Adopt a shelter animal or buy from a reputable breeder?

Question

I'm not sure I have a real strong opinion either way, but what do you think?? Why do YOU choose to adopt or buy from a breeder? I have both - I have one purebred dog (chihuahua) from a reputable breeder and one shelter dog (lab/shepherd mix).

My friends asked me why I decided to search for a chihuahua breeder instead of going to the humane society again and I had to admit that I wanted to know my dogs lineage/health history. I have no intentions to breed her though, so she will be spayed in a month.

Although I love my shelter dog, she was diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy and will likely need to be medicated the rest of her life (she's almost 2) and continue to have annual blood work done to test her levels. I hardly believe that if I would have gotten her from a reputable breeder (not that they breed mixes, but you know what I'm saying), she would have epilepsy. I know purebred doesn't necessarily guarantee against illness, but you know what they're predisposed to.

Answer 1

I too have done both. I have adopted shelter dogs and purchased dogs from a breeder.

I like golden retrievers - this is my personal preference and I absolutely love the breed. I am willing to adopt a mix, but I am particular about what they are mixed with and I want to be sure the dog will be a good fit with our existing dog (we always have two dogs). Our border collie/golden mix was one awesome dog. I would not hesitate to adopt a shelter dog again if I can find the right one.

The reality though is we live in a small area in Southern California. Goldens rarely show up in the shelters in our area and the southern California golden rescue group will not adopt in our county, saying it is too far away. The next closest rescue is over 7 hours away and rarely has dogs available for adoption. I have searched petfinder many times and rarely found a golden or golden mix that would work for us. It's a popular breed and lucky for them, they usually get adopted fast or placed in rescue quickly when they do make it into a shelter.

So the last two I have purchased from reputable breeders. One was an older puppy that they had held for showing/breeding that didn't pan out but she is a great pet for me and my family. Next time, I'll check shelters and rescues first and if I can't find a dog within a reasonable distance, I'll look for a breeder. And of course, my dogs are always spayed and neutered.

Answer 2

It depends on what you want. Most reputable breeders also do rescue of their breed, so you can actually rescue from a reputable breeder. As for temperament..I have had no problems with my rescue dogs having bad temperaments. What you see is what you get. Don't judge a puppy's temperament on the mother only. The puppy has that whole other side, and the mother has a very long pedigree as well, so the puppy could get a bad temperament from a grandparent, aunt/uncle, great grandparent, etc.Reputable breeders show and title their dogs before breeding, so that should be the first requirement people should have when looking to buy from a breeder. Otherwise you are buying from a BYB, and there's no telling what the temperament of the puppies will be. Not all dogs from rescues came from bad environments. Many times the owners died, got sick, moved to a nursing home, etc and no one can take their animals, so they go to a rescue. When my brother died, his two dogs went to a rescue, because my husband and I lived 1500 miles away at the time and didn't have a proper place to care for the dogs, couldn't take them on the plane with us home, etc. We tried to find people to adopt the dogs, but no one could do it. They were in a rescue the whole time, because the police had sent them to the pound when they went to my brother's house, and in order for my parents to get them out, we'd have had to pay $300 per dog. My husband and I didn't have the money to get them out, either. We just spent hundreds of $$ to get up here. So the dogs spent a few months in a shelter before they got adopted.

Answer 3

I have a dog from a reputable breeder, she was not of show quality at all and very different from her litter mates. I only wanted a pet, not a breeder or a show dog, colouring or size doesn't matter.
My next dog will be a rescue. We were actualy going to get a shelter dog in the first place, but the larger high energy level dogs didn't suit our life style because we live in the city and it's not safe for us to let the dog out alone in the garden. I wanted a samoyed they had as at the time I was very specific about breeds, but we had no work for her to do. There were 2 smaller dogs but they needed to be adopted as a pair. The shelter was over an hour away, and difficult to get to because of my parents' work scheduels.
Also, I wanted either a small japanese or german spitz, those would be hard to find in local rescues.
With my next dog I have atleast some experience and condfidence (I felt insecure with dogs up untill about winter last year), and won't be scared of potential problems that could arise.
You should not feel pressured to get any type of dog because you are scared of what people might think. Ultimately, you are the one who is going to take care of it for 10-15 years, so choose whatever type is going to fit in best - mutt or specific breed.

Answer 4

A purebred with known bloodlines may also become ill. It may be less likely to suffer from a genetic disease, but the risk is not nonexistent. And the risk that they may suffer from other diseases like cancer is not nonexistent either. Some purebreds in rescue may have papers, or you could contact a reputable breeder and ask if they know of any dogs that need rehoming. Or get in touch with a breed specific rescue. I choose to adopt from the shelters because the thought of a dog being put to sleep at a young, healthy age because of the irresponsibility of others. I know I can't save them all, but i can save a few. Some friends of mine bought their purebreds for $1,200 dollars each, because they wanted to pick and choose what traits their dogs have. However, I'm pretty sure, with a little effort on their part, they could have fond that perfect dog in a shelter. they just didn't want to wait until they did.

Answer 5

I prefer to adopt just because I know I will not be showing or breeding so I don't need a purbred or quality dog.

Most reputable breeders already have a list of people who want the puppies so they will all get a home. If not, they will keep them.

Shelter dogs need someone to give them a good home. I'm just the person to do it.

If I wanted a specific breed and could not get one from a shelter (pretty rare that I wouldn't) I may consider getting one from a breeder.

I have a purebred rescue right now (a Bloodhound). We went to the shelter just to see what they had (I was trying to convince my hubby to get a dog) and we saw Gus and took him home that day!

He doesn't have any health problems and he has been a great dog!

Answer 6

Adopting an animal is a wonderful opportunity. Yes, there's a chance that they could be sick, but there's always a chance that they'll be sick if you get them from a breeder, you know with all of the inherited diseases that certain breeds are more prone to. Friends of mine just had to put down a wonderful pure bred Golden, because her hips got so bad she wouldn't get up (a problem painfully frequent among them) and some other problems. Now she was pretty old, 11, but she had had that problem for years. It went from annoying, to a nuisance, to a problem, to her demise....
So I would say go for a dog at the shelter. There are so many wonderful dogs there. There's never guarantee wherever you get your dog that it won't have some hidden problem. Even if you want a purebred, at shelters there are pure breeds too. So you could get any kind of dog you want, from either a breeder or a shelter. But the choice is up to you.

Answer 7

like you said. there's different reasons. you have both so you know that already. adopting a shelter dog is a 'noble' and cheaper option, but maybe you know for sure you want a certain type of dog and you want to be able to prove it; nothing wrong with that. both have benefits and risks. any dog can end up having a behavioral or physical problem, shelter or from a breeder. and it depends how much money you want to spend up front! i have two shelter dogs. i've found that spending the extra money for a purebred isn't worth it for me, that's all. and yeah, it's nice to save a life. where i live the shelter situation is really nasty. in some places it's not as bad.

Answer 8

There is always a risk for health problems. Purebreds b/c of inbreeding are more prone to certain illnesses; you may know what that is but you still have to deal with it. I think the health risk for shelther animals comes more from the shelter itself, than the mix of the animal. If you get the animal young, you can influence the environment to minimize those factors and keep your pet healthy.

As you may be able to tell already, I prefer the shelter. There are so many unwanted animals out there that it just doesn't make sense to me to have someone purposely breed another one for my sake.

All of my cats have either been strays or shelter cats. One is in such good health that the vet is surprised everytime we have his blood work done (he is 15 - the cat not the vet). Another cat does have some chronic problems because she was very malnourished and never nursed before we got her; so far it is nothing too terrible, but she is prone to infections (eye infections mostly). The youngest cat is just fine.

If you choose the shelter, and you want to minimize the health risk, choose a well funded and well known shelter. Do your research. Make sure they disclose information about the animal's health to you before you take it home. There is nothing worse than adopting a pet to find out 2 days later it has cancer (this happened when I was a kid).

Answer 9

I got both of my chihuahuas from breeders and one has already had surgery before she turned 2 for having a lame leg so getting dogs from breeders does not guarantee anything.

I got my second one a couple of months ago and initially wanted to adopt but at the time, the chihuahuas available had restrictions like no other pets or no children. With 4 nephews and nieces, I had to have a dog who could be around children. None of the available chihuahuas fit my lifestyle of kids, a dog and two cats. The chihuahuas available on craigslist were selling more than puppies so I finally gave up on adoption and bought a puppy from a breeder.

Dogs at shelters tend to be older so they have restrictions for being around other pets or children sometimes. If you can find one that fits your lifestyle, then I say you should adopt first. Since I couldn't find one, I got a puppy that I was able to train and get along with my dog, cats and nephews and nieces.

Everyone, please neuter and spay your pets!

Answer 10

The best thing is to adopt because your saving an animal from death or life in a cage. There is always the risk of health issues whether the dog is from the shelter or a breeder. But adopting from the shelter is an incredible way to help an animal.