Why I will never buy from a breeder, but I will never judge someone who does

So, because I work at the SPCA, I run into a lot of dog owners.  I often ask where they got their dog, and they will sometimes say to me, "I got him/her through a breeder..." and then look at me with those Guilty Eyes.  You know the ones I'm talking about.  The "I did something that you probably think is bad and you're secretly judging me, I KNOW IT" eyes.

Right.

There are two fundamental differences to me between having a dog from a breeder and a dog from a shelter:

1. Shelter pictures are sadder.
2. Purebred dogs statistically have more health problems.

The second one is why I will never buy a purebred.  But I would never, ever judge someone who chooses to.  Why?  Because a dog, regardless of where it comes from, needs a home.  I'm not saying that a breeder will take any extra puppies that they can't sell and then go drown them in the river or anything, but those dogs need homes too.  If you buy from a breeder, it's the same end result as if you adopt it from a shelter: you are still giving the dog a loving home.  Mission accomplished.  Now, I imagine that breeders are much less rigorous in their screening of potential dog owners than a shelter would be, but with good reason - they don't deal with the backlash of dog ownership gone wrong unless they take the dog back if it doesn't work out.  And let's face it - most breeders don't do that.  If they did, then animal shelters would probably have a whole lot less work to do.  And, there's definitely a fine line between breeder and puppy mill, but the reputable ones never even think about crossing it.

So, people who buy from breeders - be easier on yourself.  You've done exactly what you set out to do, even if you didn't do it through a shelter.  Go spoil the crap out of your sweet dog.

I'll do the same.

Miles, you're such a good boy.