But responsible breeders who show and compete their dogs are selling a quality product for which there is always a high demand. My dog's breeder has a waiting list and her pups are spoken for as soon as she announces a breeding. When somebody in our hunting club announces a breeding, by the time the pups are ready to be weaned they are almost all spoken for.
And you might get a high-quality dog from the pound, but the chances are stacked against you. If you have a specific need (hunting, field trials, agility trials, coursing) the pedigreed dog bred for your need is the only way to go.
Plus pound dogs often have health and temperamental issues. Meeting all a dog's relatives is the best way to assess what his temperament is likely to be, and you can't do that with a pound pup.
Exactly! Thank you.
I think you are overstating the risk of pound dogs... As much as the other poster is overstating the evil of anyone intentionally breeding.
All dogs need to be taught to live in any home, whether you buy them as pups or get them from the pound. I've found that like most people, most dogs are pretty resilient to rough treatment and pretty forgiving and flexible in new environments. Most people ~don't~ compete in dog sports, nor are most contributing to the betterment of the breed. They are looking for a pet dog, and even if they are looking for a particular style or breed, most people should not be reluctant to look for that pet at the pound. The dogs there certainly deserve the home.
It is my understanding that good animal shelters try to not adopt out dogs with health and temperament problems.
As for a source of pets, I wouldn't go anywhere else. My two dogs both came from animal shelters and I couldn't be happier with them.