Both have their pros and cons.
I have two dogs, a Yorkie and Papillon, that I brought from breeders. In this case I chose from a breeder because pure breed dogs are often more predictable personality, size, and grooming wise.
But I've also adopted from shelters. It is more rewarding and helps a dog, but has its risks of the personality or problems that dog has or will have.
So which do you prefer and why?
I have also had both kinds of dogs. My personal choice is to adopt for a couple of reasons.
First, even though there are a lot of breeders out there, that doesn't guarantee that the dogs will have good temperament or good health. The reality is alot of those breeders are not reputable. You need to look hard and do lots of research to find a really good one. Because of this, alot of purebred dogs end up in shelters anyway. People buy them without doing their homework to see if the dog will fit into their lifestyle. When they don't, they get dumped.
Second, I don't believe that most shelter dogs have "personality" problems at all. And if there are going to be problems in the future, well that is the fault of the owner, not the dog.
Many of the dogs in shelters and rescue today are purebred dogs. They come from all over; pet stores, puppymills, backyard breeders. Lots of them are dying every day, because there are so many of them. I look at it this way: the reputable breeders out there are taking care of their puppies and making sure they have good homes for life. The other ones are the ones who really need my help, so they are the ones I am going to offer my home to. Every time. Without exception.
Of all the shelter dogs I have rescued and fostered over the years, only one gave me any kind of behavior problems, and since she had been beaten, starved, and let loose to die on her own before she was one year old, I didn't think it was fair to judge her for it on her pedigree. She is a purebred Heeler.
She is better now, because I gave her a chance to have a real home and be a dog, like she should have been in her first home.
The lesson here-don't look on shelter dogs with prejudice because they are shelter dogs. We made most of them the way they are with our ignorance and apathy. They deserve our help and a second chance.
get one from a shelter, you know you wanna
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Someone just asked this question a couple of hours ago! Scroll back in general pets and read her answers so we all dont' have to type the answers over again!
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Some people I know do both.
I would say the adoption shelters. Most of the puppies from the breeders get bought out by parents for christmas or birthdays, or by some whim of people who buy the dogs when they feel like getting one is a good idea at the moment.
Lifetime commitment in that buyer demography? Hard to tell.
Most dogs eventually get into the shelters and adoption /rescue for various reasons.
It is not the dogs fault. If you have the heart to give the dog the home it needs, then do so. You will be rewarded by the dog, karma, and just the general great feeling from doing kind acts.
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Shelter, shelter, shelter. Not only are you saving the dog's life, you are spending less money on adopting it that you would buying from a breeder.
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Shelter or rescue. I would never use a breeder..but that is just me. You can often find purebreds in pounds and shelters. I like the idea of saving an animals life rather than buying a dog bred for profit.
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I say shelter or rescue all the way. When you get a dog from any breeder(good or bad) you are perpetuating animal overpopulation. No offense to dogs from breeders. Personally, I have two quality purebred dogs who are breed standard, physically and temperamentally, and they're both from the local shelter. My German Shepherd came from a great breeder and ended up in a bad home. Her owner got frustrated or something and started doing cruel methods with her. She was neglected and abused and taken away. She is so strongly bonded to our family having gone through this and then learning to trust us that I couldn't imagine getting a dog from a breeder and having condemned her to death. You save a life when you adopt from a shelter. That's really the only argument for them that I feel I need.
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Own 2 shelter dogs and volunteer at an animal shelter
I have also had both kinds of dogs. My personal choice is to adopt for a couple of reasons.
First, even though there are a lot of breeders out there, that doesn't guarantee that the dogs will have good temperament or good health. The reality is alot of those breeders are not reputable. You need to look hard and do lots of research to find a really good one. Because of this, alot of purebred dogs end up in shelters anyway. People buy them without doing their homework to see if the dog will fit into their lifestyle. When they don't, they get dumped.
Second, I don't believe that most shelter dogs have "personality" problems at all. And if there are going to be problems in the future, well that is the fault of the owner, not the dog.
Many of the dogs in shelters and rescue today are purebred dogs. They come from all over; pet stores, puppymills, backyard breeders. Lots of them are dying every day, because there are so many of them. I look at it this way: the reputable breeders out there are taking care of their puppies and making sure they have good homes for life. The other ones are the ones who really need my help, so they are the ones I am going to offer my home to. Every time. Without exception.
Of all the shelter dogs I have rescued and fostered over the years, only one gave me any kind of behavior problems, and since she had been beaten, starved, and let loose to die on her own before she was one year old, I didn't think it was fair to judge her for it on her pedigree. She is a purebred Heeler.
She is better now, because I gave her a chance to have a real home and be a dog, like she should have been in her first home.
The lesson here-don't look on shelter dogs with prejudice because they are shelter dogs. We made most of them the way they are with our ignorance and apathy. They deserve our help and a second chance.
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dog rescue volunteer
When adopting from a shelter you get a dog that has a unique personality, if it's mixed. But you also maybe inheriting someone Else's problem. Unfortunately people don't always tell the shelters why they're giving the dog away.
But I have seen more of the dogs adopted from shelters go on to be excellent pets.
Breeders, if they give a dog up for adoption, there's something wrong with it. Breeders aren't in the business of giving their stock away. But by going to a breeder, you have the change of seeing the parents, which is important if you are worried about aggression. Plus you can see the bloodline. You will pay versus getting one pretty much free at a shelter
I hope that helps you alittle
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Retired Police K-9 Instructor and Dog Trainer with 35 years experience
I prefer the breeder.. I like the fact that you know what you are getting, you know how big the dog is going to be, temperament, train-ability, health and everything else. Plus I like the idea that I am getting a dog that someone else didn't screw up already and dump off at the shelter cause they did nothing with him and didn't want to take care of their own responsibility, and fix what they created, deal with the problem they made.. I like to have a dog that no one has screwed up!
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Personally i would prefer getting a dog from a rescue group or a shelter . Breeders are too much money . And they ask for too much money . I would never pay $2000 for a dog that i could probably find on petfinder 10x cheaper . Its just a pure waste of money . Money that could be used for something else or something more important . Like college education or money to put towards a house .
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