It’s no secret, humans love dogs. They’re loyal, full of unconditional love and we treat them as part of our own family. Sometimes it’s difficult to determine the best way to purchase a dog, though. There are so many sellers to choose from, a plethora of breeds and as always, there’s the financial issue. One needs to know specifics before purchasing a dog like health background, breed demeanor or any health issues that may arise in the future.

What many don’t know is that those purebreds everyone desires might end up being one of the most financial and emotional costs for you and your family. Don’t get me wrong, we all love an American Kennel Club classic, but before you pay thousands of dollars for a purebred blue ribbon winner, consider what adopting a shelter dog might do for you, your family and the animal.

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Let’s start with the obvious: adopting a shelter dog would give a homeless dog a loving home. That sounds wonderful, so why doesn’t everyone do it? Mostly, it’s because the concept of animal shelters is different to each person. Michelle Groeper, Executive Director at Tails Humane Society said “people just don’t know” what shelters really are about. She believes when people visit a shelter, they see a sadness in the animals and there’s an impression that “the animals are damaged in some way, and that’s really not the case.”

Not only is there a misunderstanding in the role of a shelter, but the difference between a mixed breed and a “purebred” as well. What we call a “purebred” dog actually isn’t pure at all, but a product of consecutive inbreeding over time to create desired traits in dogs. PBS.org published an article called “Evolution of the Dog,” and it reads, “One consequence of interbreeding to create purebreds with sharply individual traits is that many disease-causing genes have become concentrated in these breeds.”

This is why many breeds of dogs have specific health issues relating to their breed. One example comes from the New York Times Magazine in reference to English Bulldogs. As a result of breeding, the bulldog’s nose has become so pushed in that “many bulldogs can barely breathe.” Bulldogs have several other health problems like needing c-sections just to give birth because their heads are too big, respiratory issues and overheating easily due to lack of ability to cool themselves down. Other breeds well known for breed-specific health issues are Golden Retrievers, Pugs, King Charles Spaniels, Great Danes and some breeds of Terriers.

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Many shelters do carry purebred dogs (a common misperception of shelters is that they don’t), but a large portion of their dogs include mixed breeds and mutts. The reason mutts can experience fewer health issues in the future is that their gene pool is much larger than that of purebreds.

Another benefit of rescuing is the cost. Shelters range anywhere from $100 to $400 in adoption fees, and depending on the shelter those fees can include the cost of spay/neutering and behavior classes. Pet stores drive up the prices of their dogs and the Humane Society of the United States concluded in an investigation that “many of the breeding facilities that supply pet stores are [puppy] mills.”

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