{the dog blog of Outside magazine} sponsored by: 
The offending image, which featured Danger Dog
In Outside’s June issue, I included my dog Danger, who is a pure-bred chocolate Lab, in a round-up of cool summer gear. We received several letters in response, taking us to task. A typical letter included this:
“There are millions of healthy dogs awaiting adoption right now in animal shelters. And they are priced far less than Schaffer’s vanity animal.”
What stands out about this letter, and several others we received, isn’t its well-justified promotion of shelter animals but its personal jab. When exactly did the adoption movement go from promoting shelter animals to scolding anyone who would get a dog from a breeder? It’s time to give the shame-mongering a rest. The 6–8 million animals that show up in shelters each year are overwhelmingly the result of backyard accidents and mass breeding—of human negligence and greed—not the product of responsible breeders. Adopting a dog is worthy act and maybe even one of mercy, but blaming dog buyers for the deaths of pound puppies is some seriously specious logic. Your goal when choosing a dog should be simple: Find a companion you get along with. You’re going to be spending the next 13 years together.
Shelter dogs certainly have their advantages. Mutts are likely to have a healthy mixed gene pool; you can find good pets of just about any demeanor; they’re cheaper at the outset; and you’ll be supporting a community organization that stands up for animal welfare. The Humane Society also makes note of the fact that 25 percent of all shelter animals are pure bred—more on that in a minute.
But shelter dogs have their drawbacks, too. You generally can’t meet a shelter puppy’s parents—the biggest determinant of a dog’s grown-up personality. You don’t know an adult dog’s history or whether there are latent behavioral problems that could crop up. There’s also the matter of spaying and neutering. Some shelters won’t allow an animal to go home before the operation. This has led to spaying and neutering as young as eight weeks, which can cause developmental problems related to hormone deficiencies. Nearly all shelters require their dogs to be fixed by six months. The research is mixed for operations at that age but either way, you don’t get to choose.
Then there are those pure-bred shelter animals. They tend to get adopted first, yet they almost certainly represent the worst of both worlds: The genetic disorders (hip dysplasia, cataracts, and such) of irresponsible breeding with with the uncertainty over why they ended up in the shelter. True, most animals end up in shelters for human reasons like bankruptcy, marriages, and divorces that are unrelated to a specific animal behavior or health problem. But I’ll also say this: Mike Stewart, Danger and Cooper’s breeder, has placed thousands of dogs with families over the last three decades. None of those dogs has ever ended up in a shelter. He and his wife, Cathy, keep track of every dog they place and have a long waiting list of people for any dog that needs to be surrendered. Keeping up with clients is one of the requirements for responsible breeders.
And I guess that’s the issue. The well-intentioned push to stop mass breeding has cast too wide a net. There are still plenty of puppy mills masquerading as responsible breeders but if you’re buying a dog for the right reasons, you shouldn’t have any problem avoiding them. The Humane Society publishes an excellent guide on how to tell if your breeder is responsible. Good reasons to buy a dog? Everybody has their own, but generally they should start with wanting a dog with a specific temperament and work ethic. For me, I happen to like fishing, hunting, skiing, and, well, dog training. And starting good working stock increases the likelihood that I’ll end up with a buddy that can come along and stay out of trouble.
The trainers of service dogs, cattle dogs, hunting dogs, avalanche dogs, search dogs, and drug dogs all rely on careful breeding to produce consistent results. Yes, mixed-breeds can make fine working dogs, but trainers who are about to invest thousands of dollars and hours generally don’t go looking for puppies at random. If you’re the sort of person who’s willing to make a serious time commitment in training a companion animal, a well-bred dog from a working line will almost certainly make the process easier. Readers e-mail us their canine behavior problems every week. A surprising number of these problems arise from the dog exhibiting the instinctual tendencies of its dominant breeds.
Danger’s not without his foibles. He’s a humper, a skirt-lifter, and he often prefers the neighbors’ trash cans to coming when called. But he’s also predictable and intelligent as all hell. Could I have ended up with a similarly great dog from a shelter? Maybe. And maybe next time I will.
I think anyone who is thinking of buying a dog should first visit their local shelter. I’ve heard a lot of people say that they can’t go there….it’s too sad. And they’re right, it is sad. I volunteer at a shelter, and the dogs I walk are smart, funny, and would make the most loyal pets. It is beyond frustrating to me that a person would go out and spend ($1200!) on a dog that has been bred for profit. And sure, buying a dog from a breeder is much better than feeding money into the horrific puppy mill industry. But breeders are still making dogs for money.
I love that my two shepherd mixes look nothing like any other dog I’ve seen. I love to see them play and wag their tails – it took a while for one of our dogs to show any happiness. Sure, they came to us with some issues. But watching them recover and become part of our family has been an experience that has changed my life. And the fact that one of our dogs had been grossly abused by humans, and still loves every person she meets, is testament to the beautiful nature of dogs. As humans, adopting is the least we can do.
Please visit your local shelter or check out petfinder.com.
Hi there! Great post. I have two dogs. One is a pit mix from a high kill shelter in Alabama (where I am from as well). She cost me $55.00 and was spayed, fully vaccinated and very cute! I love her very much and I pay homage to her shelter heritage in many ways. I have personally provided transport for 13 dogs in 2 years from my hometown to my current residence in Maine, whereupon they were placed into loving homes through our local no-kill shelter. Just today, I did a home visit for Lucky Pup Rescue here in Maine and they were approved…another life saved!
I also am the proud guardian/owner (along with my husband) of a $1200 Wildrose Labrador. He is fantastic and calm and beautiful and I love him just as much as my rescue.
It’s possible to be pro rescue and still hold a pure bred dog in high esteem as well. When humans go to extremes, they tend to isolate people. I’ve been called a “rescue snob” in the past and I’m able to say that I have a dog from a breeder. I’ve also been bashed by “rescue snobs” for having a breeder dog and I’m able to say that I have a rescue from a high kill Southern shelter (which is tres chic in my area).
If people are too far in either direction you lose the interest of potentially excellent dog owners and that is the real sin. I know people who are afraid to get a dog because they don’t know how the two sides will react.
I didn’t make these dog decisions willy nilly. I knew what I wanted and expected of my canine companion and my husband did too. We ended up with the best of both worlds and I wish more people could be open minded in both ways. There is nothing fundamentally wrong in acquiring a dog to be your companion. The only requirement is that you love and respect your dog. The more you focus on his or her origins, the less time you have to love them.
I don’t want to waste any time that would be better spentI rescuing dogs and loving and training my own.
Let’s all get back to enjoying Man’s Best friend and get off our pulpits.
Lauren
Just want to commend Lauren on offering a very balanced perspective above. She offers a thoughtful response to the challenging issue of rescue vs. ’start from scratch’ with a pup from a breeder.
I share many of her thoughts on dog ownership. I also have purebred black labs. We’re on our “second generation” if you will (dogs #3 & 4 for my husband and I), of dogs purchased from thoroughly researched and well-regarded breeders (who by the way would chuckle at the idea they’re making a profit off their endeavors!).
For us, this is the right choice – we enjoy having them in our lives from the start, seeing them grow and helping to shape them into the adult dogs we cherish.
However, I’ve also been active in rescue, serving on the board of directors for a lab rescue organization. I’ve fostered several dogs, done transport, adopter screening and pretty much everything else associated with rescue. Unfortunately one of the reasons rescues exist is because of people’s ill-thought out reasons for getting a dog, regardless of where the dog came from. I chose to get involved with rescue precisely because my dogs came from a breeder – I know they’re lucky to have the good lives they do and figured I could help other dogs, who are not so lucky, by working with a rescue organization.
To Lauren’s point above, the important thing is to make your decision to add a dog to your life wisely and with as much information and consideration as possible. It is a long commitment (one hopes 13 years!) and wherever/however you choose to obtain your dog, make the right choice for you. The reward you get in the form of the love and companionship of your canine friend is priceless.
PS Lauren – I met a puppy last night who’s part of the “Lucky Pup” rescue here in Maine, about to be placed in his forever home. He’s a wonderful little mixed bag mutt who’s going to be a great member of my friend’s family.
I’ve been with my rescue pup for coming on four years now and don’t regret a minute of it – the initial outlay was cheap but the unexpected emergency surgery was not. But we’ve come through it and the experience has been priceless and he’s been worth it. No matter the cost – its the experiences we’ve had together that define our relationship.
More to the point – dog adoption vs buying hides a larger story nobody wants to talk about – human population and child adoption vs popping out new ones all over the place and IVF treatments. I think that tells the more telling story on whether or not people can be truly altruistic.
It seems to me that there are two main “categories” of dogs. One is the “professional” or working dog that will have a specific job, such as a service animal, hunting companion, or other type of K-9 work. The other is the “companion” dog – the dog that someone gets just to have a dog – have someone to take on hikes, take snowshoeing, hang around the house with, go jogging with. In my opinion, it is perfectly justified to purchase a working dog from a breeder; as Schaffer points out, training one of these dogs costs thousands of dollars and hours and both the dog and the owner will be much happier in that relationship if the dog has the background that will suit him to perform well in his job. However, I am a firm believer that anyone looking for a companion dog should check with local shelters or a site like petfinder.com. Any dog is trainable when it comes to basic obedience and behavioral problems can be overcome with patience and proper training (except in the most severe cases). It is important that the prospective owner be honest with themselves when chosing to take on a dog with behavioral issues because they require TIME and PATIENCE to heal. However, the vast majority of “shelter pups” are perfectly happy, healthy, intelligent animals that are just looking for a home and some love – and they will return it thousands of times over. I own a purebred and a shelter pup – they are both amazing pups. I bought the purebred before I was aware of the enormous problem of shelter dogs and I will continue adopting dogs as mine are primarily companions. That’s just my two cents. Like Schaffer says, it’s a 13 year commitment so be honest with yourself about what you’ll be expecting from your dog and doing with him. Sure, it’s great to be able to say you’ve got a $2,000 dog whose ancestors retrieved the first duck ever shot by a hunter, blah, blah, blah but unless you’re going to be duck hunting, you probably don’t need that kind of dog – in that case, it’s even greater to say you rescued your little guy (or gal).
I enjoy my 3 year old german short hair rescue. I once had a Weimaraner who I bought from a breeder in Arizona. This was my first dog. I always say to myself, If I had not bought him he would of eventually end up in Rescue (to hyper). Our second Weim was a rescue dog. She was attacked by another female Dog. We got her for free. So now all all Dogs are rescue. I dont look down on those who buy from breeders. Because they are getting a dog that that they need.