Every future owner has the right to choose a dog that will suit their family in particular. Some find their friend in a shelter, others turn to a breed kennel. It is not uncommon to hear the opinion that as long as there are homeless dogs in shelters, breeding purebred dogs is wrong. But is that really the case?
In reality, these two paths do not contradict each other, because they serve different purposes. Let’s try to understand why the culture of conscious choice is more important than arguments about “where it is more correct” to get a dog, and what role responsible purebred breeding plays in this.
When we choose a car…
Before buying a car, many people spend months reading reviews, comparing specifications, studying owners’ feedback, checking crash test results…
Even when choosing a robot vacuum cleaner or a washing machine, people carefully study the functions, warranty, maintenance costs and compare dozens of models.
We are used to carefully choosing things that will serve us for several years.
Yet for some reason, when it comes to a dog, many people think that one look is enough.
“What a cutie!”
“She came up to me herself.”
“I felt sorry for her.”
At the same time, a dog is neither a household appliance nor a temporary hobby.
It is a living being that will become part of the family for the next ten to fifteen years.
Doesn’t such a choice deserve an even more serious approach?
Not every dog suits every family
We would really like to believe that any dog will be happy in any home, but unfortunately this is not the case.
There are very active dogs.
There are calm ones.
There are independent dogs.
There are dogs that vitally need constant contact with a person.
Some feel great in a big family with children.
Others are more comfortable living with calm adults.
That’s why the main question should never be: “Which dog is better?”
The right question is completely different: “Which dog will suit our family in particular?”
This is exactly where a responsible attitude towards a future pet begins.
Why people choose different paths
Some people dream of giving a home to a shelter dog – and this is a decision worthy of respect.
Others want to understand in advance what their dog will grow into, what its temperament will be, what health issues have occurred in its relatives and what to expect in adulthood.
And this is also an absolutely normal desire.
Neither of these paths can be called the only correct one, because families are different and their needs are different too.
What responsible purebred breeding gives
A breed kennel cannot give a one hundred percent guarantee, because living beings are never completely predictable.
However, it can significantly reduce the number of unknowns:
- A future owner can meet the puppy’s parents.
- Assess their appearance, size and temperament.
- Learn about health specifics over several generations.
- Understand what the approximate size of the adult dog will be, the level of activity and typical temperament.
- Get an honest account not only of the breed’s advantages, but also of its challenges.
And most importantly — receive ongoing support from the breeder if questions or problems arise in the future.
What about shelter dogs?
Among shelter dogs there are an enormous number of wonderful animals who become beloved family members.
But it is important to understand one objective feature — very often their past remains unknown.
- We may not know their origins.
- We may not know what diseases their parents struggled with.
- We may not know what experiences they had at an early age.
- We may not know which events influenced the formation of their behaviour.
This does not at all mean that such a dog will be problematic, that it will definitely have health or behavioural issues, and certainly does not make it any worse.
Very many become excellent family pets and live happily with their families for many years.
For some families this is completely acceptable, for others — not; and both choices deserve respect.
But it is important to honestly admit: some questions will remain unanswered forever, and a future owner has the right to take this into account when making a decision.
This means that the future owner makes a decision under conditions of greater uncertainty.
Every person has the right to know as much as is at all possible about a future member of their family.
Conscious choice is also care for the dog
Sometimes you can hear: “It doesn’t matter what kind of dog you take. The main thing is to love it.”
Love is indeed very important, but love alone is not enough.
If a person understands that it is important for them to know the breed’s specifics, the expected size, temperament, hereditary risks and to have the possibility to turn to the breeder for help, this does not make them less kind or less responsible.
In the same way, a person who is ready to accept a dog with an unknown history and possible surprises deserves enormous respect.
These are simply different life circumstances, different expectations, different goals, different experiences.
That is exactly why there is no single right path.
There is only one truly correct decision — to honestly understand what exactly you are ready for.
Responsible breeding as part of society’s culture
Sometimes you can hear the opinion: “As long as shelters exist, breeding purebred dogs is wrong.”
But let’s look at the situation more broadly:
Imagine a city where people regularly cross the road at a red light. Should the conclusion be to remove traffic lights?
Of course not.
We understand that the problem is not in the traffic lights; the problem is in people’s attitude towards the rules.
That’s why society does not cancel the rules, but cultivates respect for them. Cars stop at a red light not because a police officer stands by every one of them or there is a camera above every intersection. They stop because following the rules has become part of the culture.
The same thing happens with dogs: the problem of stray animals does not arise because there are purebred dog kennels.
It appears when people get a dog on impulse, don’t study the breed’s characteristics, overestimate their capabilities and are not ready to take responsibility for many years.
That is why responsible breeding is not the opposite of shelters; it is part of a culture of responsible attitudes towards animals.
Responsible breeding exists not because everyone wants purebred dogs — it exists because a society that values knowledge, planning and responsibility inevitably forms a more respectful attitude towards animals in general.
Let’s look at the numbers
According to the Israel Kennel Federation, around 4,000 purebred puppies are registered in the country every year.
This is only about 4–5% of the total number of puppies born.
It turns out that more than 95% of puppies are born outside the system of official pedigree breeding.
These figures in themselves show that registered kennels cannot be the main cause of stray animals.
Then where do shelter dogs come from?
Here is where the most important conversation begins.
Most dogs end up in shelters not at all because they are purebred or mixed-breed, and not because they have a pedigree or not.
The reasons are almost always different:
- The dog was acquired on impulse.
- An allergy to fur appeared.
- The owners misjudged their capabilities.
- They moved.
- A baby was born.
- It turned out that the dog barks a lot and sheds heavily.
- Circumstances changed.
- They couldn’t cope with training.
- Or they simply never intended to take responsibility for an animal for many years.
The problem of stray dogs does not start with the dog’s origin — it starts with irresponsible human attitudes.
What does a “responsible breeder” mean?
A responsible kennel’s work does not end with selling a puppy.
On the contrary — the longest stage begins after the move.
- We stay in touch with the owners.
- We help with advice.
- We answer questions.
- We support them if difficulties arise.
- Whenever possible we always take the dog for boarding when the owners go on vacation, or help to find another solution that suits everyone.
We always tell owners one simple thing: If you have problems — tell us.
It is better to discuss the situation in advance than to look for a solution when the dog has already become unwanted.
A responsible breeder strives to do everything possible, if necessary, to take their dog back or help find a new suitable family for it, preventing it from ending up in a shelter.
Loving purebred dogs and helping shelters is not a contradiction
For some reason on the internet there is often an impression that there are two opposing camps: some help shelters, others are engaged in purebred breeding.
In fact, this is a false opposition.
A responsible breeder and a shelter volunteer often want the same thing: for as few dogs as possible to be left without a home.
Many breeders support shelters, take part in charity projects, temporarily foster animals, help them find new families or consult owners.
Love for a breed in no way interferes with compassion for any other dog.
Shelters and kennels solve different tasks
Shelters help dogs that have already lost their homes.
Breed kennels try to do everything possible so that their graduates never end up in such a situation.
These are not competing systems, but two different parts of one common culture:
A culture of respect for the dog. A culture of responsibility. A culture of conscious choice.
Instead of a conclusion
We would very much like the question one day to sound not like this: “What is better — to take a dog from a shelter or to buy a puppy from a kennel?”, but completely differently: “How can we make sure that fewer and fewer dogs need new families?”
The answer does not begin with a choice between a shelter and a kennel.
It begins with a person’s responsible attitude towards their future dog.
We are genuinely happy when shelter dogs find loving families, and we are just as genuinely happy when future owners make a responsible choice of a purebred puppy.
Because we all have one goal — that as few dogs as possible end up unwanted.
And the path to this does not start with arguments about where it is “more correct” to get a dog; it starts with a simple question that every person should ask themselves even before a pet appears in the home:
“Am I ready to make a conscious choice and take responsibility for this dog for its entire life?”
