No, this is why you do your research first and get it from a registered breeder, not a backyard breeder.

Thank you! All breeders, professional or not, are the reason there's so many innocent animals in rescue shelters and pounds with no hope for a home. Always adopt your pets. My dog is the sweetest little thing in the world, and I know she is grateful to have a home again.

Really? You guys are acting like all dog. breeders are satan spawn. Yes, there are puppy mills, and yes, they're awful, and no, you shouldn't support them, but there are also responsible breeders that take very good care of their dogs and there isn't anything wrong with supporting that. I'm not saying shelter dogs should be ignored or are sub-par, but you shouldn't insult people's livelihoods if they're responsible.

I completely agree with 57. I don't feel it's right to judge others because they got a dog from a breeder. A lot of people need a dog with specific characteristics and personalities (for example one that's hypoallergenic and/or really good with small children) that a shelter in they're area may not have. There's nothing wrong with choosing a dog from a breeder. It may be better if everyone chose to adopt, and I highly commend the people that do and I myself will most likely adopt if the time came to get a new dog, but that doesn't mean it's ok to judge others for doing it a different way or for judging a breeder who is reputable.

It's not right to judge a group of people because some of them made others look bad of their own actions.

I don't necessarily have an issue with all breeders though I admit i have not met one that was particularly caring for their animals. I just lean towards thinking you should get a rescue from a shelter first as there are so many in need of homes while breeders are just adding to that issue.

Anyone who breeds for profit is just as bad, in my opinion, whether they be mixed or pure-bred animals. Those people continue to turn out puppies and may or may not be trying to "breed out" undesirable traits like physical disorders (like hip dysplasia) or aggression. I volunteer for a shelter that received about 30 dogs and puppies because their owner was "tired of dealing with them". All the dogs were pure-bred hounds, but were so neglected and inbred that some of the puppies had debilitating foot deformities.

I would love to adopt a dog some day but unfortunately all the shelters in my area want you to have had experience caring for a similar dog. I've never owned a dog before so I'm not sure if they'd let me adopt.

Lots of rescues (especially smaller ones!) want foster carers, so that dogs can live in a home instead of kennels. Contact them and you might be able to get a foster dog, and that will help keep that dog happy until it can be rehomed. The rescue will give you advice, and you will get dog care experience needed for a rescue dog. (Many rescue dogs are not for the faint of heart - mine took nearly an hour just to get him comfortable enough to go into my bedroom - but I get the benefits, he loves me and trusts me more than anyone else in the world, and I always get cuddles!)

Actually #52 reputable breeders offspring make up less than 4% of the pet population. Backyard breeders, so called "hobby breeders" (just a fancy term for backyard breeder) and irresponsible pet owners who let their intact dogs and cats freely roam are the problem, not reputable breeders. I have a Bengal kitten from a reputable breeder who made me sign a contract agreeing I would neuter him and never sell or rehome him, but return him to her if I ever can't keep him, no matter what his age, because reputable breeders take responsibility for every kitten or pup for its entire life, not just until it's exchanged for cash. A reputable breeders pups/kittens will never end up in a shelter. And no, my kitten didn't take a home away from a shelter kitten. I can't have regular coated cats due to severe cat allergies. My only option was a hybrid cat with a pelt that didn't aggravate my allergies, and you don't often find them in shelters.

I agree that you should adopt HOWEVER, I have done both. I first adopted (a dog and a cat) and I recently purchased a puppy from a reputable breeder. Back yard breeders are bad but no one should condemn all breeders because the proper ones who actually care about their puppies will tell people that if at any point in the dogs life you are unable to care for them, they will take them back, and they do not bat an eye at it. My moms friend breeds Dachshunds and she recently had someone come back and return an 8 year old dog because they had lost their job and could not afford to care for the pet any longer and she took the dog back and rehomed it at no fee because it was an older dog BUT she took the dog back because it was one of her puppies and she said the age does not matter because she helped bring this dog into the world because she breeds and she will always make sure the dog is loved and has a home. THAT is what a responsible breeder is.

#75 My childhood dogs came from breeders, but I like the idea of adopting. Both breeders for both breeds were really nice, and one of them became a Crufts judge last year (hear about Ken from Araki Tibetan Terriers?).

Not all People buy purebred for the name and prestige of owning a specific dog. We bought australian cattle dogs because they help herd the cattle we own. And I have a friend who has an alpaca farm and bought kangal breed dogs to protect them. Since getting the dogs, not one alpaca has become prey to a mountain lion. Where before, one a week was being taken in the night.

I'm meeting up with my boyfriend now that I met on the Internet. He's a French model!

You forgot retriever, I think. I'm assuming the "doodle" is from labradoodle which would be a Labrador retriever and poodle mix. So that's quite the "purebred" there...

Yeah, I probably did forget that one. The doodle probably did come from labradoodle, that makes sense. Thanks for pointing that one out :)

Well I agree, and my reasoning is that anyone who is stupid enough to not do any kind of research, go to a clearly disreputable breeder, and fall for a scam that obvious is probably also too stupid to know how to properly take care of an animal. I am also very against breeders (especially the really bad ones like this lady went to) and tend to think that anyone who would pay that much to make sure they get a purebred is obviously more concerned with looks and status than the animal's health, safety, and well being, in which case I don't think they should be allowed to have any kind of pet. So there you go, two reasons.