Did you read today’s Dear Abby? The letter writer brought up the age-old debate of adopt vs. shop when getting a new dog. To summarize, the writer was upset that people continually questioned her as to whether or not she rescued her new dog, implying that purchasing a purebred was to be frowned upon.
Abby’s response brought up two important points:
First she says, There is nothing wrong with having a purebred animal if that is your preference. On this blog, I have often encouraged people to #AdoptDon’tShop, as I understand the plight of rescues and shelters who are overflowing, often with non-pedigree dogs. I’m not great at following my own advice, however.
In my home, I have a purebred Vizsla who was purchased from a breeder, a Beagle who was rescued from a close-to-a-puppy mill breeder, and a purebred Treeing Walker Coonhound the breeder wanted to get rid of because she couldn’t be shown. In the past, I’ve had several dogs we took because our neighbors became sick of their puppy behaviors. In all, I’ve tried to combine my love of certain breeds with the ideal of getting dogs out of less than optimal situations.
More importantly, in my opinion, Abby spoke to the issue of how shelters are emptying out during this coronavirus pandemic. I’d like to present her postscript in its entirety because I have the same fear.
I hear a lot lately about people adopting dogs during this quarantine period because they are desperate for company. I sincerely hope the animals will not be forgotten or discarded once the quarantine is lifted and folks return to their (somewhat) normal lives.
I hope these rescued dogs are forming life-long relationships with their new families, and undoubtedly some of them will. But what about all of the dogs that get ignored once the economy opens back up? I’m very worried they’ll end up lonely, or worse yet, back in a shelter.
Maybe people will act according to their best nature rather than their worst, and I’m worried for nothing.
Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!