Adopt vs Shop for Pets: Should we buy animals from breeders or rescue shelters?

Submitted by ANTONIA GOSPEL on Thu, 10/12/2020 - 14:54
Audio: 

Over 50% of adults in the UK own a pet (PDSA, 2020), but is there a right option for where to buy your animals from? Lockdown and the tier system has forced many of us to spend more time indoors, so it is understandable that you may want the perfect pet companion. You might want to go to a private seller to find a pedigree Ragdoll cat, or you could foster to adopt some abandoned dogs to find the right personality match for you. Do you think that we should adopt or shop for our pets? If you have a pet, did you get them from a breeder or a rescue shelter? If you have any interesting information on this topic, be sure to leave it in the comments!

Information:

Credits:

Interviewee 1: Cara

Interviewee 2: Sarah

Podcast music: This is a Jazz Space by Midnight North

Photo of dog (Rosie the Golden Retriever) taken by Cara

Dogs sounds recorded by Cara

Dog ‘bark’ from YouTube Audio Library 

Photo of cat (Eddie the tabby cat) taken by Antonia Gospel

Cat sounds recorded by Antonia Gospel

 

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Comments

Rosie (not verified)

Fri, 11/12/2020 - 13:40

I completely agree with Sarah that to adopt a pet you should really evaluate the amount of time you have to really care for your animal. Although you should make sure you have plenty of time for any pet, I think it’s important to give shelter animals a little extra care to demonstrate that their new life will be so much better than their old life if that makes sense, as a lot of time they have been abandoned and mistreated. But adoption definitely seems beneficial if you have the ability to do so. So many animals spend years in shelters, which is so sad considering the short lifespan of domestic animals - the less time spent outside of a wholesome environment the better. It’s not like pets can understand or communicate other than through love and attention. I really enjoyed this podcast!

ANTONIA GOSPEL

Fri, 11/12/2020 - 15:18

That's a great point Rosie, like you said, we should make sure we have time for all animals, but shelter animals may need that extra time to make them aware they're in a good environment now! Also yes, if we can it's a nice thing to do to adopt and stop animals spending their lives in shelters. It will be interesting to see what the average amount of time is that they spend in shelters. Thank you for your comment!

Natasha (not verified)

Mon, 14/12/2020 - 16:41

This was really insightful. I would love to adopt a dog or cat but Sarah is right, an extra amount of care and love is needed to make them feel safe and comfortable. My family had to re home our dog, Lottie a few years ago. We found her a new home with someone who already had a dog and who could dedicate all of his time to caring for his pets. This was incredibly important for us as although she was going from one safe environment to another, we wanted to make sure the transition and adjustment period was peaceful and happy as possible.

ANTONIA GOSPEL

Tue, 15/12/2020 - 10:58

Thank you! That's a really interesting point about Lottie; there are so many different circumstances that people are in. It's great that Lottie could have a smooth transition from one home to another and I suppose this is good to know for people who may not want to go directly to a breeder, but don't have a lot of time to help an emotionally scarred animal; this way they can still provide a safe environment for a pet that needs a home! Thank you for your comment!

Jess (not verified)

Tue, 15/12/2020 - 00:33

I agree that it depends upon the situation. Adopting a pet is such a great opportunity to provide affection for an animal who has been mistreated, to provide them a good fulfilling life. With such a large number of animals in shelters they're desperate for an owner who will care for them. Being that person who can take one home can not only be rewarding for your self knowing you are doing a good deed but also beneficial in providing a fulfilling life to a previously mistreated animal. Of course you have to consider the fact that because of their mistreatment they need a lot more care an attention like Sarah mentioned which takes a lot of time. If you are unable to provide this for the adopted pet they will not be able to live a fulfilling life so buying from a breeder would be a much better option. An additional point to consider is that some breeders are not always 100% ethical so you have to ensure the breeder you buy from really cares about the pets.

ANTONIA GOSPEL

Tue, 15/12/2020 - 10:51

Those are some great points Jess, especially the point about ethical breeders; I've heard about some people who have bough from a breeder and it is clear that the animal has been neglected by the breeder and has some emotional scars. There is definitely a lot more things to consider on this topic, thank your for your comment!

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