There are a multitude of different paths to finding a new dog. Two paths to pet ownership are adopting through a rescue organization or purchasing a do from a breeder. While dog breeding can be a popular option, not every breeder is knowledgeable or experienced, which can make for some undesirable outcomes. Oftentimes, dogs bred from unreliable breeders end up in rescue shelters.
Rob Hardy is the communications manager at Castaway Animals Rescue Effort. He said that one benefit of rescuing a dog as opposed to buying from a breeder is cost.
“There are so many wonderfully adoptable animals in shelters that there is really no need for breeders,” Hardy said. “Shelters get full-blooded animals, they get the animals that breeders have without the same price tag. CARE adopts out dogs for $150 minimum donation and cats for $100. If you go to a breeder, you will spend five or 10 times that for the same animal. There are nearly one million animals euthanized every year just because there’s not enough space in shelters. There are people that prefer going to breeders, but if they would take a look at going to a local shelter then they might see an animal that would fit [in their family] just as well as a full-blooded animal that they would get from a breeder.”
Breeder Robyn Lumley breeds miniature golden retrievers. An advantage of buying a dog from a reputable breeder is that customers can get the exact dog that fits their needs.
“I specialize in miniature golden retrievers,” Lumley said. “There are people who want that number one dog with the personality traits [of a golden retriever] but in a smaller size. Plus, we can also kind of go in and control shedding markers to make sure that the dog isn’t going to have that coat that most golden retrievers come with.”
The CARE rescue takes care of medical aid that the dogs need assistance with.
“We typically rescue animals that are scheduled to be euthanized,” Hardy said. “Whenever [animal control] puts out their list of animals that are going to be euthanized — those are the animals that we take in. Once we take an animal in, we take care of all of the medical care. We spay or neuter unless they’re medically disqualified, we vaccinate and all dogs are microchipped. We provide a host of expensive services before we adopt them out.”
Kim Gibson is the owner of Tender Loving Puppies, a promotional website that helps spread the word about breeders. Gibson works with a variety of breeders to help promote the breeders’ dogs for sale. She said the state of Missouri has adjusted laws in order to combat inhumane sales of animals.
“About 10 years ago, there was a law that came into the state of Missouri–– Proposition A — a lot of people did not know what the proposition was about,” Gibson said. ‘It banned a lot of animal stores –– dogs, cats –– from being sold in stores. There’s very few that do now. Tender Loving Puppies is my personal website.”
As opposed to buying from a rescue shelter, there is oftentimes a health guarantee that comes with buying from a reputable breeder.
“Some people are looking for a little bit more assurance in their dog’s health,” Lumley said. “We do [Orthopedic Foundation for Animals] testing for hips and shoulders with the parents and we also do DNA testing to ensure that they don’t end up with double down markers on any of their traits that can later on lead to disease or certain issues.”
For Gibson, the dog breeding business has been a generational job.
“It’s in the family,” Gibson said. “My grandparents had a farm and cattle so they had Australian shepherds and those kinds of cattle herding dogs. It was so fun to watch my grandparents teach the dogs the commands. My mom didn’t live on a farm but she started getting into [breeding] Pekingese and boxers. I have my own line of dogs now that I like so we each have different breeds of dogs that we like and each family chose their own [to breed].”
Potential future dog owners need to assess the stage in their lives to make sure they’re ready to adopt a dog.
“It’s a long-term commitment and it’s something that you need to be ready to handle for possibly more than a decade,” Hardy said. “The maximum capacity for dogs at animal control is only 60 and they get overwhelmed with requests to take in animals to the point that they can’t even take in all the animals that people are trying to give them ––same with rescues; … make sure you’re ready for a rescue animal, make sure you’re ready for that addition to the family so that you’re not looking to rehome within the next couple of weeks, days or even years.”
When buying from a breeder, there are steps the breeders take to ensure the pet will be going to a good home.
“We go through an interviewing process,” Lumley said. “I discuss a lot of stuff with them, like past experience with dogs, and then once they’ve put in an application I go in and do a soft background check in the state that they’re in to make sure they don’t have any animal cruelties against them and to ensure that it [will] truly be a good fit. Some people can portray as something and be wanting something else. I do my due diligence to make sure [the dog] is going to a good home.”
Buying from a breeder can assure the buyer that the dog will fit in their life and the limitations they might have, like finding a smaller dog.
“I really think that there’s a place and need for both [adopting and buying],” Lumley said. “It really kind of depends on people’s phase in life; whether or not they’re willing to take on something that may possibly [develop] hip dysplasia or [Intervertebral Disc Disease]. You don’t necessarily put the money up front but you usually end up paying for it in the long run.
“When people [enter] a phase in life when they’re just a little bit older it’s really hard to manage an 80-100 pound dog, whereas it’s much more manageable to handle a 30 pound dog. I think that if done right, breeding is a very good way to approach a new family dog.”
Regardless of how long a dog is at CARE, it’s taken care of by employees and volunteers throughout their stay.
“We have a life commitment to our animals, no matter how long it takes to adopt them,” Hardy said. “We will always give them the love and care that they deserve while under CARE’s watch. We have had multiple dogs that have been with us for one reason or another for more than a decade but that doesn’t deter us from continuing to look for the right family that can provide the extra medical care or the extra socialization that these dogs might need.”
