Why would somebody pay for a dog?

Question

Just a question, purebreds are not any better than mutts, yet people spend hundreds even thousands of dollars on dogs you buy at a pet shop when you can get free puppies from people trying to get rid of puppies all the time, or get one at a pet shelter/ pound. It just seems silly to pay money for an animal that you can get for free. In my experience mutts have less medical problems, and tend to be smarter. What are your thoughts on why people pay for dogs, I honestly can't think of a reason.

First, I am referring mostly to pet stores, but also 'breeders' Also its proven fact that pure breds have more problems than mixed breed dogs (this may be due to poor breeders, that much I do not know) Poodles are especially notorious for poor health issues due to repeated inbreeding. Perhaps some people do buy from good breeders. Also, I support adopting animals, those are usually fee's you pay for shots and health, that is different than going to a pet store and buying a pure bred for $4,000 dollars.

Answer 1

I prefer to have a quality, purebred dog.

When I get a dog, I like to know what I'm getting. I want to know what to expect for the the size, temperament, activity level, potential health issues, etc. This lets me get a dog that fits my lifestyle the best.

Your expenses for the dog don't end when you purchase the animal itself. I personally would rather pay a few more hundred dollars up front to get a dog I know came from parents that had all the proper health and genetic testing done. To me, it's very much worth it to pay the cost up-front instead of having thousands of dollars in vet-bills down the line due to surgeries, etc. that the dog may end up needing due to poor breeding. I do agility so it's important for me to have a sound dog.

The statement that "mutts are healthier" is false. Let's compare:

Dog A:
A purebred from a reputable breeder. Parents have had all their health/genetic testings prior to breeding. Puppy's parents have always had regular vet visits, and the puppies have been checked out multiple times by a vet since they were born. Even though the risk is lowered (since the parents have been tested for such issues), you also know the set of health issues to watch for within the breed.

Dog B:
A mutt. Parents were either 'pets' or it came from a puppymill. No health testings were performed. The puppy's parents and the puppies may or may not have seen a vet [ever]. Instead of having one breed's set of possible genetic health issues, now you have a multitude of possibilities.

Now which is more likely to be healthier? (Here's a hint: The answer is "Dog A".)

I would never buy from a petstore. Not only are the dogs low-quality and poorly bred, but I also refuse to support backyard breeders and puppymills. My higher quality dog (with champion lines, genetically sound parents, and from a reputable breeder) was cheaper at $1000 than many petstores want for their puppymill puppies!

As far as intelligence, my papillon is highly intelligent. In the 3 different training classes we've attended so far, she has been the quickest to catch on to new things. Different breeds have different levels of intelligence and trainability. There's no way that the fact a dog is a "mutt" can suddenly make it superior in intelligence.

And of course, I also appreciate the beauty of a well-bred dog.

Here's a good link about mutts: http://www.learntobreed.com/mutts.html

Disclaimer: I have absolutely nothing against people having mutts as pets. (Although I don't believe they should be purposely bred, nor should sub-par quality purebreds be purposely bred.) I just have my reasons for choosing to get a purebred dog from a reputable breeder.

Answer 2

Ya get what you pay for -- if you get a free car or lawn mower, guess what, that is about what they are worth :)

You have no idea what the issues are with a mutt or even a purebred that has been poorly bred. With a responsible, knowledgeable breeder they do complete health testing for their breed, temperament evaluations and structural evaluations so that if you are wanting say a dog that is the size of a Yorkie, that you don't get one that is a fifty pound Yorkie or that if you want a dog that you don't have to deal with a lot of coat grooming, you don't end up with one with a long coat... or that if you want a dog to run with you, that you don't end up with one that is crippled at six months of age by hip dysplaisa or that drops dead on you at two years of age from a heart attack. Mutts are just as if not more prone to illnesses and temperament issues as poorly bred purebreds and way more so than well bred and evaluated purebreds. You can have that free car that will cost you thousands to keep running marginally or get a good car for a decent price cared for by a knowledgeable, honest person and not spend all your time walking waiting to get the car out of the shop!

Your 'experience' is quite limited since mutts do not have less medical problems nor are they 'smarter' than purebreds. Buying from a pet store is buying from a puppy mill so you obviously have experienced poorly bred milled dogs - one should never support through purchase at a pet store the puppy millers. Some day you will get a dog from a good breeder and the difference is crystal clear...

Answer 3

I adopted the two dogs I have now out of rescue and would not change that for the world! However, I am planning on purchasing a BMD from a breeder this winter. I plan to show this pup in conformation, so that is the reason why I am paying for my next dog.

I too love mutts, they are some of the best dogs. Do I agree that they live longer or are smarter, no. I believe longevity and intelligence has nothing to do with the dog being a mutt.

Answer 4

We bought our two dogs from a breeder. However we did go the shelter to see if there was any dog that we thought would work for us. At this shelter there werent any smaller dogs like we wanted (live in an apartment). So when we decided to just buy the small breed that we wanted (yorkie and a toy poodle) we went to a purebred breeder who guaranteed the dogs. We had them checked out by a vet and they were healthy. My aunt got a dog from the shelter and its a beautiful dog, but its larger than what we wanted. For us, the reason was no small dogs that were still babies.

Answer 5

Well, for starters, people who pay for a dog usually care about dogs. Secondly, I don't buy a dog, I adopt mine! Whether is is from the animal shelter (and those pets cost money to adopt) or from a breeder ( I won't purchase a pet from a pet store unless they use an adoption program from a non profit program that rescues pets), a person who adopts a pet cares about that pet because they took the time and money to make a responsible decision about a pet!

Answer 6

i have 5 purebred dogs....2 boxers...2 mini schnauzers..and getting a show quality great dane (i plan on showing her)....they all come from reputable breeders....yes i paid good money for them...but at least i know where they come from and that they are healthy....i also like mutts...i have a lab mix from the pound and she is a wonderful dog (she was my first big dog).....i like both types but as you can see i prefer purebreds because they represent each individual breed so well

Answer 7

i prefer mutts over purebreds too. but when u typically find people giving puppies away they arent reputable breeders and dont guarantee their health and temperament. if something happens to the dog they dont care. reputable breeders care what happens to the dogs they breed even after the dogs r sold. they go so far as to taking the dog back if the person cant care for it anymore

Answer 8

I like Mixed breed dog better because they are smarter and healthier and I know of a mixed bred dog and she is fun to be around and she is a very happy dog. (she is pound dog).

I would never pay for a Pure Bred dog at all. I have family members that do have Pure Bred dogs of their own and they spent a lot of money for their dogs and they have the papers for them and I would get a shelter dog or a Pound dog and I would give it a lot of love. I would perfer Mixed Bred dogs instead of Pure Bred dogs. Except that I like Afghan Hounds and they are Pure Bred and it is to long of a waiting list to get one and I have tried and I decided not to do that.

Answer 9

I agree with you on every single point except for one thing. Mixed breeds are not less prone to medical problems or are smarter - they can inherit the good and bad things from their parents just like purebreds and their parents aren't usually screened. Good purebred breeders screen for genetic diseases, reducing the potential for problems.

Answer 10

I can't speak for anyone else, but I will tell you why I paid for the dogs I have. Two years ago a good friend of mine rescued two Am-Staffs from a family who were being evicted from their home and had no place for themselves to go, never mind the dogs. The female happened to be pregnant at the time. I paid my friend $200 for one of the puppies A) to help her with the cost of taking care of the two new dogs she aquired, including getting them spayed and neutered and B) to prevent another young kid in my city from obtaining a "Bully" breed dog to protect his drug house or to be used for fighting. My Am-Staff is one of the best dogs I have ever owned and definately worth every penny I have ever spent on him. The other dog I have which I paid for is a beautiful little Pug. A man I worked with would bring her to work every night with him because his wife "couldn't handle it". It was 5 mo. old at this time and had no training what so ever, so it releived itself whenever and wherever it wanted. I was lead to beleive that the wife was abusing it, so I told the man that I would take the dog from him and give it a good loving home. He said the only way that he would let me have it was to give him what he paid for it, so I did. She cost me $475, but I know she has a better life now. I bet my little LuLu thinks she is worth the money I paid for her and so do I.