What does "adopt, don't shop" actually mean? I've read that this is widely misunderstood. People seem to think that you (1) should only get a dog from a shelter/rescue group, (2) avoid puppies at all costs. Shame on you if you want a puppy for any reason. Don't misunderstand. One of our dogs was adopted as an adult, and before her, we had a dog who we adopted as a senior. I wrote a post about her, Luna. I absolutely want people to adopt adult and senior dogs...but everyone needs to make the right decision for their lifestyle and household. In 2020, before the incident with 4,000 rescued Beagles from Virginia, we got our Beagle from a breeder. He has more than 20 years of experience with this breed. He only had one litter and charged a small re-homing fee. Both of the parents were available to meet. We did not go "shopping" at a pet store chain or a multi-breed puppy farm. The breeder didn't drive to a flea market or Walmart parking lot and sell puppies there. (We've seen this.) Our vet said that our new puppy was a healthy boy. If we have another dog in the future, we want to adopt another senior from a rescue group or shelter. But I don't think everyone who makes a different choice is automatically a cruel "shopper".
For most, the "adopt don't shop" simply means adopt a dog of any preferred age rather than buying one. This works well for most casual dog owners who just want a companion dog. They can adopt from a breed rescue if they want a specific breed - although they are unlikely to find a young puppy; or they can adopt from any number of shelters and rescues and get a dog or puppy of mixed heritage or certain common breeds. IF you are looking for a young puppy of a specific breed OR wish to show in conformation, then you do pretty much need to buy a puppy. In that case you should do so from a reputable breeder. The breeder should do all the health tests, should breed purebreds not designer crossbreeds, should limit matings, pregnancies and litters for the females, should not breed until they have a waiting list for the potential litter, should socialize the puppies, and so on. Most breed clubs now have a breeder code of ethics. This is a good way to find a reputable breeder - backyard breeders and puppy mills won't agree to these code of ethics. But you really should consider why you are buying over adopting. Are you buying because you can't pass a rescue's adoption process (I see this a lot)? Are you buying because you want the latest craze (I see this a lot)? Are you buying because you want to show? Are you buying a working dog to work? And so on. Many people buy because they want that new fad breed. And the more they buy, the more backyard breeders pop up to supply the craze. Frenchies are the latest of these. Prior were huskies, pugs, chihuahuas, jack russells, and so on. And now, our shelters and rescues are filled with these breeds. Some people just really have a breed they love and want that breed. Unless that breed is commonly found at the local shelters, buying is often the best option. Some people buy because they "can't find a young puppy" of any breed/mix at the shelters or rescues. This is simoly because the puppies get adopted very quickly. By the time they get posted on the internet, they are adopted. I recommend that people put in an adoption application and in place of "dog's name" write "a young puppy under X weeks old". Be sure to include why you only want a young puppy and what breed/mixes you'd prefer. I also recommend trying shelters in other cities/counties. Higher income counties tend to have a wider range of breeds. Some breeds are more popular in certain regions. For me, I have never bought a puppy. I prefer shepherds. I can find purebred and mixed shepherds of all ages at shelters and rescues all the time. I don't show. My dogs are my companions. With Tornado-dog, I did the above. Because of Cat-dog's dog fear plus her becoming neurotic about mothering the cat, I really needed a young puppy for her to raise. I applied at the local shelters preferring a shepherd puppy but all they had were little dogs too small for Cat-dog. I ended up adopting from an spca 4 hours away. I put in my application after seeing one litter of shepherd mixes (they were already adopted) so I did the above. They called me to say they had a little of border collie mixes about a week from being available. I got first pick of the litter. I wanted a boy - there were three. 7 weeks old. (Tornado-dog on the right) This was Moose-dog the day he came home at 8 weeks old from a local rescue. So, unless you absolutely must have a specific breed, you can find even a young puppy at a shelter/rescue if you are willng to put in some effort. With Moose-dog, I decided I wanted a young puppy and that day saw a litter on petfinders with a rescue about an hour away. I adopted him the next day. Four years later, when I decided to adopt after his sister, Dog died, I checked that rescue and saw a young litter. When I called, Marilyn refocused me on a 4 month old. I adopted her the next day. Tornado-dog took about 3 months to find. I started looking in December so there weren't many puppies at the time. And I absolutely needed a very young one - by four months, Cat-dog saw them as a dog not a puppy and feared them.
There is no right or wrong way to 'adopt' a dog. My first dog was a rescue because I was working at the stray dog kennels at the time - because I wasn't allowed a dog. I was there 3 weeks before I dared to take one home. It was my 11 th birthday. Mother set off to take her back, but Grannie said that I had done enough to show that this wasn't a just a phase, and Mum relented. All my dogs after that were either pedigree puppy purchases, or bred by myself, until I bought my first Löwchen puppy - who sadly couldn't digest his food. I was given a show quality female by his breeder, and subsequently bought in a flashy winning male - who lived to 17. By this time we had both retired and my OH wanted to give back to the world of dogs. We rescued our first Lurcher - a sad starvation case, followed by a really naughty rough-coated Terrier/Lurcher, which had been living on the city streets. She had to be trained and became my first obedience winner and also qualified CDEx in Working Trials. By then I had the bug, and went to rescue kennels looking for a small Border Collie. They opened the door to the isolation block saying, 'you wouldn't be interested in this would you?', and there was a 4 month old Beagle. How could I say no? My friends thought I was mad but Eddie WON his first Working Trial and qualified CDEx, and BegEx in obedience too. I had to retire him as he had bowel cancer from five years, but he was a very talented boy. He loved trick training and heelwork to music in his retirement. The two Beagle girls followed - because of my age I wanted older dogs as there is less chance of them outliving me. Both girls were gifted to me after their second litters, but had been shown in their younger days. I like to stay in touch with my hobby by showing them in veteran classes, and doing a little training. The last four dogs have all passed their KC Good Citizen Dog at Gold level. I guess this shows that there are times when it has to be a quality pedigree puppy, and other times when an adult is the right thing for you. I wouldn't criticise anyone who wanted to give a dog a second chance, but for others the joy of a baby puppy is hard to resist. Fortunately there are also people who are happy to share their home with a Golden Oldie.
I appreciate these responses. It's nice to see people understand both sides, instead of the "BREEDER ALWAYS BAD, SHELTER ALWAYS BETTER" mentality that some people push immediately. I've seen multiple posts (not here) about someone's purebred puppy that they just "adopted", and I often suspect that they went to a breeder but are afraid to say so.
Many backyard breeders and puppy mills now use the terms "rehoming" and "adopt" to get around city/county/state regulations and social media policies. In my experience, people who claim to have adopted rather than bought their puppy, do so more because they bought from a backyard breeder or puppy mill than becuse they are afraid to admit they bought a puppy. Most people who are buying from reputable breeders are confident in their decision and don't feel ashamed or afraid to admit it - and they will happily explain their decision if questioned or asked.
I mostly agree with you. There are some well-meaning but aggressive people who believe, apparently, that there is no excuse for buying a puppy from any breeder - even a proper one. Every once in a while, using the term "adopted" might be easier than engaging with these types. But, those types do need to understand why a shelter is not the best choice for everyone, 100% of the time. Choosing a healthy puppy from a responsible breeder should be nothing to be ashamed of.
l agree @Azalea, a responsibly bred pedigree dog also has the virtue of offering a degree of predictability in what to expect the size, coat and temperament of a puppy to be. A breeder an usually even predict which puppy in a litter would best suit the family he/she is to go to. Serious breeders are able to use a range of health tests to screen their stock for some previously inherited conditions too. Of course not all conditions can be completely eliminated, but great progress has been made since I bred my first litters in the sixties. The myth of mixed breeds having hybrid vigour is proving to be incorrect - the term F1 hybrid was never appropriate to domestic canines anyway.
I have had both and at the time I was looking for another I couldn’t find one to rehome as they were snapped immediately in rescue centres, so I went for a pup and I’m not ashamed of admitting it, albeit I did actually know the breeder as to where he came from. Could I trust buying from someone selling online? Hmmm I didn’t want to take that risk of it being stolen!! If it wasn’t a pup. So there are pro and cons for everything
On another forum, there is someone who will argue that you should never get a rescue dog because they are unilaterally bad breeding. They claim all shelter/rescue dogs have health issues and mental/behavioral defects. There is no science behind choosing where to get a dog. There is no study that shows buying is better than adopting or visa versa - because one is not inherently better than another. Every dog has the potential to become a health or behavioral problem regardless of where you got it. And every dog has the potential to be the best dog you've ever had. You can't get these people to understand because it is all down to personal choice. All you can do is counter their attitude with your reasons for getting your dog in the manner you did so that others looking to get a dog can make the right choice for them BEFORE they get a dog. To me, the more important issue is educating people BEFORE they buy from a backyard breeder or puppy mills AND helping them determine IF, and if so what breed/mix is best for them. Explaining to them why waiting for a puppy from a reputable breeder is better than getting one immediately from a backyard breeder or puppy mill. That adopting an adult dog allows you to know the personality before you bring them home. Too often, people come asking for help AFTER they buy a puppy because he has health or behavioral issues. And, oh yeah, we bought him from a backyard breeder/puppy mill...
