06/05/2026
Itās getting to be that time of year again where the āadopt donāt shopā crazies come of the woodworks. This time of year many people and families are bringing home their new puppies from breeders during the summer. Which is when they have time for the puppy stage, so I want to take the time to reshare this post I made from last year.
First and foremost, purchasing a well bred, ethically bred, purebred dog did not, does not, and will never sentence another dog to death. The purchase of a well bred dog did not, and does not cause an increase in the number of dogs in shelter, rescues, etc. Someone wanting a dog with a predictable temperament from a healthy lineage did not cause another dog to not get adopted. It is perfectly okay for someone to want a dog/puppy that they raise themselves, know the history of, etc that they can raise their families with. Not everyone is capable or equipt to deal with an adopted/rescued dog. Not everyone is comfortable bringing in a dog with unpredictable behaviors, habits, etc. Not everyone can handle or cohabitate with a high energy rescue. Now obviously not every dog in the shelters, or rescues are high energy, unpredictable, or have an unknown background/history, but some people are not willing to take that risk for themselves or their family and that is perfectly OKAY!
Someone's countless hours of meticulous research into responsible breeders is not the problem. Someone choosing to purchase a puppy to bring into their family or home from an ethical, responsible breeder is not the problem. Breeders who dedicate countless hours, sleepless nights, and lots of blood, sweat, and tears into their dogs, meticulous health testing, temperament, etc, ensuring they only produce the best of the best, is not the problem. It is not what or who you should be mad at or upset with. It is not what or who you should be pushing the blame onto.
Breeders and puppy buyers/ families are not the ones who brought dogs into the world irresponsibly and left them in a shelter. Responsible breeders are not the ones who put dogs into shelters, infact any ethical breeder (such as myself and countless others) have contracts stating that no matter the circumstance, any and all of our babies MUST come back to us in the event that they need to be rehomed. There are specific clauses that state they are to NEVER be placed in a shelter, rescue, or any suchlike facility.
As a dog owner, it is my home, my life, and my choice of what kind of dog to bring into it. Maybe I needed a working dog, a sport dog, a service dog prospect, or simply a companion puppy to raise of a breed I enjoy. No matter the reason, the choice to support a reputable breeder did not, and never will send a shelter dog to its death. There shouldnāt ever be a reason to try and make someone feel guilty or harrass someone for getting a well bred puppy simply because you yourself would have adopted from the shelter. If you knew me you would also know that I support the adopting of dogs and rescuing. You would know that I have owned several rescues, bottle fed and raised orphaned puppies, and the list goes on.
As a breeder who health tests, temperament tests, studies pedigrees, studies the health history of lineages, proves a dog worthy of being bred, and then and ONLY then carefully pairs dogs together to produce exceptional offspring, I am not, nor are other breeders, contributing to the rising number of homeless dogs, dogs being surrendered to shelters, or dogs being dumped. The number of homeless dogs in the world is a problem, but it is not a problem exacerbated by reputable breeders and those who purchase from them.
Your neighbor down the street who refuses to contain his unaltered dogs IS contributing to the problem.
Your friend who impulse bought a dog with zero research into the breeder or the breed IS contributing to the problem.
That guy on Craigslist pumping out the trendiest designer mix as fast as he can for monetary gain only without a care for temperament, etc IS contributing to the problem.
Your relative who just HAS to let their dog (mixed or purebred) have one litter āso she can experience motherhoodā or because āsheās just so sweetā IS contributing to the problem.
Your old high school classmate who bought a high energy working breed without taking the time to research its needs and realize it was not a good fit for their household ahead of time IS contributing to the problem.
A reputable breeder offers their lifelong support and even after your furbaby passes. A reputable breeder would never allow their dogs to end up in a shelter to begin with. As said above, a reputable breeder makes it a contractual obligation to return dogs they have produced back to them should you find yourself unable of keeping it. It is completely okay to be angry about the number of homeless dogs in the world, in your local area, state, etc, but if you take a step back and have an objectified perspective, you will find your anger is misplaced.
If you take a moment to view things unbiased, you will find reputable breeders and those of us who purchase from them are not the cause of rising numbers in shelters, or the rising number of dogs being euthanized in shelters.
Hopefully you have read this all the way through and it either helps shift your perspective of ethical breeders or at least shines some light on why ethical and responsible breeders are not a part of the problem.
Please feel free to share and repost to your own pages to continue to promote ethical breeding of wellbred, purebred dogs that we all know and loveš¤
