Isaiah is a Golden Retriever puppy at Fayette County Animal Control Center in Fayetteville, WV
Jill Abramson is writing a column in the New York Times called "The Puppy
Diaries" about her new pet, which she bought from a reputable
breeder. Prior to her decision to buy, the column says, her son "bombarded me at work with impossibly cute photos from Petfinder.com" of pets who needed homes, but she chose to, as she called it, "be selfish" and buy a dog.
It's not quite clear why she made this choice, other than her husband fell in love with a Golden Retriever that friends had:
We discussed at length the relative merits of adoption versus a breeder.She seems to have wrongly assumed she wouldn't be able to find a Golden on Petfinder, that somehow homeless dogs would be mutts. (Petfinder is host to a large number of Golden Retriever rescues.) I can't help but think what a better life lesson it would have been for her son if she had reinforced his altruism toward homeless pets. To my mind, parents should take every opportunity to pass along positive life lessons, and this seems to have been an opportunity missed.
If we adopted a dog from a shelter, as my sister has done twice, we would be taking the more virtuous, good-for-animals (and society) route. Saving a dog that needs a home or had been mistreated by a previous owner is an unselfish act. But we were leaning selfish. Henry wanted a bigger dog this time, and, when we took our beach walks, he looked longingly at the dogs who fetched and swam. He fell in love with a gentle English Standard golden retriever who belonged to friends, and had his heart set on a dog just like her. Our friends suggested a breeder.
so sad, another opportunity lost. As a dog trainer who is very active in the community people always stop me when they see my purebred dogs. As always, they are always SHOCKED that both purebreds (a gorgeous Dalmatian and a pretty hairless Chinese Crested) were adopted and found on Petfinder.
For some reason people sometimes do want to spend a fortune at a pet store. These dogs usually end up in rescue eventually as the owners left little money for training and didn't receive any knowlege on raising the dog properly
i just lost my dog (8 years, a golden, an emotional rescue, as I call it, from a "perfect" family who got him from a breeder and gave him up at ...you guessed it...10 months). I will probably look for my next dog on Petfinder, as I adamantly believe in reducing the shelter populations (I'd also like a spay and release program for certain humans sometimes, esp those who drive while talking on the phone)...unless I go right to my local shelter. But I am really dismayed by the piling on of invective toward JIll Abramson for getting her dog from a breeder--it reached shrill and absurd levels, and made me realize that the only thing more vexing than a sinner, if you will, are people who sit in judgment of their sin. It is what it is. It would have been a great lesson, but it didn't happen that way, and now everyone is making her feel bad. If I were her, I'd be hugging my dog for comfort.
i agree that with more effort she could have easily located a golden from petfinder or even a local golden rescue-- where my parents adopted our golden mix. check out the rescue spotlight on karma rescue here: http://www.ilovedogs.com/blog/?p=933
I have to wonder if what's going unspoken here on the part of the NYTimes author is also the misplaced belief that somehow a shelter animal (even a purebred rescue) is somehow less healthy or less valuable. Let's face it - you could show some people two identical products at different prices and they'll pick the more expensive one because of the connotations of wealth and luxury. Sadly, I think this happens with animals as well - people feel like spending $800 or $1000 on a purebred dog or cat is a symbol of how high-class they are as individuals. It's too bad - give me a mutt (or a rescued purebreed!) any day of the week and I'll use the money I saved to buy them really great doggie toys.