It's not the amount of animals that matters, it's where they come from.
Pet stores are usually filled with poorly bred puppy mill dogs. Those dogs live in horrible conditions, most of the puppies will be sickly. No legitimate breeder sells their animals to a pet store, it simply isn't done.
The dogs in the papers are usually from backyard breeders, they're just as bad as puppymills, only on a smaller scale. These people have no idea what they are doing, only the females and her pups suffer.
Legitimate breeders breed to better the blood lines, they do genetic testing, they properly care for the dam and the pups, they have years of experience. Even when selling their pups for $2000 a pop (or pup ;)) they usually don't make a profit, most of the money goes into the proper care and breeding of these pups.
Having said all that, I love shelter dogs. Not only are you saving a life, you're supporting a great cause and you usually end up with a dog that's your match in every way.
The humane society here takes a lot of precautions to make sure you're not buying a dog on a whim. They also match the dog to your lifestyle as best they can.
You may not find the right dog for you the first time, but eventually you will.
Getting a dog is never something you should do on a whim, you have to put a lot of time and care into choosing a dog that you will be able to live with. Dogs can live 12 plus years, you need to be prepared to make that commitment. Vet checks when needed, shots once a year, more for the first year of a puppy. Neutering/spaying if it hasn't been done at the shelter. Food, collar, registration (yearly) you name it.
It's not cheap, so check out all the costs involved before bringing home your forever fur friend.
Of course we'll need pictures once you get him/her, that's not negotiable. ;)
Okay, I'll post pics of mine. Twist my rubber arm. ;)
Indy, my 14 year old lab mix. Friends dog had babies, don't normally condone getting a dog from an oops litter, but we fell in love.
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Jasper, my 8 year old border collie mix. Shelter dog, we got him at 4months of age, he was badly beaten, thin as a rail and didn't trust anyone. Now he's a big softie, cuddly, sucky baby.
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Chewy, my purebred beagle. We got Chewy from a reputable breeder that we found online. She still emails me once a month to see how Chewy is doing. She does it for the love of the breed. Beagles are great, because breeders have managed to keep the blood lines very clean, as a result they don't have many health defects passed down to them. Sadly, because of this, they are the dog of choice for animal testing. :(
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That's my dog family. I'd show my other animals but I'd need 3 posts. ;)
