Do you think people should rescue a dog or buy from a breeder if they just want a pet?

Question

If we just want a cute little puppy face and happy wagging tail to come home to, shoudn't we rescue or adopt the neglected and unwanted dogs before we go and pay $1000.00 to a breeder for one?

I have bred Boxers and Shar-Peis. I own a pure bred Boxer & until recently a pure Sheltie (which had to be put to sleep due to seizures @ 14yrs.) and I also have a rescued Mini Schnauzer & a recently rescued Rottweiler. I'm not a breeder hater, I used to be one, but I have since seen all the animals, pure bred & mixed, who need loving homes. I just encourage to save lives. Any dog with time can be re-trained to act appropriately in a family. Ask Caesar Milan (The Dog Whisperer).
Lives are not disposable!

Answer 1

Rescue. Without a question. Not only are you saving the life of a dog that already exists (instead of encouraging someone to bring more into the world when millions are already being killed each year), you're saving two lives:

The dog you take home, and the dog that can be pulled from a shelter because the rescue group has room and resources because they adopted one out.


Edited to add: To the folks who are worried about the temperament or behavior problems with rescue dogs - many, many rescue groups foster their dogs in home environments so that they are able to identify and work with any temperament/behavior problems. Some are fostered in homes with kids, with other animals, etc. This helps remove some of the "pig in a poke" worries that people have with getting a dog straight from a kennel-based shelter environment.

Answer 2

I would say if you just want a dog for a pet go and rescue the dog from a pound or the humane society or some sort of rescue foundations for dogs. They too have emotions and needs for effection just like us. I got my dog from a pound they were going to put her to sleep cause she had been there for just too long. She is yellow lab/golden retriever and she is such a sweety too. I do believe it is better to save an animal then anything else. Do you know that most people want puppies when there are so many older dogs without homes and being put down because of getting depressed. I'd rather adopt an older dog and give that dog a better life.

Ok you said you dog had seizures my cat Bon-Bon is epileptic and is on fenabarb one pill a day to keep the seizures at bay. But since her last seizure she has been crying starting at 7pm at night. My vet said it could be caused by pain in her brain due to tissue damage and that upping her from half a pill to one pill a day might help is this true? Is there anything I can give her for pain? She is my baby and is 8 yrs old and I am just not ready to lose her she is still young pls help

Answer 3

If all you want is a pet, one that's loveable and still a good protector, always go with the rescue dog. Get a mutt-one that's a combination of different breeds. However, stay away from breeds that are too protective and aggressive. If you have questions about a dog, and you should, ask the rescue place workers. They should have pretty detailed information about the dog's behavior toward people,in general, and toward different sexes and children. (This may sound weird but I've seen dogs go nuts over certain people and it can be because they are male, female, under the age of 18, etc.) They should also be aware of any quirks the dog may have. Plus! It's always a great idea to save an animal that someone else didn't want. It's the right and humane thing to do.

PS - Always spay and neuter your pets! ^_^

Answer 4

It depends. I've had four rescue dogs and all have been great! My advice is to get one as a young puppy if possible, so you'll have more of a hand in the nature vs nuture issue. And while it's not 100 percent certan you should be able to get some idea of a dog's dominant breed when you see it. This way you might have some idea of what to expect if you had say, a Newfoundland or a Yorkie.
But there are so many dogs in need it's worthwhile to do some looking at your local animal shelters

Answer 5

I have always gotten a dog from a reputable breeder in the past, but we rescued a Pug and an Airedale in the past two years and it has been the best thing we've ever done! They have given us more joy and love than I imagined. I feel really good that we helped these animals out of a bad situation and gave them both a loving home. There are rescue sites for most every breed on-line.

Answer 6

Maybe, maybe not. It's great to save a life if you can, but not everyone has the time and energy to try to fix someone else's neglected problem dog. You might be getting a dog that bites, hates kids or cats, chews furniture or never got housebroken. Shelter dogs are often sick, because the person who allowed the puppies' parents to breed never had them vaccinated. That means the pup has no antibodies from the mother's milk. When they are exposed to other dogs at a shelter - wham! They've got Parvo or distemper. An older dog may have heartworm, because his owner couldn't be bothered to spend $40 a year to keep him on Interceptor. If it costs $800 at the vet to heal a sick puppy, maybe that $1000 pup from the good breeder is looking pretty cheap?

If people get a purebred dog that suits their lifestyle and they keep it all of its life, then they are good pet owners as well. I've had mixed breeds, but I prefer purebreds because I know exactly what I'm getting, in terms of looks, temperament, grooming and energy level.

Answer 7

Both of my dogs are shelter dogs. That said I think it really depends on the situation- if you have very specific requirements for size temperment, excercise then a piure bred might be better. The biggest issue is that you are responsible wiuth the dog once you get it- either spay or neuter the dog or if you must breed it be responsible about it. One shoulfd not add to the problem of overpopulation by randomly breeding unwanted puppies. Myself- I can picture buying a puppy someday if my little terrier passes on and I can not find a replacement. I also can picture owning nothing but shelter dogs fo the rest of my life, or owning on pure bred Cairn and one mutt like my old dog.

Answer 8

My advice to you is to go to your nearest animal shelter and adopt, also sometimes pet stores like Pet-co or Pet Smart have adoptions. You could possibly be saving this animals life, they are only allowed to be at the shelter for 7-14 days and if they are not adopted they are euthanized. If you decide to take the other route be careful. My brother just purchased what was suppose to be a full bred Golden Retriever, he paid $500, had papers for it and everything. They took the dog to the vet and he told them that it wasn't full blooded. My brother had to turn the people in to the AKC, they got their money back, but they wanted a full blooded Golden Retriever. I think you would be perfectly happy with a cute little puppy from an animal shelter. Happy puppy hunting!!!!

Answer 9

Yes, I think you should go to your local animal shelter first. There are so many unwanted dogs there, just waiting for a good home. Most of them have already been spayed/neutered, are housebroken and just waiting for a lovely family to go home with. I had two purebred dogs that I had to give up a few years ago and I took them to a no-kill shelter. I had a call from the shelter the next day telling me that they both had found a good home. What a wonderful feeling to know that.

Answer 10

This is something i leave up to YOU. yes there are LOADS of neglected unwanted pooches out there and adopting one is a great idea. HOWEVER, i'm not a breeder hater, it where i usually get my dogs because i know i want certain things in the way my dog looks and acts. i know the dangers (health wise) and what to expect when i get a specific breed, BUT if you DO go the breeder route you need to do your homework! research the breed you're interested in so you know if it's truly the dog for you and what kind of health problems they are prone to. research many breeders so you know you're getting your new friend from a responsible person who has a deep appreciation for the breed and wants to keep the line as healthy as possible! good luck!