"Adopt don't shop" is a play on GUILT. "Adopt Don't Shop!" is a marketing tool used by rescues and shelters. Although most mean well, it is important to remember that these organizations pray on your feelings for financial gain.
Please make the responsible choice for your family and your new furry friend. Choosing the RIGHT dog for you IS responsible and THE solution.
Contrary to popular belief,
The purchase of a well bred purebred did NOT sentence another dog to death.
The purchase of a well bred purebred did NOT cause an increase in the number of dogs in shelters.
Someone wanting a dog with a predictable temperament from healthy lineage did not cause another dog to NOT get adopted.
Someone's meticulous research and support of only the most responsible of breeders is Not the problem. It is not what you should be mad at. It is not what you should be pushing the blame onto.
I am not the one who brought these dogs into the world irresponsibly and left them in a shelter. Responsible breeders are not the ones who put dogs into shelters either.
It is my home, my life, and my choice of what kind of dog to bring into it. Maybe I needed a working dog, a sport dog, or simply a companion puppy to raise of a breed I enjoy. No matter the reason, the choice to support a reputable breeder did NOT send a shelter dog to its death.
A breeder who health tests, temperament tests, studies pedigrees, proves a dog worthy of being bred, and only lets a puppy leave on a spay/neuter contract is NOT contributing to the number of homeless dogs.
The number of homeless dogs in the world IS a problem, but it is not a problem exacerbated by a reputable breeders and those who purchase from them.
Your neighbor down the street who refuses to contain his unaltered dogs IS contributing to the problem.
Your friend who impulse bought a dog while passing a Pet store IS contributing to the problem.
That guy on Craiglist pumping out the trendiest designer mixed breeds as fast as he can IS contributing to the problem.
Your relative who HAS to let their dog have just one litter "so she can experience motherhood" or because she "just want ONE of her babies" IS contributing to the problem.
Your old high school classmate who bought a high energy working breed without taking the time to research it's needs and realize it was not a good fit for their inner city household ahead of time IS contributing to the problem.
A reputable breeder offers their lifelong support. A reputable breeder would never allow their dogs to end up in a shelter to begin with. A reputable breeder makes contractual obligation to return dogs they have produced back to them should you find yourself unable of keeping it.
It is understandable to be angry about the number of homeless dogs in the world, but if you take a deeper look, you will find your anger misplaced.
If you take a deeper look, you will find reputable breeders and those of us who purchase from them are just as angry, we are just pointing our fingers at the actual causes.
It is possible to breed well rounded healthy dogs AND still volunteer to
help the needy ones.
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