By Rox:
This has bothered me for a while so I’m going to vent it out.
I understand different people have different opinions, and that’s ok. What is not okay is when you don’t review the situation from the opposite perspective and you DIS-respectfully disagree.
The topic? Buying a dog from a breeder vs “rescuing” (buying) a shelter dog. I can see both sides, because, as an adult, I have had four rescue dogs and four purebred dogs.
What I don’t like is the way that some rescue groups and shelters (and the Karens of the world) broadly advise the public to NOT buy from breeders, as if it is irresponsible to want a purebred dog rather than just rescuing an abandoned dog.
I also don’t like the broad assumption that all breeders are “puppy mills” or “backyard breeders”. The puppies that I have gotten from breeders have all been well-rounded, healthy, happy puppies that came from nice, clean homes and responsible breeders.
I rescued two adult dogs from families and they were well taken care of. The two that I rescued from shelters came to me malnourished, filthy dirty, scared and not well socialized. They were in cold, wet, filthy cages and smelled as though they had not been bathed since they got there.
There is an argument that it may be MORE responsible to buy a purebred dog. Yep, I said it! There are plenty of people who make the simple decision, “I want a dog”. And then they go out and look at what is available, grab one, take it home, and see what happens. But there should be more to it than that. Having a dog in your life is a very long commitment. Anyone setting out to have a dog should take into consideration the dog’s temperament, projected size and weight, nutritional needs, and common health problems associated with the breed. That’s called being prepared. Not being prepared for these elements is just one reason these dogs end up abandoned to start with.
In choosing a purebred dog, you can have a much better idea of what the future may hold for your decades-long companion. Will you have room in your home, will you be able to afford vet bills if the dog gets sick, will the dog get along with your other pets or your children? Some people like to know the answers to these questions up front. And you can bet they have thought this out very carefully before they go and drop $3-7 thousand dollars on it.
Even with a cross-breed or designer dog, you have more answers to those questions. Most cross-breeds are bred for specific behavioral traits or even to avoid allergens.
The point here is, not all breeders are evil. A good reputable breeder strives to improve and maintain the breed. And, think about this. If there were no breeders and we just let all dogs mix together, what we would have is an entire population of only mixed breeds. The individual breeds would be lost forever.
The point is also to say that it is foolish to reprimand anyone for having a purebred.
The point is NOT to reprimand anyone for having a rescue dog, either. Because that’s fine, too. I loved mine. But to make my point, I will explain how you don’t really know what you’re getting with a shelter dog… My girl, XENA. I was told she was a “lab mix”, about 6 months old, needed to be spayed. Turns out she was more like a year old, more of a blood hound, and was already spayed. Yep! I dropped her off at the vet, came back home and got a call 3 hours later stating they had my dog’s belly open on the operating table for no reason. Not to mention, the blood hound in her made her want to eat cats and other small creatures, so I couldn’t have cats… My boy, XEUS. I was told he was a “lab mix”, about 6-8 months old. He was actually more pit bull and was more like 3 months. He was still teething, still very much of a needy puppy, and the pit bull part is okay (though I would not have intentionally chosen a pit bull – for personal reasons).
I feel much better now that I got all of this out of my system and just want to end by saying, get your dog from wherever you want. Just stop judging purebreds and stop judging all breeders the same. And think about your dog in the long-term sense rather than just how cute they are right now. Because they all change, just like we do.