The goal of this post isn’t to imply that getting a dog from a breeder is bad, but rather to dispel some assumptions about the choice to adopt a dog from a shelter, as well as share a few reasons you should consider adopting a dog from a shelter (or rescue), even a kill shelter.
If you’d like to read about my experience with both breeders and shelters, I included a short personal history below 😉.
Before sharing the top 5 reasons to adopt a dog from a shelter (or rescue), it’s important to clarify the difference between animal shelters, rescues, pet shops, puppy mills, backyard breeders, and reputable breeders.
Animal Shelter
Animal shelters are operated by towns, cities, and/or counties. If able (space, facilities, etc), they accept all animals who are brought in, dogs, cats, rabbits, turtles, horses, etc, whether they were found as strays or are owner surrenders. Their facilities are typically aisles of concrete kennels (dogs) or blocks of metal cages (cats). Shelters are staffed but volunteers help socialize and exercise the animals. Food is provided (by the government), but the donation of toys and other supplies helps enrich the animals’ lives. Animal shelters normally have the lowest adoption fee, which often (hopefully always!) includes vaccines, spay/neuter, and microchip. Unfortunately due to limited space, behavior concerns, or health issues, animal shelters may have to euthanize animals.
Animal Rescue
Animal rescues are typically non-profits started by animal-loving people, whether a single person or a small organization. Sometimes they operate their own fully-staffed, shelter-like facilities while others are foster-based. Rescues mostly pull dogs from their local/regional shelters but may also accept animals brought into them. Some animal rescues are open to all animals of a single species while others focus on a single breed or age, like seniors. They function through their adoption fees as well as additional donations and are able to select the animals they rescue, with some understandably choosing the most adoptable animals for a quicker turnover. Their fees are typically more than a shelter but also include all vaccines, spay/neuter, and microchip.
Puppy Mill
Puppy mills focus on the high-volume production of dogs. Due to the priority of profit over the health of the animals, the dogs and puppies are often sick, unsocialized, and forced to live in inhumane conditions; Adult dogs are typically kept in kennels/indoors their entire lives and, along with their puppies, are subject to living in their own excrement. After being subjected to overbreeding, the future of the adult dogs varies. Some are dropped off at animal shelters while others might be posted in the classifieds, having had no experience in a loving home or the outside world. Of course, for others there may be worse alternatives. The puppies are sold through online sales, flea markets, and pet stores, and are most likely not vaccinated, spayed/neutered, or microchipped.
Pet Shop
Nowadays there are animal rescues that also have rescue shops and adoption centers. They may have some kennels and cages with some of the adoptable animals they pulled from area animal shelters, as well as a retail section and training class space. This is not what most refer to as a “pet shop”. A pet shop acquires its animals from puppy mills, backyard breeders, online, and/or anywhere else they can get an animal cheaply to increase their profit margin. When you hear “Adopt, Don’t Shop”, it is often referring to pet shop facilities such as this where, like puppy mills, money, not the health and socialization of the animal, is the priority. Some states, like New York and California, are banning pet stores from selling cats, dogs, and rabbits that aren’t from shelters in order to reduce the commercial breeding of dogs, aka puppy mills. Hopefully more will follow.
Backyard Breeder
A backyard breeder is different than a puppy mill. According to The Spruce, a backyard breeder has “little experience or knowledge, substandard conditions of care, and a lack of selective breeding. Backyard breeders typically breed dogs without taking the time to make good genetic matches or have dogs registered with the appropriate kennel club or breed club.” Backyard breeders may be doing it as a hobby, because they love their dog(s) and want to share them, or as a side hustle. Because backyard breeders don’t or can’t always provide the care (or precautions) for their dogs, including spay/neuter, I categorize someone whose dog has an accidental litter as a backyard breeder as well. A backyard breeder’s puppies are sold or given away through online sales, flea markets, and pet stores, and are most likely not vaccinated, spayed/neutered, or microchipped.
Reputable Breeder
Unlike backyard breeders, reputable breeders take time to match dogs with good health and lineage, can provide breed registration papers, and don’t sell their dogs to pet stores, at flea markets, or online. They provide their dogs and puppies with healthy living conditions, socialization experience, and medical care. Due to their care, diligence, and possibly the demand for a particular breed, reputable breeders are typically the most expensive option for bringing home a new furry family member, sometimes costing several thousand dollars. That being said, though reputable breeders (most likely) also make a profit, they don’t prioritize money over the welfare of the dogs. Instead, reputable breeders often focus on one breed, only breed dogs who are 2 years or older, have just one litter at a time, and will accept the dog back if you cannot keep them for any reason.
Golden Retrievers, German Shepards, Huskies, Chihuahuas, and far too many of the unfairly persecuted “Pitbull (check out the film, Beyond The Myth), just to name a few. Puppies, adolescents, adults, and seniors. Whatever breed and age you’re looking for, there’s a shelter (or rescue) that has a dog for you. That said, pet selection should be more about temperament than look. The cute dog with the brown spot around his eye might be adorable, but do you want a high-energy dog? The adorable puppy has beautiful eyes but do you have the time to devote to raising a confident, calm canine?
Pets are expensive, so if you can’t afford the cost to adopt them, along with any additional care and supplies, you should reconsider adding an animal to your home. That said, when you adopt a dog from a shelter you are not only helping an animal in need but, other than getting an animal for free (eeek…see notes about backyard breeders above), you are getting your next best friend in the most economical fashion. I just think of this savings as more money for you to buy things to spoil your new pet or even donate to the shelter.
There is a myth that shelter animals are bad, either because they were strays and never had a home with training and structure (not always true) or they were owner surrenders and something must be wrong with them. Not all strays were always strays. Some had homes and got out or were abandoned. Other strays may have never had a home but can be trained to be loving, social pets. Owners might surrender their pets because they became homeless and can’t provide care. Others have landlords that won’t allow them. Sometimes owners pass away and relatives can’t care for the pets. There are countless reasons an animal might be surrendered, and many, but not all, have nothing to do with the animal’s behavior.
There’s a saying that if you adopt a dog from a shelter (or rescue), you’re saving two lives, and it’s true. You’re saving the life of the dog you’re adopting, literally if adopting from a kill shelter, and by adding them to your family, making space for another dog at the shelter who is looking for their forever home. The animals who find themselves at the (kill) shelters shouldn’t be punished for their misfortune, and you shouldn’t feel bad for patronizing a kill shelter. Without them, we’d have even more stray animals who weren’t receiving shelter and care while waiting for their people.
Growing up, my family got their dogs, Sandy and Ginger, both Golden Retrievers, from breeders. From what I have heard, Sandy was most likely from a backyard breeder*, whereas Ginger was from a more reputable breeding family. Ironically, Sandy lived almost five years longer than Ginger. Ultimately they were both wonderful dogs and I miss them dearly.
When my parents divorced, I asked my Dad if I could get a cat for his (dogless) house. We went to the local animal shelter and the cute, shy white and gray spotted cat sitting by himself on a box caught my eye. Phlanx came home with us that day.
After Phlanx, as an adult, I adopted two dogs, Berlin & Neah (meet her below), from an animal shelter and one cat, Bagheera, from a rescue. These experiences, but more so these wonderful animals, have solidified that I will always adopt a dog (and cat) from a shelter (or rescue).
Our house felt so empty without Berlin, who we lost to Nasal Cancer in September 2022. So after talking about what we were looking for (a dog that would get along with our cat was the top priority), we decided to open up our house and hearts to another dog, Neahkahnie (NEE-uh-kah-nee)*, or Neah (NEE-uh) for short.
I first started by looking at the available dogs on the shelter’s website. Over the course of a week, I visited several of the shelters, walking the kennels to see if anyone caught my eye, as Berlin had done nearly 13 years ago, as well as meet the dogs I noticed online. As I walked down a row of cages, a sweet tan dog and her equally sweet kennel mate approached their kennel door. I thought, “Oh, that’s a cute, sweet dog. It would be perfect if that’s one on my list.” Sure enough, it was. I asked a volunteer to bring her to a Meet’n’Greet yard, placed my stuffed cat on a bench, and watched Canela (now Neah) casually walk up to it, sniff, and walk away. She was timid and underweight but sweet and accepting of touch.
I’ll be posting more about integrating her into our home, including managing and facilitating her healthy relationship with our cat, Bagheera, later, so for now I’ll simply share that she is a wonderful addition to our family. I will always miss Berlin, as I miss all my other fur babies, and my grief is not and will never be gone, but it brings me joy to share my heart with Neah. She, like all the dogs at shelters, is so deserving of a good home.
*We hiked Neahkahnie Mountain along the coast of Oregon with Berlin in January 2019. Carrying on this special memory in this beautiful place with Neah means so much to us.
I’m not against reputable breeders, The objective of this post is to share my knowledge and dispel some myths and fallacies about the choice to adopt a dog from a shelter (or rescue). If knowing your dog’s lineage or a specific breed is important to you, do what’s right for you. If those things aren’t a priority for you, head over to your local shelter and consider one of the amazing animals looking for a home.
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