Why We Didn't Adopt

I want to preface this post by saying I am a huge animal lover. I know that this post is going to make some people mad. This is not to say I don't believe in adopting, I do. But we didn't, and here's why. 

We would not have a portrait of our dog if we weren't a little obsessed.

 Note: we did not put that halo effect on this picture, but it does class it up, doesn't it?

I have always grown up with dogs. We bought our dogs from breeders and also rescued dogs from shelters. I think adopting dogs is necessary and wonderful. BUT, my dogs are not adopted. We have a full bred Doberman, and now, a full bred English Springer Spaniel. He comes from a long line of well bred, award winning, working Dobermans. She comes comes from a long line of field bred, trained bird hunting English Spring Spaniels. And while I think adopting dogs is great, there are also reasons why we didn't choose to adopt a dog.

The most important reason is to protect the breed. These dogs have been bred for literally 100s of years. Scientifically, dogs started as wolves that we domesticated. We picked qualities in dogs that we valued and spent years and years to develop different breeds. That's why Dobermans and Rottweilers are good at protecting. Spaniels and Pointers are good at hunting. Australian Shepards are good for herding sheep. The Basset and Bloodhound are used for their strong sense of smell, and so on.  It's important to keep the breed intact and use these dogs for the skills they possess.

If you find a good breeder you have a
better chance of a more stable dog. With adopting, you aren't sure of their temperament or health issues. Growing up we bought a dog from what we thought was a good breeder. We
unfortunately found this out the hard way when I was about 14, we had
the dog about 6 years, and the dog went nuts. It was very sad and we
learned it was important to be careful when picking a dog. This can happen with any dog, purebred or not, but in general a good breeder will not breed dogs with known issues.

Our dogs are working dogs. They are inherently good at what they do. Our dogs aren't “bench bred”, meaning, they aren't show dogs. They know how to work. Hugo is trained in schutzund. Basically, he knows how to bite on command, which sounds scary but he has to have a specific disposition, so it's only in very specific circumstances that he would act on this. Millie is trained in bird hunting and knows how to sniff out and retrieve birds.

You have to find a reputable breeder. Not someone just cranking out dogs inhumanely. (Hence why it took us 6 months to find Hugo). We did research, we took our time, and we found someone who we respected. We still work and keep in touch with our breeder- they actually watch our dog when we leave town. 

I think adopting is wonderful. And I appreciate those that adopt. That's not to say we won't ever adopt, but since we actually use our dogs as they are intended- protection and hunting- it was a good choice for us.

What do you think about dog adoption?

***I think adoption is important and necessary. I think shelter dogs can be wonderful pets and generally have less genetic issues than purebred dogs. I believe there are pros and cons to both. No matter what, it's important to get your dog spayed and neutered so more dogs end up unnecessarily in a shelter. Adopted dogs are excellent dogs and we do foster dogs when we can. In most cases, I believe adopting is the better option. Regardless, if you are in the market for a dog do your research before getting a dog.