Why are pet stores still selling puppies from breeders?

Heidi

Ron and Dora

If you know me, you know I am passionate about several things; Cars, music and animals.  If you know me well enough, you may also know I worked a police K9 for 9 years.  I have the utmost respect for these four-legged warriors whose greatest love is working alongside their human partner. Suffice it to say, I respect their work ethic and their devotion to their human family.

With that being said, I now have 2 pet dogs in my home (my police canine passed in April of 2016).  Both of my current dogs are from local rescues.  We got our first rescue dog 4 1/2 years ago.  She is a German Shepherd (GSD) we named Heidi.  Although this was our third GSD, she was our first from a rescue.  Our other GSD's were really good dogs, although both had health issues.

Fast forward to February of 2017, we adopted a year old black Labrador Retriever we named Buster to be Heidi's companion.  Both of our rescue dogs are nothing short of AMAZING!

That's the backstory, now onto the meat! 

There are literally thousands of dogs, of every breed and mix imaginable, sitting in shelters and foster homes in your area.  Rescue dogs have all been spayed/neutered and typically come with a microchip.  The price for a rescue dog is different from rescue to rescue, but ours were $300 each.

Dogs in shelters are also spayed/neutered.  Costs from a shelter are often $100 or less.

With all these available dogs looking for a loving home, why do some pet stores still sell puppies from breeders?  If you check CraigsList on any day, you'll also see backyard breeders selling AKC (American Kennel Club) puppies.  These puppies sell for $1000 and up........way, WAY UP!

The bad part about dogs from breeders from my personal experience is that any health defect in the lineage, gets passed down to the puppies.  Our first GSD had hip dysplasia and my second GSD had crazy allergies and ended up passing away from brain cancer.  

Heidi is now almost 7 years old and has shown absolutely zero health issues.  Obviously Buster is still a puppy and we're hoping for the same result.

If you plan on showing your dog at dog shows, then you have no choice but to purchase an AKC papered dog.  If you're looking for a companion to be in your family for many years to come, please consider a rescue/shelter dog.

Corvette Ronnie