A debate recently occurred on a friend’s Facebook wall, even though that was not what she intended. She had posted about how she loves her Purebred dogs, bred by Breeders she knows and trusts. She highly values that she knows their bloodlines and genetic history back for ages. She had in the past owned mixed breeds – which she loved dearly… But somewhere along the line she started with Purebreds and has decided she would never go back. This started a very long, drawn out debate which I’m sure my friend never really intended on, but it is such a hot topic, I knew where it would inevitably go… Bickering and a never ending back & forth where nobody can win.
This debate rages daily. My Facebook wall almost always has something about “Don’t Shop, Adopt”, or the opposite in favor of Purebreds. Countless Rescue potentials and “No time left” for dogs in kill shelters scatter my wall. Personally, I am torn about this issue, as I am the owner of several Purebreed pets: two Ocicats, and a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. Not to mention the fact that I also have only EVER owned Purebred dogs, although they all came through Rescue. I never knew their bloodlines, but they were Purebred. In fact, now that I sit down and really think about it – even when I first started researching to get my own dog when I was out on my own… I never really looked at mixed breeds, but it wasn’t intentional, I just never thought about it. Growing up, we had a Beagle, a Cocker Spaniel (who I think was a bit mixed!), an Irish Setter, a Gordon Setter, and then a Golden Retriever. Perhaps it has just been my upbringing that has made me always go the route of Purebred. Every day though I see many pictures of Mixed Breeds that are so adorable and wonderful, I would love to give them all homes. But I’ve just never gone that route.
Why did I choose a Purebred dog from a respected breeder?
Because:
- I wanted a puppy that was raised properly and raised with cats
- I wanted a dog specifically for Agility and I knew Tollers to be great Agility dogs
- I wanted to have as much of a guarantee on health & genetics as I could
- I wanted to have some idea of the personality and traits that I might expect
- I did not want a dog with unknown background that may have behaviors I would have to re-train or un-train
I could have covered #1, #2 and #5 with a Mixed Breed, but #3 & #4 were very important to me. Though, as it turns out, I have discovered no matter how much you know of a dog’s lineage or breed characteristics, you still can wind up with a dog you didn’t expect. So I just can’t pick a side.
But – I don’t think we need to “pick sides”. A pet is a pet. If your new family member is Purebreed or Mixed Breed – it simply doesn’t matter. That you love and care for them properly is what DOES matter.
Although of course, if you DO decide to go the Purebred route, and aside from rescue, be sure you research your chosen breed and pick a reputable breeder. Often by visiting the national breed club website you can find contacts to breeders of merit, and I encourage potential new owners to also get to know breeders in their area before settling on one person.
In the future, when the time comes, I am not sure what I will do. We adore our Ocicats and the Bengal we owned, and would love more. Maybe we will compromise and get a shelter cat and a Bengal, or some mixture. When it comes to dogs… this will be a tough one for me. Emme has come with incredible trials I never envisioned, while so many friends randomly get a dog from a shelter or rescue and they are The Best Dog Ever. Not that Emme isn’t GREAT – she is! But she comes with a lot of baggage. She is NOT what I had all these hopes of having, and although we have come a long way, she is always going to need special care.
So who knows – we will see what happens when the time comes (hopefully not anytime soon because we love her dearly, baggage or not). And I hope that all my friends can remain friends with this debate.
Please remember that purpose-bred dogs are incredible, and breeding of specific breeds must continue. It would be such a tragedy to lose any breed.
So somehow we are going to need to work out a compromise. I would venture to guess that 100% of my “Breeder” friends also rescue dogs and take back dogs they have bred that wind up with problems or homeless. So they, too, rescue! Let’s try to all be a little more broad in our thinking.
