Shelter dogs vs. Breeder dogs

So recently a dog show was interrupted by some protesters with signs that said "breeders kill shelter dogs' chances". It really got me thinking about the issue of how many dogs end up getting put down because shelters can't keep them all.

What do you guys think? Do any of you have shelter dogs?

 

I currently have 2 dogs, both were strays, both are mutts. It's sad, but most breeders are a business and the bottom line ($) comes first. I choose not to support people whose focus is profiting on man's (and woman's) best friend. MUTTS RULE!

 

well i've had both, from a breeder and from rescue and to be honest, nearly every dog has been bred by someone, hasn't it??
even those in animal shelters.

 

The difference is when you buy from a breeder, store or puppy mill they focus on replenishing the supply. Over 1 MILLION dogs are killed each year in the U.S. for lack of homes. A shelter would like nothing more than to run out of dogs and they promote low cost spay/ neuter programs to reach that goal. Breeders work against this. The sad fact is when you buy from a breeder a shelter dog goes homeless because the breeder replaces the stock you just bought.

 

not all shelter dogs are 'bred'. many are from strays having litters. some, however, are purebred and could be worth more to a 'collector' or breeder. i've seen breeding operations where the animals are abused pretty heavily, though. not all are in it for the interest of the breed, many overexert and exploit their breeder animals for profit.

both of my dogs are shelter dogs. one is a purebred dapple miniature datschund and the other is a mutt pitt/dane mix. i work at shelters as a vet tech/kennel tech/kennel supervisor and i can tell you from firsthand experience, with the number of stray dogs coming in to shelters, shelters have to put down a majority of them. and when they are adopted, they are spayed/neutered to help combat the huge stray population (i dont know how bad it is in te UK, but it's rampant in the states).

'bred' dogs will stay alive even if you don't adopt them.

i hope that answers your question. if you want to know anything else about shelters, i can try to help.

 

Most animals I have ever had in my life have been rescues, either from shelters or directly from bad situations. For me, it makes a lot more sense seems any animal, regardless of source can become an excellent companion animal.

To the question of whether or not there should be breeding for profit going on... totally irrelevant, seems as long as there is money to be made, people will do it regardless of the consequences to the animals.

 

just to put the other side, not every breeder overbreeds and some are bred for specific purposes.
guide dogs for the blind, helping hand dogs, herding dogs etc..
if no-one bred dogs, then in 15-20 years there would be none at all, and then we'd have no four legged canine companions/helpers, and that would be such a shame.
and the reason there are so many dogs in animal shelters is, in my opinion, too many thoughtless and uncaring owners who dump them when either the novelty wears off or they just can't be arsed.
and also, too many that are left entire and not speyed or castrated.
dogs i meant, not owners!

and it's pretty bad here too in the uk, people are people the world over, some good, some bad.

 

didn't see this posting as i was busy typing my previous one.
here in uk, even pure bred dogs are destroyed by various animal welfare societies.

and yes, i've helped out in various animal rescue centres too, and some of them are non too pleasant places, where they're only doing it to earn a buck or two.......
and not for the animals welfare.
sad but true.

 

:iagree: And if it's a humane breeder, it's left in a much better environment than a shelter dog.

 

i've only had one purebread. she was a minature poodle adopted from some friends who no longer had time for her. she wasn't my first choice of breed but we loved her. all the rest have been strays that we have adopted, and sometimes even with the owners cosent. they have all been mutts.

So many people pay huge bucks for purebreads, it's fucking sad. i think this is the primary cause of why random people get into breeding, just for the money, yet not realizing the dog race is far overpopulated.

it kills me to think about how many dogs are put down everyday because there are no homes for them.

my dog history goes back to my parents as well, who only had mutts until the previously mentioned poodle

i love purebreads they can be gorgeous, don't get me wrong. however mutts can be unique and just in a league of their own. i stand by my statement that MUTTS have BETTER personalities than purebreads.

i am all about adoption.

 

i was referring to personal breeders that keep their animals until they are sold, rather than destroying them

 

i stand corrected, apologies.

 

I really would like to adopt a shelter dog. My dog was bred by a breeder. She was a gift from my parents. Don't get me wrong, she's a great dog and I love her. She is a shih-tzu and poodle mix.

I am surprised to hear that animal welfare organizations often have to put down dogs. What does that have to do with the dogs' welfare?

 

There is only so much money and room. Most respectable shelters are funded by donations and possibly some government grants. Dogs that are aggressive or deemed unlikely to be adopted are euthanized when space runs out. That's why so many shelter workers feel so strongly against breeders continuing to produce dogs. A lot of those very same dogs come into the shelter when they are no longer cute little puppies. The shelter workers don't have the luxury of ignoring it like the general public, they have to face it every day. Opt to adopt and donate to your local humanely run shelter!rettyplease:

 

What does one have to do in order to run a shelter? Does one need a special lisence?

 

shelter dogs! arty: i worked at a shelter... those dogs will love you forever for rescuing them..

 

Finding animals from a shelter is easy...

http://www.google.ca/#hl=en&source=...f&oq=animal+rescue+center&fp=e8cb7bf60cd4d76c

 

I suppose one could run their own unofficial sort of shelter. I used to live WAY out in the country, and one of my neighbors had about 10 dogs who had all been brought to her as strays.

 

Shelters aren't currently licensed, but frankly, they should be. The lack of oversight has lead to a terrifying number of hoarder cases in much of the US in the last 5 years. Here in Texas, we've had 2x the number of hoarder busts (all of whom felt they were 'rescues' or 'shelters') that we have had mill busts in the last 3 years.

Both have advantages and disadvantages though.

For me, I love my heritage breed dog. I lvoe the predictability that multiple generations of health testing gets me as far as nasty surprises go AND knowing how big and pretty much what she would act like as an adult. I've had both- but I've had MUCH better luck health-wise and lifespan wise with the purposefully bred dogs from responsible, ethical breeders. I think part of the big problem is that ethical breeders are far outnumbered by folks who are breeding for profit, or for 'cute' without any real understanding of genetics, health, husbandry, or any of the other 9 million things that are critical to being a RESPONSIBLE breeder. The responsible ones certainly aren't contributing to the shelter population- they require and ENFORCE that dogs be returned to them if they ever can't be kept. Responsible breeders breed to preserve breed traits, improve health, longevity, and soundness, as well as working ability and temperament. They do NOT ever breed for money. (And anyone who says "Well, why don't they just GIVE them away?", THINK for a second. After spending several thousand dollars to health test, train, and prove each parent, why on EARTH do they owe you a free puppy? There's a difference between not making money and just not losing as much.) In general, ethical breeders are involved in heritage breeds of dogs. The 'hybrid vigor' hypothesis is completely disproven in dogs, and while there are some ethical breeders of crossbreds out there ((particularly in working sighthounds and the like), they are an infintisimal minority.

Shelter dogs are frankly cheaper for 'startup', and even from the worst municipal pound in the country, you're not supporting crappy breeders with your money. And if you're not willing to put in the time and effort to find a responsible breeder (and most people frankly are not- I would estimate that it takes a minimum of 3-5 months to locate and be approved by a responsible breeder IF everything goes well as far as their timing and plans go for future litters AND you're looking for a relatively common breed.) A shelter dog should come with their mnimal vaccinations and already spayed/neutered or with a voucher, included in the adoption fee. And as long as you're careful or thoughtful, you can end up with a GREAT dog. I just really dislike the unpredictability- I got burned four times in a row on congenital health problems that couldn't be cured, and decided I couldn't go through it again. (Hip dysplasia, rage syndrome, epilepsy, and fear aggression that did not respond to 3 years of treatment with a veterinary behaviorist, trainers, and entire support staff- I could manage her aggression but we could not cure it and I chose to let her go humanely instead of after she injured someone.)

 

iv'e got two pit bulls. diezel(2yrs old) i got him from this chick that bought two 4 week old pups but could only keep one so she gave him to me thank you very much!! i love him...and
ozzy (3 1/2 - 4yrs old).. i got him, well actually confiscated him when he was bout 9 mnths old from this aweful dude who tried to fight him several times... score two for me two wonderful dogs for free... well to start with
ive learned that two full grown pits eat alot, vet bills and shots r expensive. oh well i love em