My German Shepherd puppy goes with me most places dogs are allowed and I always get asked if I adopted him or went to a breeder.
Based on the title of this blog, you already know the answer, and I feel it’s my duty as a dog professional to answer the unasked, “why?”
I only have one dog that was formally adopted from a shelter. One of my dogs was left on the side of the road, and the other 2 are from oopsie litters and were taken in as puppies.
My family always rescued dogs and I grew up thinking “adopt don’t shop” was the answer to all the world’s dog problems. I now have a different opinion.
The problem with adopting
My adopted dog is the reason I got into dog training, she started biting people 3 days into our life together.
I had done my research into shelters in my area and adopted her from a no-kill shelter. She had been transferred twice in her short year of life and had spent all but the first 8 weeks in a shelter.
I didn’t know it then, but this was the cause of a lot of my issues. Puppies go though an important development phase during their first 6ish months of life, and while they do their best, shelters are often unable to get the dogs the interaction and proper socialization needed to develop into relatively balanced dogs.
That being said, my dog is also a genetic disaster. After having her tested, she came back as part Coyote, and then some of her behaviors made a little more sense.
I love her regardless and will likely adopt dogs in the future if they meet my criteria and fit in my lifestyle.
The spay/neuter debate
There’s a ton if debate right now about whether or not pediatric spay/neuter changes a dog, both mentally and physically.
On one side of the fence you have people saying it prevents behavior issues and physical ailments and on the other side you have people saying it can lead to behavior issues and physical ailments.
There haven’t been a lot of studies, I’m guessing it’s probably somewhere in the middle. I have seen high drive dogs calm down after being altered(note: I said calm down, altering your dog WILL NOT fix behavior issues), I’ve also seen a ton of dogs who were altered early stay in perpetual puppy phase.
I personally like to keep my dogs intact for at least a year, my shepherd will likely be 2 or 3 years because he’s so large and I want him to fully develop and mature. All of the other dogs in my household have been altered so I’m not worried about an oopsie.
This is a luxury I can not get from a shelter/rescue as they are mandated to only adopt out altered dogs.
Unaltered shouldn’t be synonymous with bad owner. I know a ton of other dog owners who have unaltered dogs who have never had an oopsie and are making an informed decision to keep their dogs intact.
Knowing what I’m getting
I chose a responsible breeder that I had done a ton of research into and asked a lot of questions. I picked someone who health tested and was very informed about temperament.
GSD’s often end up in shelters because they have behavioral issues. A lot of this is caused by bad breeding, and disregard to temperament.
Good breeders know that health and temperament are the key to good dogs. They screen their adopters and ensure their puppies go to responsible homes.
I see GSD’s on a regular basis that want to take a bite out of me, I’ve also met some really great ones.
TLDR
Not all shelter dogs have issues but shelters are ill-equipped to deal with the crucial development periods of puppies and it can lead to behavior issues.
Some dogs just have bad genes and will always need management.
Adopting is a great avenue, and I will likely adopt again.
Pediatric alteration is not something I want to do to a puppy.
Responsible breeders care about the health and temperament of your puppy and do all they can to ensure you have the dog you want.
This is my first pure bred dog. He’s amazing. He’s not afraid of anything, he is very sweet to people, and he loves all the other animals in my house. He’s not perfect but he’s pretty great.
