What type of dog I have or anyone has is irrelevant to the topic of this thread, but that is OK with me because I am proud of Lola and I have NO shame in how I acquired her. In fact if given the chance myself and others that I know would purchase a dog from Lola's parents in a heartbeat, but that is not possible now. I posted before that I paid $450.00 but I just dug out the old check stub and it was actually $400.00. I doubt the person that bred her made much money since she was 16 weeks with all her shots except for rabies, she was clean, well fed, free of any parasites, worms, etc. She did not come from a puppy mill or a pet store, I did not buy her off the internet sight unseen and pay thousands or put a deposit on her at 3 weeks old or take her home at 8 weeks old. After having 4 purebreds from show breeders, and each having a quirk or health issue, I knew exactly what I wanted this time and I am happy to have found it. She will turn 2 in Dec. so far she is healthy but like with any other dog health tested or not who knows what the future will bring, I just keep my fingers crossed and keep up with vet visits.
It would be such a perfect world if the only people that bred dogs did it to better the breed and health test them all but that is just not realistic. Can you imagine how few dogs there would be if we could only buy from show breeders. So what do people do that can't find a show breeder to buy from or just want a small dog, where do they go. All I know is if you search hard, do your research, and be prepared for what life throws you, there are viable options between puppy mills and show breeders and Lola is living proof.
Buying purebred or mixes do not cause more dogs in shelters, shelter populations are the result of many things, including cruel people, people unprepared to care for a dog, people buying the wrong kind of dog, people not being able to train a dog, people that go through life changes and so forth. I am glad that rescue groups exist and I bow down to those that choose that route when bringing a pet into their life and even help when I can with some $$$. But as it has been said on YT many times not everyone is cut out to own or foster a rescue pet, plus every pet owner should be allowed to choose what type of dog fits their needs and how they acquire it. |