[PinkMartini]

Originally Posted by Passionfruition

Breeders and showers of purebread dogs have a deep passion for what exactly IS a purebred dog. It's not snobbery, by any means. It's many things, including history.....what the dogs were bred for, and keeping consistency and variety.

Professional breeders work even harder to only breed the *best* of the breed, and to breed-out bad qualities, such as in yorkies: knee problems, throat problems, hypoglycemia and so on.

I say this because people who just breed dogs because puppies are cute are not exactly doing wrong, but in many ways they're working against everything that people who breed and show purebread dogs work their whole lives for.

In addition, purebred dogs are more expensive for a reason, not just to cover costs of breeding, etc. but also because if someone must save up their money for a purebred dog, they're likely to have done their homework/research on what that breed-standard is and make sure it's the kind of dog that fits the needs and unique qualities of their home.

People who buy or adopt puppies WITHOUT doing their homework, without making preparations that THESE DOGS WILL LIVE 15 YEARS (or so) - that's a long time. It's a HUGE commitment......the people who just adopt these dogs without having to make that initial sacrifice, these dogs are so much more likely to end up in shelters and rescues...and even worse, put to sleep.

I'm not saying people can't love a mix. I would never say that. Every dog, regardless of breed or lack thereof...deserves to be loved and spoiled to pieces! My point is that if you do breed a dog, please take into consideration where your dog's puppies are going to be 10 years from now. There's more than one angle to it, but if you're going to take on such a responsibility, please make sure to consider all of these angles.

Very well said