Adopting vs Buying

Hey guys! Sorry if you've been on the edge of your seat, waiting for my next post...things have been a little hectic lately. So I thought I'd start off with a cute picture to motivate you to keep reading.

This is a Golden Cocker Retriever, and there have been a lot of internet memes going around, labeling this mix between a Golden Retriever and a Cocker Spaniel as a "Forever puppy," claiming that this is the full grown version and that a GCR will look like this forever.

As far as I'm concerned, that is not true. The parent breeds of this cute puppy are actually not very small and therefore not "forever puppy" material. With a Golden Retriever ranging from 60-75 lbs and 21-24 inches tall, I daresay the Cocker Spaniel's  relative smallness at 14-16 inches tall and 24-32 lbs is compensated for.  Below is a picture of a full-grown GCR.

See? Still gorgeous and adorable. :) 

Today's purpose is to convince you guys to adopt instead of buy. There are reputable breeders, shelters, and then there are puppy mills. If I have to give them ratings on trustworthiness, I would give breeders and shelters a 4/5 and puppy mills a 2/5. I must admit, I may be biased to equate shelters and breeders, since many of you may say it is possible for you to adopt a very sick or vicious dog...but keep in mind that it is possible also to buy a puppy from a breeder that turns out to be sick or vicious. And extra bonus? Adopting from a shelter probably means you are saving a life, because breeders have more resources to take care of their dogs. A good breeder should take care of every life it creates. 

As far as puppy mills...I would urge you to stay away from those, since it is likely you will get a sick puppy. I once asked my sister, "if puppy mills have such horrible conditions, is it not a mercy for people to go and adopt from puppy mills?" And she answered that we must look at the big picture--we may be saving one dog, but we are dooming infinitely many others (maybe not infinitely, but a lot) by giving these breeders business and a motivation to breed more puppies in substandard conditions at detriments to the puppies' health. 

I think there is a general misconception that adopting from a shelter means you will get a mixed-breed adult dog, but that is not always true. Unfortunately, homelessness and human cruelty apply to puppies and purebreds also, and there are purebred rescues if you are looking to rescue a purebred dog. Adopting a puppy should never be easy, because since when has finding a loving companion or saving a life been easy? 

I will talk to you guys soon! 

~Sonya