Adding a New Dog to Your Family? Will you SHOP or ADOPT?

Getting a new puppy or dog is so exciting!  You are adding a new member to your family, and you want it to be a wonderful experience for everyone involved.    Whether to get a puppy or older dog, what type of dog, how and where to get your new dog are all big decisions.   One of these decisions in particular has sparked a lot of heated discussion.  People often have strong opinions about where you should get your new puppy or dog.  The debate about whether to shop for a dog from a breeder or retail outlet, or adopt a dog from a shelter or rescue rages on.

 

The Adopt advocates stress that adopting a dog saves a life and helps reduce the problem of over-crowded shelters and high euthanasia numbers.   They are also strongly against purchasing a dog from a retail outlet as they feel most of these outlets obtain puppies from “puppy mills”, which are basically puppy factories where dogs and puppies are bred and housed in large numbers and in poor conditions.  They are also against “backyard breeders”, individuals who breed purebred dogs indiscriminately for profit without adherence to health screening or standards, breed standards, or state regulations for breeders. 

 The Shop advocates feel they have the right to select a puppy or dog of their choice from whichever source they choose, whether that be a registered AKC breeder, puppy store at the mall, neighbor, or someone they connect with online or through an ad in the newspaper.   They want to get exactly the dog and breed of their dreams.  They may also want to know the full history of the puppy or dog, and get the documentation that proves the dog’s lineage.   Although they may care about and support shelter pets, they don’t feel it’s the right option for them at the time and don’t feel guilty about not adopting when it comes to finding the exact type of dog they want for their family.

There are also those who will first try to adopt.  They’ll spend time searching for the exact dog they want to adopt at shelters and breed-specific rescue organizations, but if they don’t find what they’re looking for they will opt to shop for the dog of their dreams.  Just last week a couple came into the shelter looking for an English Bulldog.  We almost never get English Bulldogs in our shelter so I suggested checking out English Bulldog rescue organizations.  They had their heart set on a purebred English Bulldog, and indicated that if they didn’t find one soon at a shelter or rescue they would purchase one online.

Rather than voice my own opinion, which I usually do in my posts, I’d like to know what YOU think about the shop vs. adopt debate.  Is it ever OK to Shop for a dog, or do we all have a responsibility to Adopt rather than Shop?   Please voice your opinion by posting a Comment.