Purchasing or Adopting: Which is Better?

When thinking about adding a furry member to your family, one of the biggest decisions is where to get them from. Should you opt for a registered breeder or adopt from a rescue organization? Today we compare these two most common possibilities.

Cost – Adoption is generally significantly less expensive in terms of initial cost compared to purchasing a dog from a breeder. In fact, it can also save you hundreds of dollars as rescue dogs will have already received vaccinations, spaying/neutering, possibly be microchipped, and have received some training. Breeders charge hundreds to thousands of dollars for a puppy, and that might or might not include the cost of vaccinations and microchipping. On average, adopting costs between zero to $250, whereas a purebred dog could cost between $800-$1,500 depending on the breed.

Training – Purchasing a puppy from a breeder means you are starting from square one. Puppies require a great deal of time and energy, but you have the opportunity to train them from the start and set them up for the rest of their lives. Shelter dogs are all different and each will come with a different history and training level. Depending on the age of the dog being adopted, you might be re-training as opposed to teaching them for the first time. Some shelters have extensive training programs while others have trainers who only perform behavioral assessments. When considering adoption, just remember you have to consider each dog on an individual basis.

Information – Purchasing from a registered, reputable breeder provides you official paperwork proving the dog’s pedigree, health history, and the opportunity to observe the parents. With adoptions, you don’t always have the dog’s full story. They might have some trauma issues or unknown facts about their medical and behavioral history. Rescue organizations such as the Humane Society will evaluate each dog’s current health, traits, quirks, and behaviors to help inform you as much as they possibly can in order to pair you with the right dog, but they can’t know everything about a dog’s life before their arrival.

Health – If a breeder is responsible, they will actively breed their dogs for optimal health, not just appearance or temperament. They should be willing to provide references of customers you can speak with about the health of previous litters as well as documentation of veterinary care. In-depth history of a rescue dog is usually much harder to come by. Depending on how they came to the shelter, they might not come with much documentation or information at all. Occasionally a dog will be surrendered due to a responsible owner’s passing who will leave veterinary information, but this is usually not the case. The rescue organization will have the dog examined for current health, but that might be all the information available.

Animal Welfare – Overbreeding is one of if not the primary reason why shelters are so full. So long as people can profit off selling dogs, there will be a need for rescue operations. By choosing to adopt, the adoption fee funds the rescue and care of other dogs looking for forever families. Though there are many good reasons for wanting purebred dogs, adopting a dog makes a more positive and sustainable impact.

Trustworthiness – There are, unfortunately, many illegitimate and fraudulent breeders. If you are thinking of purchasing a dog, it is imperative that you do your research not only on the dog breed, but the breeder. Shelters are highly incentivized to successfully place pets with their forever homes and go to great lengths to make sure animals and prospective owners are the right fit. Whichever you choose, make sure you ask lots of questions, spend time with the dogs you are considering, and not rush the process. Either way, you are opening your home to a forever friend.