Rescue, Shelter or Breeder?

In my opinion, no one else gets to have an opinion whether you get your new furry baby from a rescue organization, a shelter or a reputable breeder.  When making such an important life decision for your entire family, and for the innocent puppy, whatever is important to you to make sure that choice keeps everyone happy and healthy is the most important consideration.  For instance, while it may be considered more politically correct to adopt from a rescue organization or a shelter than to get a puppy from a breeder, if it is best for your family to get a puppy whose parents and grandparents have been bred to be calm and non-shedding, than a breeder will most likely be your best bet.  Read my blog post, "Picking your puppy -  pure of mixed breeds?" from May 8, 2010 to get more information on things to consider when you are trying to decide between a mixed and purebred puppy.

The one exception I do have is to "Puppy Stores" (see my last blog post on Mall Puppy Shops on June 10).  I see no upside to purchasing from Puppy Stores.

There are some things to expect when dealing with responsible breeders and rescue organizations.  You might be surprised to find out breeders and rescue foster parents will be extremely selective in finding who adopts their precious babies.  They most probably will ask for references (including your veterinarian) agreements to provide proof of neutering, and proof of home ownership or permission from your landlord that you can have a dog.  These are all good things.  It means the people you are dealing with value their puppies and want to provide you the best match more than they want to make money or place the puppy.

That being said, there have been instances where breeders and rescue fosters have gone overboard, doing home inspections that are more intrusive than necessary, or asking for unnecessary personal or financial information.  If you find yourself feeling uncomfortable with your puppy's seller / adoption organization, there is nothing wrong with choosing not to go forward.  It may not seem like it, but even when you have to pass up the "perfect puppy" another wonderful perfect puppy will become available.

On the other hand, please don't be taken in by the multitude of puppies for sale scams that are popping up all over the place.  Visit http://www.aspca.org/fight-animal-cruelty/puppy-mills/puppy-scams-cons.html to get some valuable information about the scams you can run into.