Hello,

We are looking to add a Dog to our family. We have 4 kids aged 17-4 that live in the home. We have looked at a bunch of breeder's websites however I"ve also looked on Petfinder as well. I'd like to hear pros and cons from people who have either purchased from a breeder vs resuced a dog.

I know the obvious part of the rescuing is possibly saving a dog's life but I'm concerned about temperment and health as well. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Maria,

We took our long legged Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Murphy Jones, from someone we knew who could not cope with him. He was four months old. He was my first dog and I had absolutely no experience but he has lived with us for 13 years, and despite having his back leg amputated on Christmas eve, he is still fit and healthy and a treat to live with.

Our English Bull Terrier, Summerjam, we got as a six week old puppy from someone who had bred his dog with a friend's female and then they couldn't look after all the puppies. He is now four years old. He is very different to the Staffy and we have to keep them apart otherwise they fight. The Bully on his own is a wonderful companion. He is quiet and playful and clean. He sleeps most of the time. He also lives in my room with me, a pigeon called Kiri and a Rosy Bourke Parakeet called Rosy. He never bothers them even if they sit on his head!

We have two other dogs who live with us, Taz and Sherman (13 and 7 years), and they are both pedigree bought from breeders, they are cute too, both small Staffies.

My youngest sister has just bought herself a small pedigree terrier (can't remember the breed) called Tilly Mint from a breeder. She lives with two cats. My other sister had a West Highland Terrier for 13 years but he died last summer and they now have a black Staffy puppy called Dave who plays with two bearded dragons. He was from someone who had bred their female dog and sold the litter.

All of the dogs have been fine, they are all living long happy lives and are never any trouble. I wouldn't be without them.

There's few things that are more exciting than adding a dog to the family!!

Even though my husband and I had rescued before, we decided to go through a breeder for our current dogs. We lost our last two animals in quick succession, one to cancer and the other to leukemia. After going through that, we wanted a puppy with a clean slate, no past issues either behavioral or physical. Sadly, we found out within a day of bringing our new pups home that it wasn't always the case.

We did our research and selected our breed, and from there we went about looking for a breeder. There aren't TOO many cattle dog breeders in the states, but we found one that seemed legit. All the good signs were there -- they also rescued, any of their dogs their owners couldn't keep automatically went back to them, they had what seemed a decent track record, high standards and bred only a couple litters a year. So we picked our two pups from the next litter that they had available, then drove from NY to Mississippi to pick them up. When we got there, we found the conditions horrible, and nothing like either the photos or the outside testimonies said. Our freshly bathed puppies were running through their home, and a floor covered with dirt, mud and feces. The breeding dogs were kenneled outdoors in an unmowed yard that was in no better shape. The smell was enough to make my eyes water -- when she handed me the girl pup I had picked out, Ella threw her short little legs around my neck, buried herself in my hair and trembled.

I love my dogs with all my heart, they're my best friends and constant companions. But when we brought them home, the first few months we had them was filled with frustration, fear and anger directed to an uncaring woman in Mississippi. I knew something wasn't right with the little boy from the beginning -- their first pictures in their new home are of them curled up in the corners of their kennels instead of exploring with the puppy interest and curiosity they should have had. A trip to the vet a few days after they were welcomed into the home showed they were infested with internal parasites and hookworms. An angry email to the breeder was answered with, "Of course, ALL puppies have worms!" *ahem* Not hookworms, which can be deadly to a puppy.

There were several times when I went to bed -- occasionally on the floor next to their kennels so I could hear him if he woke up crying -- thinking that I was going to lose him through the night. His 8-week-old self was so weak from the parasites that were eating him from the inside that he didn't have any of the puppy happies. He moped, he slept, he layed on my lap while his sister -- bigger and stronger -- successfully got rid of the parasites. In him, hookworms caused intestinal ulcers and internal bleeding, urinary tract infections, chronic diarrhea and vomiting. All the while, the breeder insisting that this was nothing out of the ordinary for her puppies to have worms.

We were extremely lucky with him -- both dogs are now approaching their 2nd birthday in May, and my girl seems to have forgotten all they went through as puppies. My boy still dreads going to the vet; he went through so much there when he was little to save his life, all the happy visits in the world aren't going to get him past his fear of the vet. Even at 2, he still has accidents in the house and frequent urinary tract infections -- the vet suspects that since he was so sick, so young, he'll never be as tough as his sister when it comes to fighting off things. He could have turned out mean, or with a tendency to snap... but he is one of the sweetest, most mild-mannered dogs I know. But it took a LOT of work, a lot of cuddles, and a lot of reassuring him -- and myself -- that he wasn't going to feel like this for his whole life, and he was going to be all right. I wouldn't trade him for the world, but I do wish there was something we could do about the irresponsible breeder marketing herself as a caring dog lover.

I promised myself -- and them -- that I would never go through a breeder again, even though I am sure there are those out there that do what they do because they love their dogs, and love seeing happy dog families.

A rescue shelter will make sure their dogs are healthy, not bringing anything like this into their new home. They often screen their dogs' personalities, too, putting them through a series of tests and scenarios to see how they'll react. This way, potential adopters will know if they're getting a dog that's good with kids, or aggressive toward small animals... avoiding potential problems by ensuring they're placed in the right home. Rescues are non-profit organizations that rely on their good name to help them keep their doors open, and many won't place a problem dog in a home they know is a bad fit. There's plenty of breed-specific rescues out there, too, so that's always an option if you're looking for something in particular.

My husband's shepherd mix was a rescue, unwanted because she was black. She was one of the sweetest souls I've ever known -- along with the rescue pit bulls that have found their forever home with some friends. Whatever you decide to do, do your research and -- most importantly, perhaps -- make sure you're getting your dog from someone who deals with them because they love them.

Linda and Debra,

Thank you both so much for your responses. We can't wait to add our new furry companion. I think you both helped to add to the perspective that there are no guarantees no matter which route we choose.

Debra, we want to get an English Bulldog but finding a purebread one from a rescue is proving to be easier said than done. The good news is that we are in no rush. Since I"m a big couponer, I've been building up my stockpile of doggie treats in anticipation of the new doggie.

I can't wait to get the update on your new companion!

We ran into the same thing with the cattle dogs... we knew what we wanted, but they're notoriously hard to re-home because they form such strong bonds with their owners. I know our SPCA is part of a program where you can talk to a placement agent who will go and look through other shelters for what you're interested in, so that's another option. Not being in a hurry is a bonus, and it'll help ensure you get the perfect dog!

No matter which way you go, I'm a firm believer that you know it's meant to be when you see the pup for the first time. As soon as Ella buried her face against my neck and burrowed under my hair, I knew she was my dog. (She's laying under my chair with her chin on my foot right now.) The same with seeing our cat for the first time in her little cage at the PetSmart adoption center... we knew we had to take our bald little Momcat home.

You'll know him/her when you see him/her, I have no doubts!

That's a great idea! I will check with the local SPCA to see if they offer an option like that. It's a shame you guys couldn't sue those breeders...if for nothing more than the vet bills associated with your puppy. The should not be able to continue to bring animals into the world under the conditions you described.

Fingers crossed for you!! They might even be able to widen the search beyond your immediate area... I know some rescues will have volunteers that will drive a dog part or all the way to their new home. Always considered doing that =)

We looked into some kind of legal action... even got in touch with the Kennel Club to try to report her for unsanitary, puppy-mill like conditions. Unfortunately, there's fine print in the Kennel Club web site that says they're simply a governing body, they don't have any legal control over where the dogs registered with them come from. It seems like they should have some say in this... I would think it would cut down a lot on these people that just breed for the $$ associated with litter after litter of registered puppies.

It breaks my heart to think of other pups having the same start as he did :-/ But hopefully they all have happy ending like him, too -- my 70-pound lap puppy just got down, LoL. It bothers me that neither of their parents are featured anywhere on the kennel site any more... but I just hope that means they got out of that place, too.

Debra, you are so right on about "knowing" you dog when you see him or her. The one that anxiously comes to you and snuggles in belongs there in your arms, heart and home.

I once had a precious little dog, a female mutt, that I rescued from a family that just did not like her. The dog was good, but just not very affectionate and kept her distance. One day a close friend and her little girl came for a visit and that little dog fell in love with the little girl. They played and cuddled throughout the visit. My friend said she wanted to get a little dog like that for her girl. My sweet little dog went home that day with her rightful family and lived a long happy life with them. Just shows to go ya -- doggies know who they belong to.

Hi, Maria,

I've been working at our local shelter for about a year now (so I'm obviously biased!), and I have to agree with Debra's information about a rescue shelter. We work with the dogs, do temperament assessments, train them, diagnose and fix any medical issues, and generally know very well what kind of families the dogs would do best with before adopting them out. We want the dogs to be placed successfully since returns are very hard on the dogs, so we do whatever we can to ensure a strong match before letting one go to a new home.

We also adopted our Heeler-German-Shepherd-mix from a shelter. And just as Phyllis said, we knew right away when we saw her. She had been in the shelter for the first four months of her life. She was totally untrained but learned so quickly how to do everything! And I think the experience of being in the shelter actually made her seem grateful to us for taking her out of there. She is truly the happiest, most loving dog.

Whatever you decide to do, just be sure it feels right to you. I think we always know what's best for ourselves and our own situations. Good luck!

Thank you so much for all of your feedback! We are still searching for our new family member!