DO YOU JUDGE PEOPLE WHO BOUGHT THEIR DOGS?

I confess that I do. When I encounter folks who brag about their purebred dog they got from a breeder, I just want to slap some sense into them.  But my heart swells to the size of the Grinch's in Whoville when someone says they rescued their dog.  Is there any kinder way to find your very best friend?  I think about my most wonderful Beau and how someone didn't even care enough about him to claim him from the dog pound to bring him back home.  I'm sure he was once someone's adorable Christmas puppy before I found him.  

It's hard not to condemn those who insist on buying a dog from a breeder or pet store when there are so doggone many of them abandoned in shelters and rescues that are in dire need of a loving home.  How can they even consider it?  To me, it's like saying you bought a child.  

You had better believe that you are not always getting a well bred dog when you buy a "purebred" dog from a breeder or a pet store, where they are so greedy as to sell dogs for profit.  Most of the time you'll end up with a dog that came from a puppy mill with a costly collection of health and behavior problems due to the cramped, filthy conditions they are raised in.  Those problems may not manifest for a while, usually after you are all in.  There are some reputable breeders, of course, who claim they are in the business of breeding for love of the dogs, but if they were completely honest they'd admit they also love the money and prestige that goes along with the show ring.  I don't think those trophies usually are displayed in the dog house.  

The demand for purebreds persists, and that's why puppy mills and backyard breeders are still profiting from the misery of these unfortunate companion animals.  Here are the reasons you most often hear about why only a purebred will do.  Number 5 is my absolute favorite pet peeve.  Grrrr!