Adopting vs. Buying

[HANNAH 8/2/07 & HONEY 7/2/08]

Today I took Hannah food shopping with me, yes she is allowed with my disability. Of course once inside the store I always have 100 people wanting to pet her and play with my Walmart store greeter. They all say they want a dog just like Hannah, but I tell them your dog is what you train it to be. There was one couple who was so interested in her they wanted to know so much about doodles, so we were glad to tell them what we could, or experiences we have had so far. One of the main things I really try and stress to people when interested in a Doodle, is to adopt one instead of paying the high prices they can be charged if they really want one and can't afford the high prices. Don't think you can't own a doodle because of the cost, you can adopt. I am finding out there are some really great homes out there for rehome Doodles, and hope someday there won't be any to adopt.

[LuvMyAbby&Kaela]

You have to do what feels right for you. Thats it. A dog is a committment that can last 15 yrs or more so do what Marcy wants. Never mind the rest.

I also purchased a high-priced puppy from a top notch breeder. I wanted a puppy. I wanted a certain breed with certain traits. My heart bleeds for dogs that need rescue but that wasnt the right choice for our family because they didnt have a puppy that was a gd with the traits I required. And "any ol mutt" wasnt for me. Kudo's for those it is for. At this time in my life I couldnt take the chance on having to rehabilitate a dog that had problems because of a previous life. It had to be a puppy, (clean slate), non shedding, a certain size etc... Dont ever feel guilty about choosing what is right for you.

[Paula]

Great discussion! I actually have a GD that I bought from a breeder as a puppy and an Australian LD that I just rescued from WAG's. I feel great about both of my choices and would certainly do either again if I was ready for another dog. I don't really consider our rescue a rescue, it was more of a rehome, but I still feel good knowing that I was able to give this dog a forever home! I think that you should do what is best for you, your family and your situation and to heck with the rest of it.

[HANNAH 8/2/07 & HONEY 7/2/08]

Hi Marcy,
My first Doodle Hannah came from a breeder and was purchased at a reasonable price. Some might say you get what you pay for, in some cases that may be ture. In life however we are never 100% sure no matter what...we will get..no matter what the breeding or how we try and perfect something there is never a 100% guarentee you will get what you want. I say this because my Hannah was suppose to be able to be breed, well 7 months go by of her sweet young life and she comes down with Entropin, which could of left her blind. Another breeder would have bred her, not a problem. Yeah it was a huge problem for me, she could of passed that on to other pups and they in return to their pups. Not gonna happen with me, she was spayed. Honeys story will be out after May 1st and court is over, but there are a lot of people out there who can attest to the puppy mill she came from, thinking and believing all along this guy was a great reputable breeder, and to think I almost left her in that "Hell Hole", shame on me.

When I was looking for a dog or pup to replace the loves I had lost over three years, my two Rotties, I didn't see any doodles up for adoption, I didn't know about DK, or DRRC. I would check out pet finders and could never find Doodles up for adoption. When I wrote this I didn't mean to make this topic a debate....just as an option for those who really could give a dog a great home and interested in our breed choice an option to help and have what they might be looking for. All dogs and pups come with baggage, just like people, it's our choice what baggage we want to pay for!!!!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

A few facts about adopting a doodle which haven't been mentioned.
It is not really true that anyone can adopt a doodle, or even that anyone can adopt a dog. Really good, responsible rescues have extremely tough criteria for adopters. In many cases, it would be easier to adopt a healthy human infant than it is to adopt a dog from a conscientious rescue.
Many DK members would not have qualified to adopt Jackdoodle...anyone who has never had a dog before, anyone who ever gave a dog up, anyone with children under the age of 8, anyone who did not have a physically fenced yard, would have had their application rejected.
Ditto anyone who answered the many, many pages of questions on care and training incorrectly, and anyone not willing to pay for and attend formal obedience classes. (After sending in a copy of Jack's graduation certificates, I got my $150 training deposit back.)
(Many topnotch purebred breeders also have similar qualifications, by the way, even if you are willing to pay their high prices to purchase one of their dogs.)
Many rescue doodles do have behavioral issues, but just as many are given up because of poor planning on the part of the original owner. People did not realize that the dog would get so big, he would need so much exercise, he would require so much time (Not enough time is far and away the most often cited reason.), he would be so hard to handle, and the big one: HE SHEDS. (I find it ironic that so many people cite this as the reason they want a doodle puppy. There is still a very high chance that there will be some shedding, no matter what generation you buy. At least with an adult dog, you would know what kind of coat you're ending up with.) Although so many people want a puppy, often people don't understand how difficult it can be to live with and train a rambunctious puppy, especially for busy families and working people. Lots of 6 month olds are relinquished. We are also seeing record numbers of perfectly nice doodles given up for financial reasons these days.
Lastly, adopting a rescue dog because it's cheaper than buying a puppy is absolutely the wrong reason to adopt a dog. They are not like certified pre-owned cars. The only appropriate reason to adopt a rescue is because you have room in your life and love in your heart to give to a dog, and you do not want to buy a dog when so many are languishing in shelters and rescues. Adopting a homeless dog is definitely not for everyone, nor should it be.