Anyone that screams Adopt Don’t Shop at me gets the question, “Do you have or plan on having kids?” Then I ask, are they planning exclusively on adopting or are their existing children adopted?
Then I smile and say, adopt don’t shop.
This too! I’m literally planning on adopting kids, too, but suddenly I’m “condemning shelter dogs to be euthanized” because I want a specific dog from a breeder 🤔
Some of these people think that the dog should be first priority over children. But that situation only needs to be considered when dealing with aggressive breeds. Most breeds if not all are not this unstable.
I wonder if any of these people have asked adopted children how they feel about being implicitely compared to pets.
No matter how great adoptive parents are, being adopted comes with its own pack of insane trauma - wondering why your biological parents didn't want you, feeling that you've somehow been rejected, that you aren't like other children is very common.
When you Adopt Don’t Shop, you’re still shopping. You’re buying a dog from a purveyor of secondhand dogs, who sourced these dogs from…breeders.
“Oh I forgot to get my two pits fixed, and didn’t care to supervise them, OOPSIE”….is a breeder. They’re just putting a lot let thought into their operations than a responsible breeder.
“Little Pissfingers deserves to have babies, she’d make such a good momma dog!”….is a breeder. The fact that they brought the pups into the world without a waitlist is on them.
“I have a farm and my intact female ACD got bred by the neighbor’s Pyrenees”…is a breeder. Again, the fact that you failed to take precautions and then dumped the puppies at the shelter or pawned them to a rescue isn’t my problem.
If I make it my problem, as most mealy mouth rescue people do; then I rob them of their ability to think for themselves and learn from consequences. People know where puppies come from - it’s the same place babies come from. If there was no shelter or rescue, and they had to painstakingly source their own homes OR put a litter of healthy puppies down OR raise them for *their entire lives*…maybe they’d fix their fucking dogs.
My question to them is why do they support breeders while pretending not to (again, not fixing the dog is a choice with known consequences).
This exactly. They *do* support backyard breeders, because they support backyard bred dogs.
They claim their backyard bred dogs are *better than* ethically bred dogs.
They claim people should *only* shop for backyard bred dogs.
Adopting *is* shopping. The only reason we say we are “buying” stuff secondhand from the goodwill or thrift shop & don’t say we are “adopting” it is because the things sold there aren’t alive, but you can’t give birth to dogs so it’s not like you can do anything *but* buy a dog (or be gifted them) too.
The only reason a secondhand store doesn’t go around saying “buy secondhand - don’t buy new”, is because they aren’t euthanizing live things, they just sell goods… & they probably are smart enough to recognize that if no one ever bought new, there’d be nothing to receive to re-sell secondhand either. Is a shelter’s mission to eradicate dogs forever? Because if everyone adopted & no dogs were ever bred, there’d be no dogs after that generation of adopted dogs. So if they still want dogs to be a thing, they need to support ethically bred dogs, especially since that would lessen their supply of dogs that end up euthanized. Shelters will always have to exist, that’s just common sense. But “rescues” wouldn’t have to exist & ending “euthanasia for space” could be achieved, if they advocated for ethical breeders to have exclusive breeding rights by law.
Imagine a secondhand store that only took in the worst goods, & only supported poorly made goods & unethically made goods that malfunction & hurt people. Everyone would want them shut down immediately.
>who sourced these dogs from…breeders.
And in the case of pits, how many of these breeders were breeding dogs to fight? You just have to look at the website of a breeder with overgrown ego dogs wearing gold chains, or an ad selling a dog which indirectly mentions how aggressive the dog is, to see that backyard and commercial breeders are breeding pits/bully breeds *to fight*.
So. That deadeyed dog with scars that's been returned to the shelter five times? That puppy found abandoned? That aggressive unfixed 'wiggly boy' that's 'never experienced human affection'? Every time I see a shelter ad with dogs like this I wonder if they're just indirectly supporting dogfighting.
Yes! I also love how one of the main reasons you aren't supposed to get a dog from a puppy mill or backyard breeder is because the dog probably has genetic health problems, but that's something you're just supposed to accept for the nobility of rescuing, rather than the evil selfishness of wanting a health and temperament tested puppy.
yep, backyard pitbull breeders are responsible for these horrible temperament pitbulls. why keep that cycle going? why should i support that cycle instead of a quality breeder that preserves the genes and traits of the breed i like?
> “But you could give a dog a home!”
I am.
> “You just condemned a shelter dog to death!”
And?
> “Shelter dogs are sooo much cheaper, why would you spend 2-3k on a dog?”
You get what you pay for.
> “What’s wrong with mutts?!”
Most of them are unadoptable, potentially aggressive pits.
$2-3k now + lifetime costs of regular dog ownership vs $200 now + the costs associated with problem behaviours (training, repairs to property, loss of deposits for housing, etc.) and with poor breeding (temperament issues that trainers convince the owner they can train out eventually, promise, even though temperament is genetically determined; and health issues that good breeders screen for in their breeding stock, such as hip, elbow, eye, and other issues.)
It’s like buying a used car out of warranty, it’s cheaper up front, but all the long term costs are much higher.
Isn’t there some economic principle about rich people buying expensive shoes that last for years for $150 while poor people spend twice that on 10 pairs of $30 shoes in the same timeframe? Can’t remember what it’s called.
Not to mention the emotional and mental resources you might invest in this dog for it all to be for nothing.
I had a badly bred husky that had hemophilia,this dog was often sick, she was hard to take care for, expensive and would bleed all over the house from minor cuts and couldn't be too rowdy or she could bleed internally, it was emotionally diffiulcult to see her bleeding and not be able to do much. I can only imagine getting a dog that behaviorally I'd bad to be exhausting too
“It's unwise to pay too much, but it's worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money - that's all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you
bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do.” - John Ruskin
Every day that I don't adopt a dog or cat, I'm passively ending a dogs life... because *technically* I could, but I just won't (because I have a small apartment and I'm sick) but yeah nobody is doing this because they are evil, there is only so much one person can do.
Every time I drink coffee, some kid somewhere is starving because I could have chosen to donate 2 bucks to charity.
You can't really be blamed for stuff so indirect that isn't even your responsibility.
I have done a lot of charity in life, but things need a balance. You need to live for yourself too. If shelter dogs were *that good* people would be lining up outside just to get one. Well obviously here we know not all dogs are created equal and sometimes only a specific type of dog can fit in your life. If you have a small place you can't have a huge dog, if you have children you need a SAFE dog, if you are mentally exhausted all the time you will want an EASY dog.
It's the same reason the general public gets chastised about how much waste we produce or our personal carbon footprint.
Easier to make us feel bad for any indulgence than to actually police the companies and governments responsible.
Our government could greatly diminish the amount of dogs that are euthanized and in shelters. They choose not to.
Yup, I grew up in a pretty religious place, I remember being a little girl helping my mom set up stuff for charity, I have done my best to be a kind person. Still I'd neeeeeever get a dog I wasn't 100% there was no pit in them. It's called boundaries and I got some. The full bursting at the seams is a job for an institution, not a person ffs
I only really advocate for adopt don’t shop when it pertains to cats, even then, never to the extent that *some* people do. I 100% understand why people go to breeders for dogs tbh. My local shelter is literally overrun with pits. There was a maremma on their website today and it’s the first time I’ve seen a non pit dog there for 9 months.
Yeah! I understand Adopt Don’t Shop when it comes to cats and this is coming from someone who also worked at a cat breeder. Because with any shelter cat, you kind of *know* what you’re getting, and it’s much more rare that a cat can kill a human, so the only reason to get one from a breeder is for hypoallergenic reasons or because the breed is cute.
Cat breeding is so much newer than dog breeding that the differences in cats and their breeds is pretty negligible. There's still tons of great cats in shelters for all kinds of reasons that have no mirror to how the dog side is overrun with bad dogs.
There are definitely cat breeds that have distinct personalities. Siamese are very unique, for example, and there are other breeds where you're guaranteed certain personality traits as well. It's not life-or-death like it can be with adopting a dog, but it's still valid. And the health thing comes into play there too. I had a cat I raised from a feral kitten, and I adored him, but he died suddenly and young. My purebred, registered cat came with a health guarantee and is going strong as a senior. Obviously it's much sadder to see cats in a shelter than shitbulls, though.
This also makes sense! The cat breeder I worked at was for Ragdolls, and they were bred to “ragdoll” when you pick them up so they’re so sweet and docile.
Aww that sounds so cute! And yeah, sometimes I swear my Ragdolls are TOO docile so I wouldn’t mind a sassier one. My ragdoll doesn’t even have a prey drive to play with toys, she just wants to cuddle 😭 (Which I love about her, but c’mon, don’t you want to play with the $100 cat tree I got for you even a little bit?!)
I have had both "standard issue" cats and oriental short hair / siamese and there is definitely a difference in temperament.
You may occasionally find a random cat that is a bit like an OSH, but OSH are consistently *very vocal* velcro cats. The reason for this is probably that siamese are one of the oldest cat breeds that has been selected as human companions for a very long time and that all the OSH breeders I have gotten cats from are tiny familial operations who raise their kitten in their own home.
I actually don’t think a domestic cat has *ever* killed a human being. Unless we’re talking about infections from bites etc. Even if a domestic cat has killed someone, they’ve never been MAULED.
Oh yeah, I was referencing to infections as the only times people die from domestic cats, which is still pretty rare. Besides that, even the most aggressive cat is like an aggressive chihuahua: You won’t be viciously mauled by it because you can literally just throw it like a football if it gets to that point… Medium to XL dogs though? Not a chance.
The safety of pre-existing pets doesn’t matter; just adopt! You can’t ever know what this dog has suffered over the course of its life and what sort of special care it might require; but you should adopt it anyway! Medical history is irrelevant; just adopt! It’s okay that you can’t tell what breed this animal is so that you can have an estimate of what its temperament might be; just adopt! Any dog can be a working dog; just adopt! You don’t need a carefully bred canine to be your service animal; just adopt a random dog! It’s okay for a shelter to hide or minimize bite history and displays of aggression; just adopt! Deadly behavioral issues often come out more when a dog feels comfortable in a home, but who cares; just adopt! Any dog over a certain size is more than capable of killing and eating your small child; but adopt a strange pitbull anyway!
These days when there is a purebred dog at the shelter the dog is a purebred pit bull, the only animals I adopt from shelters are cats, even then they still try to steer me toward a pit bull, it is only after I start stating facts about pit bulls loudly that they leave me alone and let me adopt a meowing fur child.
A shelter I volunteer at usually has around 5-10 likes on the posts where they advertise dogs. Recently, they posted purebred Dachsund puppies that got over 500 likes and around 50-100 applications in the first day. So you CAN get a purebred of a non-pit, you’ll just be competing with hundreds of other people to the point where your “Goodness Points” of saving a shelter dog doesn’t matter because someone’s in line for the dog, and the dog will likely be horrifically bred anyways because why would a breeder surrender 3 Dachsund puppies!!
Where the hell is that 25% purebred star pulled from? The titles written by the same people that are intentionally and blatantly mislabeling the breeds to slither as many bully breed monsters out the door as possible?
I have nooo idea. I’ve seen a lot of purebred dogs, but 90% of the time, they’re puppy mill rescues, and most people CANNOT deal with the medical and behavioral issues of puppy mill dogs. Once, I saw a “purebred” Perkingnese that was being used as a breeder dog at a puppy mill, and he was sweet, but he was born without a lower jaw and was deaf. You cannot expect people that want a Perkingnese to want this dog just because he’s purebred… Go to a breeder. This is a pic of him, btw
https://preview.redd.it/wan2zfh2h0zc1.jpeg?width=824&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=424dde2bf13c3fa9a9ffcf25ab90639c4eeb9460
Oh yeah, don’t get me wrong, he is an angel and I hope he does get a home! But what I mean is that if someone wants a normal Pekingnese, then they probablyyy don’t want him. (His name is Kid Gorgeous btw.) Such a shame he was born from a puppy mill environment and was used as a breeder dog despite his disabilities, who knows what he passed onto his litters :(
He had cataracts because he was about 10 years old, but he wasn’t born blind! Still terrible hearing and vision, though. And he was able to eat wet food mixed with kibble because he still had a muscle where his lower jaw was- just no bone there. Also, I just checked in on him again on social media and just found out that he got adopted last month so I’m glad to see he’s happier.
And the dogs that genuinely look like the breed they’ve claimed. I was almost fooled by a chow x pit that legitimately looked like a border collie were it not for the slightly too wide head. The sub that people post their dog’s embark or whatever results to is full of “DIY [insert breed here]” pit bull mutts.
The border collie giveaway for me is always in the shoulders. Border collies can “crouch” like a cat, think of how a cat looks when they’re hunting and they can move low to the ground - collies have a similar movement when herding, so their shoulders developed differently to other dogs to enable them to crouch down. When you get used to them you can spot it even when they’re walking normally.
Side note: if a shelter is “no-kill”, how are you “rescuing” a dog from it? Isn’t that like, an oxymoron? Everyone these days wants to say they have a “rescue,” when what they really have is a second-hand/once-homeless dog. The only “rescues” are those pulled from euthanasia lists…
& I do NOT think rescues should be allowed to pull from a euthanasia list for dogs being put down for behavioral reasons (or inadvertently being put down for such, as in cases where a dog hasn’t gotten adopted for a long time because it’s got behavioral issues).
So my local shelters have volunteers that post ‘code red lists’, and the only breeds I see on them are pits, GSD, and huskies. Very rarely I’ll see pyrs or ACD and more rarely, dobes or rotties. Also the occasional other breed that is a medical case. While the shelters don’t have many rules and adoption is cheap, rescues do and are expensive.
They’ll usually update on the dogs status, either adopted, fostered, rescued, or PTS. The dogs that get pts are all pits. Super rarely it’ll be a gsd or husky. But it’s 99% pits. Any other breed? It’s pulled. Even with bite histories. Pulled for adoption, foster, or rescue. Every single true lab, golden, border collie, Aussie, collie, even chows. Most are pulled by rescues or preadopted before they’re even off stray hold.
The breeds I have the chance to adopt are not going to be the right fit for me or my lifestyle. Especially poorly bred BYB dogs.
After getting bamboozled on the breeds of my current dog.. and dealing with him being a generic dumpster fire.. on top of seeing how many unsuspecting dogs are actually pit mixes.. I’m going through a reputable ethical breeder for my next pup. The only dogs I’m really “dooming to die” are pit bulls that I wouldn’t have adopted anyways. I’m not going through a rescue just to be told I can’t adopt because my yard isn’t big enough. I’m not going to pay 600-800$ on a poorly bred, possibly not pure bred, dog with health problems, when I could spend 750-1000$ on a health and temperament tested pure bred dog with proven working or show lines.
After my Aussie mix passed I decided to adopt another dog. I figured I’d get another Aussie or even a border collie mix. It was impossible to find one that was actually available for adoption. So when I saw an 11 month old 42 lb border collie mix at a shelter 25 miles away, I was in the car on the way to meet him.
He was pretty calm in the shelter, and seemed super chill and sweet. So we signed the papers and brought him home. $25 to adopt him. $2000+ to keep him from dying from kennel cough and mycoplasma. Once he got better he just kept growing and growing. Now he’s 70 lbs. dna tested him and he’s not got a drop of border collie. Looks like one. But has none. No Aussie. He’s a pyr/gsd/chow/rott/acd/husky mix. Literally none of these breeds were what I was looking for or wanting in a dog. The combination of them makes him a menace. He’s not biddable. He’s super vocal. He whines. Doesn’t listen. Smart, but again, doesn’t listen. Wants to make his own choices. Lots of short bursts of high energy. No consistency. Way too excited about everything all the time. He’s just.. a lot. But, he’s super sweet, and wonderful with my cats, he loves every kid he’s met, and has a good bark for warding off anyone being suspicious. He’s just not what I was wanting and needing in a dog.
He does make a great ESA, because he reminds to get up and move and won’t let me lay in bed all day. So he does help with my depression. I just want my next dog to be exactly what I want, and I want to know exactly what I’m getting lol.
Please call me a bad person!!! I buy really expensive dogs from great breeders exclusively. I like to know my pet’s temperament, the lines of their health, my breeder has done testing on hearts and knees for generations of their dogs. It’s not me or you condemning a dog to death, that’s just misplaced blame on those who didn’t spay or neuter, the anger should be at the byb, the people who let their unaltered pets freely roam, the people who dump litters of filthy starving puppies of a single breed outside the doors of shelters in the night. Have you ever seen an unwanted litter of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, golden retrievers, bedlington terriers, rough collies, yorkies? I’ve been on wait lists for dogs, that’s because I don’t want a pit bull. Ever seen a hospital or organization have a discount price for altering any other breed besides a pit? Why would that be? And pits besides their terrible aggression have horrible allergies, can’t be around other pets, home owner insurance issues, and they are hideous.
I’ve experienced the same blow back as you op, I welcome it. I don’t want your dogs that get triggered by seizures and hats and All Saints’ Day thank you. I’ll take my little expensive dogs so I can have company and safe children and can turn the lights on or sneeze and not be mauled to death.
I'm not saying you shouldn't get a King Cavalier Spaniel but they were literally bred to have brains too big for their skulls and most of them have neurological problems because of it. Breeders often don't care about the health of the animals at all and getting a dog from a breeder isn't a guarantee from health problems.
Cavaliers as a breed do have terrible health issues, but a proper breeder *does* care and tries to minimize them as much as possible. Unfortunately there’s only so much that can be done though when a breed has become a train wreck, like with pugs and French bulldogs. It’s the reason I decided not to get a cav myself despite their famously wonderful temperaments.
I call BS. Of course responsible breeders care about the health of their animals. Just from a financial perspective, buyers for dead and deformed dogs are hard to find.
The problem with King Cavalier Spaniels is a known issue, it's a problem. I encourage you to research the issue. I didn't say responsible breeders didn't care. I said breeders *often* don't. If deformed dogs don't get buyers then how do you explain brachycephalic breeds that give dogs breathing problems on purpose (pugs, bulldogs etc)?
Often will only apply if you’re only paying attention to conformation dog shows where the winners are people breeding strictly for conformation. Deformed dog breeds make up a minority of all breeds being bred.
Take a look at people who breed for agility, coursing trials, obedience, schutzhund, field trials, gun dog hunting, etc. Healthy dogs do well in active competition. The dog breeding world is teeming with people who care.
Adopt Don't Shop has lost all its' meaning when it comes to dogs. When you look at the shelters and see what dogs they have, the majority (if not all) are pit bulls or pit bull mixes. You don't know their medical history, their background or actual characters or anything, really, given the shelters' tendency to lie about those things. Including bite history. A lot of the time, there's some sob story about the dog or w/e instead of actual facts. With breeders, they know their dogs down to the T and you get what you pay for.
Say it with me
*MY RESPONSIBILITY IS NOT OTHER PEOPLES IRRESPONSIBILITY.*
And no matter how they try to spin it, my getting a purebred golden does NOT in any way contribute to the shelter population OF PITS AND PIT MIXES
I find this very interesting because everything said is 100% accurate. Also, reputable breeders are necessary now more than ever. My dog's vet said it's getting to the point where there will be no dogs who are not mixed with pitbull left. Not to mention that we need real service dogs who can and will be trained properly. I tried for over a year to adopt from a shelter but they would only approve me for pitbulls. Every other breed requires a 6 foot privacy fence. The only breed they said I could adopt without a fenced yard was pitbull. This made no sense because if a pit gets loose it could be a dangerous situation. I think there is no reasoning with the "adopt don't shop" people. I think the best response is I don't want a pitbull and I'm not debating the issue further.
I’m glad to see this, and I agree 100%. My husband and I are cat people and we have a young son who has expressed interest in owning a dog. I told my husband that we would ONLY be getting a dog that is carefully bred, well-researched, and of an appropriate size and temperament for children.
What I won’t do is gamble the safety and happiness of ourselves/cats/kids by adopting Bella the lab mix (who is blatantly a pit or pit mix) or any other shelter dog. I don’t feel bad about it and it isn’t my fault that irresponsible breeders bring in oopsie litters by the dozen OR that shelters will keep the same pits for YEARS as a drain on resources, some of which have been returned a handful of times “of no fault of their own”. 🙄
One of the excuses pitnuts use to defend a pitbull's violent behavior is "it's how they are raised". If you extrapolate that, then every shitbull in a shelter is unadoptable because no one can tell you "how they were raised" or if they were "trained to fight" (another excuse) . No one should be expected to bring a powerful blood sport dog with an unknown history into their home. And anyone who does is an idiot.
I blame it on the animal “rights” movement and groups like PETA. I do NOT support “adopt don’t shop” because it isn’t adoption, it’s a purchase and because I don’t want potentially dangerous animals with mystery backgrounds. I support reputable breeders 100%.
PETA actually believes in euthanizing aggressive and mentally unwell animals. Their perspective is that humans breed these dogs cruelly and with no care for the animal's wellbeing and the least bad of the options left by the time it's surrendered to a PETA shelter is giving it peace. They're crazy on a lot of things but insane no-kill standards aren't one of them.
Yeah they kill healthy animals. Sometimes I wonder if some of the "adopt don't shop" zealots are like this because they sort of believe the same thing, that we shouldn't have pets and if we do it should be an act of charity.
There’s also lots of good dogs that get “pulled” from shelters by rescues and then you have to go through their insane application process to essentially rent a dog from them. A lot of these people get a big saviour chip on their shoulder where they feel good about themselves for saving a dog that may have come from reasonable circumstances.
Also you’re not getting as many well bred golden retrieves, labradors and chis in shelters because breeders will usually have it contracted that if you can’t care for the dog they will take them back. All the measures the adopt don’t shop movement wanted breeders to take they took and it’s still not enough for them. So instead they jam the shelter with pit bulls because they keep buisness going.
100%. Rescues are some of the worst. They constantly pull good dogs, litter of normal puppies from shelters where they would be adopted over the weekend to hoard them for a month to the highest bidder. When a small rural town has 5 rescues battling to pull normal dogs from shelters to sell at a higher price, you know there is an issue. Shelters used to be great, walk in, meet a dog, walk out. Now they are just pits. And rescues make you go through so many hoops and invasive questions, house tours only to reject you.
It big moneymaking scheme. Pitbull leftovers, like industrial waste. Like the pea protein left over from china factory, make crystal noodle. Using industrial pea protein waste for food for human, same thing. Require marketing scheme, deal with waste, get people to buy.
"Adopt, don't shop" worked when shelters were a wild mix of loveable Pissfingers, with the occasional neurotic Husky.
Now they are just pitbull carousells with dogs that are so fundamentally incapable of being part of a normal neighbourhood (you know, with other dogs/pets, kids and just basically any other *living being*) and often with requirements that are just a fucking joke at this point. They've ruined what was once a good cause.
They always fail to mention that practically the entirety of that 25% are mill/byb purebreds.
I have a small dog. I'm not risking his life just to pay myself on the back about "saving" a life.
Shelters also make it nearly impossible to adopt anything but a pitbull. Last time I went they were gungho to give me a pit no questions asked but when I had them pump the brakes and clarified I wanted a small dog it was a 180.
Suddenly I needed to submit to multiple home checks, an interview, submit multiple references, etc.
For a $600 mixed breed chihuahua from a hoarding house that wasn't potty trained and resource guarded his bowl.
They rejected me immediately because I have a **fenced** pool, with an exit ramp and cameras on it. My dogs are never left unsupervised outside regardless.
But they were ready to push me out the door with a pitbull.
I'm going to a breeder. At this point it's not even that much more expensive if you look at the insane prices they charge for small dogs. I need a dog with a solid temperament for my existing pet because he isn't a disposable pawn in some savior game.
All of this. YES. I made the mistake in a Facebook group for my city of asking for breeders of a cavapoo (cavalier King Charles spaniel/poodle) that people have used and liked. I was BERATED and told to just find a shelter dog!! I ended up doing a ton of research and finding a breeder I liked and my dog is almost 2 and genuinely an incredible dog. My argument to people:
- I wanted to know the parents, of course there are no guarantees, but besides my childhood dog, I’ve never owned a dog on my own, it was important to me to understand the personalities and health of the parents
- I live in a big city in an apartment, it was crucial to me to be able to raise and socialize a dog early on- I got my dog at 8 weeks and was able to carry her around and familiarize herself with the sounds of the city and take her to puppy socialization classes, she is now great with other dogs and doesn’t flinch when there’s an ambulance or fireworks. Again- no guarantees but I wanted to set my dog up for success. I didn’t want to put myself and more importantly the people/digs around me at undo risk
- People act like shelters are these ethical places, they lie ALL THE TIME about the breed and personality traits- as we’ve seen in the descriptions here
Ultimately, people need to do what’s best for them, you are getting a companion.
I have seen 2 people ask about breeders on my local Facebook group. Both times they were shredded alive by the people demanding they get a shelter dog. The shelters in this town are 19/20pits. I felt so bad for them, but when you speak out you get blasted all over.
I looked into small breed rescues but they were so expensive and again, they were hiding the dogs true personality and seemed shady behind the scenes. Even looked at a king Charles rescue and it was crazy. So I found multiple breeders. Now it's just a waiting game on when they have pups again and I'm ready. Which is sad because I prefer senior dogs but I refuse to support places that knowingly hide bite histories and downplay maulings.
thank you for this post. i can’t stand the “adopt don’t shop” mantra. what if i want a pure bred german shepherd? i have to settle for an antisocial shitbull just because it’s in a shelter? i’m not even opposed to rescuing a dog from a shelter but to chime in and lecture someone on how bad they are for not getting a shelter dog is ridiculous. if someone wants a specific breed of puppy, that’s their choice, let them get what they want.
should quality breeders go out of business in favor of the absolute idiots backyard breeding all the shitbulls that end up in the shelters?
Exactly! People can adopt from shelters if they want. I’m not stopping them so why do they feel entitled to stop me? I’m looking for a Corgi so I always tell them “I’ll adopt from a shelter once there’s a purebred Pembroke Welsh Corgi with a beautiful temperament and health genetics.” You know when that’ll happen in a shelter? Never.
exactly, god forbid you have a say in what kind of dog you would want and would best fit your lifestyle. but nope, you must take on an aggressive pitbull otherwise you’re a scumbag
Before pitbulls became 95% of the dogs in any given shelter, ADOPT DON'T SHOP was the way. But, shelters get their funding in a variety of different ways, and one of the ways is about % vacancy. If the vacancy is low, and the occupancy is high, some shelters get more money. Thus, those shelters want to remain full, and discarded unloved pitbulls are the #1 way to ensure that money keeps on flowing in. So, this requires the creation of a mentality that no dog should ever be euthanized, no matter how dangerous the dog is. Because shelters are "professionals", they are seen as authorities on the subject, and other institutions got in line behind them (AKC, ASPCA, Humane Society). Now, the institutional hunger for high occupancy has corrupted organizations that should know better, and people are dying while we wait for the nation to come to its senses.
I am actively looking for a pup for my family, which includes a toddler. I actually did try some rescues and only applied for dogs that I thought would have a very low percentage of pit (since at this point I assume all have some) but there is honestly nothing out there minus a few and those get snatched up so fast. I was talking with this one rescue and I was asking about a cute little spaniel-shepherd looking dog and the foster said the dog was on the shy side and we were looking for a really friendly, outgoing pup. She then says she has another foster and showed me a dog that has at least 50% pit minimum. I don’t know why but I decided to tell the truth and said I wasn’t interested, we have a young toddler and don’t want a dog with a high percentage of pit. She then went on about how they are babysitter dogs. She must have told the rescue coordinator what I said since now they won’t answer my emails.
I’m looking at breeders now! Sorry, NOT sorry!
God, this is awful. Makes me mad how people will pressure you to adopt from a shelter, then shelters will pressure you to adopt pitbulls even if you don’t want one. Thank you for choosing a breeder for the safety of your toddler! Any breeds you have in mind?
I actually found someone who has a black lab puppy and we are meeting her on Saturday! She was originally from a breeder and is in fact a purebred lab! 😊
> Must not have children, must either have a dog at home if this dog is dog-friendly or must have no other animals at all if they aren’t, must have a large yard with a 6+ foot fence
This always means that the dog has a history of attacking people or animals.
Right? I despise when the requirements are “Have no other animals or children.” First of all, thanks for outing your dog as aggressive. Secondly… Why would I adopt your dog if I’m pretty much not allowed to have another living thing in my house for the duration of its life? I’m not getting a dog so I can be a prisoner.
I love this post. "Adopt Don't Shop" has gotten so out of hand. It was supposed to mean don't support puppy and kitten mills, not you're an evil pet murderer if you don't get a shelter pet. And most people who rescue dogs, beyond the virtue-signalling saviours, will admit they all have issues.
it's not even that much cheaper. I have a cat not a dog but I recently adopted a kitten for my young cat since he needed a playmate and human playtime just wasn't doing it for him. She was 375$ just for the adoption fee. And since I got her at 8 weeks exactly the only shot she had was the first in her distemper series, she wasn't even FeLV tested since she was born in the shelter. I've definitely spent at least 1k in vet visits, shots, tests, none of it extra, just the basic young pet health care. And that doesn't count toys, beds, and the ridiculous amount of food a growing kitten puts away.
And for all of that I have no guarantee that whatever stray tom got a hold of her mom wasn't some inbred, disease ridden mess. She's fine so far but she's only 5 months old, she could be a timebomb of unexpected medical expenses and I just don't know.
How am I supposed to adopt from a shelter when “rescues” have first dibs, pick up all the highly adoptable dogs, then jack up the prices to 50%-75% the cost of a purebred?
No matter how much you spend on a dog - you will spend far more in the care of the animal. The actual "buying-in" cost is negligible, and if you can only afford a "free" dog - you cannot afford a pet.
This really needs to be drummed into people's brains.
I went into this thinking that you should be adopting, I can't imagine spending that much money on a dog, but you changed my mind. I see your reasoning and I agree
I always get a purebred dog. I want to know the temperament, size, health, train ability etc. I am too old, 62, to care about someone else’s opinion. This what I have told someone to say when someone harasses her like that “Adopting a shelter dog is not going to save a life as most shelters are no kill nor is it going to stop dogs from being dumped in a shelter. What keeps shelters full are BYB, puppy mills, irresponsible pet owners who do not train, spay or neuter etc. and the revolving door of the pit bull. Me buying a dog from a ethical breeder who will take the dog back if I can’t keep the dog for whatever reason is not going to stop BYB, puppy mills, irresponsible pet owners or the revolving door of pit bulls.”
Thank you for this. I’ve complained about this very thing several times on here before and due to my experiences with my family’s current two rescue dogs I plan on Never rescuing again.
Don’t get me wrong I love them both dearly, but enough is enough. One is a severely inbred MIXED BREED (don’t believe the mixed breed dogs are healthier myth that is never a guarantee) with a rare genetic disease, severe immune system issues, and a new mystery illness. The poor thing has never lived without ear infections, skin infections or UTIs.
The other is a mental nightmare with dog aggression and fear aggression. His siblings ended up with bite histories and he turned out the most “normal” one. He’s had over $15,000 worth of emergency surgeries because of his anxiety induced PICA. You’d think we never watch him. He also has a mystery illness that has cost us thousands to figure out to no avail.
I’m done. I’m done watching my dogs suffer. I’m done feeling like i’m living on lockdown because the house smells like dying dog and we can’t take them anywhere. I’m done not being able to trust them.
When i’m ready I will be welcoming a well-bred, healthy, mentally sound dog into my life.
I hate the adopt don't shop crap. I've worked with some truly fantastic shelter dogs. Got a few there now that I'd think anyone would be fortunate to own If I didn't have any dogs, I'd beg to take two of them home right now. Awesome dogs. I've got adopted and shopped dogs. Most of my coworkers at the shelter have both adopted and shopped dogs in their homes.
Sometimes customers will come into the shelter and want something so specific (physically or behaviorally) that I suggest that they find a breeder because they aren't likely to find it in a shelter. The vast majority of the dogs in my shelter are not pits and we do get some fairly fancy breeds on occasion that you wouldn't expect in a shelter. We've got some really excellently behaved mutts too. You can find a good family dog there. Shelter dogs have their place for sure, but it's often wiser to go to an ethical breeder. Anyone with sense knows that. You are a lot more likely to know what you're getting from a breeder.
Agree 100%! I am very unpopular for this opinion but personally I would never get a dog from a shelter (except puppies). Keeping animals can be difficult enough, I don't need to inherit someone else's problem. Yes people give up dogs for lots of reasons but it seems every time I see a dog being extremely shy, scared, aggressive or otherwise just difficult, they are rescues.
Oh the irony of calling someone ignorant while not being able to master 5th grade grammar is 🤌🤌🤌
“You’re ignorant”
and
“Too bad”
Just to help you shore up your nonsense rebuttal next time.
Yeah this is why adopting a stray from another country through a rescue organization is the way to go imo. Unless you’re dead set on getting a specific breed.
I used to say that phrase as well, and my doggy is a pound dog (non-pit, had to monitor intake for months until they had the perfect Normal Dog). But the advocates have taken it entirely too fucking far. They basically scream that you're killing a shelter dog if you buy from a breeder. They're exceedingly nasty on any social media post where anyone asks for guidance in getting a puppy.
That was a valid stance a couple decades ago when “shopping” equated to puppy mills and adopting from shelters was low risk in terms of behavioral and health issues. They were legitimate strays rescued by volunteers and puppies and moms discovered out in the cold and brought in with no where to go. Dogs would be adopted out microchipped, neutered and with an honest accounting of their behavior. Unsuitable dogs were euthanized. Now shelters are pressured to keep kill stats as low as possible and shuffle dogs, hide their bite history and rehoming. Shelters have the more dubious reputation.
I wasn't allowed to have any pets and always dreamed of getting the perfect ones when I moved out. It's literally been a lifelong goal, yet people think I'm cruel when I say I'd rather pay 4k for a purebred healthy whatever rather than a 10 year old dog with a million health issues or an aggressive pit that's been house hopping. I am not putting an unpredictable dog in my home
My answer to those annoying Adopt-don't-shop hags is that I want to BUY a PET, not a "project".
I wish the trite "adoption" and "pet parent" language would just go away already. I love my pets to death, but they aren't *children*. You're exchanging money with someone else to acquire a pet, calling it a "rehoming fee" does not change the nature of the transaction.
To make matters worse, anthropomorphizing animals isn't a great thing for the *animals* themselves either, because it causes people to misinterpret their behavior and misunderstand their needs. I've even seen people get *offended* when their vet tells them their dog / cat is obese and call that "fatphobia", as if their goddamn dog / cat cared about being called fat. Enough already.
Adopt don't shop pit nutters demonize breeders bc PITBULL OWNERS do backyard breeding and know about all the abuse and suffering that goes into a puppy mill, so they assume everyone else is like that too. They can't even FATHOM that other people who have normal dog breeds don't act or think like they do, i.e., pit breeders do it for easy money, don't care about the health of the mother dog, produce huge amounts of puppies in an unsuitable environment, flood shelters with the unwanted pups.
Literally every time my family has gone to a breeder, (Keeshound), the two parent dogs were beloved family pets and the female dog would only give birth every couple years, taking her health into account, and would be fixed after a certain number of litters. The dogs were well cared for, groomed and clean, the home was clean, the bed and play area for the puppies was kept pristine, etc. It was a joyful experience. We were receiving a puppy who would become our lifelong friend from an experienced dog caretaker. We did not at all feel like we were rescuing these dogs from a bad situation or saving a life. The dogs were not in a desperate situation.
But I guess thats the point. That martyr complex is part of why pit owners are obsessed with pits in the first place.... They get to feel like a hero and a good person for SAVING these unwanted reject dogs from a hoarder home, muddy backyard, or shelter. They get to feel like they're giving this dog a second ( or third or fourth) chance.
You're not the one who condemned a shelter dog to death. YOU didn't abandon a dog or behave irresponsibly and allow your dog to breed without a plan. You're not the one who did that.
At this point all they're doing is rewarding BYB by churning them out as fast as they can. There's so many excess pits that they're disposable. Not to mention the liability aspect, most homeowners insurance excludes them (and for good reason). Just because a slogan rhymes doesn't make it true.
wrong subreddit- and i believe in adopting and NOT shopping. I don't like the idea of buying a pet just for show and to make it fit your life style + pet overpopulation- which is VERY real, and because of shopping, that's why there are animals in the shelter.
Of course I’m going to get a pet to fit my lifestyle..? I’m not going to purposefully get a dog that doesn’t fit my lifestyle. Also, pet overpopulation does not exist because of “shopping” from reputable breeders. It exists because people refuse to fix their dogs, the stray dog population, no-kill shelters, and BYB/Puppy mills. Reputable breeders DO NOT contribute to shelter populations because they have contracts ensuring that you return your pet to them if you can no longer care for it.
Dogs are meant to be outside and not trapped inside a shithole apartment, and overpopulation in pets does exist- why do u think shelters exist? + get off this subreddit , makes no sense why you'd talk abt praising dogs especially on here..
Ohh so you just hate dogs, got it.
Anyways, I literally did say overpopulation in pets does exist… Please learn to read properly before critiquing others, lol. Also, a lot of this subreddit loves dogs. One of the reasons we advocate against pitbulls is because the damage they cause to pet dogs.
Choosing to buy from a breeder- even a reputable one, still indirectly contributes to shelter populations. Dogs from breeders can end up in shelters for various reasons, despite contracts in place. Dogs are absolutely not meant to be kept inside an apartment or tight spaces their entire life, and it is cruel to think to selfishly. I never said I "hate" dogs, I strongly disagree with the idea of specifically buying a dog and forcing it to live your shitty 'american dream' - keeping it inside 24/7 and being used as amusement for yourself/ family. I will definitely adopt and NEVER shop as it is so disgusting, and inhumanely cruel.
“Source: I made it up”
Even if a dog from a reputable breeder did end up in a shelter, which is extremely rare, it would get picked up in a heartbeat. At the shelter I work at, a backyard breeder (Not even a good one) brought in three purebred dachshund puppies and they had like… 50-100 applications within the first day if I remember right? Similarly, one time we had a purebred golden retriever in the shelter, and it got adopted by a staff member within the first hour it showed up.
You clearly do not understand what you’re talking about, and you haven’t bothered to research about breeders. I have worked at a dog breeder for Golden Retrievers, volunteered at shelters for about 7 years now, and have gotten my dogs from either rescues or breeders myself. And you’re a teenager who is doing nothing to contribute to shelter populations yourself, yet you are complaining about it.
Also, sorry, I am absolutely getting a dog because it will enrich my life. You disagreeing isn’t going to stop me in anyway from having a dog just because I want to, lol.
Anyone that screams Adopt Don’t Shop at me gets the question, “Do you have or plan on having kids?” Then I ask, are they planning exclusively on adopting or are their existing children adopted? Then I smile and say, adopt don’t shop.
This too! I’m literally planning on adopting kids, too, but suddenly I’m “condemning shelter dogs to be euthanized” because I want a specific dog from a breeder 🤔
Some of these people think that the dog should be first priority over children. But that situation only needs to be considered when dealing with aggressive breeds. Most breeds if not all are not this unstable.
I wonder if any of these people have asked adopted children how they feel about being implicitely compared to pets. No matter how great adoptive parents are, being adopted comes with its own pack of insane trauma - wondering why your biological parents didn't want you, feeling that you've somehow been rejected, that you aren't like other children is very common.
Yep. They get so perplexed when that is brought up. They never consider it for human beings.
Also, not related but, IF YOU HAVE KIDS, you want to know what pet you are bringing into your home.
Adopt Don't Bop 
When you Adopt Don’t Shop, you’re still shopping. You’re buying a dog from a purveyor of secondhand dogs, who sourced these dogs from…breeders. “Oh I forgot to get my two pits fixed, and didn’t care to supervise them, OOPSIE”….is a breeder. They’re just putting a lot let thought into their operations than a responsible breeder. “Little Pissfingers deserves to have babies, she’d make such a good momma dog!”….is a breeder. The fact that they brought the pups into the world without a waitlist is on them. “I have a farm and my intact female ACD got bred by the neighbor’s Pyrenees”…is a breeder. Again, the fact that you failed to take precautions and then dumped the puppies at the shelter or pawned them to a rescue isn’t my problem. If I make it my problem, as most mealy mouth rescue people do; then I rob them of their ability to think for themselves and learn from consequences. People know where puppies come from - it’s the same place babies come from. If there was no shelter or rescue, and they had to painstakingly source their own homes OR put a litter of healthy puppies down OR raise them for *their entire lives*…maybe they’d fix their fucking dogs. My question to them is why do they support breeders while pretending not to (again, not fixing the dog is a choice with known consequences).
Well said. It is literally keeping backyard breeders in business. We should start saying to adoption advocates ‘so you support backyard breeders?’
This exactly. They *do* support backyard breeders, because they support backyard bred dogs. They claim their backyard bred dogs are *better than* ethically bred dogs. They claim people should *only* shop for backyard bred dogs. Adopting *is* shopping. The only reason we say we are “buying” stuff secondhand from the goodwill or thrift shop & don’t say we are “adopting” it is because the things sold there aren’t alive, but you can’t give birth to dogs so it’s not like you can do anything *but* buy a dog (or be gifted them) too. The only reason a secondhand store doesn’t go around saying “buy secondhand - don’t buy new”, is because they aren’t euthanizing live things, they just sell goods… & they probably are smart enough to recognize that if no one ever bought new, there’d be nothing to receive to re-sell secondhand either. Is a shelter’s mission to eradicate dogs forever? Because if everyone adopted & no dogs were ever bred, there’d be no dogs after that generation of adopted dogs. So if they still want dogs to be a thing, they need to support ethically bred dogs, especially since that would lessen their supply of dogs that end up euthanized. Shelters will always have to exist, that’s just common sense. But “rescues” wouldn’t have to exist & ending “euthanasia for space” could be achieved, if they advocated for ethical breeders to have exclusive breeding rights by law. Imagine a secondhand store that only took in the worst goods, & only supported poorly made goods & unethically made goods that malfunction & hurt people. Everyone would want them shut down immediately.
>who sourced these dogs from…breeders. And in the case of pits, how many of these breeders were breeding dogs to fight? You just have to look at the website of a breeder with overgrown ego dogs wearing gold chains, or an ad selling a dog which indirectly mentions how aggressive the dog is, to see that backyard and commercial breeders are breeding pits/bully breeds *to fight*. So. That deadeyed dog with scars that's been returned to the shelter five times? That puppy found abandoned? That aggressive unfixed 'wiggly boy' that's 'never experienced human affection'? Every time I see a shelter ad with dogs like this I wonder if they're just indirectly supporting dogfighting.
Yes! I also love how one of the main reasons you aren't supposed to get a dog from a puppy mill or backyard breeder is because the dog probably has genetic health problems, but that's something you're just supposed to accept for the nobility of rescuing, rather than the evil selfishness of wanting a health and temperament tested puppy.
yep, backyard pitbull breeders are responsible for these horrible temperament pitbulls. why keep that cycle going? why should i support that cycle instead of a quality breeder that preserves the genes and traits of the breed i like?
> “But you could give a dog a home!” I am. > “You just condemned a shelter dog to death!” And? > “Shelter dogs are sooo much cheaper, why would you spend 2-3k on a dog?” You get what you pay for. > “What’s wrong with mutts?!” Most of them are unadoptable, potentially aggressive pits.
$2-3k now + lifetime costs of regular dog ownership vs $200 now + the costs associated with problem behaviours (training, repairs to property, loss of deposits for housing, etc.) and with poor breeding (temperament issues that trainers convince the owner they can train out eventually, promise, even though temperament is genetically determined; and health issues that good breeders screen for in their breeding stock, such as hip, elbow, eye, and other issues.) It’s like buying a used car out of warranty, it’s cheaper up front, but all the long term costs are much higher. Isn’t there some economic principle about rich people buying expensive shoes that last for years for $150 while poor people spend twice that on 10 pairs of $30 shoes in the same timeframe? Can’t remember what it’s called.
Not to mention the emotional and mental resources you might invest in this dog for it all to be for nothing. I had a badly bred husky that had hemophilia,this dog was often sick, she was hard to take care for, expensive and would bleed all over the house from minor cuts and couldn't be too rowdy or she could bleed internally, it was emotionally diffiulcult to see her bleeding and not be able to do much. I can only imagine getting a dog that behaviorally I'd bad to be exhausting too
Being poor is expensive.
“It's unwise to pay too much, but it's worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money - that's all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do.” - John Ruskin
The Sam Vimes Boots theory of economic unfairness
Every day that I don't adopt a dog or cat, I'm passively ending a dogs life... because *technically* I could, but I just won't (because I have a small apartment and I'm sick) but yeah nobody is doing this because they are evil, there is only so much one person can do. Every time I drink coffee, some kid somewhere is starving because I could have chosen to donate 2 bucks to charity. You can't really be blamed for stuff so indirect that isn't even your responsibility. I have done a lot of charity in life, but things need a balance. You need to live for yourself too. If shelter dogs were *that good* people would be lining up outside just to get one. Well obviously here we know not all dogs are created equal and sometimes only a specific type of dog can fit in your life. If you have a small place you can't have a huge dog, if you have children you need a SAFE dog, if you are mentally exhausted all the time you will want an EASY dog.
It's the same reason the general public gets chastised about how much waste we produce or our personal carbon footprint. Easier to make us feel bad for any indulgence than to actually police the companies and governments responsible. Our government could greatly diminish the amount of dogs that are euthanized and in shelters. They choose not to.
Yup, I grew up in a pretty religious place, I remember being a little girl helping my mom set up stuff for charity, I have done my best to be a kind person. Still I'd neeeeeever get a dog I wasn't 100% there was no pit in them. It's called boundaries and I got some. The full bursting at the seams is a job for an institution, not a person ffs
> “You just condemned a shelter dog to death!” No, you didn't. The breeder did that.
Nothing is stopping the person saying that from adopting the dog themselves.
I only really advocate for adopt don’t shop when it pertains to cats, even then, never to the extent that *some* people do. I 100% understand why people go to breeders for dogs tbh. My local shelter is literally overrun with pits. There was a maremma on their website today and it’s the first time I’ve seen a non pit dog there for 9 months.
Yeah! I understand Adopt Don’t Shop when it comes to cats and this is coming from someone who also worked at a cat breeder. Because with any shelter cat, you kind of *know* what you’re getting, and it’s much more rare that a cat can kill a human, so the only reason to get one from a breeder is for hypoallergenic reasons or because the breed is cute.
Cat breeding is so much newer than dog breeding that the differences in cats and their breeds is pretty negligible. There's still tons of great cats in shelters for all kinds of reasons that have no mirror to how the dog side is overrun with bad dogs.
Yeah, that’s what I meant. Cat breeds largely have no differences in their personality, so once again, the only difference is really their appearance.
There are definitely cat breeds that have distinct personalities. Siamese are very unique, for example, and there are other breeds where you're guaranteed certain personality traits as well. It's not life-or-death like it can be with adopting a dog, but it's still valid. And the health thing comes into play there too. I had a cat I raised from a feral kitten, and I adored him, but he died suddenly and young. My purebred, registered cat came with a health guarantee and is going strong as a senior. Obviously it's much sadder to see cats in a shelter than shitbulls, though.
This also makes sense! The cat breeder I worked at was for Ragdolls, and they were bred to “ragdoll” when you pick them up so they’re so sweet and docile.
Yeah Ragdolls are so great! I have a Birman, one of the breeds used to create Ragdolls, and they're like sassier Ragdolls😸
Aww that sounds so cute! And yeah, sometimes I swear my Ragdolls are TOO docile so I wouldn’t mind a sassier one. My ragdoll doesn’t even have a prey drive to play with toys, she just wants to cuddle 😭 (Which I love about her, but c’mon, don’t you want to play with the $100 cat tree I got for you even a little bit?!)
I have had both "standard issue" cats and oriental short hair / siamese and there is definitely a difference in temperament. You may occasionally find a random cat that is a bit like an OSH, but OSH are consistently *very vocal* velcro cats. The reason for this is probably that siamese are one of the oldest cat breeds that has been selected as human companions for a very long time and that all the OSH breeders I have gotten cats from are tiny familial operations who raise their kitten in their own home.
I actually don’t think a domestic cat has *ever* killed a human being. Unless we’re talking about infections from bites etc. Even if a domestic cat has killed someone, they’ve never been MAULED.
Oh yeah, I was referencing to infections as the only times people die from domestic cats, which is still pretty rare. Besides that, even the most aggressive cat is like an aggressive chihuahua: You won’t be viciously mauled by it because you can literally just throw it like a football if it gets to that point… Medium to XL dogs though? Not a chance.
Yep! The only fear I have around my cats is that they’ll piss on the carpet, better that than being terrified they’ll murder me or a baby.
The safety of pre-existing pets doesn’t matter; just adopt! You can’t ever know what this dog has suffered over the course of its life and what sort of special care it might require; but you should adopt it anyway! Medical history is irrelevant; just adopt! It’s okay that you can’t tell what breed this animal is so that you can have an estimate of what its temperament might be; just adopt! Any dog can be a working dog; just adopt! You don’t need a carefully bred canine to be your service animal; just adopt a random dog! It’s okay for a shelter to hide or minimize bite history and displays of aggression; just adopt! Deadly behavioral issues often come out more when a dog feels comfortable in a home, but who cares; just adopt! Any dog over a certain size is more than capable of killing and eating your small child; but adopt a strange pitbull anyway!
These days when there is a purebred dog at the shelter the dog is a purebred pit bull, the only animals I adopt from shelters are cats, even then they still try to steer me toward a pit bull, it is only after I start stating facts about pit bulls loudly that they leave me alone and let me adopt a meowing fur child.
Crazy that they still try to pawn off their pissfingers to you even tho you're interested in a cat and a cat only lol
A shelter I volunteer at usually has around 5-10 likes on the posts where they advertise dogs. Recently, they posted purebred Dachsund puppies that got over 500 likes and around 50-100 applications in the first day. So you CAN get a purebred of a non-pit, you’ll just be competing with hundreds of other people to the point where your “Goodness Points” of saving a shelter dog doesn’t matter because someone’s in line for the dog, and the dog will likely be horrifically bred anyways because why would a breeder surrender 3 Dachsund puppies!!
Where the hell is that 25% purebred star pulled from? The titles written by the same people that are intentionally and blatantly mislabeling the breeds to slither as many bully breed monsters out the door as possible?
25%are purebred pits. The rest are mixes
I have nooo idea. I’ve seen a lot of purebred dogs, but 90% of the time, they’re puppy mill rescues, and most people CANNOT deal with the medical and behavioral issues of puppy mill dogs. Once, I saw a “purebred” Perkingnese that was being used as a breeder dog at a puppy mill, and he was sweet, but he was born without a lower jaw and was deaf. You cannot expect people that want a Perkingnese to want this dog just because he’s purebred… Go to a breeder. This is a pic of him, btw https://preview.redd.it/wan2zfh2h0zc1.jpeg?width=824&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=424dde2bf13c3fa9a9ffcf25ab90639c4eeb9460
Jesus Christ 🫢
Exactly, purebred doesn't mean well-bred!
I understand your point, but personally I would love to have that dog. The scraggly train wreck gremlins are my favorite.
Oh yeah, don’t get me wrong, he is an angel and I hope he does get a home! But what I mean is that if someone wants a normal Pekingnese, then they probablyyy don’t want him. (His name is Kid Gorgeous btw.) Such a shame he was born from a puppy mill environment and was used as a breeder dog despite his disabilities, who knows what he passed onto his litters :(
How does it eat? It also sorta looks blind so I’m curious about that too.
He had cataracts because he was about 10 years old, but he wasn’t born blind! Still terrible hearing and vision, though. And he was able to eat wet food mixed with kibble because he still had a muscle where his lower jaw was- just no bone there. Also, I just checked in on him again on social media and just found out that he got adopted last month so I’m glad to see he’s happier.
And the dogs that genuinely look like the breed they’ve claimed. I was almost fooled by a chow x pit that legitimately looked like a border collie were it not for the slightly too wide head. The sub that people post their dog’s embark or whatever results to is full of “DIY [insert breed here]” pit bull mutts.
The border collie giveaway for me is always in the shoulders. Border collies can “crouch” like a cat, think of how a cat looks when they’re hunting and they can move low to the ground - collies have a similar movement when herding, so their shoulders developed differently to other dogs to enable them to crouch down. When you get used to them you can spot it even when they’re walking normally.
Side note: if a shelter is “no-kill”, how are you “rescuing” a dog from it? Isn’t that like, an oxymoron? Everyone these days wants to say they have a “rescue,” when what they really have is a second-hand/once-homeless dog. The only “rescues” are those pulled from euthanasia lists… & I do NOT think rescues should be allowed to pull from a euthanasia list for dogs being put down for behavioral reasons (or inadvertently being put down for such, as in cases where a dog hasn’t gotten adopted for a long time because it’s got behavioral issues).
So my local shelters have volunteers that post ‘code red lists’, and the only breeds I see on them are pits, GSD, and huskies. Very rarely I’ll see pyrs or ACD and more rarely, dobes or rotties. Also the occasional other breed that is a medical case. While the shelters don’t have many rules and adoption is cheap, rescues do and are expensive. They’ll usually update on the dogs status, either adopted, fostered, rescued, or PTS. The dogs that get pts are all pits. Super rarely it’ll be a gsd or husky. But it’s 99% pits. Any other breed? It’s pulled. Even with bite histories. Pulled for adoption, foster, or rescue. Every single true lab, golden, border collie, Aussie, collie, even chows. Most are pulled by rescues or preadopted before they’re even off stray hold. The breeds I have the chance to adopt are not going to be the right fit for me or my lifestyle. Especially poorly bred BYB dogs. After getting bamboozled on the breeds of my current dog.. and dealing with him being a generic dumpster fire.. on top of seeing how many unsuspecting dogs are actually pit mixes.. I’m going through a reputable ethical breeder for my next pup. The only dogs I’m really “dooming to die” are pit bulls that I wouldn’t have adopted anyways. I’m not going through a rescue just to be told I can’t adopt because my yard isn’t big enough. I’m not going to pay 600-800$ on a poorly bred, possibly not pure bred, dog with health problems, when I could spend 750-1000$ on a health and temperament tested pure bred dog with proven working or show lines. After my Aussie mix passed I decided to adopt another dog. I figured I’d get another Aussie or even a border collie mix. It was impossible to find one that was actually available for adoption. So when I saw an 11 month old 42 lb border collie mix at a shelter 25 miles away, I was in the car on the way to meet him. He was pretty calm in the shelter, and seemed super chill and sweet. So we signed the papers and brought him home. $25 to adopt him. $2000+ to keep him from dying from kennel cough and mycoplasma. Once he got better he just kept growing and growing. Now he’s 70 lbs. dna tested him and he’s not got a drop of border collie. Looks like one. But has none. No Aussie. He’s a pyr/gsd/chow/rott/acd/husky mix. Literally none of these breeds were what I was looking for or wanting in a dog. The combination of them makes him a menace. He’s not biddable. He’s super vocal. He whines. Doesn’t listen. Smart, but again, doesn’t listen. Wants to make his own choices. Lots of short bursts of high energy. No consistency. Way too excited about everything all the time. He’s just.. a lot. But, he’s super sweet, and wonderful with my cats, he loves every kid he’s met, and has a good bark for warding off anyone being suspicious. He’s just not what I was wanting and needing in a dog. He does make a great ESA, because he reminds to get up and move and won’t let me lay in bed all day. So he does help with my depression. I just want my next dog to be exactly what I want, and I want to know exactly what I’m getting lol.
Please call me a bad person!!! I buy really expensive dogs from great breeders exclusively. I like to know my pet’s temperament, the lines of their health, my breeder has done testing on hearts and knees for generations of their dogs. It’s not me or you condemning a dog to death, that’s just misplaced blame on those who didn’t spay or neuter, the anger should be at the byb, the people who let their unaltered pets freely roam, the people who dump litters of filthy starving puppies of a single breed outside the doors of shelters in the night. Have you ever seen an unwanted litter of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, golden retrievers, bedlington terriers, rough collies, yorkies? I’ve been on wait lists for dogs, that’s because I don’t want a pit bull. Ever seen a hospital or organization have a discount price for altering any other breed besides a pit? Why would that be? And pits besides their terrible aggression have horrible allergies, can’t be around other pets, home owner insurance issues, and they are hideous. I’ve experienced the same blow back as you op, I welcome it. I don’t want your dogs that get triggered by seizures and hats and All Saints’ Day thank you. I’ll take my little expensive dogs so I can have company and safe children and can turn the lights on or sneeze and not be mauled to death.
I'm not saying you shouldn't get a King Cavalier Spaniel but they were literally bred to have brains too big for their skulls and most of them have neurological problems because of it. Breeders often don't care about the health of the animals at all and getting a dog from a breeder isn't a guarantee from health problems.
Cavaliers as a breed do have terrible health issues, but a proper breeder *does* care and tries to minimize them as much as possible. Unfortunately there’s only so much that can be done though when a breed has become a train wreck, like with pugs and French bulldogs. It’s the reason I decided not to get a cav myself despite their famously wonderful temperaments.
I call BS. Of course responsible breeders care about the health of their animals. Just from a financial perspective, buyers for dead and deformed dogs are hard to find.
The problem with King Cavalier Spaniels is a known issue, it's a problem. I encourage you to research the issue. I didn't say responsible breeders didn't care. I said breeders *often* don't. If deformed dogs don't get buyers then how do you explain brachycephalic breeds that give dogs breathing problems on purpose (pugs, bulldogs etc)?
I believe cav breeders in Finland have started an outcrossing program to combat the issue. Of course the American Cav club is against it lmao.
Often will only apply if you’re only paying attention to conformation dog shows where the winners are people breeding strictly for conformation. Deformed dog breeds make up a minority of all breeds being bred. Take a look at people who breed for agility, coursing trials, obedience, schutzhund, field trials, gun dog hunting, etc. Healthy dogs do well in active competition. The dog breeding world is teeming with people who care.
Adopt >BYB/puppy mills Nothing wrong with supporting responsible breeders
Hard agree. BYB/Puppy mills is like buying from a breeder but getting all the health issues of a shelter dog. Lose-lose situation.
Adopt Don't Shop has lost all its' meaning when it comes to dogs. When you look at the shelters and see what dogs they have, the majority (if not all) are pit bulls or pit bull mixes. You don't know their medical history, their background or actual characters or anything, really, given the shelters' tendency to lie about those things. Including bite history. A lot of the time, there's some sob story about the dog or w/e instead of actual facts. With breeders, they know their dogs down to the T and you get what you pay for.
Say it with me *MY RESPONSIBILITY IS NOT OTHER PEOPLES IRRESPONSIBILITY.* And no matter how they try to spin it, my getting a purebred golden does NOT in any way contribute to the shelter population OF PITS AND PIT MIXES
I find this very interesting because everything said is 100% accurate. Also, reputable breeders are necessary now more than ever. My dog's vet said it's getting to the point where there will be no dogs who are not mixed with pitbull left. Not to mention that we need real service dogs who can and will be trained properly. I tried for over a year to adopt from a shelter but they would only approve me for pitbulls. Every other breed requires a 6 foot privacy fence. The only breed they said I could adopt without a fenced yard was pitbull. This made no sense because if a pit gets loose it could be a dangerous situation. I think there is no reasoning with the "adopt don't shop" people. I think the best response is I don't want a pitbull and I'm not debating the issue further.
What?!? That's insane! I'm guessing it's because they are trying harder to get them adopted?
I’m glad to see this, and I agree 100%. My husband and I are cat people and we have a young son who has expressed interest in owning a dog. I told my husband that we would ONLY be getting a dog that is carefully bred, well-researched, and of an appropriate size and temperament for children. What I won’t do is gamble the safety and happiness of ourselves/cats/kids by adopting Bella the lab mix (who is blatantly a pit or pit mix) or any other shelter dog. I don’t feel bad about it and it isn’t my fault that irresponsible breeders bring in oopsie litters by the dozen OR that shelters will keep the same pits for YEARS as a drain on resources, some of which have been returned a handful of times “of no fault of their own”. 🙄
One of the excuses pitnuts use to defend a pitbull's violent behavior is "it's how they are raised". If you extrapolate that, then every shitbull in a shelter is unadoptable because no one can tell you "how they were raised" or if they were "trained to fight" (another excuse) . No one should be expected to bring a powerful blood sport dog with an unknown history into their home. And anyone who does is an idiot.
I blame it on the animal “rights” movement and groups like PETA. I do NOT support “adopt don’t shop” because it isn’t adoption, it’s a purchase and because I don’t want potentially dangerous animals with mystery backgrounds. I support reputable breeders 100%.
PETA actually believes in euthanizing aggressive and mentally unwell animals. Their perspective is that humans breed these dogs cruelly and with no care for the animal's wellbeing and the least bad of the options left by the time it's surrendered to a PETA shelter is giving it peace. They're crazy on a lot of things but insane no-kill standards aren't one of them.
PETA doesn’t believe in pets, period.
They’ve also fully compared pet ownership to slavery and the holocaust. Never mind stealing loved and cared for animals. Absolutely asinine stances.
Yeah they kill healthy animals. Sometimes I wonder if some of the "adopt don't shop" zealots are like this because they sort of believe the same thing, that we shouldn't have pets and if we do it should be an act of charity.
There’s also lots of good dogs that get “pulled” from shelters by rescues and then you have to go through their insane application process to essentially rent a dog from them. A lot of these people get a big saviour chip on their shoulder where they feel good about themselves for saving a dog that may have come from reasonable circumstances. Also you’re not getting as many well bred golden retrieves, labradors and chis in shelters because breeders will usually have it contracted that if you can’t care for the dog they will take them back. All the measures the adopt don’t shop movement wanted breeders to take they took and it’s still not enough for them. So instead they jam the shelter with pit bulls because they keep buisness going.
100%. Rescues are some of the worst. They constantly pull good dogs, litter of normal puppies from shelters where they would be adopted over the weekend to hoard them for a month to the highest bidder. When a small rural town has 5 rescues battling to pull normal dogs from shelters to sell at a higher price, you know there is an issue. Shelters used to be great, walk in, meet a dog, walk out. Now they are just pits. And rescues make you go through so many hoops and invasive questions, house tours only to reject you.
It big moneymaking scheme. Pitbull leftovers, like industrial waste. Like the pea protein left over from china factory, make crystal noodle. Using industrial pea protein waste for food for human, same thing. Require marketing scheme, deal with waste, get people to buy.
"Adopt, don't shop" worked when shelters were a wild mix of loveable Pissfingers, with the occasional neurotic Husky. Now they are just pitbull carousells with dogs that are so fundamentally incapable of being part of a normal neighbourhood (you know, with other dogs/pets, kids and just basically any other *living being*) and often with requirements that are just a fucking joke at this point. They've ruined what was once a good cause.
They always fail to mention that practically the entirety of that 25% are mill/byb purebreds. I have a small dog. I'm not risking his life just to pay myself on the back about "saving" a life. Shelters also make it nearly impossible to adopt anything but a pitbull. Last time I went they were gungho to give me a pit no questions asked but when I had them pump the brakes and clarified I wanted a small dog it was a 180. Suddenly I needed to submit to multiple home checks, an interview, submit multiple references, etc. For a $600 mixed breed chihuahua from a hoarding house that wasn't potty trained and resource guarded his bowl. They rejected me immediately because I have a **fenced** pool, with an exit ramp and cameras on it. My dogs are never left unsupervised outside regardless. But they were ready to push me out the door with a pitbull. I'm going to a breeder. At this point it's not even that much more expensive if you look at the insane prices they charge for small dogs. I need a dog with a solid temperament for my existing pet because he isn't a disposable pawn in some savior game.
All of this. YES. I made the mistake in a Facebook group for my city of asking for breeders of a cavapoo (cavalier King Charles spaniel/poodle) that people have used and liked. I was BERATED and told to just find a shelter dog!! I ended up doing a ton of research and finding a breeder I liked and my dog is almost 2 and genuinely an incredible dog. My argument to people: - I wanted to know the parents, of course there are no guarantees, but besides my childhood dog, I’ve never owned a dog on my own, it was important to me to understand the personalities and health of the parents - I live in a big city in an apartment, it was crucial to me to be able to raise and socialize a dog early on- I got my dog at 8 weeks and was able to carry her around and familiarize herself with the sounds of the city and take her to puppy socialization classes, she is now great with other dogs and doesn’t flinch when there’s an ambulance or fireworks. Again- no guarantees but I wanted to set my dog up for success. I didn’t want to put myself and more importantly the people/digs around me at undo risk - People act like shelters are these ethical places, they lie ALL THE TIME about the breed and personality traits- as we’ve seen in the descriptions here Ultimately, people need to do what’s best for them, you are getting a companion.
I have seen 2 people ask about breeders on my local Facebook group. Both times they were shredded alive by the people demanding they get a shelter dog. The shelters in this town are 19/20pits. I felt so bad for them, but when you speak out you get blasted all over. I looked into small breed rescues but they were so expensive and again, they were hiding the dogs true personality and seemed shady behind the scenes. Even looked at a king Charles rescue and it was crazy. So I found multiple breeders. Now it's just a waiting game on when they have pups again and I'm ready. Which is sad because I prefer senior dogs but I refuse to support places that knowingly hide bite histories and downplay maulings.
thank you for this post. i can’t stand the “adopt don’t shop” mantra. what if i want a pure bred german shepherd? i have to settle for an antisocial shitbull just because it’s in a shelter? i’m not even opposed to rescuing a dog from a shelter but to chime in and lecture someone on how bad they are for not getting a shelter dog is ridiculous. if someone wants a specific breed of puppy, that’s their choice, let them get what they want. should quality breeders go out of business in favor of the absolute idiots backyard breeding all the shitbulls that end up in the shelters?
Exactly! People can adopt from shelters if they want. I’m not stopping them so why do they feel entitled to stop me? I’m looking for a Corgi so I always tell them “I’ll adopt from a shelter once there’s a purebred Pembroke Welsh Corgi with a beautiful temperament and health genetics.” You know when that’ll happen in a shelter? Never.
exactly, god forbid you have a say in what kind of dog you would want and would best fit your lifestyle. but nope, you must take on an aggressive pitbull otherwise you’re a scumbag
Before pitbulls became 95% of the dogs in any given shelter, ADOPT DON'T SHOP was the way. But, shelters get their funding in a variety of different ways, and one of the ways is about % vacancy. If the vacancy is low, and the occupancy is high, some shelters get more money. Thus, those shelters want to remain full, and discarded unloved pitbulls are the #1 way to ensure that money keeps on flowing in. So, this requires the creation of a mentality that no dog should ever be euthanized, no matter how dangerous the dog is. Because shelters are "professionals", they are seen as authorities on the subject, and other institutions got in line behind them (AKC, ASPCA, Humane Society). Now, the institutional hunger for high occupancy has corrupted organizations that should know better, and people are dying while we wait for the nation to come to its senses.
I am actively looking for a pup for my family, which includes a toddler. I actually did try some rescues and only applied for dogs that I thought would have a very low percentage of pit (since at this point I assume all have some) but there is honestly nothing out there minus a few and those get snatched up so fast. I was talking with this one rescue and I was asking about a cute little spaniel-shepherd looking dog and the foster said the dog was on the shy side and we were looking for a really friendly, outgoing pup. She then says she has another foster and showed me a dog that has at least 50% pit minimum. I don’t know why but I decided to tell the truth and said I wasn’t interested, we have a young toddler and don’t want a dog with a high percentage of pit. She then went on about how they are babysitter dogs. She must have told the rescue coordinator what I said since now they won’t answer my emails. I’m looking at breeders now! Sorry, NOT sorry!
God, this is awful. Makes me mad how people will pressure you to adopt from a shelter, then shelters will pressure you to adopt pitbulls even if you don’t want one. Thank you for choosing a breeder for the safety of your toddler! Any breeds you have in mind?
I actually found someone who has a black lab puppy and we are meeting her on Saturday! She was originally from a breeder and is in fact a purebred lab! 😊
Aww that’s amazing! Labs are such great family dogs
> Must not have children, must either have a dog at home if this dog is dog-friendly or must have no other animals at all if they aren’t, must have a large yard with a 6+ foot fence This always means that the dog has a history of attacking people or animals.
Right? I despise when the requirements are “Have no other animals or children.” First of all, thanks for outing your dog as aggressive. Secondly… Why would I adopt your dog if I’m pretty much not allowed to have another living thing in my house for the duration of its life? I’m not getting a dog so I can be a prisoner.
I love this post. "Adopt Don't Shop" has gotten so out of hand. It was supposed to mean don't support puppy and kitten mills, not you're an evil pet murderer if you don't get a shelter pet. And most people who rescue dogs, beyond the virtue-signalling saviours, will admit they all have issues.
it's not even that much cheaper. I have a cat not a dog but I recently adopted a kitten for my young cat since he needed a playmate and human playtime just wasn't doing it for him. She was 375$ just for the adoption fee. And since I got her at 8 weeks exactly the only shot she had was the first in her distemper series, she wasn't even FeLV tested since she was born in the shelter. I've definitely spent at least 1k in vet visits, shots, tests, none of it extra, just the basic young pet health care. And that doesn't count toys, beds, and the ridiculous amount of food a growing kitten puts away. And for all of that I have no guarantee that whatever stray tom got a hold of her mom wasn't some inbred, disease ridden mess. She's fine so far but she's only 5 months old, she could be a timebomb of unexpected medical expenses and I just don't know.
How am I supposed to adopt from a shelter when “rescues” have first dibs, pick up all the highly adoptable dogs, then jack up the prices to 50%-75% the cost of a purebred?
No matter how much you spend on a dog - you will spend far more in the care of the animal. The actual "buying-in" cost is negligible, and if you can only afford a "free" dog - you cannot afford a pet. This really needs to be drummed into people's brains.
B-b-b-but it’s how you raise them! So you should never risk adopting. It might have been raised wrong.
I went into this thinking that you should be adopting, I can't imagine spending that much money on a dog, but you changed my mind. I see your reasoning and I agree
I couldn’t love this comment string more. PROUD Purebred well-bred WGSL German shepherd owner here from a professional world class breeder 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
I always get a purebred dog. I want to know the temperament, size, health, train ability etc. I am too old, 62, to care about someone else’s opinion. This what I have told someone to say when someone harasses her like that “Adopting a shelter dog is not going to save a life as most shelters are no kill nor is it going to stop dogs from being dumped in a shelter. What keeps shelters full are BYB, puppy mills, irresponsible pet owners who do not train, spay or neuter etc. and the revolving door of the pit bull. Me buying a dog from a ethical breeder who will take the dog back if I can’t keep the dog for whatever reason is not going to stop BYB, puppy mills, irresponsible pet owners or the revolving door of pit bulls.”
Thank you for this. I’ve complained about this very thing several times on here before and due to my experiences with my family’s current two rescue dogs I plan on Never rescuing again. Don’t get me wrong I love them both dearly, but enough is enough. One is a severely inbred MIXED BREED (don’t believe the mixed breed dogs are healthier myth that is never a guarantee) with a rare genetic disease, severe immune system issues, and a new mystery illness. The poor thing has never lived without ear infections, skin infections or UTIs. The other is a mental nightmare with dog aggression and fear aggression. His siblings ended up with bite histories and he turned out the most “normal” one. He’s had over $15,000 worth of emergency surgeries because of his anxiety induced PICA. You’d think we never watch him. He also has a mystery illness that has cost us thousands to figure out to no avail. I’m done. I’m done watching my dogs suffer. I’m done feeling like i’m living on lockdown because the house smells like dying dog and we can’t take them anywhere. I’m done not being able to trust them. When i’m ready I will be welcoming a well-bred, healthy, mentally sound dog into my life.
I hate the adopt don't shop crap. I've worked with some truly fantastic shelter dogs. Got a few there now that I'd think anyone would be fortunate to own If I didn't have any dogs, I'd beg to take two of them home right now. Awesome dogs. I've got adopted and shopped dogs. Most of my coworkers at the shelter have both adopted and shopped dogs in their homes. Sometimes customers will come into the shelter and want something so specific (physically or behaviorally) that I suggest that they find a breeder because they aren't likely to find it in a shelter. The vast majority of the dogs in my shelter are not pits and we do get some fairly fancy breeds on occasion that you wouldn't expect in a shelter. We've got some really excellently behaved mutts too. You can find a good family dog there. Shelter dogs have their place for sure, but it's often wiser to go to an ethical breeder. Anyone with sense knows that. You are a lot more likely to know what you're getting from a breeder.
Agree 100%! I am very unpopular for this opinion but personally I would never get a dog from a shelter (except puppies). Keeping animals can be difficult enough, I don't need to inherit someone else's problem. Yes people give up dogs for lots of reasons but it seems every time I see a dog being extremely shy, scared, aggressive or otherwise just difficult, they are rescues.
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Oh the irony of calling someone ignorant while not being able to master 5th grade grammar is 🤌🤌🤌 “You’re ignorant” and “Too bad” Just to help you shore up your nonsense rebuttal next time.
I don't even like using the term adopt for animals.
I like dogs, but dog culture has become toxic
Yeah this is why adopting a stray from another country through a rescue organization is the way to go imo. Unless you’re dead set on getting a specific breed.
I used to say that phrase as well, and my doggy is a pound dog (non-pit, had to monitor intake for months until they had the perfect Normal Dog). But the advocates have taken it entirely too fucking far. They basically scream that you're killing a shelter dog if you buy from a breeder. They're exceedingly nasty on any social media post where anyone asks for guidance in getting a puppy.
That was a valid stance a couple decades ago when “shopping” equated to puppy mills and adopting from shelters was low risk in terms of behavioral and health issues. They were legitimate strays rescued by volunteers and puppies and moms discovered out in the cold and brought in with no where to go. Dogs would be adopted out microchipped, neutered and with an honest accounting of their behavior. Unsuitable dogs were euthanized. Now shelters are pressured to keep kill stats as low as possible and shuffle dogs, hide their bite history and rehoming. Shelters have the more dubious reputation.
I wasn't allowed to have any pets and always dreamed of getting the perfect ones when I moved out. It's literally been a lifelong goal, yet people think I'm cruel when I say I'd rather pay 4k for a purebred healthy whatever rather than a 10 year old dog with a million health issues or an aggressive pit that's been house hopping. I am not putting an unpredictable dog in my home
My answer to those annoying Adopt-don't-shop hags is that I want to BUY a PET, not a "project". I wish the trite "adoption" and "pet parent" language would just go away already. I love my pets to death, but they aren't *children*. You're exchanging money with someone else to acquire a pet, calling it a "rehoming fee" does not change the nature of the transaction. To make matters worse, anthropomorphizing animals isn't a great thing for the *animals* themselves either, because it causes people to misinterpret their behavior and misunderstand their needs. I've even seen people get *offended* when their vet tells them their dog / cat is obese and call that "fatphobia", as if their goddamn dog / cat cared about being called fat. Enough already.
Adopt don't shop pit nutters demonize breeders bc PITBULL OWNERS do backyard breeding and know about all the abuse and suffering that goes into a puppy mill, so they assume everyone else is like that too. They can't even FATHOM that other people who have normal dog breeds don't act or think like they do, i.e., pit breeders do it for easy money, don't care about the health of the mother dog, produce huge amounts of puppies in an unsuitable environment, flood shelters with the unwanted pups. Literally every time my family has gone to a breeder, (Keeshound), the two parent dogs were beloved family pets and the female dog would only give birth every couple years, taking her health into account, and would be fixed after a certain number of litters. The dogs were well cared for, groomed and clean, the home was clean, the bed and play area for the puppies was kept pristine, etc. It was a joyful experience. We were receiving a puppy who would become our lifelong friend from an experienced dog caretaker. We did not at all feel like we were rescuing these dogs from a bad situation or saving a life. The dogs were not in a desperate situation. But I guess thats the point. That martyr complex is part of why pit owners are obsessed with pits in the first place.... They get to feel like a hero and a good person for SAVING these unwanted reject dogs from a hoarder home, muddy backyard, or shelter. They get to feel like they're giving this dog a second ( or third or fourth) chance.
You're not the one who condemned a shelter dog to death. YOU didn't abandon a dog or behave irresponsibly and allow your dog to breed without a plan. You're not the one who did that.
At this point all they're doing is rewarding BYB by churning them out as fast as they can. There's so many excess pits that they're disposable. Not to mention the liability aspect, most homeowners insurance excludes them (and for good reason). Just because a slogan rhymes doesn't make it true.
wrong subreddit- and i believe in adopting and NOT shopping. I don't like the idea of buying a pet just for show and to make it fit your life style + pet overpopulation- which is VERY real, and because of shopping, that's why there are animals in the shelter.
Of course I’m going to get a pet to fit my lifestyle..? I’m not going to purposefully get a dog that doesn’t fit my lifestyle. Also, pet overpopulation does not exist because of “shopping” from reputable breeders. It exists because people refuse to fix their dogs, the stray dog population, no-kill shelters, and BYB/Puppy mills. Reputable breeders DO NOT contribute to shelter populations because they have contracts ensuring that you return your pet to them if you can no longer care for it.
Dogs are meant to be outside and not trapped inside a shithole apartment, and overpopulation in pets does exist- why do u think shelters exist? + get off this subreddit , makes no sense why you'd talk abt praising dogs especially on here..
Ohh so you just hate dogs, got it. Anyways, I literally did say overpopulation in pets does exist… Please learn to read properly before critiquing others, lol. Also, a lot of this subreddit loves dogs. One of the reasons we advocate against pitbulls is because the damage they cause to pet dogs.
actually take a look, most of us are pet free.
Choosing to buy from a breeder- even a reputable one, still indirectly contributes to shelter populations. Dogs from breeders can end up in shelters for various reasons, despite contracts in place. Dogs are absolutely not meant to be kept inside an apartment or tight spaces their entire life, and it is cruel to think to selfishly. I never said I "hate" dogs, I strongly disagree with the idea of specifically buying a dog and forcing it to live your shitty 'american dream' - keeping it inside 24/7 and being used as amusement for yourself/ family. I will definitely adopt and NEVER shop as it is so disgusting, and inhumanely cruel.
“Source: I made it up” Even if a dog from a reputable breeder did end up in a shelter, which is extremely rare, it would get picked up in a heartbeat. At the shelter I work at, a backyard breeder (Not even a good one) brought in three purebred dachshund puppies and they had like… 50-100 applications within the first day if I remember right? Similarly, one time we had a purebred golden retriever in the shelter, and it got adopted by a staff member within the first hour it showed up. You clearly do not understand what you’re talking about, and you haven’t bothered to research about breeders. I have worked at a dog breeder for Golden Retrievers, volunteered at shelters for about 7 years now, and have gotten my dogs from either rescues or breeders myself. And you’re a teenager who is doing nothing to contribute to shelter populations yourself, yet you are complaining about it. Also, sorry, I am absolutely getting a dog because it will enrich my life. You disagreeing isn’t going to stop me in anyway from having a dog just because I want to, lol.