Finding a purebred of a popular breed in a shelter is NOT impressive! Stop acting like it is!

I don't know how many times I see people basically say "Yes, a purebred _____, in a shelter!", often followed by how you can find purebreds in shelters and you shouldn't dare go to an "evil" breeder. 

Ok, look, if the breed you found is in the top 50 AKC registered breeds, that means squat.  OF COURSE you can find popular breeds in the shelter.  Especially the top 10.  Plus various bully types, be they actual American Pit Bull Terriers or those American Bully things, or mixes of. 

But!  It doesn't mean they're well bred.  Those popular breeds are....well...popular.  And are readily bred by questionable people EVERY SINGLE DAY.  Why?  Because they're popular and people want them, even when they haven't don't one iota of research or spent any actual time with them. 

It may be based on a friend of neighbor going "Oh yeah, they're great, perfect dogs!  Not a single problem.  You should get one."  Because everyone gets along with peanuts and onions, right?  No.  -.-

It may be based on looks.  Often times, it is.  They see a cute puppy, where ever they are, or in some book or on a website, then they want one.  So they go buy a puppy of that breed or mix like they buy shoes....actually...no, I think even shoes often get researched more than when people decide to buy a dog.  -.-

It may be based on some reputation, like being a guard dog.  And then you have people failing to realize that to be a well balanced dog that isn't a liability and gonna get your ass fined or sued, you have to SOCIALIZE AND TRAIN IT.  And even then, depending on breed and personality, there's MANAGEMENT! 

And often, these breeds people get are readily available, commonly seen, often bred by people who have no idea what they're doing because they're doing it because "everyone wants one".  

So what happens then?

People are shocked when that adorable Labrador puppy tries to chew and eat everything, and needs surgery to remove a bunch of rocks and socks from it's belly.  People are surprised when they realize how much that Golden Retriever sheds.  They're taken aback when they don't understand why their 1-year old Boxer hasn't settled down like the 7-year old they met!  They are horrified when their Siberian Husky tries to eat the neighbor's cat.  They are appalled to find themselves in danger of losing everything they own because their German Shepherd threatened to eat a kid.

And then off to the shelter they go.  Popular breeds, more likely to end up in the wrong hands, more likely to be gotten without research, more likely to be shipped off to the shelter. 

Really, you don't see Dandie Dinmont Terriers or Sussex Spaniels everywhere.  So typically, hardly anyone knows about them, and you don't have a plethora of "can't be bothered to research a living thing, but oh I'm going to research the shit out of these headphones" members of the public falling in love over dumbass reasons and getting them willy nilly.  And even if tomorrow, everyone wanted one, the circle of breeders is so small that they just don't produce many litters, and the breeders are highly protective of their breed.  Occasionally, one will fall into a shelter or rescue.  It happens in rare breeds, I'm not going to deny it.  However, depending on the people in the breed, how the breed is or isn't promoted, and the area, it can vary greatly.  Which is why you're far more likely to see a Dogo Argentino in a shelter than a Sussex, why you're more likely to find a coonhound in the south rather than on the north coast, more likely to find more Chihuahuas in cities, and herding and livestock guards in rural areas. 

Even if a rare breed does end up in a shelter, a rescue (breed club rescue or otherwise) may pull the dog, the responsible breeder may pull it, there may be someone who was waiting longer than you, or it may simply be a mislabeled mixed breed-which happens a LOT.  Furthermore, you may have to travel, or possibly wait years and years. 

So if you're one of those people who is in love with a popular breed that can be readily found, and doesn't give a shit about proper temperament or health testing, go.....feel free to find your next dog at the shelter.

But stop being a Judgey McJudgerson for those who do care or are in love with a breed that is difficult to get even when going to a responsible breeder (some waiting lists for the rare breeds can be years long).  And stop acting like it's some impressive feat to find a common, questionably bred purebred in the shelter.  It's not. 

When thousands of Goldens, Labs, and German Shepherds are registered every year, and you're lucky if there's 16 new English or American Foxhounds...there's a huge difference in availability no matter where you go.

Common=More of.  Easier to find.  More often to end up in the wrong hands.  Simply. 

If You Own It, You Should Be Able To Spell It

It seems as time goes on, I see more and more horrific misspellings of breed and species names.  By people who are trying to re-home, or more often than not just flat out sell whatever animals they have.  Both owners who have whatever reasons, bad or reasonable, for giving up a pet they've lived with for a while to people who have bred said animals for....well, if you can't spell the breed(s) you've bred, you probably have shitty reasons and are breeding animals that shouldn't be bred. 

Look, you're on the internet.  The occasional misspelling is fine, but unless if there is something seriously wrong with the spell check on your computer, I shouldn't be seeing.......

"unbrella kockatoo"

Yes, there was an "unbrella kockatoo" on my local CL. 

And that is just one example of many, but I'm not up for dragging myself around the net, trying to find the most asinine spellings. 

I'm here to tell you that if you are one of these people who can't even be bothered to cross check your spelling VIA GOOGLE, you are lazy, and your lazy posting will likely end up attracting idiots.  Because serious animal people who are dredging the cesspool of CL will 9 times out of 10 will laugh at you and leave you be.  The ignorant, the desperate, the foolish, the wrong people will likely be the ones who touch upon your ad and see absolutely nothing wrong.

Further more, incorrect names are just as bad.  Unless if you went up north and brought back a sled dog that is just bred with competition or purpose in mind, and is most likely a random mix of whatever sledders found works for them, you do NOT have an Alaskan Husky.  You, if you have a purebred, have a Siberian Husky, and if you can't even learn the difference then I highly doubt that dog is as well behaved as you say it is.  Why?  Because a well behaved dog doesn't magically happen.  It takes work, and it takes pride in your work, which means being proud of your dog and likely proud enough to learn what you have and their history. 

And if you think I'm being too harsh on you adults out there, my 13/14 year old self could spell Karjalankarhukoira off the top of her head, and so it remains to this day.  And no, I'm not Finnish. 

There Are Worst Things I Could Be

The other day I was told that my reputation within the fandom that I take part in is that of an "elitist out-of-touch snob dog-fancier bitch".  I'm still not sure if that is all connected.  I'm an introvert and introverts commonly often get called snobs, bitches, elitist, and more.  I'm not sure if other introverts get the whole 'out-of-touch' bit, but maybe they do.  Maybe I shall ask the introvert group I'm a part of later. 

I do know that if it all does run together in saying that I'm all those things regarding dogs....I'm ok with that.  I actually laugh at it because it shows my acquaintances' disconnection with the entire picture of animal ownership.  The disconnection which happens when you live in your own little bubble, living with your own animals, maybe talking to your friends who also own animals, but have no understanding or care beyond that, thinking that everything is all right with the world and nothing will ever, ever come between you and your animals. 

And how truly terrible that disconnection is.  How dangerous it is to assume that everything is just dandy. 

Yes, when it comes to dogs, you can call me a snob, an elitist.  You can call me out-of-touch.  Yet I'm the one who people come to when there's a problem or a question, though they often write me off because it's not what they want to hear.  Or because I'm honest and I'll say 'I can't tell anything from pictures on your phone, especially when all I can see is the tummy'.  I'm not afraid to say 'I don't know'.

Am I really those things?

Snob, elitist?  Because I have an intense interest in purebred dogs and genetics?  Because I champion the responsible breeder over rescues and shelters who already have thousands upon thousands of champions of their own?  Because I worry about breeds vanishing, living history, great dogs, wonderful breeds?  Because I try to educate that you shouldn't go to just 'anyone' and why?  Because I think that first time owners should go to a responsible breeder, if not for a puppy, but a retiree so they can get experience and learn and make connections at obedience class so they have someone to call at 3am if their rescue has broken it's crate and is now eating the door?  Fine.  Call me those things.

Out-of-touch?  Because I know with a certainty that animal rights activists want complete separation of humans from any and all animals?  Because I'm aware of how vague laws can hurt great breeders?  Because I actually see what's going on?  Or is it because I don't simplify everything in my life and just waltz along without a care?  Is it because I watch your dog and how it acts and what it's doing and I'm thinking, processing, figuring the animal out?  Out-of-touch is probably the one thing out of the entire sentence that I'm most certainly not.  But I can't help but to find it funny. 

So I laugh.  I laugh because I am misunderstood again.  Written off once more. 

Yet inside I ache because I want them to understand where I'm coming from and why.  I want to find a way to encourage them to jump into the fight that animal owners are facing even if they don't realize that they do have a dog (or cat, or bird, or fish, etc) in the fight.  I want these people and people like them to see what I see.  To wonder, to explore, to love the animal world enough to keep us from being cut off by those who would rather see it all destroyed.