I am somewhat frustrated with the people on this forum who like to bash people because they don't want to adopt from a shelter. A lot of people come on this website to get support for there new pet or looking for info and if they are not talking about a shelter pet they are getting bash. I thought this forum was for all dog lover for support and not to discourage people from getting a dog. It shouldn't matter where they get their new family member from. Sometime some of you guy make me sick on how you treat people. Now personally I don't care what you say to me, because I can battle with the best of them. So if you got a problem with me bring it on.
Not all of us bash. Some of us do try to give good information and show the options that are out there. I think the point that most people try to get across is that, if your looking for a "companion" quality animal, don't bypass all of the purebred dogs in the shelter/rescues. There is a breed specific rescue out there for almost every breed. A lot of times the rescues also know that the dogs coming in are purebred and some even come in with papers. The person looking for a household dog doesn't usually care about papers since they don't plan on showing anyway.
So of course the people that work so hard to take in all of the unwanted dogs want people to look to the rescues before purchasing. Yes, rescueing isn't for everyone. One of my dogs came from a breeder. She has a disability though and what I paid for her was basically an adoption fee. The breeder would have happily kept her if she didn't find just the right home. Another one of my dogs was a gift to me and he is a puppymill pet store dog. If I had had the choice, I would have rescued versus buying from a store but I wouldn't give him up for the world. He is now my SAR dog and an incredible one at that.
Of course my next SAR dog will be a rescue if I can find just the right one. I believe that all dogs deserve a second chance. It isn't their fault that someone decides they can't keep them for one reason or another. It is our responsibility as the "higher being" to take care of those we take into our care.
The biggest problem the rescue folks have on here is that so many people are breeding (and not always breeding quality animals) that there aren't enough homes to take those dogs. And often times, even though people pay a good deal of money for their pet, they decide that the animal becomes an "inconvenience" and turn it over to the shelter/rescue as if it were a piece of furniture. How many times I look through the dog classifieds on here and see dogs being given up because the owner is moving and can't take the dog. Where are they going that they can't take the dog? I own Pit Bulls. These dogs are a part of my family and I wouldn't move anywhere I couldn't take them. If they were to be banned in St. Mary's County, I would gladly move for them. I know that it is an inconvenience, but I have accepted the responsibilty for these animals that depend on and trust me. It is my job to make sure that they stay safe.
That is why some of the people on here are so adament about looking to the rescues for a dog before purchasing from a breeder.