5 Reasons to Avoid Animal Breeders

When you’re looking to buy a pet, it can be tempting to consider purchasing from an animal breeder. Many people view it in the same light of buying a new car instead of used, citing benefits like they can pick a certain type or that they are the pets first owner. What they don’t realize is that adopting a pet from an animal shelter or humane society can have many of the same benefits, and even avoid some of the problems with breeders.

Here are five reasons you should avoid animal breeders in favor of adopting an animal.

1. Breeders charge a lot more than rescues or shelters

Buying a pet from an animal breeder can be an expensive proposition, with prices of buying a pet ranging from $400 into the thousands of dollars. On the other hand, adopting a pet can be much more reasonable, with adoption prices ranging from $50 to $200. Many times adoption will also include things like spaying/neutering, micro-chipping, and other services included in the adoption price. Buying from a breeder can be a costly proposition even before all the other costs associated with a pet come into play.

2. Breeders are not the only place to find purebreds

Many people look to buy animals from breeders because they are looking for a certain breed of pet, but animal shelters oftentimes have purebred animals as well as mixed breeds. According to The United States Humane Society, about 25% of all dogs in shelters are purebred.  If you’re looking for a pet who is not a mixed breed (even though most mixed breed pets generally live longer and have fewer health issues), you should consider seeing if there are any options at a animal shelter.

3. Breeders contribute to pet overpopulation

By selling pets when there are millions of other pets who are perfectly healthy and looking for homes, breeders contribute to the problem of constantly full animal shelters. About 1.5 million animals are euthanized each year, and each pet that a breeder sells is one less owner looking to help give a deserving animal a new home. Instead of buying a puppy or kitten from a breeder, consider giving an animal in a shelter a new lease on life.

4. Breeders are not always reputable

When a pet is bought from a breeder, the new owner may not know what sort of conditions their new pet was actually raised in. It can be hard to know if the breeder is actually selling you the purebred animal you think they are, or if the pet has been bred in a “puppy mill”. Adopting a pet from an animal shelter or humane society means you can usually get some sort of history on the animal in question in addition to its temperament since shelter pets need to pass temperament tests to make it to the adoption floor. When you purchase from a breeder, you can quite often be buying a new pet that doesn’t quite have the background you think it may have.

5. Most breeders only offer one age of pet

Most breeders only offer puppies or kittens, as those are the most profitable of pets. But many people may want a pet that is already trained or are looking for a companion that matches their activity level. When you purchase a new animal from a breeder, you are responsible for training that pet fully, and if not trained properly the animal can develop bad or destructive habits. Adopting lets you pick a pet that is already at the level of readiness and involvement you are looking for, and ensures a better match for animals of all ages!

Adopting is always a preferable option when bringing a new pet into your home. Save a life, skip the breeder, and head to a shelter!

Why do you avoid animal breeders? Leave a comment and let us know!