Thinking of bringing a new furry family member into your home soon?—congratulations, and be ready for a whirlwind of action, training, and fun. One of the first steps in getting a new pup is deciding where to get it from. Many people swear by adopting from animal shelters for moral reasons, while some advocate for buying from breeders for knowing the specifics of the dog you get. Before you make your decision, learn a bit about both options, to weigh the pros and cons of each.
Adopting from a Shelter
Adoption of animals from shelters is a generally more simple process of obtaining your dog, compared to buying through a breeder. Shelters customarily have dogs with all of their shots and immunizations, along with being spayed or neutered. Additionally, rescue dogs are extremely cheaper than buying from a breeder. With fees and taxes included, adopting a dog may cost between $0 to $250. Getting a pup that already has its shots and has been fixed, saves owners an average of $300 in veterinarian visits. Some dogs will even have been micro-chipped. More importantly (to some), rescue dogs are often already potty trained. Shelter dogs avidly tug on the moral strings of people’s hearts. When a dog is adopted from a shelter, not only is that dog getting a new forever home, another dog is now able to take over that dog’s place in the shelter, making way for them to find a forever home too. Despite the many wonderful aspects of adopting a rescue dog from a dog shelter, there are a few “down” sides—if that’s even possible. For rescue pups, it is a mystery for how they will act in your home, despite knowing their personality—luckily, most shelters have a take back policy if the dog is not a good fit for you and your family. Continuing, while some may not think this is a setback to finding your new pup, many will not; the breed of your dog may often be unknown. Shelter dogs are majority mixed pups, so not knowing what your dog is mixed with may bother some owners—although there are purebred shelter dogs on occasion.
Buying from a Breeder
Getting your new pup from a breeder comes with a plethora of benefits. Unlike adopting, you are able to see the puppy’s mom and dad, along with their personalities, physical attributes, living habits, and much more. Being able to see your puppy’s parents allows you to see the size, coat, interaction habits, and check their health. A good breeder has: certified hip and elbows, eyes have been certified with no genetic abnormalities, care and grooming information, along with advice to make sure your puppies first few days in its new home go smoothly for both you and your pup. Since breeders sell dogs when they are puppies, getting a puppy allows you to train and mold your puppy exactly the way you want it to be—with consistent training of course. Again, just like adopting a rescue dog from an animal shelter, buying from a breeder also comes with its challenges. Because we know how important adoption is for the well-being of rescue dogs, it may be hard to rationalize buying from a breeder with the knowledge that there are already millions of dogs ready to be rescued. Moreover, buying from a breeder is insanely expensive. Prices for breeder dogs range from about $1,000 to $3,000 dollars, depending on the breed. Besides that, there is the need to train your puppy. This requires intensive patience, consistency, and knowledge.
Regardless of where you find your new pup, years of happiness, joy, dirty floors, and wet kisses will warm your life in its next exciting chapter of companionship.
Molly loves all things Starbucks and can’t live without her 5 cups of coffee a day. She
loves writing, binging new shows on Netflix, and waffles. When she isn’t writing, she
can be found at Pilates.