That argument sticks if every (or even a great majority) of shelter dogs are "ugly" companions, but I doubt that's true. People just don't want to take the time to find a good one. They're impulse dog-buyers.

re: severe problems: yes of course you need to be well educated, read books, talk to other owners. i totally agree, and I've known people who were clueless when it came to dogs and they turned the perfect dog into something awful. i'm not saying that buying from a breeder is fail safe, i just think that if you're worried about personality/physical issues as I am, then a breeder is the way to go.

of course, i've never owned a dog, so i really won't know anything until the time comes.

I'm just playin'. I understand what you're saying Haq that's one of the reasons we ended up with our dog.

That's cool. I'm hardly going to judge someone who buys a bred dog... I just don't think most people think of it as an ethical issue, but to me it is, so I hopefully will never get a dog from a breeder.

i've gotten dogs from both, have had pretty much similar experiences with health and personality issues from both.

There are also rescue organizations for most breeds of dogs where you can find good pure breds.

My girlfriend got a Boston Terrier from a rescue group in Wisconsin.

A lot of times these folks will know a little more about the history of the dog than a pound and they usually only deal in one breed so they can spot problems associated with that breed.

It's a good way to go if you're concerned about buying from a breeder or puppy mill.

my mom just bought one of those you limey fuck.

well then you two can walk your bichons together, mama's boy.

I got my lab from a local lab rescue organization. While it would be nice to start fresh with a puppy, I didn't have the time for one (mostly b/c I'm at work during the day). There are rescue orgs out there for all different types of breeds

My rescue org (and I think most in general will do this) told me details about my dog's personality and what situation it was coming from, etc. So, I had a better sense of what I was getting than I would have from a shelter. Plus, there was a three-week trial period, where if things had gone badly I could have given her back.

I completely see where Haq is coming from, and it feels good knowing that I gave my dog a good home when she needed one. But, someday I'd still like to get a puppy. I think the experience of owning a puppy is something a little different from owning an adult dog. Plus, being able to train it from day one would be nice. But I think the most important aspect of training, whether it's a puppy or an adult, is with the owner moreso than the dog.

AWESOME.

dog #1 = golden retriever from a very reputable breeder.

dog #2 = newfoundland/retriever mix from the humane society

dog #1 = thousands of dollars in medical problems

dog #2 = perfect (knock on wood)

i have to say that any future dog we get will be from the humane society.

ditto.
Our lab is relatively healthy, but we've had more problems with her than we have had with our mixed breed.

Really, look into rescue organizations or shelters first. Yes, shelter pups may have issues, but if you have the time, you can work with them and some turn out to be wonderful pets.

So you want to buy an inbred dog.

I love my mutt, i got her at four months old, and she's perfect.

Yeah, you met her when she was all skittish at 6 months, and she still is a little bit, but it's been really rewarding to take the time to get her through that tiny problem.

i'll come out of lurkerdom for this topic. I got my aussie shepherd cattle dog mix from a rescue organization and so far she's been pretty much the best thing ever. Getting a rescue organization to let me adopt was really hard though. I got rejected out of hand by 3 other places before this place let me adopt. apparently single male homeowners with large fenced backyards and workplaces that allow dogs aren't as desirable as I had suspected. Eventually the lady at the third joint relented based on my "personality" (we started talking politics and it turned out she hated right wing conservitism as much as i do).

Anyway, my dog was abandoned at 1 week old in a box in the forest and then bottlefed til I got her at 3 months old and she's as sane and smart as can be. I suspect i would have had a much easier time from a breeder but I couldn't find an aussie breeder in my state and i kind of had my heart set on that breed for some reason. call me shallow.

here's my dog story:

My girlfriend went to see her parents round about her birthday. A few days latter she comes back with a baby rottweiler that she got as a birthday gift from her father.

by the way we were living together at the time

and I won't go into how incredibly bad of an idea it is to give animals as gifts

but anyway, apart from the surprise of now owning a (soon to be very large) dog, said dog immediately goes and takes a giant dump (and I mean giant considering this thing was a little puppy) right in the middle of my bedroom.

We've been best friends ever since. Seriously, he's my favourite pet ever. Hell, next to my immediate family he's my favourite life form.

<3 Asimov the Rottweiler

we struggled with it a lot. we dotate to the local shelter, but every dog we saw was a pit (or a pit/mix) and mlle was way against breeders. in the end we just didn't want a pit. yes, purebred dogs tend to have more health problems than mutts. . .but. . .well. . .there you go.

haq, i love you man but you're making lots of well-reasoned and logical generalizations, but they're still generaliztions. and you met sammy--he's not so bad, is he?

i was just looking at the alliance for animals homepage and there's some cute fucking puppies on there. i'd like to have a dog but really don't think i'd be the best owner and probably can't afford it right now. maybe a cat.

LOOK!!!

couples getting dogs is just another way of staving off the baby.
you will be considering a child in exactly 18 months. i guarantee it.

except dana, of course. with respect.

This all depends on how gung-ho the gf/wife is about getting a dog. Sometimes guys just want to get a dog.

The dumbest dogs I have ever owned have been purebreds from breeders. They're all inbred. We had a Samoyed that jumped the fence every chance he got, but even after 12 years didn't know how to get home. Mutts are the way to go, for me. Plus the cost factor of rescuing versus 'buying'. And the whole ethical 'saving a dog from euthanasia' thing too. I'm not sure of the percentage of dogs here that end up getting put down, because here in Athens the Humane Society only deals with cats, whereas Animal Control has the dogs. I do know that the Humane Society euthanizes almost 80% of the cats they shelter. I thought about getting a job there but decided against it when I realized I would end up with a gajillion animals in my house. Because I'm a sucker.

no no no.
we have had the dog for a year. he actually made me fear children more.
Less ma ma more MA MA JD PhD if you know what I mean.

see i guess i've experienced the exact polar opposite than everyone here. one friend of mine, rescued a dog. a lab, about 10 months old or so. he was awesome at first then ended up with some SERIOUS medical problems that ended up setting my friend back a few g's within a couple months. another owner, i forget what breed he had, ended up having some major abdominal problems that ended up costing a shitload of money, then eventually having to put the dog to sleep.

a married couple we're friends with got this awesome german shepherd that he rescued. but, turns out the original owner used to beat the shit out of him and in turn the dog was nuts. always biting people and fucking up the house. they even took him to obedience school but it didn't work.

if you do your homework you can find a good purebred breeder, and no they're not all inbreds. it's a roll of the dice either way but from what i've experienced with my friends i'm leaning toward a purebred breeder.

ayah, you're probably right, but that doesn't mean that i don't want a dog. i've never had a dog. in 18 months i'll be thirty and my movaries will start shriveling up.

we got our cat from the shelter, and that fucker got expensive to the point where i don't feel bad about euthanizing a whole boatload of these bastards. and if they let kevorkian out i'll put him to work on this too.

If you get a dog from the puund, etc., make sure you know what it's like.

I got a dog from the Humane Society, and he's not very smart and he's mean to other dogs. I've had to live with him for 15 years. On the other hand, he's very independent, so I don't worry about him when he's alone, and frankly, I don't care what he's doing.

What if you get the dog when you're single?

And I don't have anything against purebreds, it just ain't for me. And Shiv, do NOT get a cat if what you want is a dog.

Seriously.