>

I contacted a rescue and told them what I wanted.  I have kids so I wanted a younger dog, about a year, small to medium size.  
They told me they found a match, got my family and kids all excited, we started the adoption process, even named her.
Then I got a call from the rescue.  They told me that after the "puppy's" checkup they determined she's actally 9-10 years old.
I was pissed off.   I'm not getting my young kids a dog that has 2 years to live.
Rescues are not professionally managed.   Its all crazy dog people who care only about adopting the dogs and will lie and mislead you.
Rescues and shelters are different, shelters are usually subjected to keeping up with laws and inspections, some "rescues" are just businesses started by ordinary people. I would trust shelters over rescues. 
Sad part is that "ethical breeders" are few and far between. Most don't even get licensed and go under the radar. It is very, very difficult to find a good breeder. I'm a vet tech and I've seen even AKC registered breeders continue to inbreed and sell puppies that need to be euthanized before 1 year old due to congenital problems. >

Ya and even if you find that magical ethical breeder that health tests, dna testing, spay and neuter contract, pedigree papers, vaccines and only breeds a litter or 2 a year. They're also likely to not just sell any pup to you because you got money they'll likely not let you have a puppy unless they know you've done your research on the breed and everything. They also would charge a hell of a lot more then the $600 Op is whining about. >

1300 cad for my shetland..totally worth it btw >

1600 USD for my English lab >

I don’t know about better, but some rescues are so overzealous with their requirements it’s ridiculous. We rescued one of our dogs and the rescue threw a fit that they couldn’t get a vet reference from my husband’s previous vet for a dog he had years ago because the vet had passed away. We already had one dog at the time and they could contact our current vet, but that wasn’t good enough. We ended up getting approved in the end, but they treated us like we’re were criminals and everything we said was met with suspicion. >

When I've looked to adopt dogs in the past, it was really challenging. A lot had really stringent requirements about backyards, work hours, etc. I saw plenty that essentially wouldn't adopt out if someone wasn't at home all day with the dog. Plenty more that won't adopt out if you don't have a backyard. Having a backyard doesn't guarantee a quality of life for the dog... >

Exactly. They got on us about not having a fenced yard too. We lived in a little townhome complex with a fenced area, but it wasn’t around our backyard specifically. It’s like they forget people can walk dogs on a leash. >

How much are rescues going for these days? >

I was talking about this with a friend and apperently near us almost 600$ and they require 2 home visits. >

What area are you in if you don’t mind me asking? >

Southern Texas is as comfortable as I feel sharing. >

Everything I’m seeing in your area averages around $100 for shelter dog adoptions and usually includes first shots, a vet visit, and a spay and neuter or certificate towards spay and neuter if the dog is too young to have it done prior to adoption. These shelters are filled with dogs from backyard breeders as well as professional breeders, who are often no better than backyard breeders. It seems your opinion is missing this inclusion of a lot of valid information. >

I’ve noticed shelter adoptions are a lot cheaper and affordable than adoptions from independent rescues. I’m in California and there are some rescues that absolutely gouge prices for their rescue pets. >

Independent rescues usually have foster homes which make their cost higher. Shelter dogs don’t always have that option besides the cage in shelters. 
A good rescue don’t let their dogs leave the foster homes until they are sure the dogs are ready. They also have a lot more requirements because the foster families want to see the dog goes to a good family plus they aren’t pressed by limited space. 
The problem with shelters is the dogs are in cages all day long until volunteers bring them out or play with them. So their temperament is kind of up in the air. A good foster family can say a lot more about a dog. >

Ya we got all of our dogs from rescues knowing temperament was important to my mom and step dad as me and my brother were kids. Some dogs are flagged not good with kids but a rescue will often try to match you with the right dog even if it's not the "cutest" dog to you. >

As a dog trainer who helps folks with rescues all the time it all comes down to one thing imo; what purpose do you want your dog to have in your lifestyle. 
If you need a dog for a certain task whatever it may be (working, guarding, dog shows etc)a reputable breeder is likely the way to go
If you just want a family pet with no particular job in mind a rescue will probably be suitable for you and your wallet. 
It really just boils down to- what will your dogs purpose be (even if it’s just companionship), can you afford them as well as vet care, food, grooming etc, and will the dog match your lifestyle (are you a couch potato and want a lazy dog or are you super fit and want a dog to join on the 5k), and how much time are you willing/able to spend with the dog on training 
Ask yourself those 4 things and from there you can determine if a breeder or a rescue suits you the best. >

I completely agree. I always had a similar opinion that specific dog breeds are for a specific job or simply working dogs. So it really pisses me off when people buy high energy working dogs from breeders just because they look nicer than muts in the shelters. I've seen people keeping shepherd breeds or huskies in one room flats and like what's the point of that? When I'm gonna have a huge farm with livestock I will buy a dog from a good breeder. Until then, shelter muts are just as smart, sweet and loving as any other breed. 
But I really think your comment is on point! >

Oh absolutely agree with that sentiment. My favorite is always “I got a Belgian Malinois  because I thought it’d be like my old German Shepherd”
No sir you adopted a furry crack head >

I think it depends on what you want. If your going for a specific breed you should probably go to a breeder, if you don’t really care what the breed is a mix from a shelter is probably better. >

Breed specific rescues also exist! :) >

I’m referring to specialty breeds or rare breeds.  Like my dream dog you would never find in a shelter. You would have to get from a breeder. >

Friends dog escaped his yard... finally find him at a shelter. They say "it's been past ten days (or 7 or whatever the cut off is, but it was two days off that cut off), he's our property now but you can apply to adopt him"
Cops say they're within their rights. So he applies to adopt his dog back - that was SO EXCITED to see him again cuz the poor dude had been lost - they deny his application because he was a mostly outdoor dog. Friend didn't know to lie and say he'd always be indoors. 
So they stole his fucking dog. Fuck them and fuck the endless amount of people involved in these kind of stories that aren't uncommon. >

I mean, to be fair, they didn't exactly steal the dog.  He let the dog get loose and he lost his dog.  For over a week.  That doesn't set a real strong case for getting the dog back.  I'm sure you see things differently because he's your friend and you're around him a lot, but from a non-biased outside viewpoint looking in, he kind of doesn't need to be owning an animal... >

Well they got him the night he went missing - some tiny little shelter no one knew existed... so he wasn't running around town for a week lol I imagine had he been left to his own devices he'd have wandered home by end of day as most dogs that get loose seem to do. 
If I found a dog and brought him home and decided to keep him but the owner shows up later after finding out I have the dog I am not denying the owner their dog or the dog their owner because they slipped a fence once and couldn't find me right away 🤷🏻‍♀️
ETA - not shaming the person who did take him to the shelter, just an observation on escapees. >

I don't know about your friend, but if my animal went missing I would be calling every rescue, pound, and shelter in my area (big or small) and then surrounding counties. The next question would be why wasn't the dog microchipped? Seems like they failed as an owner and that's technically, all bias set aside, his fault for not doing his part as a pet owner. >

Well, if you don't know they exist.. it's not as if they just saw them on the list and said "well I'm going everyone but them !" 
I don't know why he wasn't microchipped. >

meh, kind of bias as I've only ever had one dog and she's been pretty great and the report on her was pretty accurate. got her at 1.5 years from a shelter for 300$ which included vaccines, spay and chipped. 
i didn't want a puppy as i didn't have time to potty train and all the destruction ect. 
overall their guess was wrong she apparently was a golden x husky which makes sense she looks like a golden with blue eyes.
i did get her dna tested, turns out shes; Labrador, German Shepard, and boarder colie.
i see shelters as necessary as the alternative is people just killing or abandoning their dog.
there was another dog i liked there, Doberman mix but much less training and had been transferred from another shelter in hopes of finding a home, just they didn't recommend him as a first dog because of the behavior issues. so i took my nala home instead who has been a great dog. >

Does she stomp though? >

Damm I don’t know where you’re at but I got my rescue pitbull from the shelter spayed and all for around $30 and she has been the most protective dog I’ve had even before taking her to a school to be trained I don’t know where people are paying so much the most I’ve seen is like $250 >

Op was talking about likely purebred/fancy rescue for $600. Well duh it's a purebred/fancy rescue also a well bred purebred dog from an ethical breeder would be double. Every dog I adopted was around $250 but that's fair vet work isn't cheap hell it'd be far more spendy for me to pay for it myself. >

I agree it would be even double for a pure breed but I also don’t think OP knows that not all shelters are bad and not all “Ethical breeders” are good puppy mills aren’t considered shelter and are considered breeders but more often than not it’s just a facility where hundreds of dogs are kept in confinement until adopted or sold to pet stores not free range on a couple of acres. I think OP is feels that dogs are better when they come from breeders over shelter but I’m on my 13th dog in my lifetime and I found out it doesn’t matter where you get them from or how much they cost, it depends on the owner and how much time they want to invest on training their dog. So I’ll stick with my $250 and under dogs and train them >

They need money for the dogs there that aren’t adopted. Of course they charge money. The fee is also so evil people don’t get dogs to mistreat or resell. 
Maybe some of your shelters where you live are trash. There definitely are shady ones. 
We got our dog for about 250€ which was basically to cover her medical bills she amassed before. >

People get mad about having to pay for a shelter dog, but don't realize that they are going to have to pay to care for that animal for the rest of it's life. Food, vet bills, etc. all adds up. The cost of a visit for all vaccines, bloodwork, and a spay/neuter would be way more than what most adoption fees are. 
Yeah, some adoption fees are pretty expensive, but owning a pet is expensive. >

Exactly. I think people need to stop seeing pets as toys or accessories and the rest would fix itself >

Just like breeders there ethical and non-ethical shelters. When it comes to dogs there are both good and bad actors, no need to sh*t on shelters when many of them are trying to provide care, treatment and shelter to animals who have been discarded. >

And the money collected goes towards their operating costs. We have 3 shelter dogs. All were spayed before we brought them home. I have zero problem with people having purebreds, there are plenty of situations where it makes sense, but breeders create a product to sell where as shelter dogs are just dogs that are already out there and in a need of a home, and personally we prefer to provide a home to those dogs. >

Totally agree. I have 3 shelter pets myself and although I was not super impressed by the staff at one of the shelters I also had the grace to realize most them were unpaid volunteers and the rest were underpaid overworked employees just trying to do their best. >

I worked at a shelter it's grueling work for only a couple bucks above min wage. We only know what the previous  owners have said about it and what we experience ourselves with the dog or cat. So sometimes even if we think it's a good fit we might be wrong. So in the case of "dog is good with cats" but is bad with them when you bring it home we were likely told us by the previous owner but never tested ourselves as it's hard to do that safely. >

Absolutely. The only issue I had with this rescue was that I was volunteering with them and recommended my boss check them out because she was looking for a dog.
She found a dog she liked, adopted it, took it to the vet and found it had a ton of various and serious health issues, several of which the vet who worked for the shelter should have informed her of, since the vet was the one my boss directly adopted the dog from, and the issues (rotten teeth, intense heart murmur) should have been noted on the dog's intake chart. When my boss returned the dog with a heavy heart because she wasn't prepared for a dog with such intense medical needs, the vet tried to throw me under the bus saying I knew more about the dog than she did. I'd never met the dog, only recommended the shelter to my boss. I cut ties with them after that. >

i have one from an ethical breeder and a rescue. i also used to foster dogs. honestly, in my experience, both organizations were truly amazing. 
ETHICAL breeders don’t all deserve the rap they get but animal shelters are not the horrible places you’re lumping them all together as. 
another part of the issue is that it takes a LOT of work to find and verify that your breeder is truly ethical, so many people think their pet was from someone that it wasn’t. 
the truth is that it doesn’t really matter what exact type of person you get your dog from. there are great and horrible breeders, and great and horrible shelters. it matters that you do your research to make sure that the specific organization you’re dealing with is honest and ethical. >

MALIMWA?!?! I think you mean a Belgian Malinois. >

All the rescues and shelters around here are loaded down with pitbulls and pit mixes.  If that's you're thing, fine.  I'm not saying anything one way or the other about them or trying to turn this into a pitbull argument thread.  But that doesn't leave a lot of variety to find a breed that you might want.  And there is something to be said about raising an animal from when it is young.  A lot of what you're getting in shelters is unknown, even when the shelter really does do its due diligence and try to get a concise history.
This is not a rip on shelters and it is not a rip on breeders.  It's just saying that while both have dogs available, they often serve a different purpose. >

I cannot understand why there are many homeless pitts? If the breed is not popular and gets rehomed, why there are more and more of them? Usually the dogs that are good ones are breed and not rehomed. Shouldn't this problem solve it self if every resque is spayed?
I am Scandinavian so we don't have shelter dogs at all, the resques that some adopt come from Spain and Russia. Puppymill pups come from abroad and are warned about. Some doggies are rehomed from owner to a new owner without inbetweeners.
We have official breeders and people who just want to have a few litters. Mix poodles are popular in that scene.
You see pitts every now and then, but not as much as bichon frisees or other popular breeds. All the breeders are very careful of choosing the right home for pup, no matter what breed. You might have to prove yourself very well for forexample a jackrussel or bordercollie.
So where did the pits come from? I get that many are mixed, but still. Was there a pit boom at some point? >

It depends a lot on the region, but I think it’s a bit of a self-perpetuating issue. Pitts get a reputation as the tough guy dog, then irresponsible people get them, don’t spay them or take care of them, and end up with puppies and/or losing the dog because they don’t take care of them. The dog also learns no manners because the person wasn’t good at teaching them, so when someone considers adopting them from the shelter later one they find they’re unsocialized and jumpy and that lines up with the Pitt narrative so they’re worried about adopting them and the reputation/cycle continues. I know pitts/Pitt mixes with good owners and they are real sweethearts (they’re not for me but I especially love a fluffy dog). I also have run into pitts I don’t want to be anywhere near, so I really think the owner is a big part of it
It’s also crazy how different things are in different regions here. I live in Texas now and the shelters are bursting at the seams, but when I lived in Boston I considered getting a dog and the vast majority I saw online were being brought up from the south. My parents live in the Midwest and it’s somewhere in between - some dogs are brought up from the south and some are just local strays. There are times when the shelter reaches capacity, but it’s not as frequent as down here and the shelter capacity is a small fraction of what they have down here >

I see. Do you think the shelters have too low standards for dogs that they rehome? In my country it is quite simple that if the dog is having too much social issues, it is put down. I mean aggressive, unpredictable or impossible to train.
Backyards breeder issues we have with cats but rarely still.
I do think pitts are the kind of dogs that can be taken to boost someone's masculinity. These guys secretly like the aggression and don't even try to train it away. >

Okay.
For me a "no kill shelter" sounds bad juat because there are cases when it is the best option.
I guess the high kill ones are overwhelmed with the amount of dogs needing homes. >

No kill usually means “except for behavior or medical reasons,” but the threshold varies between them. And yeah the high kill shelters are mainly in the south and it’s due to being overwhelmed by space >

Dog shelters: "Don’t shop, adopt instead!"
Also dog shelters: "This is Pissfingers. She’s 19 years old and can’t live in a home with children, books, or electricity. Pissfingers is nervous around hair and needs 400 acres of land and an orchard of extinct fruits" >

I’d be fine with the 19 and no children part but not the rest 🤣 >

Shelters lie all the time. In the US, a big percentage of the shelter dogs are pitbulls or pitbull mixes and no one wants those for obvious reasons. So they will re-label them to get them adopted. >

I honestly think this is part of the problem. Ethical breeders won't lie to people. These shelters damn near want to tell you a pit is just a lap dog. >

They can't lie to people, or well shouldn't. Breeders generally tend to have full-bred dogs that cost in the thousands. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't pay 3K for a dog without papers. And even then, that doesn't stop them. I had a friend pay almost 4K for a purebred dog. Had genetic testing a few years down the line due to some health issues the dog was having that weren't normal for the breed, turns out it was basically a pedigree mutt. Their vet told them they see it all the time. >

PSA always get papers and health test results from the parents! >

My number one tip? Go to kill shelters.
Dog training and breeding are big in my family - we have a lot of working dogs. My working dog is a belgian malinois and he's fucking insane. 
Through breeding dogs and training dogs my grandpa especially had worked with shelters. Kill shelters are always the best places to adopt from. 
First of all, you're quite literally saving a dog. Maybe not your specific one, but by adopting a dog from a kill shelter you are freeing up a spot for a dog to stay alive longer.
Secondly - and this always sounds bad, but its true - the shelter will euthanise the "bad" dogs first. Going to a kill shelter you have a much higher chance of adopting a friendly dog. 
In rescues and no-kill shelters, they will shove every dog possible onto you. They're often at capacity and need to get dogs gone as soon as, because unlike kill shelters, they never have anywhere to send their animals (although, fun fact: a lot of rescues will actually give their "unadoptable" dogs to kill shelters so they'll be euthanised under them instead). 
Kill shelters also sell dogs at a cheaper rate because they need to get them out of the doors to prevent euthanasia. You do run the risk of them not being fixed, but tbfh, if you can't afford to neuter your dog you shouldn't have one. They cost a fucking shit ton.
Although ethical breeders also have very strict instructions about who their dogs can go to as well. I need a new belgian (mine is fine, he's just aging) but my breeder won't sell bc I have an infant and a toddler and the bite risk is extreme. 
We have been denied puppies because of other dogs we have, because of where we live, because of our property. We have horses - we were denied so many dogs because of the horses. >

Belgian *Malinois >

No such thing as ethical breeders. Breeding an animal for money is unethical. >

I think darn near 50% of dogs shouldn’t even be alive in the US. From bad owners to just too many, there’s just way to many dogs out there compared to people buying/adopting them. 
Dogs have been mass produced like material items and now there’s an unfortunate surplus of dogs. 
But I don’t disagree for the greater part >

God yes this. Where I'm from there are literally just packs of wild dogs because the shelters just release them if they are unadoptable and they don't want to put to many down. Arizona is crazy man. >

Spent a week in the poorest county in America (or one of the top) in McDowell county West Virginia. Used to be huge mining town in the early 1900’s, not anymore. Full of abandoned houses, and packs of dogs just roam free and live in said houses. Many of which are pit bulls. Just packs of wild pit bulls roaming the areas lol. 
Not against pit ulls, but it’s a sight to see a dozen of them just trotting up the street. Wouldn’t want to stumble across their den! >

Bloody hell! Thats wild! >

I don’t support buying dogs from breeders at all but when I adopted my dog I was genuinely shocked at the audacity some of these rescues have. 
I’m about to retire from the military and my boyfriend is signing up for another 4 years. We already have one dog and we were looking to get her a friend for quite some time and I had spotted one dog online at my local shelter. After months of weighing on the idea, we finally decided we were ready for another dog and I insisted it was him or nothing, luckily he was still available. 
We went to the shelter and I was shocked. They had small dogs in rabbit cages outside in the SC heat and kept the bigger dogs in a busted down shed in the back yard. When they brought out my dog he STUNK so ungodly bad, his fur (which is soft) was so coarse and covered in god knows what, the white parts of his fur were stained yellow from laying in urine, he was super skinny and he was covered in fleas. I knew I just couldn’t leave without him but the man who owned the shelter nearly denied us for the dumbest reasons. One of those things being “not having enough space” we own a 3 bedroom house, two bathrooms and a huge yard (we had to lie about having a fence) and have no children nor do we ever plan on having kids. It was so stupid, I’m so glad we managed to get my dog because god knows what his life would’ve been in that place
Edit: also, I still had to pay 300$ for him >

I'm looking to adopt rabbits in about 1-2 years so I researched a couple of rabbit rescues near me and they wanted a $100-200 adoption fee for each rabbit, 2 separate home visits, a vet set in place with their reference, references from friends/coworkers/employers, pay stubs, and not have other cats/dogs in the home. I have 6 cats but they live with my guinea pigs and have never bothered them (except one likes to jump in the cage and sleep with them). My local humane society was like we get rabbits all the time just fill out the form and pay the $65 fee, they come neutered. I feel bad because there's a lot of wonderful animals out there who aren't going to get a home. >

FFS character references to adopt an animal ?? A pay stub ? 
I looked into Akita rescues.. they all wanted a minimum 5 years experience with the breed which is well meaning (Akitas are not an easy breed to live with) but how can I have experience with the breed if I can't adopt one, unless i purchase one from a breeder ?? >

That's insane, I've heard dog rescues were bad but damn. I guess almost no one gets an Akita then? I've always had cats and my two adopted ones were really easy to get, three I found under my porch as kittens and the other abandoned in a parking lot. My guinea pigs were also adopted and it was easy because I guess people just usually get them from pet stores and don't think to adopt(?) >

Funny enough someone on this thread posted an article about rescues purchasing from dog auctions and one of the rescues mentioned is an Akita rescue that I'm 80% sure is one I looked into. So they can buy from breeders but I can't ? Fuck that lol >

If designer dog breeders are such a problem why are most dogs in shelters pit bulls/pit mixes? Hmmm… >

Shelters near me are full of 'doodles'. >

Got a link to those doodle shelters? >

You're right about many shelters. I volunteered with the humane society in my college town. Some dogs were almost a decade old and.had been their all their lives. It was sad. They knew me there and I had volunteered often. I filled out adoption paperwork on a cat and heard nothing back. Several friends did too and were rejected (granted, some we're in college and lived in dorms). One of our friends finally got to adopt a dog after throwing a fit and still had comments like "well at least we would know that the dog is alive when they're here". Some shelters are just ran by assholes. >

Most rescues want their dogs to succeed, and absolutely do not adopt out to just anyone. 
MOST!
I didn't say all. Any altruistic service is going to attract a few charlatans. 
My first dog came from a rescue in 2011. Adoption fee of $150 for a spayed and vaccinated pup. Couldn't have bought and secured vet services at that price point 
My other dog from a rescue was $300 in 2016. Vaccinated and spayed. Had also been hit by a car and the rescue covered all those expenses.  I had to wait until she was medically cleared to bring her home. 
The thing about the second case is that I knew the foster (used to live in the same area) so I had a personal reference, but the rescue still got someone from a local rescue to do a home check. 
So don't paint all rescues as careless or greedy. Most folks I know in rescue would chew off their right arm to ensure a rescue has a new and better life. >

Many shelters face funding challenges being overwhelmed with dogs dropped off with limited space. Many rely on public funding.
During my process of adoption, the fee was reasonable to cover shots and spaying. I loved my choc lab. She was the best girl.
Fast forward a years later, went to adopt another dog and many rescues have stringent requirements so ensure the right fit for rehoming so the dog is not returned and rightfully so. Not to mention the cost of caring for these animals is very expensive.
Lots of animals sit in these shelters for years with no prospects and are overlooked unless it's not a no kill shelter. Then the dogs fate is sealed.
This is not a cut and dry issue. Not all breeders are reputable either. >

Most people are not responsible or “ethical.” Ethics also vary within cultures and regions as well as by education and knowledge level. 
Where I live you can often adopt a dog or cat from a shelter for free (“clear the shelter” days). To me this is scary…I think about people using the animals for dog fighting, feed, who knows what…
There are excellent rescues and terrible rescues. Most are well-intentioned, I would like to believe. I have much more of a cat rescue background. 
The one time I gave away a foster kitten for free I instantly regretted it, deeply, and was fortunate enough to get her back. I asked for $40 and created a contract when I rehomed her…I will say this absolutely didn’t cover her care while she was with me. The fee is about the commitment to care for the animal and to establish ownership. Anyway, she’s living her best life
over a year later. Animal rescue is the most emotionally challenging, draining thing I’ve ever done. >

Years ago my family fell in love with a dachshund that was posted in the newspaper for a local shelter. He was 2 if I remember right. House trained, well behaved and playful. (According to the ad)
My parents went to adopt. 
They were asked if they'd ever had a dachshund before. Yes almost exclusively.
They were asked how big the yard was. 15 acres. They told my parents that wasn't enough room for a dachshund.  🙄
Do you work because he needs a lot of care. No we are both retired.  They said that wasn't a steady income. 🙄
How big is your home? 5 bed 3 bath with dinning and 2 living room mobile home.  They said that the dog would be overwhelmed with that many rooms. 🙄
Fast forward I leave a review of their experience. Shelter calls and demands we remove the review then we could get the dog. I removed it for my parents sake. They deny them again because the past owner killed himself in front of the dog and the dog has abandonment issues. 
I put the review back up. They call and cuss us. 
The same shelter has SO many reviews like mine with very few good ones. (Most of them were removed because people reported them because it was the workers/owner of shelter)
Some reviews include things like family denied a golden because family had a 5 year old and Golden's are bad with kids. 
Family denied a dog because both parents worked and dogs need someone 24/7 
One family brought home a dog only to find out it was incontinent and had aggression issues after being told there was nothing wrong.
My husband and I got a dog of a reputable breeder around us. What we spent on her included her first round of shots, blood tests to make sure she had no health issues, and 3 months of pet insurance. 
We have had our girl for a year and at least once a month who we bought her from messages us to ask how she is doing.  Before she was a year old we got weekly messages about her. 
We "shopped" our dog because the shelter I mentioned refused to let us adopt at all because we have a 5 year (4 at the time) and they said no dog is a good mix with kids until they are at least 16. 
Yeah there are probably great shelters out there, but where I am it isn't so. People from my area either pick dogs off the street or go to breeders because that's the only way they can get their family members. 
And there are a shit ton of puppy mils and that needs to end but sometimes people do have their reasons why they go to breeders over shelters.
ETA: I forgot her price also included her being chipped. >

Puppymills and backyard breeders are the problem. If your main source of income is coming from the dogs it's going to be tough to do the right thing. 
We've always had Alaskan Malamutes and our breeder rarely does a litter but the parents are always prescreened for genetic issues, hip problems, and temperament. She had one that was a fantastic looking dog with lots of titles but as she put it, his temperament ran a little hot. He didn't sire any puppies. 
It helps in the case of the breed that conformity is about strength, sturdiness and other factors that would aid in pulling a freight sled well without breaking down. Ours have been fantastic dogs but with as big and strong as they are I would not want one with temperament issues and with a rescue you don't get to meet the parents. >

We wanted to adopt from a shelter, but all of the dogs and I mean all of them had issues. From health to aggression to not tolerating kids ect. In the end we brought a pure breed Staffy after having owned a Jug ( Pug crossed with Jack Russell) who unbeknown to us was from a puppy farm. We brought him from a pet shop and he had so many health issues it wasn’t funny, he was the best dog and I miss him every day. >

I 100% agree with everything you said.  Ethical breeders dogs don't end up in shelters.  If everyone got dogs from ethical breeders their would be no need for shelters and rescues.  The 'adopt don't shop " just perpetuates the problem >

I do kind of agree to some point. When I was looking for my first dog it was so hard to adopt. Like you need to fill in an application for each individual dog, tell them your life story, only to be rejected because it was my first dog. I ended up finding a local foster and foster failed a deaf and hard of seeing dog as my first dog. It’s basically like applying for a job, you want your first job but every first job requires prior experience. >

I agree. I left rescue world because too many dogs were denied homes ir rescues had insane requirements. Also every single rescue dog ive had has cist me so much more money than my show dogs. Now i ONLY rescue on MY terms and if the dog is a good fit. >

Yea that’s the hard part about rescues. I was applying to adopt a cat. I’ve had cats my whole life. I know how to take care of cats very well. I got denied for most for various reasons. Once was because I worked outside of the home. There was because I wasn’t 25 years old. I got denied because my cat didn’t have vet records showing he went yearly, but that’s because he was my moms cat until I took him with me when I got an apartment. He went for his shots, just not yearly exams. They held it against me that my mom didn’t bring him yearly. I had only one vet record on him because I had had him less than a year. >

Except for breeders of pugs, whose existence is pain. >

I would not consider those ethical breeders, except one I found in like... Norway? That is specifically breeding them back into health. But I heard about them before covid so I don't know if they are still around. >

I heard of a French Bulldog breeder trying to do the same... can't remember where. >

Lol and where do you think these shelter Belgium Malinois are coming from? The streets? 
Dog breeders created the problem that shelters are trying to solve. >

Ethical breeders have a return clause in their contract saying that if you cannot keep the puppy for whatever reason, you need to return the dog back to the breeder. >

From someone who has worked at an animal shelter, they rarely go back to the breeder. >

And it's the breeder's fault that the owners violated their contract? >

I didn’t say that. I’m saying that contract doesn’t keep professionally breed dogs out of shelters. >

The majority of ethically bred dogs will go back to their breeder. The breeders also do what they can to ensure the dogs go to a compatible home to limit how many have to be rehomed in the first place. The best breeder I ever met was the one that told me "No, I don't think this breed is a good fit for your lifestyle right now." >

Do you have a source for your claim on a majority going back to the breeder? >

And do you have proof that these purebred dogs came from breeders with a return contract in place? >

Yup I got a husky from a shelter with 8 plus generations of AKC show dog and sled dog lineage. Purebred dogs 100% do end up in shelters. >

Ignoring all the inbreeding due to the obsession with being "purebred" and overflooding the market as well as contributing to dog overpopulation, sure. >

It's the designer breeds and BYB that are flooding the market,  not ethical breeders.  Ethical breeders have waitlists, so there's no impulse buying either. >

I paid $300 for the last rescue dog I got. That included a multitude of Vaccines and preventative medications. I do not know the last time I took one of dogs for an annual checkup and it hasn't been around the same price. 
I think one of the biggest gripes for people is one that you almost touched on but it would have unraveled the truth about the main reasons people are denied animals from shelters. "Home Ownership". I think a lot of people find it easier to blame the shelters for "not letting me have that dog that I will take better care of than Y'all can.". Anyway, I understand the plight by individuals but this has already been proven to be one of the most certain ways to ensure a higher success rate of survival. 
I also think the gripe about how an animal shelter worker misidentified an animal. It would be absurd to think that someone working there would understand anything except the most common breeds. Anyway, I wouldn't expect someone cleaning up dogshit all day to know the difference between those breeds, or the history of the animal. You seem to be showing how bad the battle between "good and best" is. 
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But of course, there is nothing wrong with responsibly breeding if someone has a great interest beyond themselves. I am sure there are many breeders with a great passion for the hobby/business of dogs they breed and of course they are not even a fraction of the problem. 
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Anyway, I think you missed the real purpose of the shelters which is to rehome and allow these animals to live. The pro responsible breeders have little to worry about those animals. >

I don’t know how to feel because I love animals so much!!! I don’t agree with shelters doing that either :( I get a basic ground check to see if they abuse their other animals in the home like tied up 24/7 no food which is worst than a shelter) but besides that they shouldn’t refuse that much. But shelter dogs are cheaper than a pure bred and are on death row so I still don’t see why paying 1000$ for a dog that just got bred into a world with an overpopulation of dogs. Unless your getting a certain breed for a certain reason I get but most shelters you can trust and a dogs life is more than a non trustful human. I actually do feel bad for your friend but not every dog there is like that. And not every employee >

I adopted an AmStaff from a shelter for $75 and that covered his neuter and medical stuff when he was processed. 
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Idaho Humane Society is an easy process to adopting dogs, they run a background check to make sure you don't have a history of animal abuse. >

I've been on both sides. Ethical dog breeding takes care of the bloodlines. It produces beautiful healthy dogs. There is no one more committed to canine well-being than these people. You are abusing your fat, lovely lap poochie by their healthcare standards. 
Adoption save specific individuals.  Those really in need of someone like an ethical dog breeder. But they rely on a person with good heart.
My own thought is if you are a first time dog owner, buy a dog from a breeder. You will get a healthier, better socialized animal. One that still needs every bit of your love and attention. 
If you have dog experience, however, think about using that knowledge to save a life. >

I’d rather rescue a homeless dog than encourage more forced pregnancies. >

I volunteer with a rescue that is 💯volunteer operated. An adoption costs a few hundred dollars, but includes vet care/spaying and 100% of the money paid or donated is used to save dogs. We take old senior dogs, dogs hit by cars, dogs that were abused, dogs that have bitten people, dogs with special needs, etc. We do have requirements for adoption, but they’re very reasonable and about finding a good fit for each dog. Some reasons aren’t “silly” - you should see what people say they’ll do with some of these dogs. Some rescues probably take it too far for sure, but most have good reasons. I don’t think generalizations help a ton here. >

What about ETHICAL rescues? I live near alot of first nations reserves and the rescue company names REZcue was amazing. So many rez dogs need help and there are people who want to help. Our dog has been amazing for 300 bucks we got him fixed and a couple vet visits and all his shots. He did turn out to be 110 pounds which we weren't expecting. >

Also, a lot of people don’t know that the Amish are puppy mills and I wish there was more awareness of this…Doodles? Most of them come from a puppy mill and the others come from a backyard breeder. I went to an ethical, well known breeder  and if something should ever happen to me, my dog could go back to her and not end up in a shelter >

I agree that most rescues are bullshit. My hometown had a cat rescue that everyone worshipped. I once found a feral cat in my backyard, I gained his trust, took him to the vet, had him vaxxed and neutered, and saved him. I contacted the cat rescue for help finding a permanent home for him. They denied helping us because “his outlook wasn’t good” (they only wanted to help baby kittens and not a 7 y/o former feral cat).
I would like to disagree and say not all backyard breeders are bad. I have 2 dogs now from backyard breeders I found on Craigslist. Both times, mama dog & daddy dog were loving pets of the same owner. I’d rather pay $250 for a Lab puppy than be on a 2 year wait list for a $1200 puppy. I understand wanting AKC papers if you’re interested in showing and dog sports, but I just wanted a loyal pet and that’s what I got.
Also, rescues don’t always put the health needs first. It can cause lifelong issues to spay or neuter a dog too young. But rescues will always fix them as young as possible. It’s heartbreaking. >

and also a bit of a side note but people who get dogs from shelters referring to it as "rescuing" is just obnoxious, it reminds me of the Bill Burr bit >

I'm never adopting again. I ain't fixing someone else's lazy ass mistakes. Train your fucking dogs people. It's not that hard it's a 300 dollar investment. And teach your dogs to be alone. >

I agree. Dogs were bred for amazing things. Find a breed that works with your lifestyle and shop reputable breeders. >

I had a friend tell me that all the shelter dogs in the Northern Territory, Australia, have parvovirus and the shelter keepers don't even tell adopters that. So now all the dogs at home get a lethal disease. We bought our dog from a backyard breeder that took good care of the dogs. Way better than adopting a dog with disease or violent history. >

i tried to adopt a dog from a shelter in may 2022. they denied me because my yard isn’t fenced in. (i own a leash and live like 4 miles from a huge park. we would’ve been VERY active.) he’s still there. 😔 >

Can we at least agree everything is better than peta who will steal your dog off your porch to euthanize it. >

My parents purchased a mini dachshund from a "backyard breeder" and it was completely fine. The breeder was a nurse. The dog was healthy and well cared for. Not all people who breed dogs are slummy puppy mills. >

Adopt don't shop never made sense to me, you're not adopting a dog, you're buying a dog, hell you're shopping for them since you're going to a building where various different kinds of dogs are on display, that's exactly what shopping is.
Personally I will never buy a dog from a shelter for 2 reasons, the first one is that I got 2 bunnies free roaming my house, I'm not about to risk their lives by buying a dog from a shelter who has already been imprinted on, I need a ''blank slate'' as they say. The second reason is money, pure bred dogs from actual reputable breeders are healthier which saves me a lot of money in the long run, with a dog at the shelter it's a roll of the dice. >

My wife, when growing up, got denied for a puppy because they had a rabbit that wasn’t fixed. Like what are they gonna do? Have sex together? They also lie to sell any of the animals and then play it off as “we didn’t know”. Not to mention if you FIND a dog, you can’t bring it to the shelter to wait for someone to call about it. You have to pay. We had to call animal control for a friendly found dog once because we couldn’t pay them to hold it. They don’t care about animals at all. >

The thing that made me not give a shit about “adopt don’t shop” is when I saw the saying plastered all over a website near me of a shelter disguising the breeds of their Pitbulls by labeling them as “lab mix”. >

Why breed dogs when the supply exceeds demand? >

Supply of pitbulls maybe.  I know a few breeders and their pups are gone crazy fast.  The shelters are not overflowing with expensive pure bred dogs lol. >

I don’t know why more people aren’t open to mixed-breed dogs. >

I've seen a few really good shelters/ rescues but most I've seen are horribly abusive, lie about the history of the animal, and just use the animals for money. >

That's like saying Ethical shelters are better then dog breeders. Most shelters are doing more for dogs than a lot of breeders. >

This needs to be at the top. The key word here is ethical. Like... Yeah, no kidding? Welcome to adjectives. Do you know that trained huskies follow commands better than labs? >

My girlfriend and I regularly foster dogs from local rescues and have even adopted one recently. All together the adoption cost about €50. The rescue spayed her and had her chipped, even gave us some food and a  bed for her for free. When a few weeks after adopting her she got sick they even covered the cost of the vet. You say you’ve seen so much ‘bad shit’ in rescues, but don’t elaborate whatsoever? 
The reason rescues deny people for supposedly ‘stupid’ reasons as you put it is for the dogs well-being. Unlike these ‘ethical breeders’ you’re talking about, the rescues have the dogs health as the number one priority, not the customers satisfaction. A fence that’s too small means the dog could escape and get hit by a car. Not having enough experience with a certain breed means that you might not know how to handle it and may be taking on more than you’re capable of. 
At the end of the day any breeder is out to make money by selling dogs, so it’s in their best interest to breed as many dogs as they can. You’re giving out about shelters or rescues ‘hoarding’ dogs - the only reason there are so many dogs in these shelters is because of breeders trying to make money. The rescues aren’t breeding dogs, in fact every rescue we’ve ever used has neutered the dogs as soon as they’re healthy enough to get the surgery. 
And before you say ‘I’m talking about ethical breeders’ - who’s governing that? Is a breeder that treats the dogs well and gives them lots of space to run around ethical, even if the dog is severely inbred just to look a certain way, leading to tonnes of medical issues - which in turn increases the likelihood of the dog being given up by whoever gets it due to the medical costs and increased care required. 
And what makes you think these places are trying to horde dogs? What benefit is that to them? All of the rescues we know are non-profits with (for the most part) unpaid volunteers working there. The money they get when you adopt goes to feeding the other dogs and maintaining their facilities. Their whole goal is to find these dogs safe and caring homes for life, the only reason they end up with more and more is because of breeders who happily give dogs to anyone who’s willing to pay, and then promptly abandons or loses the dog when they can’t take care of it properly or don’t care to. Rescues aren’t the nicest places for dogs, but it’s a short term solution - and it’s a lot better than letting them starve. >

Yours is a valid point, however, I think the Author is American...and a lot of their shelters are Private For-Profit Models that do Deny people for some of the dumbest reasons imaginative.
It's not every person at every shelter, but enough of a majority use these kinds of tactics and practices that it is often just easier and less of a headache to use a Breeder.
A Reputable and Ethical Breeder will have raised and socialized the pup or dog with people and other animals, have all their vaccinations up to date, and have them spayed/neutered before the sale is completed. and all this is then factored into the final purchase price meaning while it is more expensive you're not penalized for my literal favorite reason I ever heard to be denied;
"Having a Stead 8 Hour a Day × 5 Day a week Job to pay for the essentials the pup needs, but because you are gone 40 hours a week you can't keep the pup company 24/7"
So I have no job and no money and can't care for the pup, but as long as I'm with him 24/7 it's good, doesn't matter that he has no food or shelter. >


"Having a Stead 8 Hour a Day × 5 Day a week Job to pay for the essentials the pup needs, but because you are gone 40 hours a week you can't keep the pup company 24/7"

The reason why this is an issue is that too many people adopt and then return the dog weeks later saying they don't have time for it due to their full-time work schedule, and that isn't fair to the animal. It's in the animal's best interest to go to a family/person who has the correct home and lifestyle for the type of dog and breed they're trying to adopt. You can't keep a high-energy dog like a husky locked up for 8+ hours a day in a cage. You might not like it, but most rescues are doing what's best for the animal. >

See next reply >

I wish I could like this post 1000 times over. There is nothing wrong with finding an ethical breeder and purchasing from them. The only dogs in shelters are pits and pit mixes. And I don’t want one of them because they are large and potentially dangerous. >

Ugh this. So many people will probably downvote your comment but completely agree. That's why I'm not a dog person actually! Several years ago I was out for a walk and attacked by a pit bull. Tore a few holes in both my legs and busted me up something fierce before the owner could pull it off. >

All I see at my local shelter are pitbull mixes people have given up on. And unfortunately I would never consider one for my family. >

Yeah people in this thread are making it seem like there is even a choice between the two lmao.  I want a hypoallergenic puppy maximum 35 lbs or so who will be great with kids, so I went with a designer mini doodle mix.  Never would I even remotely consider a pitbull mix, I would just not have a dog at all before getting one of them. >

"Doodles" aren't hypoallergenic, and they aren't bred to a standard, so you don't know what you're going to get. If you want to know what your dog will be like as an adult, go to a reputable breeder. >

I searched for about a year for a dog from a shelter/rescue. Shocked that most rescues are shipping from Texas and the adoption fee was $600-900 plus they wanted to do multiple home visits and needed a huge fenced in area. I live in the country, small fenced area but 5 acres of yard and do not invite strangers to my property. 
Most of the dogs were advanced breeds (gsd, huskey, pits). Nothing wrong with the breeds but if i ever need to rent again I might not be able to keep my dog due to breed restrictions. That is not an option that I’m will to do. 
I finally ended up buying a dog from a long term breeder who had a cattle farm and schnauzers. It was their last litter due to long term covid. They had sold off the cattle and had 5 adult schnauzers who were house hold pets. Surprisingly the dog cost less than the rescue. The dog got neutered as soon as the vet said it was appropriate.  I tried for a year to adopt but the hoops one needs to jump through it a bit over the top. I don’t regret buying. >

I mean, obviously ethical breeders are better than unethical rescues. But ethical breeders are not better than ethical rescues.  You stating ‘most’ is made up and probably anecdotal. >

This entire post is anecdotal. Couldn’t roll my eyes enough. >

All pure breeds are inbred. If the breeder is selling pure bred dogs, they are unethical. >

When you compare these ethical breeders to unethical shelters it makes sense which comes out on top in this specific comparison. >

Yet it is still a seemingly incredibly unpopular opinion. >

Most of the folks here seem to be going off on other tangents, aside from the thread about price. $600 seems rather atypical for a shelter fee. >

Turns out I didn't know the difference between a shelter and a rescue which is awesome. Shelters sound much better than what I was talking about, and what I've looked uo so that's good at least!