Is it wrong to buy from a breeder?

My mother has been researching Westie breeders for a few weeks now. I asked her why a breeder and not a rescue or a shelter. She said she has rasearched and loved this breed for so long and would gladly rescue a dog....but we have two dogs, a lot if different critters, young visitors, and we can't have a dog with a lot of health probelms because our money isn't unlimited. So far all the rescue westies we've seen wouldn't do well in our home because of one or the other.

I'm in the middle of the road as far as buying from a breeder goes.

Should we wait until we find a rescue westie that would do well in our home or buy from a breeder?

~Rachel

Have you tried rescues outside of your area? I know some rescues are willing to ship if it's the perfect home for them...and some others only allow the dog to go home in a further location if they personally pick up the dog.

As for buying from a breeder....I'd really turn to a breeder as a last resort. We waited months to see if any rescues had the perfect border collie or sheltie for us. Months went by and nothing came up that was right for us. If you must buy from a breeder..just make sure it's a responsible breeder. Good luck.

First off, YAY!!! lol...sorry, I love Westies. We used to have one a few years ago, but she was pretty old...so everyone knows how that goes. Anyways....;)

In my opinion, while it is always great to rescue a dog and save it from whatever unfortunate future it may have, there is nothing wrong with acquiring a dog from a REPUTABLE breeder. All of my dogs were gotten from excellent breeders, even though we would have been more than willing to rescue a dog.

If you don't care about having papers or knowing (for a fact) that your new Westie is a purebred, go ahead and wait for that right Westie rescue to come along. However, if you don't want to lay back and wait...go ahead and start looking at dependable breeders.

Good luck, and keep us updated!!

I don't have anything against RESPONSIBLE breeders. Both of my dogs came from breeders. If we were to get a third dog, it would probaly be from a rescue or a shelter.

As to your question, I think its totally up to you. :) Rescues and reponsible breeders are both great. :)

There is nothing wrong with buying from a breeder!! Myself, I have to rescue GSD's, and wouldn't trade them for the world (most days)

The upside to buying from a breeder is that you can see the parents, and you know all about there health. And you can get them while there babies! Where as rescues..we got Sierra when she was 5 months and Buddy when he was 1 year old..you have no idea who there parents are, and you have NO idea what you could be getting yourself into health wise!! My first rescue gave myself and my hubby MANGE!!!
It's all up to what you want to do! A lot Rescues come with problems, both of mine didn't trust people..head shy..afraid of almost everything .... Sierra wouldn't let men pet her for almost a year! And Buddy...well..we've only had him 7 months, and he's still afraid of my hubby!! Getting better, but he still needs a LOT of work! And you have to make sure you and everyone else in the house is going to be willing to help with training, and gaining trust.
But hey, you never know, you could get a dog from a breeder and have problems!! It's all about how you bring the little pup up!

So all in all....no It's not wrong to buy from a breeder! (as long as you've checked them out...not a back yard breeder or puppy mill)
But if you have the time to spend with a rescue....then maybe look into a rescue!

Personally, I would wait until you find a rescue Westie that will fit into your household. That way you will be getting the dog you want and saving a life at the same time. I know some people prefer buying from a breeder, but all of my animals are rescued and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I would like to say we ALMOST got a rescued westie once. She was so sweet looking but my mom decided to wait to fill out the application so...

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Have you tried rescues outside of your area?

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Yep and no luck. Well some don't have any at all. I don't think it's a breed that gets turned into shelters and rescues a lot.

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And you have to make sure you and everyone else in the house is going to be willing to help with training, and gaining trust.

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That wouldn't be a probelm. We are willing to work with a rescue dog that needs training.

I talked to my mom and she said she'll continue to look at and research breeders AND look at the rescue dogs. But I think she's leaning towards a breeder.

~Rachel

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Originally posted by binka_nugget
As for buying from a breeder....I'd really turn to a breeder as a last resort. We waited months to see if any rescues had the perfect border collie or sheltie for us. Months went by and nothing came up that was right for us. If you must buy from a breeder..just make sure it's a responsible breeder. Good luck.

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Same thing with us. We waited months and months, looking around and responding to ads (I didn't even know of PetFinder at the time). Going to a breeder was a last resort for us.

I would say maybe wait a few more months, looking around checking in shelters. Have you tried PetFinder? Does she want the dog as a puppy first or it can even be an adult? Good luck

I also think it is wonderful to rescue, but
at the same time I see nothing wrong from
purchasing a dog from a "reputable breeder"
With-out us supporting "reputable" breeders we would be left
with BYB's, and the puppy mills that sell to pet shops.

So either rescue or "reputable" would be my choice.

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Originally posted by allanimalswelcome
and we can't have a dog with a lot of health probelms because our money isn't unlimited.

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Getting a dog from a breeder won't guarentee that it won't ever get sick.

You can sometimes find purebred papered dogs through rescues. Some times they even have their owner history. When I was going through the sleddog/husky/malmute rescues looking for a dog, I found tons of dogs with history and papers.

Also, Teddy is papered from a good breeder, and he's still cost be a bunch of money for dental problems. You never know!

But, I don't see anything wrong with going to a breeder. You want to get a dog that you want. I would look around at the rescues and nearby pounds first though.

While rescuing is great, there is nothing wrong with going through a responsible breeder. Just keep in mind that breeder bred dogs can still have health problems.

I'm sure you have already done this, but just in case you haven't, look into a rescue site for Westie. I know there are sites on just Boxer, Great Dane, Grayhounds etc. that are just rescue sites, only.

But if you can't find a rescue dog, don't feel bad getting a dog from a breeder. If it's a breed someone has their heart set on, I know sometimes it can be hard to wait.....when you really want it.

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Originally posted by ramanth
Getting a dog from a breeder won't guarentee that it won't ever get sick.

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No, but the lines should atleast be health checked and such. :) Plus good breeders usually have warantees on puppies.

I myself am going to buy from breeders when I'm older...Because of the health problems of German shepherd dogs, I really don't want to take a chance. I'd rather buy from a good breeder who has dogs with wonderful lines. I've seen way too many shepherds in my local rescue with hip and elbow dysplacia. I'm also very interested in conformation, and I would like to have my dog in puppy shows before I neuter him.

I would also really like a catahoula leopard dog. Here, they really aren't common. There was a backyard breeder in a city and hour away from me, but I wouldn't go to a BYB. Either way they aren't all that usual to see here. They are a fairly rare breed altogether. The closest breeder is in Ontario :( But I'm willing to go that far.

I'm making up my lack of rescued dogs with tons of rescue rats :p

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No, but the lines should atleast be health checked and such. Plus good breeders usually have warantees on puppies.

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Yes that's what my mother likes about buying from a breeder.

We have looked at rescue websites and shelters. At our dog pound one of the shelter workers said that Westies are rarely in shelters.


~Rachel