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

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]
1. We needed one of a very limited list of specific breeds known for being less allergenic (less dander). None of them could be found at local shelters or rescues.

2. Temperament is largely inherited, and we wanted to be sure of getting a sociable, friendly dog. One of the many duties of a good breeder is make the lineage characteristics known to prospective buyers. Our dog's parents and grandparents are all very social, and so is he and his littermates.

You appear to be confused about the differences between puppy mills, backyard breeders and reputable breeders. The first is by definition unethical. The second may not place the dogs' interest first, either through ignorance, lack of means, or cruelty. The third should be the only genetically and ethically sound solution to pet ownership.

Reputable breeders are passionate about their work and it usually costs them much more than any income from dog sales or stud fees. Call it an expensive second job, if you will. They attach great importance to weeding out genetically-inherited diseases that have developed through the decades by poor breeding programs, by testing every single dog they own and entering all results - both good and bad - in the national dog health database (CHIC). They do not breed unhealthy carriers.

Our breeder set a camera 24/7 in the whelping pen she had constructed in her bedroom, so that we could check on the puppies and dam at any moment, right from birth.

We saw the breeder handle the puppies every single day, as she should, to habituate them to human handling. I can clean my dog's ears, clip his nails, take away embedded thorns in his pads, clean very sensitive areas, take away his food, clean his teeth, place medication down his throat, and he will not flinch. That is a result of proper handling.

The breeder exposed them to all kinds of city and farm noises, so they wouldn't be jumpy creatures.
She leash-trained and started to potty-train them before we picked up our puppy at 9 weeks.

We visited her home, and the dogs were well cared for. Good breeders care for a small number of dogs, which live inside the home and not in a kennel. They do not breed mothers often. Our breeder manages a birth once every two years and allows two pregnancies per dam.

[/quote]

There is some wishful thinking in your post but I think most people can agree there are some responsible breeders.

But I also think it is indisputable that hundreds of thousands of perfectly good dogs are euthanized every year in this country.

And that rational people ignore the silly person(s) who keep posting that if you adopt a shelter dog it is going to turn out to be a pit bull and kill your family in the middle of the night.

So how do you justify contributing to the avoidable murder of dogs?[/quote]
How is getting a dog from a breeder contributing to murder? If I didn’t get a dog from a breeder, I just wouldn’t have a dog at all. [/quote]

Because if you didn't get a dog at all, you'd help put breeders out of business.  [/quote]

I'm the first PP in this chain. Let me point out that:

A. I would never adopt a dog whose antecedents I didn't know and who wasn't part of the list of less allergenic dogs. 
B. We should all SUPPORT the best breeders in their work to clean up dog lines from years of unhealthy breeding. They produce dogs that are healthy in mind and body. As I have said before on this forum, they should receive a national certification to identify themselves to the public and distinguish themselves from the rest. Then the rest should be progressively outlawed. 
C. This country is very successful in its spay and neuter campaign, so if we crack down on puppy mills, we should see shelter populations decrease rapidly. 
D. We MUST reinforce and implement laws against unethical and cruel breeding practices, ie, puppy mills. This is FAR more impactful for the future than focusing on adopting one dog at a time. Only math-challenged people cannot see this.

We should think in terms of public health, OP. Just like for humans. There are long-term goals we need to articulate as a country for animals.[/quote]

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