US Buying Versus Adopting a Dog

Lila

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Is it unethical for a vegan to buy a dog from a breeder rather than adopt one? I have volunteered with rescues and shelters in the past and am very aware that animals are put down all of the time. I have been looking for a rescue for a long time and am frustrated. I am living in an area of the US that does not have a lot of adoptable dogs so rescues transport from the south. These rescues either don’t get back to me or won’t adopt to me for reasons such as not having a fenced in yard. The shelters in my area have few dogs listed and none are what I am looking for. When I look at shelters in bigger cities nearby, I can’t even get a response. COVID restrictions prohibit visiting shelters right now. I also would prefer a purebred puppy of my favorite breed, but feel it is ethically questionable. Just wondering if any other vegans have struggled with this. I used to privately judge people who bought a dog, but I am starting to feel like it would be much easier. Plus my breed of choice is like eye candy to me and the breed’s mannerisms make me laugh. I am a vegan because of my love for animals and am aware that rescuing or adopting is more in line with my beliefs. Would it be wrong to buy a dog through a reputable breeder? Reputable is subjective I realize, but breed clubs do have breeders that sign a code of ethics.
 
I guess it depends on what breed youre talking about.... let us be honest here, some are simply abominations and a slap into natures face.

I stick to half-breeds from the street because they tend to be way smarter. After all the first animal to orbit earth was a stray mongrel from the streets of Moscow... a real Cosmonaut! RIP Laika....

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I can't imagine not finding a dog in need of a home!
No, breeding is not ethical. If you've volunteered are you still in contact with those organizations? Puppy mills and this virus are overloading animal shelters!
 
I can't imagine not finding a dog in need of a home!
No, breeding is not ethical.
Finding a dog that is not in need of a home is a difficult task indeed.

As a former hunter I have to admit that I had a kennel and some of my dogs were... rather expensive. Breeding dogs for beeing smart is something different than breeding dogs with stumpy legs because they look "cute". To be honest I somehow had the feeling that Im breeding dogs back to what they are supposed to be.... I choose my dogs with care and only sold them for a " Tête-à-Tête" when I was sure the offspring would have a chance to be superior. Of course I understand now how stupid it sounds but I lack the feeling of having done something absolutely wrong.
 
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Silva, there is a huge open intake animal shelter in Newark, NJ that I adopted from years ago. There were hundreds of dogs there. Right now, they have 5 pit bulls listed only. I don’t want a pit bull because I have met too many dog aggressive ones. You call to make an appointment based on what is listed online. I called to verify. I have looked at two other large shelters and it was the same. People are fostering and adopting in mass right now, the dump of animals in shelters will come when the COVID restrictions are lifted. With rescues, if you don’t own a house with a fenced in yard and have young children, it is really hard to adopt from a rescue in New England.
 
Ohzen, what made you go vegan?

If there wasn’t an overpopulation problem, I would not have a problem buying one. I have had past rescues with severe behavioral problems so I am wary of adopting just any dog.
 
I don’t want a pit bull because I have met too many dog aggressive ones.
Guns dont kill other sentinent beeings, I do! My dogs exactly know when and why they kill other animals... because I trained them. Working with breeds specialized on hunting I can tell from my experience, that unless they receive the order ,they are among the most docile (and lazy) animals I ever came across.

I also had to put down some dogs because they attacked humans.... sometimes I would rather have send a bullet through their owners head instead of the poor animal.
 
Ohzen, what made you go vegan?
Hunter, Forest Warden, Falconer.... I am rather close to nature and always saw my profession as part of trying to repair man made problems. I dont eat eggs because I love birds, I dont drink mother-milk of other animals (also Im lactose intolerant), I have a huge vegetable patch and friends who do too....

What really made me go vegan though... I found out my body is a high powered machine that works even better with fine tuning. I can get all I need through plants and a daily pill... nature is efficent, wasting energy is a sin.
 
Silva, there is a huge open intake animal shelter in Newark, NJ that I adopted from years ago. There were hundreds of dogs there. Right now, they have 5 pit bulls listed only. I don’t want a pit bull because I have met too many dog aggressive ones. You call to make an appointment based on what is listed online. I called to verify. I have looked at two other large shelters and it was the same. People are fostering and adopting in mass right now, the dump of animals in shelters will come when the COVID restrictions are lifted. With rescues, if you don’t own a house with a fenced in yard and have young children, it is really hard to adopt from a rescue in New England.
Best thing is to wait. Time has a way of bringing you together.
Please don't support breeding.
Are you on local community forums, where so often people post to rehome animals that can't be taken in moves, or lost their elderly companions?
 
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Oh I just looked at Petfinder.com for Ohio! I miss having a dog very much, but have 7 cats from working in rescues.
There are many. You may need to travel.
 
If you need a challenge... run a shelter for birds! Only took me two weeks to buy a helmet....
 
There are many with rescues that won’t adopt to me.
 
I've thought about this a bit... not that much, because I'm not interested in buying any animal. I've loved the animals I've adopted since the beginning of 1993, but because they're sentient beings who depend on me, I worry about them and sometimes this feels like it drains me. If I take an animal into my care, I want to know that it's benefitting THEM as well as me- so that means adoption from shelters. I could love an animal whom I bought, but then the breeders would just breed another one for sale. If I adopt from a shelter, then that's one less animal who needs a home.

There is one possible concern: I've heard that with an animal who is deliberately bred for sale, you have a better idea about that animal's personality (and supposedly how healthy they might be). But my all-time favorite animal was a kitten who my sister and I found in a park in 1963 coming home from school. God only knows what her parents were like- but I couldn't ask for a more lovable animal companion.

Edited to add: R.I.P., Laika.:broken_heart::sob:
 
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Is it unethical for a vegan to buy a dog from a breeder rather than adopt one? I have volunteered with rescues and shelters in the past and am very aware that animals are put down all of the time. I have been looking for a rescue for a long time and am frustrated. I am living in an area of the US that does not have a lot of adoptable dogs so rescues transport from the south. These rescues either don’t get back to me or won’t adopt to me for reasons such as not having a fenced in yard. The shelters in my area have few dogs listed and none are what I am looking for. When I look at shelters in bigger cities nearby, I can’t even get a response. COVID restrictions prohibit visiting shelters right now. I also would prefer a purebred puppy of my favorite breed, but feel it is ethically questionable. Just wondering if any other vegans have struggled with this. I used to privately judge people who bought a dog, but I am starting to feel like it would be much easier. Plus my breed of choice is like eye candy to me and the breed’s mannerisms make me laugh. I am a vegan because of my love for animals and am aware that rescuing or adopting is more in line with my beliefs. Would it be wrong to buy a dog through a reputable breeder? Reputable is subjective I realize, but breed clubs do have breeders that sign a code of ethics.


Hi Lila,

The "petfinder.com" website shows many different adoption dogs within 10 miles of New Jersey. They even have labradors, which are very gentle dogs: Dogs for Adoption Near New Jersey, NJ | Petfinder

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There are many with rescues that won’t adopt to me.

It can be difficult to keep a dog happy if you don't have a fenced-in yard. If it's necessary to leave the dog inside alone during the day, that dog may end up lonely. I used to live in a condo, and the occupants used to leave their dog alone at home for hours. The dog would bark and bark, sometimes late into the night, if the owners were out. Eventually, animal control cited them with a huge fine. The occupants finally moved to a rental house with a yard.
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I know adopting, not shopping is more in line with vegan ethics. I am not in NJ now, but have had no luck with rescues off of petfinder. Animal shelters are less selective. I was more curious about other people’s experiences.
 
adopting, not shopping is more in line with vegan ethics.
As a Forest Warden and former hunter I disagree with supporting buying overbred dogs because of many, many other reasons.
 
I have adopted from Romania and currently foster Romanian rescues. They always seem so grateful, the love we get from them is amazing.

Also, they have all been incredibly smart and quick learners. I see no need for breeders and right now with lockdown... eeekkk... There has been a surplus of puppies (pure-bred) at our local park. I'm worried they will all be on craigslist/gumtree when things open back up.
 
I know adopting, not shopping is more in line with vegan ethics. I am not in NJ now, but have had no luck with rescues off of petfinder. Animal shelters are less selective. I was more curious about other people’s experiences.

Where are you located now?
 
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