dog, especially love of the breed and having a dog that is compatible with your family and lifestyle. You do not have all the answers. You don''t even have all of the questions.

 

[Loves Vintage]

I think the problem with girlface's original post is not that she got her dog with a breeder, but that she communicated her anger with other people promoting pet adoption. She also ranted that out of 21 items, pet adoption should not be on the list, which is the topic of this thread. Should not be on the list because SHE chose to get her dog from a breeder.

She later went on to clarify that she feels "so bombarded with pet adoption commercials and advertisements being thrown into [their] faces by the ASPCA and PETA."

girlface, you seem to have a very self-centered viewpoint on this issue. There are hundreds of thousands of people who donate money to the ASPCA in hopes that the donation will further the cause of pet adoption, yet YOU are somehow offended by this. Ignore the goodwill of hundreds of thousands of people! For sure, their viewpoints do not matter as much as yours. I mean for goodness sakes, you COULD change the channel on your TV to avoid the "bombardment" and "offense" of such commercials, but why should YOU have to?!?!? I mean, it's really ridiculous, isn't it? Don't they know that you bought your dog? How dare they try to prevent a few more pets from suffering the fates articulated by HVVS and Waterlily? That's just wrong, because after all, the world does revolve around you. EXCEPT, it doesn't.

I found your post completely self-centered and perhaps feet-stompingly childish.

And, that, HouseCat, is why no one is calling out cat buyers in this thread. They didn't come to state their claim that adoption should not be encouraged. Plenty of posters here have bought their dogs and cats and post photos when they do. No one tells them they shouldn't have, but I really think that is because they don't gloat about having bought their pet and then rant about adoption advertisements. By the way, the Humane Society of the US estimates that between 3 and 4 million cats and dogs are euthanized by shelters in the US each year. Taking the high estimate, that is 10,959 pets euthanized per day. And girlface is going to suggest that people should not advocate adoption because it somehow inconveniences her!?! That is just selfish. The HSUS also estimates that between 3 and 4 million cats and dogs are adopted each year.

I don't think the issue really is whether people should adopt or buy. People are going to do what they want to do. I've encouraged many people to adopt and will continue to do so. This is obviously a very sensitive issue. After reading HVVS's post, my heart just dropped. It makes me so horribly sad, knowing how some animals are killed on a routine basis due to overpopulation. People have different emotions attached to this issue. Some people are able to ignore the euthanasia issue entirely. It doesn't affect them -- why should they care? Other people are absolutely sick over it.

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

I feel materialistic. I disagree with half that list.

I also have purebred cats. I still support adoption.



::ducks incoming fire::