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• Friday, September 7, 2007 03:25 PM

  I don't get the argument

  Are we supposed to only get dogs from shelters or are we not supposed to have pets at all?

  I think its great when people adopt from shelters and I don't support pet shops that sell dogs and cats because I have never heard of a "nice" puppy mill. I have never heard the argument that getting dogs from breeders is wrong. Its just an option. Breeders are usually (although I am sure not always) pretty caring people and several of my friends who have gotten their dogs from breeders have been put through the ringer to make sure that they are appropriate dog owners. Shelters, for the most part, do the same, although pet shops seem happy to trade money for an animal regardless of the person's ability to care for said animal.

  I have a purebreed, I didn't choose that because I care so much about my dog's appearance or want to frame his papers to show my friends, but because I wanted a dog with certain personality traits who would be ok with kids (yes, I know its not guarantee and that many shelter dogs are great with kids but with a shelter dog its even more of a crap shoot). Of the three places one can get an animal, shelters and breeders look like equally good, albeit imperfect, options with different trade offs. We don't live in a perfect world and if we can only operate in "ideal" circumstances it seems we will be pretty hard up to make any choices.

  I know I look after my dog and love him. I know I look after my kid and love her. It breaks my heart that some kids and some animals are abused but that has less to do with where the child or animal came from. It seems to have more to do with where they end up.

  Wouldn't be much better if all animals came from responsible breeders and went to responsible homes and if we didn't need shelters anymore? Wouldn't that be the ideal world? One where shelters were obsolete? It would be a wonderful world if all children were in loving homes too whether with their biological or adoptive parents. There are so many issues being discussed in this thread, all of which are very complicated, but doesn't it all boil down to wanting people and animals not to have to suffer because they are under the control of someone malicious? Wouldn't discussing how to make that happen be more constructive?

  —mappeal Read mappeal's other letters
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