If you’ve ever spent ten minutes with me outside, you know I love dogs. They’re such sweet creatures, and it’s impossible to not see at least five dogs a day walking around in New York City. I have a dog back home named Chip, who my family adopted when he was just a few months old, twelve years ago. My previous family dogs were both rescues, as well, as have been our cats. My family has always been huge proponents of adopting animals over buying them, so I was all too familiar with the issues within the dog breeding industry as I grew up.
Why is adopting dogs so much better than buying? First, there are so many dogs in shelters all over the world, let alone in the United States. Unfortunately, many of these shelters are overcrowded and underfunded. There are two main types of shelters: one continues to take in dogs past their occupancy levels, leaving animals in poor living conditions with fewer access to food and veterinary care, and the other makes the tough decision to make space for new animals. The latter has been given the misnomer “kill shelters,” which you might have heard over the years. Animal shelters tend to need a lot of help, both with supplies and care. Fostering dogs (and other animals) is another great opportunity that is incredibly beneficial for shelters, so the shelter has more space to take care of new animals and the dogs get more socialization and attention.
What if you like the idea of adopting, but you want a particular breed of dog? There are breed-specific shelters you can find with a little research. There are also websites like Petfinder, where you can adjust the filters to get a more specific demographic of dog you might be looking for. Worst case scenario, you might just have to look around. Maybe you’ll meet a dog you weren’t necessarily looking for but made a real connection to.
What about behavior? A lot of people are nervous about adopting dogs, particularly adult/older dogs who have more of a past, and it can be a worry that they might be more unpredictable than a dog that’s been raised from a puppy. Well, I would argue that dogs are animals with varied temperaments, and plenty of dogs can have behavior issues despite being raised by a single family since they were puppies. All dogs can benefit in some way from training, but sometimes you just have to give dogs some more care, attention, and patience. It’s not like every rescue dog is a gamble–you have to do research and meet dogs before deciding if they’re the right fit for you or your family, anyway. It’s important to do research regardless because breed behavior can vary drastically; some are way more athletic, some laid back, some are prone to health problems, etc.
I’ve listed a lot of the pros of adopting, but what’s the real issue with buying dogs? Before I get into the problems of the breeding industry or anything like that, let it be known that buying purebred dogs is very expensive. Now, you usually have to pay a decent amount of money to adopt dogs, too, since they’re coming from a shelter that needed to house them, feed them, and likely vaccinate them and provide other veterinary care prior to you adopting them. While adopting dogs usually costs a few hundred dollars, buying dogs is a few thousand.
One of the more prolific issues with the dog breeding industry is the existence of puppy mills and backyard breeders. Both are incredibly cruel to the dogs, as they’re kept in small, dirty cages and receive little to no vet care (PAWS). Adult dogs in these situations are frequently overbred, abused, and live very unfulfilling lives. While there is a law against puppy mills being implemented in New York at the end of this year, it’s not the case for the rest of the country (ASPCA). The best we can do is educate each other and avoid contributing to their use.
While some breeders are more ethical and treat their animals more kindly, there are still issues regarding certain breeds of dogs. Some breeds like French and English bulldogs and pugs have naturally flat faces, but many times the dogs are bred improperly, which has led to an epidemic of dogs with more severe breathing problems. There has been a push in more recent years for mixing French bulldogs with Boston terriers to prevent such flat snouts and thus avoid them having bad breathing problems, but it’s not very common.
A sort of trend was started in the dog breeding community following the creation of the labradoodle (Labrador retriever/poodle mix) for mixing dogs for aesthetic purposes. The labradoodle was created by Wally Conron, a breeding manager in the 1980s tasked with creating a hypoallergenic guide dog–a labradoodle would have “the working ability of the Labrador and the coat of the poodle” (qtd. in Pepper, 2019). Conron came to regret his decision when he realized other breeders would try crossbreeding dogs for the wrong reasons. Now, we’re seeing more and more “designer breeds” that are really just mixes, and it’s basically impossible for them to have the consistent look people want, not to mention recessive traits that can cause serious health problems (The Good, the Bad, and the Truth About Designer Dogs).
So what can you do? For starters, if you decide to get a dog, you should first look around for dogs in need of adoption. If you really want a specific breed and buying is your only option, make sure you’re buying from a reputable breeder who can prove the ethicality of their business, including the health of your dog’s lineage and how they treat their animals. If you aren’t looking to get a dog anytime soon, you can still help out by donating to or volunteering at animal shelters. In addition, you can keep an eye out for legislation regarding dog breeding and animal abuse in your state and try to support pushes for stricter regulations.
Written and Photographed by Alec Conwell
Talent: Diamond Durant
PA: Diana Victoria
Sources:
Buyer Beware: The Problem with Puppy Mills and Backyard Breeders - PAWS. (2019, December 9). PAWS. https://www.paws.org/resources/puppy-mills/
Pepper, F. The first ever labradoodle wasn’t a designer dog, he was a guide dog. (2019, September 23). ABC News. https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2019-09-23/labradoodle-guide-dogs-designer-regret/10717186?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link&ICID=ref_fark
The Good, the Bad, and the Truth About Designer Dogs. Sugar River Animal Hospital. Retrieved November 8, 2024, from https://www.sugarriveranimalhospital.com/services/dogs/blog/good-bad-and-truth-about-designer-dogs
The New York Puppy Mill Pipeline Law. (n.d.). ASPCA. https://www.aspca.org/barred-from-love/laws-rules/new-york-puppy-mill-pipeline-law#:~:text=When%20does%20the%20law%20go,families%20looking%20for%20a%20pet%3F