There are many pros and cons for both rescue dogs and purebred dogs. Deciding to purchase a new dog takes a lot of thought. There are many different things to consider such as price, behavior, and happiness. 

Purebreds have three main upsides that rescues don’t possess. The first one is that purebreds have more predictable physical traits. When you get a purebred dog from a breeder, you will know approximately what size it will be, how much it will eat, and what it will look like as an adult. The next upside is that a purebred dog will have predictable behavior and temperament. This means that, if you get a specific type of dog, you will be able to have an idea of its personality and whatnot. The last and final pro of getting a purebred is that, yes, you can enter it in a dog show. This may be appealing to the group of people that participates in such an event, and the purebred is perfect for them!

Consequentially are various cons of purebred dogs, the first of which is that they have copious amounts of health problems. Most breeders practice inbreeding to keep the main, important aspects and features of the select dog. Because of this, dogs are more liable to collect and develop diseases that could be incredibly expensive to cure. The next con is that purebred dogs are much more expensive than rescue dogs. Some purebred pups can cost thousands of dollars whereas a rescue only costs a few hundred. 

There are many pros to adopting a rescue dog, all of which are important to consider while making your adoption choices. Adopting a rescue dog means that not only are you adopting a dog and freeing them from the shelter, but you are also making room for another dog to be picked up from the streets and deposited into the shelter, where it will hopefully be adopted in the future. Following on this note, rescue dogs are much more loving and appreciative than purebred dogs. Rescues are grateful for their owners because they were taken out of shelters that, yes, treat the dogs fairly and lovingly, but don’t give them the personal care and attention that the dog gets from their owner. As another benefit, rescues are more likely to have been trained by a previous owner before being put in the shelter, which saves the time, money, and effort that training a dog requires. Rescue dogs also have better health than the average purebred dog, because there was no inbreeding within the dogs’ bloodline. By adopting a rescue, you can also reduce puppy mills within the country. Puppy mills are dog breeding “factories” that take dogs and inbreed, overbreed, and put money ahead of the overall well-being of the dogs they own. In these circumstances, dogs are starved, abused, and live within their own filth for very long periods of time. Finally, one of the last main benefits of adopting a rescue is that it combines so many different breeds that it can produce some of the cutest, most lovable dogs of all time. Rescue dogs have traits from many different breeds and combine them into one adorable ball of fluff. 

Now, the cons of rescue dogs are limited and vary based on the dog and circumstances in which they and you live. One of the first cons is that it’s harder for first-time owners to care for a rescue dog. When adopting a puppy, you might not be able to tell how much to feed it or what to buy for its future size/weight. The next con is puppies and kittens are harder to get your hands on. In most cases, when you see a puppy at the shelter, it has just been taken into the shelter and might be gone within less than a week of arriving. People love ‘baby’ animals, and if you want one from the shelter, you have to adopt quickly or be out of luck. 

With all of this in mind, you can make your decision on whether or not to buy a rescue or a purebred when considering buying a dog (or two!). The main factors that most consider when buying a dog are money, breed (if you are buying a purebred), and what will make you happier throughout life.