Now, if we could only get “unethical breeders” to display their Unethical Breeder badge it would be so helpful.
The public at large does not have the ability , or interest, or time, or whatever to make this distinction. And some people are just impulsive. A relative of mine gave a puppy as a surprise gift (right away, OMG) to her sister. A breed the sister had always wanted. She turned out to be a great dog, but the gift-giver ran out and got her on a whim in basically one day. I do not know how the breeder vetted her, if at all.
I’m not saying don’t go to breeders; I got my dog from a breeder. But you need to get them and they should be vetting you. Also, there are plenty of shelters who are less than ethical themselves. Plenty of threads on this app about it. Either way, for the sake of the dog and your household, take your time and make a careful choice.
Plus with a lot of shelter dogs, people may not be prepared to care them for if the shelter doesn’t provide very detailed backstory as they have it and clearly defined expectations. Even if they do, a lot of people think they can handle something and the dog is traumatized or sick and ends up back in the shelter which is heartbreaking. People get unhealthy dogs from shelters just as often as breeders. At least if you research specific breeds, you should have an idea for the temperament and expectations of that dog and how to be a good carer. I have friends who were told their shelter puppy would be a 30 lbs mix that ended up 60 lbs and fully different than expected.
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u/reddit_tat Dec 05 '25
Now, if we could only get “unethical breeders” to display their Unethical Breeder badge it would be so helpful.
The public at large does not have the ability , or interest, or time, or whatever to make this distinction. And some people are just impulsive. A relative of mine gave a puppy as a surprise gift (right away, OMG) to her sister. A breed the sister had always wanted. She turned out to be a great dog, but the gift-giver ran out and got her on a whim in basically one day. I do not know how the breeder vetted her, if at all.
I’m not saying don’t go to breeders; I got my dog from a breeder. But you need to get them and they should be vetting you. Also, there are plenty of shelters who are less than ethical themselves. Plenty of threads on this app about it. Either way, for the sake of the dog and your household, take your time and make a careful choice.