Why Does Everyone Say Adopt, Don't Buy?

I mean, I TOTALLY understand puppy mills, and agree with not buying from stores ( or the mills directly ), and think adopting is a wonderful idea. However, we currently own 2 dogs. One, ( 10 years old ), was bought ( with a brother ) from someone who bred the pups themselves. I don’t remember EXACTLY if they had the dad ( I think they did ), but they had mom. She had a HUGE kennel, was friendly, clean, and in good health. She and the pups all had names, and were well socialised, and seemed to be in wonderful heath.

My other dog ( 2 years ) was given to us by a friend of my dads. We didn’t see the dad, but the mom lived on a HUGE farm, and was also very healthy, friendly, and happy looking. We actually got to see the pups ( and choose one ) when they were about 2 weeks old, and saw them often from then on until she was old enough to come home. As with Pearl ( 10 ) they were all well cared for.

I don’t understand why something like that is bad. Both were purchased ( and when Pearl had puppies, we sold all but one ), but every time the mom was present, could be interacted with, and you could see her condition and space, as well as that of the puppies.

If you could explain a bit ( being respectful ), I’d love that 🙂 Please excuse any spelling/gramatical errors, as I’m rather tired 😛

PS: If we ever get another dog, chances are it will be adopted. Neither of our dogs is purebred.

Update:

Thanks to everyone being nice 🙂 Neither dog came from a breeder, and I’m not sure about Pearl, but Karma probably would’ve been put in a shelter. The guy wasn’t keeping them. I agree that adopting is good, but there are only like 2 shelters around here, and I saw both. Neither had any dogs I wanted, and only had about 5 dogs each. Like 30 cats though :/

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✅ Answers

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  • there are just so many in shelters that need a home……. it is that easy

  • I get the dog I WANT.

    That’s my story, and I’m sticking with it.

    There is a lot of nonsensical advice being spewed by well meaning do-gooders but the reality is,. we need breeders to breed purebred dogs or we loose the breed. If all breeders stop breeding, we would mongrelize the canine population. Why on earth do we want a world filled with a bunch of half bred , genetically inferior, crap.

    Dog over-population is a human problem because the laws of natural selection have not been put in play. Here in Ontario we have the same problem with Canada Geese because the birds are protected by province. They have over-run golf courses, they shyte everywhere, and parks have become literally poop grounds. The bird has no natural predator so it has multiplied beyond what nature can provide for.

    While we CAN”T kill them – but we did manage to corral them up and ship them to another province where they were shot and eaten.

    The sad reality is dogs have become a political problem. While I endorse shelters and rescues and have owned (adopted!) rescues myself, I don’t feel guilty in the least to buy my pure-bred puppy.

    And to those that believe only no-kill shelters should exist, well you are deluded. They manage the dogs the same way they handled those geese – dogs that are deemed unadoptable for whatever reason are quietly shipped to a kill facility – this keeps the appearance of “no kill” in place to ensure donations continue to come in.

    Third world countries have bigger problems since they cannot even feed most of their human population – let alone worry about the dogs.

    As I age, my requirements for a dog change, and I may very well “adopt” my next dog because I’m not actively training and I can accept a dog with some behaviour faults – but then again, I love my puppies and won’t ever say never.

    Source(s): I’ve never been overly concerned with what everybody says. :-0

  • It’s mainly because the dogs are generally not screened for genetic recessives, or have any screening, and the breeding isn’t done for a reason – ie, it’s not to better the breed, there’s no outstanding trait being bred for.

    (Adding here – this isn’t aimed at reputable breeders – but at people deciding to make a quick buck when their dog comes in heat, or thinking it would be cool with no thought to the consequences.)

    And anyone who bought one of those BYB puppies is a home that a potential puppy sitting in a shelter lost.

    Watch the questions on here for a while as well – the number of people that breed with absolutely zero knowledge, and no veterinary assistance to even check on the pregnancy, stages of labor, or keeping the dog in an appropriate whelping area, is just mind boggling. And they mostly don’t have the financial resources for assistance or vet care, should pitocin or a c-section be needed to save the mother.

    But IMO, it’s mostly that everyone that breeds “just once” or even a few times, it adds up. Then you have the ones on CL that breed multiple types but aren’t big enough to be a ‘mill” – ick. Their lab gets in with another dog, and they make a designer label for the pups, slap a $250 and up price tag on them, and continue.

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    The puppies both take home space from puppies with a very short time to find a home – and also, since there’s no way to tell what the owners might do – statistically, about half will end up in a shelter at some point in their lives. The puppies getting no vet care or experienced breeder care also have a higher chance of health issues, which they can pass to future generations.

    We have more pets than we have people for them – so it’s just sense to avoid breeding except for the ones that are trying to eliminate genetic problems from their breed, or fix in strong and desirable traits.

    @ Nikki – you should’ve tried rescues – most rescues focus on a breed, and have intake crews going around the shelters pulling their breed and mixes, and even outstanding dogs that aren’t their breed, to keep room available for others, and make sure at least some get into a foster situation.

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  • As the answers show, *everybody* doesn’t say adopt don’t buy. We have only adopted, two terrific dogs (a Beagle/Bassett for 13 wonderful years, and a year after he passed we got our current Dogo Argentino/APBT). I wouldn’t feel right causing somebody to create more dogs, just to get ‘exactly the dog I want’ and think of either of those two not having been adopted and dying in the shelter. And once we’d had either of them for just a little while, there was no dog in the world we wanted besides them. And if adopting adds to the owning experience, then it matters to that owner. But if you don’t care and are more focused on ‘exactly the dog I want’, or even using paying “A LOT” as some status symbol as the guy above seems to (I personally would buy a more expensive Porsche than I did rather than a more expensive dog than I did if that was my goal, but whatever): to each his own.

    As current owner of a so called ‘pit bull’ I’m naturally concerned that other people don’t impose their (often ignorant and hysterical) opinions about dogs on me. So likewise I would never dictate to them they have to adopt rather than buy their dog.

    Also I see a certain stratification of the situation as a practical matter of getting a basically good dog. With a high end breeder you’re probably safe on stuff like not getting stuck with a mentally unstable or sick dog. But likewise you’re probably safe in that respect with a good shelter/rescue. Dog providers in between those two ends of the price spectrum are where you’re probably more likely to have that kind of basic problem.

  • Because many people say that breeders in general are contributing the amount of dogs being killed in shelters and believe that buy buying a dog off a breeder your basically, supporting it. – which by the way, unless of course you buy a mutt of a breeder, or a cheap poorly bred purebred, is completely nonsense.

    There is absolutely nothing wrong with buying a dog from a Reputable breeder – people have to understand that adopting simply does not suit everybody. – it’s BYBs, puppy mills, irresponsible dog owners that’s the problem.

    Many people say “Adopt, don’t shop” because they don’t believe in buying animals off breeders when so many are being killed in shelters.

    I’m a breeder of the Newfoundland dog in the Republic of Ireland – I take great care and pride in my dogs. I’m not a BYB, puppy mill, irrespsible dog owner, etc- just a reputable breeders with a love and passion for the breed and years of experience with the Newfoundland dog. I don’t breed my dogs to make “some quick cash” as many people believe – I breed my dogs to better the breed only, nothing more, nothing less.

    My father breeds working border collies – these dogs have a purpose in being bred, their used by farmers who require a dog with excellent herding skills to perform a specific task – a mutt simply wouldn’t fit the bill – a Perfect example of ‘Adopting isn’t for everybody’.

    Purebred dogs often end up in shelters – heck sometimes then even out number the mutts, but, I can assure you, none of my dogs have ever end up in a shelter – if a problem ever arose, Id take the dog back – no questions asked, and so would any reputable breeder.

    PETA is the biggest group of bullsh*tters going – pretty much responsible (along with BYBs/ puppy mills) for the negative view of breeders.

    Anyway, if you want to adopt – adopt, if you want to buy – buy. It’s YOUR decsion and I don’t see why others seem to think they have the right to bullying others into adopting dogs.

    Source(s): Breeder of champion and working Newfoundlands,
    Volunteer at a shelter.

  • It’s because breeders are stingy low live no good people. (Not all, but most) They FORCE dogs to breed (imagine being forced to have sex with someone you don’t like) that’s what it’s like for dogs. Also they make so much money off of it. 10 dollars for a dog is rediculous. I got my dog for 1 and he turned out to be the best dog I ever owned. And there is too many dogs in shelters who need homes no reason to breed more.

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  • The standard argument in favor of “adopting” a dog from a rescue over a breeder is that it takes one out of a kennel and into a permanent home, freeing that space for another dog needing to come into rescue and helps to reduce the demand for dogs produced by “breeders”.

    The flaw in the argument and it is a big one, is that dogs bred by breeders who take a pride in the quality of the dogs they produce, set out to produce dogs that are as sound in mind as they are conformation and health and add something to a breed as a whole do not contribute to the problem of dog abandonment by owners, which end up in rescues.

    Dogs bred to be of a good caliber, are either sold on privately to people who want a well-bred dog or returned to the breeder. It is standard practice for many breeders who stand by the dogs they produce to include a clause in the contract that if an owner’s circumstances change, the dog comes back to them any stage of its life.

    It is the back yard breeders, puppy farms and unplanned home bred pet litters that are readily available any day of the week on demand, sold with few or no questions asked of the prospective owner to determine if they know what they are taking on in the breed or crossbred as the case may be, and have the personality, lifestyle and experience to meet the needs of the dog.

    Dog/owner mismatch because a person should not have owned a dog full dog or purchased the wrong breed or mix, is the primary reason why dogs end up in a merry-go-round of unsuitable homes if sold on privately or in rescue, where there are too many dogs chasing too few homes.

    A breeder is anyone who produces a litter of puppies, the difference is in the quality of dogs they produce and if they are motivate by greed at the expense of the welfare/health/mental stability of the dogs they produce or ignorance if a pet dog owner allows they b*tch to have one litter because she has a nice temperament or used as a secondary source of income.

    Purchasers have the right to choose where they want to get a dog from, breeder or rescue, but if it is a breeder, the type of breeder matters.

  • We say “adopt, don’t buy” because of the 5-7 million animals that are killed in shelters in the USA due to there being too many of them and not enough people who want to adopt them, or not enough of them being claimed by people. That figure doesn’t include the dogs that are/were being killed by local authorities at a rate of one dog per hour here in the UK, or the millions, if not billions, of forlorn strays that are roaming Afghanistan, Nepal, Asia, China, Japan, Mexico or any other country right now.

    I am not trying to make you feel bad for having bought this dog off of breeders. All I am trying to do is persuade you to at least consider adopting a dog from a rescue centre if you ever want another one and, if they have not already had this done, get your dogs spayed and/or neutered.

    Even if you find all of the puppies good homes, by breeding them, or allowing them to breed, you are still contributing to the problem of overpopulation. You may think that allowing them to just have one litter of puppies, or one litter each, won’t do any harm. Think again. If everyone who had one of those puppies all thought the same, and they all did the same, your dog/s could be responsible for the births of at least two hundred puppies in a single year.

    Source(s): ME:)

  • Adoption is wonderful, Just go to a shelter,see all the dogs that need homes, love , and a friend these dogs need our help… Its not a bad thing to get a puppy.. It’s just their are so many dogs out there that need our help, they will be uthanized. I paid 4 a dog once purebread, Got to tell you she was the stupidest dog I’ve ever had, I think It’s over breeding Good Luck!!

    Source(s): me

  • for something so cheap they could be a backyard breeder which could be selling unhealthy or unstable dog’s (it’s just a risk).

    shelters are better they temperament and health check every dog, come spayed and the possiblity of giving the dog a home for under 1$ plus vet costs, food and training in its lifetime (all dogs have this anyway).

  • Because they have all learned the same song and sing it from the same page…just sheep, following each other to slaughter, nary a thought among them.

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    I buy my dog, for A LOT of money. I import them from Europe because I know what I want and I promise you that what I want wont be found in any pound/shelter or whatever the proper term in now days.

    Source(s): Realist

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