Would you rather get a pet from a breeder or adopt?

Depends on the situation. I personally have debated the two. When my wife and I get a dog we will go with a breeder. Get more “guarantee’s” with what you are getting into.

I’ve had a rescue dog that must have been so mistreated she never got over it. She was scared of everything in spite of the love we gave her. I’ve also had 2 of the best dogs in the world and some great cats from our rescue shelter. My dil just bought a Havenese puppy from a breeder and he is the best behaved little thing I’ve ever seen.

I’d adopt, every time. We’ve had cats, dogs and hamsters, and we got all of them from shelters. All of them have had long, happy lives and I don’t care about how “pure” their breed is.

Maybe I’m just a cynic, but I feel that breeders are only in it for the money.
Shelters take animals that’ve already been born, and given a shitty hand in life, and try to give them a good opportunity. I see breeders as people who just mate animals just for the sake of making money.
I’m more inclined to believe that with breeders, you’re not always sure what you’re getting into (not with adopting). Shelters pay close attention to their animals, they know every healthy and attitude issue with the pet, and I trust them to tell the potential owners about it. I wouldn’t expect a breeder to share such information.

I would actually rather adopt. Not for ethical reasons, because I do think that buying dogs from breeders can be ethical if done the right way. Owning a young adult dog is just so much easier than raising a puppy.

Puppy: Needs to be let out every few hours; chews up your furniture and personal items; needs hours of supervision; puppy shots are expensive; has to go through obedience classes (either at home or at a training centre; still time-, effort- and money-consuming).

2 year-old shelter dog: Usually already housetrained, often well-behaved (or minor behavioural issues that are easily fixed), only needs to be let out a couple of times a day, adult personality and looks are already obvious. Saving its life is a bonus.

Puppies are really cute, but they’re just so time-consuming. Maybe when I retire and have all the time in the world to devote to a puppy, I’ll get one, but for now, an adult dog just makes the most sense.

Tough call! I have 2 breeds I would really love to have but all my dogs have been rescued dogs. I am hoping I get lucky at the pound this winter when I plan on getting a new pup!

Your question contains the answer. If you have specific needs regarding size, type of coat, temperament, household duties, or have to deal with allergies in your family, then a pure bred dog is definitely the way to go. And there are many pure bred dog rescue groups. So you can do both. Breed rescue clubs will temperament test, health check, desex, etc. before they place a dog. It is a very good thing to do.

If you have no specific needs in your dog, then I it is up to you, my dogs always seem to find me but we did go to a shelter and have our little brown dog pick us out.

@sarcasm – good breeders rarely make a cent, they are usually out of pocket by the time it is all said and done. They are usually show folks who breed for a new show dog for themselves and then sell the remaining pups. If they don’t feel they are show quality pups they are sold with no papers being handed over until proof of desexing is produced. Showing dogs is a fun and challenging pastime enjoyed by millions across the country and world. The ones who do make money are the puppy mills and back yard breeders. Check out the amish puppy mills, appalling but lucrative and these breeders of designer dogs are on a same level in my mind, breeding with no care for health. A good friend of mine is preparing to breed her bitch 2 years from now, she has spent over 2000 dollars so far on pra, ofa, etc. health checks. She is also spending the time researching pedigrees to determine the genetic health of her choice of stud dog. Nope she will be lucky if she breaks even after you calculate the vet checks on the bitch once she is bred.

@rooeytoo has the right of it. I’ve both adopted rescued dogs and gotten from reputable breeders, the operative word being reputable. Whatever floats your boat, as long as you take care to research all aspects before getting your dog. All my cats have been rescues, they just kind of happened to me.

I am for adopting a pet, but my favorite choice is a breeder. adopted animals are unpredictable.

My last puppy Border Collie was bought from a breeder with a great reputation.

No problems. Michael is now 12 years old. my border collie.

The last three dogs I’ve had have been from a breeder—my 2 cats too—
Other pets,I have “rescued” I used to work at a shelter. You can’t save them all :(

Adopt!

GA @rooeytoo
I have adopted my last 3 dogs from a specific breed rescue, but again, you don’t know the temperament of the pet. I had to take one back because he was too much for me to handle and he bit me.

What is that saying? Don’t breed or buy while homeless die. Yeah, I live by that. I adopt. There are plenty of puppies and kittens in the world, I don’t really think it’s the most responsible thing to deliberately breed more just to make a fashion statement. My pets are all adopted, or strays.

I would adopt, for sure. I’ve volunteered in animal shelters and it breaks my heart, all the wonderful, healthy animals that end up being put down because no one wants to take them home. Also, non-pedigree animals tend to be healthier and have better temperaments and intelligence, due to genetic diversity (as opposed to close breeding of similar genetic lines).

Another thing is that if I wanted a specific breed, I would join a rescue mailing list for that breed. I was on a Bengal cat list for a couple of years and there are plenty of normally expensive full-breeds that need homes.

Neither of the two dogs I have now were purchased or adopted from a shelter. They were both dumped in the area by their owners during hunting season. The landowners that found them offered them to me, if I wouldn’t have taken them they likely would have been shot.

My dog is a rescue but she was only 4 months old, so it wasn’t much different from getting a puppy from a breeder, except that I knew that I was helping to give some hope and love to a puupy who had so far had none.

Well, while I don’t have hardly any experience in this, I’d rather go with a trusted breeder. The only thing I’ve ever had to make that choice on is my Rats-and that’s pet store vs breeder. I like breeders, because the rats a bred for adorable traits and health. They make better rats, in my opinion.

Either way, when it comes to dogs and cats, especially dogs, you’re probably saving them. A lot of breeders only breed for money-so the care of the dogs is enough to make them presentable and get them out the door. My uncle recently got a blood hound puppy-and the conditions they were in were terrible!

@SarahSkank : That’s why @rooeytoo and I were talking about reputable breeders, not puppy mills or backyard breeders that sell to pet stores. Most good breeders are in it for the love of the breed, they barely make any money, and most need to have other sources of income to live.

All of my pets have always been adoptees or give aways.

I have had several purebred ( at least in looks ) Siamese and all, except one evil dog, that could not be corrected for his unstable personality issues have worked out well.

I would love a purebred Ragdoll cat but, I am not into keeping cats strictly indoors and, opted to adopt my two new cats from the shelter and good ol’ Craigslist. lol

I had one rescue horse years ago that had been starved and in heavy competition for food and she never outgrew those issues inspite of all she could eat and a stable home.

She was sweet as can be but when it came feeding time she was extremely aggressive and dangerous.

She HAD to be first and on more than one occasion she slammed through the gate into the barn and knocked me silly.

I had to let her in first and use a long whip to guide her into her stall or she would go nuts, bucking, kicking, lashing out with her teeth.

She was not safe and I had no choice but to rehome her to a more tolerant and experienced person.
All in all I am much more an advocate for adopting the already existing animals and keeping over breeding to a minimum.

I’d rather adopt. I feel like animals have a better chance with a breeder than they do in a pound or what not. I’m also not counting puppy mills as breeders. They’re more like the scum of society. Anyway, I feel that adopting an animal from the pound or Humane Society or whatever is much better than getting it from a breeder. I don’t actually like the ideas of breeders just becasue they’re bringing more animals into the world when there are plenty that still need homes.

All of my pets have been from the pound or a neighbor. I’ve never had a breeder pet, and see no reason to get one.

@noelleptc – then ignore the first sentence of my answer, the rest stands as is for your information.

I have been in the dog business for a long time, very little breeding except for the actual delivery of the pups of clients’ bitches but all other aspects of dogs. So I have rescued many but have also had a couple of my own that I purchased or accepted in payment to show. I love showing dogs, it is a great hobby and the dogs lead a life that Paris Hilton would probably envy. So whether you adopt or purchase a pure bred pup is up to you and what you want from your dog.

Folks who think mutts from the pound are automatically more intelligent, healthier etc. have not thought out the entire situation. Often the mutts are the result of 2 pure bred dogs getting together. And if 2 stupid, mentally unstable dogs breed, the pups despite being mutts are going to be similar in traits. Health problems are practically as prevalent. A reputable breeder of pure bred dogs will try to avoid genetic health defects, the backyard breeder with his mutts or pure bred doesn’t really care.

As you say, there is no right or wrong answer. But there are a lot of misconceptions about both pure breds and mutts, so all I suggest is that you do your homework before you decide. And it is always best to base your choice on temperament than looks.

I would rather adopt because there are so many animals without homes which is why a lot of shelters are becoming over crowded. I’m not sure if this is true or not, but I’ve heard that when an animal shelter becomes too over crowded, they start putting the unwanted animals to sleep. =\ That just makes me sad. Why would you pay $500 for a pure bred when you can adopt one for nothing but love?

I completely agree with @rooeytoo, people are very quick to judge those that prefer to get their pets from breeders but, sometimes, it is the best option for that person. For example, my Jack Russell came from a breeder (that I trust) because, at the time I was living with my mum who is frightened of dogs. She wanted to get over this fear and agreed to let me get a dog providing it was a puppy that we had as much background info on as possible. She now loves and trusts my little Bella and is getting over her fear of “strange” dogs.

Now that I live alone I would prefer to rescue and got my Staffy, Zara, from Battersea Dogs Home. I don’t rule out getting a dog from a breeder that I trust in again but in my current situation I dont feel the need to and so, giving a homeless dog a forever home is more rewarding (not to mention, cheaper!).

I bred GSD’s. I wasn’t into it for the $$, trust me….breeding dogs isn’t a big money occupation if you do it correctly. We research breedlines and were very careful in the two litters a year we produced. Our dogs went to Morristown, the military and the Police. There were a few who, after neutering, were sold as pets…....but we in no way contributed to overpopulation.

Other than that (which I got out of like 30 years ago), every dog/cat I have owned has been a rescue. My husband even stole a cat from the local crackhouse. My dog was dragged out from under a Kentucky shed at 8 weeks – he’d never known the touch of a human hand before that. My animals have all known fear and pain from the human hand. All but one got past it…...and the one learned to trust me, but me alone.

Adopting an adult dog can be risky, you don’t know who it is behind those soft brown eyes, and what has happened to them for them to arrive at that shelter. Some dogs never get over losing their person, even cats can and do pine for their first home. My Mom has a cat like that, poor thing. Breeders, REPUTABLE breeders, not backyard breeders (HUGE difference) do the work to try and give the breed stability and to breed the finest examples of the breed and what it is that they were originated to do.