How do you justify buying from a breeder instead of rescuing a mutt?

[Anonymous]

I am a PP who posted about considering going to a breeder in a couple of years, when my current rescue dog has passed away, and we are ready for a new pet. My rescue is a wonderful dog but his anxiety has been rough to live with, now that I have kids. But with more research, I am realizing how many rescues there are now where all the dogs are in foster homes and have been vetted with kids, cats, dogs. There is also an amazing lab rescue in my area that will match a family with the right lab, even if it takes a while (and a reputable breeder is going to have a waitlist too).

I do think there is a place for reputable breeders, esp for folks who show or compete in agility or work seriously with a certain breed. But for a family pet, I did a deep dive into Petfinder this weekend and found 10-20 dogs I would make serious inquiries about if it were the right time for my family to adopt. All rescues, with dogs living in foster homes, and transport available from the South.

By the way, my local shelters generally do not have dogs that are good with kids, by their own description. That is why rescues and Petfinder are key.

[Anonymous]

My first rescue dog bit my son on the face. My next dog was from a high end breeder. Great dog. In both cases we trained them with a trainer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a PP who posted about considering going to a breeder in a couple of years, when my current rescue dog has passed away, and we are ready for a new pet. My rescue is a wonderful dog but his anxiety has been rough to live with, now that I have kids. But with more research, I am realizing how many rescues there are now where all the dogs are in foster homes and have been vetted with kids, cats, dogs. There is also an amazing lab rescue in my area that will match a family with the right lab, even if it takes a while (and a reputable breeder is going to have a waitlist too).

I do think there is a place for reputable breeders, esp for folks who show or compete in agility or work seriously with a certain breed. But for a family pet, I did a deep dive into Petfinder this weekend and found 10-20 dogs I would make serious inquiries about if it were the right time for my family to adopt. All rescues, with dogs living in foster homes, and transport available from the South.

By the way, my local shelters generally do not have dogs that are good with kids, by their own description. That is why rescues and Petfinder are key.

You can't believe anything you read on Petfinder.

[Anonymous]

I don't. I don't think I need nor do I feel like I owe it to anyone to justify it.

[Anonymous]

I have been looking at petfinder for two years. Most there are pit mixes, lab mixes or hounds.

You see very few desirable dogs. I want a cocker mix, shepherd mix or a schnauzer. You almost never see schnauzers; those seem to be dogs people don't give up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have been looking at petfinder for two years. Most there are pit mixes, lab mixes or hounds.

You see very few desirable dogs. I want a cocker mix, shepherd mix or a schnauzer. You almost never see schnauzers; those seem to be dogs people don't give up.

Our neighbor got her son a rescue puppy that she said was part cocker spaniel and part lab almost a year ago. I heard growling and barking outside today and when I looked outside the boy was trying to hold back his dog from another dog. When the other dog passed by I went outside and said hi to the neighbor boy. I looked at his dog who is almost a year and no way is the dog cocker spaniel or lab. The dog looks like a pit bull. I asked if they go to dog park and he said they can't because his dog wants to be the alpha dog and is too aggressive. They should require DNA testing to prove the dog isn't pit bull before adopting dogs out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a PP who posted about considering going to a breeder in a couple of years, when my current rescue dog has passed away, and we are ready for a new pet. My rescue is a wonderful dog but his anxiety has been rough to live with, now that I have kids. But with more research, I am realizing how many rescues there are now where all the dogs are in foster homes and have been vetted with kids, cats, dogs. There is also an amazing lab rescue in my area that will match a family with the right lab, even if it takes a while (and a reputable breeder is going to have a waitlist too).

I do think there is a place for reputable breeders, esp for folks who show or compete in agility or work seriously with a certain breed. But for a family pet, I did a deep dive into Petfinder this weekend and found 10-20 dogs I would make serious inquiries about if it were the right time for my family to adopt. All rescues, with dogs living in foster homes, and transport available from the South.

By the way, my local shelters generally do not have dogs that are good with kids, by their own description. That is why rescues and Petfinder are key.

You can't believe anything you read on Petfinder.

Of course it is only a starting point. But then you talk to the foster parent (and you have to be careful because some are crazy, but most are great). Testimonials on Facebook, and word of mouth are also key. My neighbor has an amazing dog from one of the local lab rescues. You can’t just adopt any old dog and expect it to work. But the resources are there. And a reputable breeder is another fine option for some.

[Anonymous]

I agree with you PP and I have many friends/family members who have great dogs they got through rescue. But it’s very hit or miss and it’s a myth that there are a ton of well socialized dogs out there to adopt. I watched petfinder for several years and emailed about a bunch of dogs that looked like possibilities but never heard back about any of them. I have a friend that does rescue for a retriever breed and she said that even with that easy going breed, it was really hard to find a family friendly rescue that didn’t have anxiety or other behavioral problems (like excessive chewing) and given the age of my kids, she said I’d be better off with a breeder. Again, I know lots of people with great rescue dogs, but an equal number of people with rescue dogs with serious issues (can’t be left alone, can’t be around other dogs, eats non-food items, etc.).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have been looking at petfinder for two years. Most there are pit mixes, lab mixes or hounds.

You see very few desirable dogs. I want a cocker mix, shepherd mix or a schnauzer. You almost never see schnauzers; those seem to be dogs people don't give up.

Our neighbor got her son a rescue puppy that she said was part cocker spaniel and part lab almost a year ago. I heard growling and barking outside today and when I looked outside the boy was trying to hold back his dog from another dog. When the other dog passed by I went outside and said hi to the neighbor boy. I looked at his dog who is almost a year and no way is the dog cocker spaniel or lab. The dog looks like a pit bull. I asked if they go to dog park and he said they can't because his dog wants to be the alpha dog and is too aggressive. They should require DNA testing to prove the dog isn't pit bull before adopting dogs out.

The rescues know they are lying. They just want to keep pit bulls alive and do not care about consequences to people, children, other dogs and cats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have been looking at petfinder for two years. Most there are pit mixes, lab mixes or hounds.

You see very few desirable dogs. I want a cocker mix, shepherd mix or a schnauzer. You almost never see schnauzers; those seem to be dogs people don't give up.

Our neighbor got her son a rescue puppy that she said was part cocker spaniel and part lab almost a year ago. I heard growling and barking outside today and when I looked outside the boy was trying to hold back his dog from another dog. When the other dog passed by I went outside and said hi to the neighbor boy. I looked at his dog who is almost a year and no way is the dog cocker spaniel or lab. The dog looks like a pit bull. I asked if they go to dog park and he said they can't because his dog wants to be the alpha dog and is too aggressive. They should require DNA testing to prove the dog isn't pit bull before adopting dogs out.

The rescues know they are lying. They just want to keep pit bulls alive and do not care about consequences to people, children, other dogs and cats.

+1

[Anonymous]

I bought one of my dogs directly from a breeder, one of my dogs I rescued as a puppy and another dog I bought from a pet store. They are all well loved members of our family. Our rescue dog is the biggest princess of all of them, we love her so much but I will say that we had no idea what to expect from her because she was such a mix. Ex: some dog breeds are velcro, while others are more independent by nature.

Our pure bred dogs have been pretty much exactly what their breed suggested they would be and have been a much less of an enigma than our beloved mix has been. They are all equally loved in our family and we love their very different personalities.

[Anonymous]

Allergies.

Husband needed a hypoallergenic dog. Hard to find in a rescue.

Also, several neighbors have rescue dogs with behavior problems and anxiety.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have been looking at petfinder for two years. Most there are pit mixes, lab mixes or hounds.

You see very few desirable dogs. I want a cocker mix, shepherd mix or a schnauzer. You almost never see schnauzers; those seem to be dogs people don't give up.

Our neighbor got her son a rescue puppy that she said was part cocker spaniel and part lab almost a year ago. I heard growling and barking outside today and when I looked outside the boy was trying to hold back his dog from another dog. When the other dog passed by I went outside and said hi to the neighbor boy. I looked at his dog who is almost a year and no way is the dog cocker spaniel or lab. The dog looks like a pit bull. I asked if they go to dog park and he said they can't because his dog wants to be the alpha dog and is too aggressive. They should require DNA testing to prove the dog isn't pit bull before adopting dogs out.

The rescues know they are lying. They just want to keep pit bulls alive and do not care about consequences to people, children, other dogs and cats.

+1

+100

They’ve been known to lie about bite history and number of times a dog has been rehomed as well

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have 3 kids, the youngest was 8 months old when we wanted to get a dog. I visited the shelter many times. (Fairfax Co on West Ox Rd) I rarely saw a dog that wasn't a pit bull or a pit mix. One time I saw they had puppies (unclear about the breed), and all the puppies were adopted immediately.

I think the rescues come and take all the non-pit dogs as soon as they come in. The only dogs that weren't pit usually elderly or had behavioral issues and couldn't be around small children. So I found a breeder.

I wanted a young dog that would grow up with our kids knowing it's place in the pack order, and that's what we got. A loving, sweet dog that was super easy to train and can be trusted around any child.

Wow. You checked ONE shelter. There are so many more options.

Yeah, I checked one shelter, multiple times. I'm not going to be driving all across the DMV checking shelters.

You can try to make me feel bad, but I have nothing to feel bad about.

Yes you do. You made zero effort. One shelter? Shame on you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have been looking at petfinder for two years. Most there are pit mixes, lab mixes or hounds.

You see very few desirable dogs. I want a cocker mix, shepherd mix or a schnauzer. You almost never see schnauzers; those seem to be dogs people don't give up.

Our neighbor got her son a rescue puppy that she said was part cocker spaniel and part lab almost a year ago. I heard growling and barking outside today and when I looked outside the boy was trying to hold back his dog from another dog. When the other dog passed by I went outside and said hi to the neighbor boy. I looked at his dog who is almost a year and no way is the dog cocker spaniel or lab. The dog looks like a pit bull. I asked if they go to dog park and he said they can't because his dog wants to be the alpha dog and is too aggressive. They should require DNA testing to prove the dog isn't pit bull before adopting dogs out.

The rescues know they are lying. They just want to keep pit bulls alive and do not care about consequences to people, children, other dogs and cats.

You are an idiot. Truly.