New York magazine says rescue dogs are now luxury goods. Is it so? Plus: Tips on how to get a puppy

New York Magazine reports that the Pandemic Puppy boom has left many New Yorkers in a kind of do-gooder competition to see who can qualify to get one of a seemingly dwindling number of rescue dogs. Annie talks about why it’s so hard and how that this fact is probably a good thing for the dogs involved. She offers some tips on how to acquire a shelter dog and things to avoid doing when you're looking to buy or adopt a dog. She also argues that it can be a good idea to work with a quality breeder, and gives some advice on how to tell the good from the shady. New York Magazine article https://www.thecut.com/2021/07/why-adopting-a-rescue-dog-is-so-hard-right-now.html Orthopedic Foundations For Animals and the CHIC Program https://www.ofa.org/about/chic-program The Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson https://www.amazon.com/dp/1617811122?tag=thedogs00-20 Pets In America by Katherine C. Grier https://www.amazon.com/dp/0807829900?tag=thedogs00-20 The Dog Merchants by Kim Kavin https://www.amazon.com/dp/1681771403?tag=thedogs00-20 Predisposed: Liberals, Conservatives and the Biology of Political Differences by Kevin Smith, John Hibbing and John Alford https://www.amazon.com/dp/0415535875?tag=thedogs00-20 Episode with Cherie Mahon of River Valley Doodles https://www.schoolforthedogs.com/podcasts/lets-talk-about-dog-breeding-with-cherrie-mahon-of-river-valley-doodles/ --- Partial Transcript: Annie: So last week I talked about two articles in the New Yorker that related to — well, one really related to behavior, and the other related to dogs. This week, I want to talk about an article in another local, big deal magazine, which is New York Magazine just came out with a cover story called “No, you beg: how adopting a dog in the city became more competitive than getting into college” by Allie Conti. And the article does a good job at talking about how hard it has been to get a rescue dog since the onset of the pandemic, as so many more people decided to or had to work from home, or lost jobs, giving them more free time. Having a dog, in so many cases, became possible for individuals and for families for the first time ever in a lot of cases. I got my first dog when I went freelance after having office jobs for years when I was in my early twenties. I should mention that I am holding my infant daughter again this week. So you might hear some cooing and pacifier sucking noises. Anyway, yeah, interesting article. Makes some good points about the history of adoption and how it kind of started with a rebranding of dogs as bad stray mutts that need to be chased by the dog catcher, to kind of sad-eyed, wannabe man’s best friends eroding away in shelters. Full Transcript at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe