Are people that caught up in propaganda that they feel shelters are the ONLY option???

Question

Do people NOT see that just because some people choose a specific BREED from a BREEDER that it is not because the want a "status symbol", or an expensive dog to "flaunt". I am sure that is it for some people, but some of us ACTUALLY do the things with our dogs that they were bred to do!!!! Why should getting a puppy from a good and responsible breeder not be a choice????

I do not have any idea what you mean by "shelters doing way more with their puppies than most breeders". If that is true, you had contact with some pretty BAD breeders!!

I do not have any idea what you mean by "shelters doing way more with their puppies than most breeders". If that is true, you had contact with some pretty BAD breeders!!

I provide a good (or better) quality pup, parents health cleared, puppies Puppy Aptitude Tested and places with the right family, vet checked, cardiologist checked, vaccinated, wormed, 2 negative fecals, microchip, $50 rebate upon completeing obedience class, the ability to contact me 24/7 with any questions, 20pound bag of food and coupons, membership to National breed club, it is a GIVEN that the pup will leave here with NO fleas or earmites.
There ARE good breeders out there and if theydo not provide the same things that a shelter provides as far as care...there is SOMETHING wrong!!!!!

Bath and nails done before going is also a given. These kind of things should not be "extras" with a new pup, but a GIVEN!

Answer 1

I personally did look into breeder's for a specific type, and found that shelter's did way more with their pups/dogs than most of the breeder's I looked into for a way cheaper price.
My husband is military, I cant afford what breeder's ask for:(
That's why I chose a shelter, and it made me feel good inside to know I "saved" a pet and gave him/her a forever home that would never abandon him again.

But, that's just why I did. And yes, because I did it, I would recommend it to other's if they asked me.

ie: to the above of not understanding,
1) my male dog will be nuetered at 5 months, no charge.
2) will be UTD with shots, dewormings, even rabies shot is covered in a few weeks.
3) microchip placement, also free of charge
4) 1 bag of dog food came with the pup
5) Lifetime of the pup and future animals in the house have discounted vet care from the shelter's vet hospital that use this money for sheltering their dogs/cats/pups, full bred or not
6) Discount of obedience training/classes with a place of my choice
7) h/w preventative, flea preventative, bath, ears cleaned, toe nails trimmed before pup is released.
8) dog liscense
9) last but not least, all of the above for a small adoption fee.

I would have been lucky to find any breeder (good or bad), to give all of this for the price I paid....

The only thing I can guess, is that breeders must really be having a hard time finding homes for their pups before being bred (because of course that is "responsible breeding"), because there are an awful lot of "breeders" on here getting their panties all twisted up, lol.
So what if I choose to adopt, oh well, and you certainly aren't going to change my mind;)
Once again, this is an opinion board. If someone ever asks me how to find a pup/dog full breed or not, I will always point them to a shelter/rescue first, then let them decide what's best for them....not me(obviously). That is who I am.

Breeder's are fine for some, and shelters/rescues are fine for other's...

Answer 2

Of course getting a dog from a responsible breeder is a choice. So is getting a dog from a backyard breeder, or a commercial breeder, or a puppy mill. And from a shelter.

It depends on the person, I guess. It's just not a choice for some people, that's all. For me, a shelter is no longer a choice. I don't like to repeat bad experiences. For me, a purebred AKC breeder is not a choice. I don't have that kind of money, especially when I probably have no intentions on doing the things that my dog was bred to do.

I've never actively sought a dog before, though; I've gotten all of mine through rather odd circumstances. If I did really want a dog, I'd probably ask around or look in the paper for a puppy that is clearly labeled as a terrier/lhasa mix rather than a cockapoo.

If I ever wanted a particular dog, then my first stop would be the rescue for that breed's parent club, and then a responsible breeder.

Answer 3

Some people want to rescue from a shelter, some want purebred for something specific in mind. I say to each their own. I have seen many breeders on here greatly critisize the shelter/rescue dog and I have seen the shelter people critisize the breeders, because the think the breeders are adding to the problem.

Live and let live. Plenty of shelter dogs make great pets if you know what you are doing when it comes to dogs and are able to handle possible issues that may come up. Reputable breeders are not adding to the problem, as the poster above stated, people are likely confusing byb with the responsible ones. There are WAY MORE byb out there breeding unethically, and these are the ones responsible for purebreds ending up in shelters, NOT the reputable breeders who will take any puppy produced back, at any time, for any reason and SCREEN prospective homes to make sure their breed is a good match for the family interested in taking a puppy home.

Answer 4

I don't think anyone has problems with RESPONSIBLE breeders. But RESPONSIBLE is the key word here. A responsible breeder should be breeding only those dogs who are as near "perfect" as a dog can be. They are AKC registered, they are health certified, they are show quality and they have the bloodlines to prove it.

Unfortunately, 80% of breeders (or more) are NOT responsible breeders. We run into people (like many on this board) who think just because their dog is a papered purebred, they need to breed it. Just because a dog is registered does NOT mean it should be bred! RESPONSIBLE breeders KNOW how old a dog should be to breed, they KNOW how long the pregnancy will last, they usually even know how many pups they will be having because they've had ultrasounds and other prenatal care done at a vets office. They have their pups sold before they're even BORN in most cases and they certainly don't post their ads on supermarket bulletin boards or free websites.

RESPONSIBLE breeders are the only reason we still have show-quality dogs at all. However it is the other 80% of "breeders" that result in overcrowded shelters and a sea of "purebred" dogs that don't meet ANY of the criteria in the breed standard.

Answer 5

Its that definition of what "good and responsible" means that most people are having trouble with. Certainly puppy mills have done tremendous damage to the name "breeder". If someone is truly looking for a dog just to be a pet then the shelters are a great place to look. There are a lot of dogs put to sleep each year that would fill the bill of "good pet". I am a breeder, but I do not discourage people from getting pets from a shelter.

Answer 6

I just wanted to post a response to the person that said animals are dumped at shelters because of behavior issues. This is not true. In fact, this makes up probably the smallest reason for animals at shelters. MUCH more common reasons are as follows:

1. Someone in the home develops allergies
2. Moving and can't take the animal (or don't want to be bothered)
3. Humane Intervention (animals that have been beaten, starved, neglected, and the like)
4. Owners die or become too old or physically unable to care for the animal. Also, owners that come upon hard times (lose a job, illness) and cannot properly care for the animal.
5. Stray animals brought in by Animal Control.
6. Owners deployed in the military (seeing a lot of these nowadays)
7. Animal was gotten as a gift and not wanted by the owner (seeing this a lot now as well as people are returning their Christmas "gifts")
8. Had a baby and don't have the time anymore for the pet.

Very, very few of the animals are actually there for behavioral reasons. And most of these cases are easily worked on in the shelter or in a foster home. The most common behavior reason for animals in shelters is not being housebroken and that is usually the owners fault for not properly training them.

I have nothing against reputable breeders. Now BYBs are a different story, as shelters often get their rejects as well either through a humane investigation or from the breeders themselves. They are known to simply dump their unwanted pets or ones they can't get rid of at a shelter so they don't have to be bothered with the bills anymore. We get at least 10 dumped litters a month.

I just wanted to clarify that not all dogs at shelter have some sort of behavior problem that makes them horrible monsters. Couldn't be FURTHER from the truth...

Answer 7

I often suggest to people to look at animal shelters. But i usually tell this to people who are looking for a 'cheap' pure breed dog, or a 'designer' dog. People can find a lot of pure breed dogs, and mixed breed dogs (the same mix as the designer dog they want) at the animal shelter. For people who are looking for a well bred healthy pure breed puppy because they really like the characteristics of a certain breed, i think breeders are great. BUT only if they go to a good breeder. I have nothing against people who get their dog from a reputable breeder. When people are say they are looking for a pure breed dog, i tell them how to look for a good breeder, rather than just buying a dog from a backyard breeder. Because some people really don't know the difference. But i always suggest to people to just Look at the dogs at the shelter, because there are a lot of GREAT dogs who need homes, they might just find that perfect dog they were looking for.

I want to add that shelter dogs may be someone else's 'rejects' but just because this dog didn't fit well with one family, that doesn't mean it wouldn't be a perfect match for another family. And a lot of the dogs in animal shelters are dogs that were TAKEN from an abusive situation. Or they come from people like my neighbor down the road who keeps buying pure breed puppies from backyard breeder, then once it grows up they send it to the shelter, and go back and buy another puppy from a backyard breeder. Just because they end up in the wrong hands the first time doesn't mean they don't make great pets for someone else.

Answer 8

True fanciers of a breed generally take it upon themselves to uphold the breed's original intent. Although many fanciers don't always "work" their dogs in the traditional way, most fanciers do understand the original purpose of the breed, and they would in no way try to ruin that. Having said this, a real fancier of a dog breed might have a tough time getting a specific dog at a shelter. A better place would be from breed rescue or from a reputable breeder.
I'm a fancier of flat-coated retrievers. They're relatively rare; I'd have a difficult time finding one at a shelter. Many dog fanciers would say the same about the breed they're most interested in.

Answer 9

I can sympathize with your frustration if people have made you feel like "less" of a dog lover just because you bought your dog from a breeder rather than adopt a dog at a shelter. We had the same types of self-righteous attitudes directed at us a few years ago when we got our AKC registered golden retriever from a breeder--people on the street (we lived in NYC at the time) would get sort of a snobbish attitude because we didn't adopt. Fact is, we put many hours of research into locating a reputable breeder, and interviewed several breeders prior to selecting one. I am happy to say that our dog (and his brother, whom we now also have) is extremely healthy and happy and has none of the common health issues reported by many golden retriever owners. He also fulfills the specific purpose we had for selecting that breed--which in our case was to be a therapy dog and great with children.

You know what? The bottom line is that your dog is YOUR DOG. As long as you take good care of him, love him, cherish him, where he came from and what you do with him is your business. People like to be judgemental, but the best defense against that is to just not care :) Enjoy your dog!


ps I think that earlier poster meant that shelters pay for shots and neutering/spaying the pets, but that she couldn't afford to pay for those things (which breeders do not include in their fees). I do hope that she can afford to pay for ongoing shots for the dog though!

Answer 10

Most of my life I have owned mutts. only got two of them from a shelters most were fram dogs. I do not think people who buy dogs from breeders are doing a bad thing. I now have a pure Pit bull and love him, he came from a breeder that knows his blood line back over 20 years. With some breeds that is important. Of you want to get one from a rescue or shelter go head, but stop giving people who wants to get a purebred a hard time it is their right.