Winding Road Kennel Will Care for Your Dog Regardless of Its Adoption
Pet shop vs breeder vs shelter dog adoption is our blog topic for Adopt-a-Dog Month. Last month, Winding Road Kennel blogged about what it means to be a responsible dog owner. We explained that dog ownership is a long-term commitment and it’s important to research breeds. Are you ready and able to take on the commitment of dog ownership, but don’t know where to start? There are pros and cons when choosing to adopt via shelters or rescues, a breeder, or from a pet store.
Pro and Con of Adopting a Dog from a Breeder: Predictable & Expensive
Pro: When you adopt a dog from a breeder, temperament, behavior, and health risks are often predictable because it’s purebred. Breeders spend a lot of time socializing, caring for, and observing puppies for their first 12 weeks.
Con: Dogs adopted from breeders can be more expensive than shelters, rescues, or evet pet stores. Price varies based on the different breeds, plus veterinarian bills.
Adopting a Dog from a Pet Store Has Advantages and Disadvantages
An advantage of adopting a pet store dog is that you often get discounts on merchandise for the pet you adopt. Sometimes pet stores will let you play with the dog before you adopt it, which is another advantage. A disadvantage of adopting pet store dogs is that they’re more expensive than rescue or shelter dogs. Sometimes puppies at pet stores come from puppy mills—high volume dog breeding facilities often found to be inhumanely operated.
Choose to Adopt a Dog from a Shelter or Rescue Before Another Method
The only downside to adopting rescue or shelter dogs is it’s difficult to find and adopt puppies. You also run the risk of unknown health problems with shelter or rescue dogs.
The advantages outweigh the disadvantages, however. When you adopt a shelter or rescue dog, you put an end to puppy mills and prevent euthanasia. It’s less costly to adopt shelter or rescue dogs than from pet stores or breeders. Many shelter and rescue dogs used to live with another family. They may have already been house trained plus respond to commands.
Contact Winding Road Kennel for information on boarding and grooming services in Parkersburg, WV, by calling (304) 428-3518. For updates, like us on Facebook and follow us. We’d be glad to compare additional pros and cons of pet shop vs breeder vs shelter dog adoption.