Adopt or Shop?

To adopt or shop: a comparison.
Right off the bat I am an avid supporter of both responsible rescues and responsible breeders. Each has benefits and points differing from the other. Let's dive in.
Adopt: I am a supporter of animal rescue. With a history of working in animal rescue I have seen every side of rescue, rehabilitation, and adoption. Rescue animals usually have unknown parents and unknown history. For a large number it doesn't affect the way they interact with a family. Rescue animals are often wonderful loving additions to families. Each time you adopt an animal you are saving both the dog you adopt as well as the next dog to enter the rescue system. Bear in mind though depending on their history and personal issues they may require more training to help them cope with trauma. Health issues can be an unknown until too late or they could be hardly until the day they day. Most shelter dogs from not for profit shelters range from about $300-500 for adoption fee and have the bonus of full medical already being done being an economical and rewarding choice.
Shop: I must preface this by saying I only support professional breeders. Good breeders will health check all the parents they breed, have health guarantees on their animals, and the really good ones select for dogs that exemplify the personality of that breed. Essentially you know what you're getting and it is guaranteed. Most responsible breeders provide a return policy if the dog isn't a good fit so they don't end up in shelters. They screen families and know their dogs. Pure bred dogs are healthy, consistent and come with more guarantees. Look for breeders who register with the Canadian Kennel Club or American Kennel Club for good quality animals. Purebreds are a bit pricier but it's due to quality.
However backyard breeders and puppy mills are the ones wreaking havoc in the canine world. Animals are not health tested, run the risk of being from abusive homes, are advertised for far too much money, and overall contribute to more animals winding up in shelters. You never know what you're getting but you could still be paying thousands.
When getting a dog make sure to research different sources and makes sure the specific dog you choose is going to be a perfect and permanent fit in your home.
If you need help choosing a dog or want your new addition put on the right track feel free to ask me for advice!