Should I adopt a dog or buy one from a breeder?

Question

If you've read my other dog questions, you already know that I'm getting another dog in a couple months. Well my mom would prefer that I get a dog from a shelter, but they have agreed to buy me a puppy from a breeder if I want to. (Don't worry-we will NOT buy from a petshop!) Well I think it would be so kind to adopt, but there are many things that could go wrong. Like:

-what if they say the dog is younger than it is and i turn out with an old dog? (i want a young one)
-what if they say it's a healthy dog and it turns out to be very sick?
-what if i adopt a puppy that they say will be small and it turns out to be big?
-or, what if they say that its good with other dogs but its mean to my other, very sweet dog?

sometimes a breeder seems like the safer option

i dont want an inbred, "backyard" dog, but i'd love to save a life....

Answer 1

I know everyone will say adopt and how you can get good dogs from a shelter and it is true. As for the shelter knowing everything about the dog that is not true. Sometimes they are giving it there best guess as far as what breed/s the dog is. Also they usually go by what the person who surendered the dog told them unless the notice something to the contrary. A person who has to leave thier dog at a shelter knows it has a better chance of being adopted if they say it is younger than it is, and housebroke even if it isn't, not to mention, good with other dogs, good with cats, healthy, ect. A lot of shelters do NOT check thier dogs for heartworms, worms, give shots, or have the animals vet checked. You could end up with an older dog than you were told and an unhealthy one. However; the same thing applies to a lot of breeders. Stay away from big breeders. If they have more than 3 different breeds, or have more than 8-9 dogs they use for breeding they are getting to big. The best type of breeder to buy from is someone who has only 1 or 2 different breeds of dogs and has the dogs inside thier home as part of the family. The puppies will be more socialized than those from a big breeder. You could get a lemon from a breeder too. Decided what kind of dog you want. Decide what age. Some shelters will take your name and number and call you if a dog meeting your discription becomes available. Also check specific breed rescue groups. They will have (whatever breed it is) dogs they rescued from shelters or that people gave them to keep from giving them to a shelter. It is a little harder to find a puppy there but you should be able to find a younger dog. I have found that the rescue groups will tell you everything they can about the dog because they want you to keep the dog not get rid of it later. Sometimes thier paperwork can be a bit annoying but it is because they don't want thier dogs going into bad situations.

Answer 2

Research the adoption center before adopting. A good shelter/humane society will have a vet on staff to look at the dogs before they are adopted out and should know something about the dog. They will also be the ones who screen their possible adopters 1st. A dogs age can be told by their teeth, so if you get a young (puppy) aged dog, it is easier to determine because of the adult teeth it does or doesnt have, so you should be safe getting a puppy in thinking the shelter knew its age. Any dog as a puppy may have an illness that no one can forsee, whether it is from a breeder or a shelter. About the dog becoming bigger than predicted, it is kind of hard to tell but at 6 months you can usually tell how big a dog will get. and puppies almost never have a problem with other dogs so i wouldnt worry about that too much! Also if you DO go with a breeder, make sure you research the breeder first and preferably look one up on akc.org because thats how you get backyard bred dogs, is by people who breed dogs for money, not for the love of the dog. Good luck!

Answer 3

I have experience with all three types of dogs.

A puppy from a breeder, one baby dog that I found on the street nearly starved to death and one lost dog that strolled home with me while I was walking home (around 3 years old) where I was unable to find its owner.

It does not make much difference. All 3 dogs got very attached to me. Surprisingly I have to say I did not expect the lost dog to ever get attached as I was not its original owner and was some years old. One could never guess she did not once belong to me.

I do find however that the "adopted" two dogs are gentler in character that the dog from the breeder and are more protective. That is properly because they were alone once and don´t want to loose something another time.

I have a very good experience with "adopted" dogs and would adopt another dog rather than from a breeder when the time comes for my current dogs.

They seem to appreciate everything and don´t take anything for granted

Answer 4

ok you would be better off getting a dog from the shelter, but if you want to get a dog that you know what the history is then go to a breeder. but there are afew things to know about some breeders. first don't take the first one you see. second ask questions. third ask to know if the parents are on the site. tell the breeder that you want to see the papers for the parents. find out what the breeder does with the pup, like shots, vet check, any potty training and if they need a special food. i know because i breed golden retrievers and i will have a litter in a couple of months. i would like the people that i am selling my pups to, to ask questions and i do encourage them to.
don't get any from people that are selling a bunch of different breeds because that will tell you that they are runing a puppy mill and most of the time the pups are very sick and that is a very expensive vet bill for you to have for a pup that should be healthy. the dog i would recommend is the golden retreiver because they are good family dogs and they are the best when it comes to children and they want to be the best dog for you by making sure that they do every thing right for you. they are easy learners and they don't hold a grudge towards you, they want to please you anyway they can.

good luck in finding the right dog for you and your family.

Answer 5

Why not go to a pound or shelter and talk to them ALL animals are checked by a vet and it is very easy for vets to determine how old a dog is and whether a dog is old or not can be common sense but it is good you want to get a pet from a shelter but generally dogs that come from shelters are pretty cheap and they come with microchip, council reg, desexed and up to date with vaccinations worming and also a vetcheck. Where I am a dog with all that comes to about $150 where if I got my dogs from a breeder it would of cost around $900 to $1500 for my purebred beagle and I would have had to do all those things a pound puppy came with.
I wouldnt worry all those problems come with breeder dogs to and a breeder dogs are sold as puppies so they dont have time to notice where a dog is headed in life.
To be honest you are better getting a pound puppy or dog just talk to the shelter and see what they can do for you.
Feed your dog the recommended amounts of food, walk it daily, join a dog group, school, or club and spend quality time with it and you will have a dog with no problems behaivour or otherwise.

Answer 6

The best dog you could ever get is one from a shelter because they check each dog out to make sure it's a good dog that behaves and is well mannered and just an all around good dog.
You simply tell someone at the shelter what you want for a dog and they will show you several dogs for you to choose from. You would be not only saving a wonderful dog but you will also be getting a sincere from for life too.
You say that you don't want a "backyard" dog, well sweetie they are by far the best you could ever imagine getting as far as getting a dog who will be devoted to you and like I said you will have a sincere friend too.
What more could anyone ever ask for in any dog?
You are a kind person or you wouldn't be here asking your question about a dog so I think your best bet would be to go to a shelter to check out what they have to offer, ok.
Best of luck to you and yours.

Answer 7

Many adoption places give you an option to bring back the dog if it does not work for you. A good one wil also let you play with the dog and interact with it.
They are usually pretty good about the age and I would suggest getting one under one year.They are not always right about the breeds.
I have 2 rescued dogs.
One is way bigger than I thought he would be but is a sweety. They had him mismarked as part pitbull. I knew they wre wrong when I adopted him.I think that is why I was able to get A 2 month old puppy. No one wants pitbulls around here.
The other was a rescue from someone who had A huge litter of mixed dalmation mixed. They were all sick and he couldnt afford to take care of them.He was a surprise, because i didnt want another dog.
I have found that rescued dog scan be wonderful, you do need to try them out though and take someone with you who knows dogs.
If they have big feet on a puppy they will be a big dog.You may have to make several trips to several shelters to find one you like.
Oh and they usually have a vet that you can take it back to if you get it home and it becomes sick. They want you and the dog to be happy so they are willing to help out.

Answer 8

Definitely a pound puppy.

1. They determine the age of the dog by the teeth. I'd doubt they'd sell you a dog they say is 2 and turns out to be 8.
2. Pounds/shelters do vet checks, same could be said of a purebred. In fact, probably more of a chance of a dog with a problem with a purebred than a pound puppy.
3. My mother in law adopted a labradoodle from a breeder. Told her it wouldn't get over 20 lbs. The dog is about a year old, and is almost 60 lbs.
4. Make arrangements to bring your dog with you to the pound/shelter. They should actually encourage you to do so, to avoid having to bring the dog back because it wouldn't get along.

Answer 9

Well first of all I want to thank you for wanting to save a life. That is good. Second its also good that you don't want to buy from a backyard breeder which many many people do and don't realize that the inbreding actually contributes to more genetric health problems. As for the shelter, generally they have a veterinarian(my shelter has one working for them) and most of the time they are correct in what they say....very rarely are they wrong... I myself have done both(bought from a breeder, and from the shelter...) Though I researched my breeder of my choice, talked to her vet and some of her clients, she was not a puppy mill or one of those people with all kinds of dogs just to breed......to make money. She actually cares for her dogs....so if you choose to buy from a breeder, ask around to see if anyone else knows of them and if they have had any complaints with the pups or whatever. If you buy a purebred pup, research that breed to see for the health probleim(i did) a respectable breeder will have thier pups checked out for health problems.....of course there is always the shelter too...i read somewhere taht there is like 1/4 of all shelter dogs in the USA are purebred dogs. I used to volunteer at an animal shelter and when they say taht the dog/cat gets along with other pets they mean it...they make sure before they say anything for sure........I advise you to research breeders in your area

try
www.akc.org
or www. ukcdogs.com

before you make any major decision if you are unsatified with the breeders then I say adopt. Hope i was of some help to you and good luck on choosing!

Answer 10

my preference is I don't care if I get one from a breeder, petshop, shelter. I always use my instinct on which dog I have ever owned. The one I currently own is a purebreed and I was there when she was born and we had an immediate connection, so I bought her. Just look around if you buy from a breeder make sure you do some research on the breeder. But from my experience I go with my instinct and the connection I have with the dog that I just layed my eyes on. good luck and hope you have a good outcome with whichever you may choose.

It don't really matter whichever you may choose you are still saving a life. Even if it comes from a breeder it is a dog that needs a home, but most responsible breeders already have homes for the puppies before they are bred. good luck