German Shepherds Forum banner

Don't let them guilt you into anything!

4K views 36 replies 18 participants last post by  vat 
#1 ·
I am reading more and more about people feeling guilty that they want to buy a purebred dog with a responsible breeder.

It is your life, your decision, your money, your time that you put into the research, do not EVER let anyone guilt you into anything.

If you want to go with a breeder, go with a breeder. If you want adopt, then adopt but you, YOURSELF need to be a 100% certain that you made the right choice. Don't EVER let anyone do the choice for you and guilt you into something that you don't want!

It's infuriating me that there are people out there shamelessly guilting you into going to shelters and make it seem like you'd be a bad person if you don't get a shelter dog.

You are not a bad person!
You are not a bad dog owner!
It's your life! Stand up for yourself and the choices you make and don't ever feel guilty that you have bought your dog from a responsible breeder!

Rant over!
 
See less See more
#3 ·
You must be reading different threads than I am. The only thread I saw talking about guilt was a rescuer feeling guilty because she wanted to buy a puppy and I think every single person told her to not feel guilty and to get the puppy. She was placing the guilt on herself, completely unnecessarily I might add.

I also can't think of single time that anyone on this board made anyone feel guilty over buying from a responsible breeder.
 
#4 ·
Jax, nobody gets guilted on here into anything but it's been quite a few topics on different forums and blogs where I've seen people talking about feeling guilty to go to a breeder because they read an article or talked to some shelter people. There is a Forum for German Army Wives and boy do they make you feel like crap when you talk about going to a breeder and what bad of a person you are and that breeders are like cancer and the reason for overflowing shelters.

It was a rant in general.
 
#5 ·
ahhhhh...that makes more sense! So you really are reading different threads than I am!! LOL

Responsible breeders are not the reason there are animals dying in shelters. Responsible breeders are the reason the standards of the breed are being maintained.
 
#10 ·
It is your life, your decision, your money, your time that you put into the research, do not EVER let anyone guilt you into anything.

You are not a bad person!
You are not a bad dog owner!
It's your life! Stand up for yourself and the choices you make and don't ever feel guilty that you have bought your dog from a responsible breeder!

Rant over!
Thank you for posting this! It's something I need to remember, as I have sometimes felt guilty for wanting to go to a breeder. Actually, it's a pretty good thing to remember for other things that one can be guilted into also.
 
#12 ·
I think when it comes to first time dog owners, they should adopt an adult GSD, it doesn't mean it has to be a senior, maybe a GSD over a year old so that they have a better idea of what their personality is going to be like. If you get a GSD in the shelter and it looks exactly like a GSD then chances are it IS a GSD. Why do you need paperwork to prove it is one? There are several stories on here about people who have their first GSD puppy and they are horrified that they are "sharks" as puppies and those "new GSD owners" have either had enough and want to get rid of them or they think that their puppy is being aggressive or that it is a bad puppy, they didn't know they acted like that, blah blah blah. GSD puppies are a handful and they aren't like other breeds and new dog owners or new GSD owners dont know that. If someone doesn't have alot of time to train a puppy then why would I say "oh yes, a puppy would be perfect for you" when it's not true. I dont see anything wrong with saying "have you considered adoption or maybe an adult GSD would be better suited for your lifestyle?"

Some people may not know that you can find purebred GSD's and GSD puppies in shelters.

We are GSD lovers here, we see threads everyday about GSD's in shelters needing homes, they have an experation date, they dont all make it out alive.

People need to be made aware that there are purebred GSD's in shelters.

My next GSD will most likely come from a shelter, because I would rather save a life, I want to know that I just saved a young GSD from being put down.
 
#17 ·
I agree with the REASONS behind the suggestion. Like others have said...when people talk about wanting some perfect thing with no HD, no aggression, good with kids, etc, etc, etc....and adult dog is the way to go. And that's usually from a rescue (or something like retired breeding female). No breeder can say for certain all their dogs will be healthy and none will have some kind of behavioral issue down the road. Even the best and most responsible. An adult dog provides the "known". Some people are just in denial about what a puppy can do, so people will steer posters in that direction when "all" they want is a "family pet" that is "good with kids" and "won't chase the cats."

I've never seen guilt trips...but sometimes poster have inaccurate ideas of what a puppy from a breeder and adult from a rescue is going to get them.

Also, there are a lot of people on here who say things like "I can't spend more than $800 on a dog. But it needs to be perfect." (Paraphrasing). Yes, I'm going to suggest a $300 rescue over a dog at what generally amounts to BYB prices.

If people get guilt out of that, it's their own problem I guess. I'll probably feel the same way when/if we get one...but the guilt will be my own internalization over the issue, not because I'm letting someone else make me feel that way.
 
#19 ·
Something I wanted to mention is that I've also seen it the other way around, especially over here. If you get a dog without papers a lot of people make it seem like you made the worst decision ever. That you can't work the dog because of it's unknown pedigree and that they are not good enough and that you should have went to a breeder to know what you got.

It doesn't matter which side you are on, as long as you, particularly you, are happy with your decision and did what you thought is right, don't let them ever make you feel guilty!
 
#21 ·
Something I wanted to mention is that I've also seen it the other way around, especially over here. If you get a dog without papers a lot of people make it seem like you made the worst decision ever. That you can't work the dog because of it's unknown pedigree and that they are not good enough and that you should have went to a breeder to know what you got.
Over here...assuming you mean Germany and not Over Here the Germanshepherds.com forum... :)

So..over here it the US, you can get a PAL number from the AKC if you send pictures in with a check and an application. If your dog looks like a purebred then you can get the number and compete. Also, there are several organizations that you can enter mixed breeds in. So basically nobody gets left out for a pedigree.

There are still snobs in everything so some clubs will not allow PAL's or mixed breeds to compete in sports if there is a conformation show. Kind of stinks. :(
 
#22 ·
I think that there are excellent reasons to go either route whether it is a first shepherd or simply your next shepherd.

Mrs. K, I agree with both of your posts. And I am afraid that when you come this way, you will see even more animosity toward breeders and people who go to breeders. Sometimes it is subtle, where people say things like, "I would NEVER buy a dog from a breeder." And other times it is not, like the PETA comercial that shows a little kid playing with her new puppy all happy. So, you got a dog from a breeder, and they throw down a big black full bag -- that is the dog in the shelter that DIED because you bought a dog from a breeder. The little kid starts crying, I don't want a dog to die...

Yes it is really disgusting. And if you are considering breeding dogs, you will be much more aware of these attitudes, etc. I am not so paranoid that I am afraid of being targeted by the extremist groups, but the animal rights / PETA / HSUS people can be rather militant and even violent.
 
#31 ·
I heard about the ad. PETA is pretty disgusting. They don't save animals...they kill them.

yes, PETA is considered a terrorist organization. They are extremists. The US government actually has several PETA members on their watch list because of some extreme actions that have been taken.

I saw the commercial about the little girl playing with her new puppy and the black bag of "dead dogs and cats" because they bought the puppy.

Did anyone ever see the car commercial (dont remember who it was exactly, think Chevy) that used a chimp to set off the dynamite box to start off the "explosive tent event!" and PETA threw a fit about using a "helpless dressed like Evil Kanevil chimp be extorted in such a way!". Well The car company responded by digitally removing the chimp so you dont see the chimp and the announcer from the first commercial says,"Oh here comes a chimp dressed like Evil Kanevil to start the Tent Event!" well when they redid the commercial with the chimp he says."Oh here comes an invisible monkey dressed like Evil Kanevil to start the tent event!"

PETA is dangerous. Thats all i have on that. Cant stand them.
 
#25 ·
I think there is a common misconception out there about adult rescues vs. purchased puppies, and it is a misconception I myself had before I was educated on this board. People think a puppy is a blank slate, a cute little baby they can bond with and raise to be whatever dog they want it to be. They think if they get a puppy and treat it nicely and are loving to it, it will grow up to be a nice balanced well behaved dog. Not always so. And people tend to think a rescue is a big unknown. You don't know if they were abused, beaten, chained outside. You don't know if they have been "damaged" from things in their past. So people may not be willing to trust a grown dog who they think might ACT nice and then BANG, they snap because of something in their past and bite your kid.

People do not understand that an adult dog is what it is and a LOT can be determined by good temperament testing. Or that a puppy may be cute and sweet and raised very lovingly but turn out to be something you were not looking for.

I do appreciate the education I have gotten on this board.
 
#26 ·
People do not understand that an adult dog is what it is and a LOT can be determined by good temperament testing. Or that a puppy may be cute and sweet and raised very lovingly but turn out to be something you were not looking for.
.
Very true. We got Rocky from a BYB (8 1/2 years ago before we knew any better) when he was 8 weeks old. I took him to puppy classes and socialized the heck out of him, but to this day he is sharp, shy, nervous, and I don't trust him around kids. I shudder to think of where his littermates ended up because I bet at least one or two of them has snapped or bitten out of fear and nerves.
 
#28 ·
Jax08:

You would be surprised at how many people don't know this about PETA. I saw a TV program of a sting done on PETA back east and how they would go around, in vans, getting strays, telling people that they are very humane, and then taking the strays to high kill shelters where they would be euthanized.

When confronted, PETA said they never said they advocated adoption or keeping dogs alive, but what was in the "best interest of the animal." They are anti-cruelty, but they don't have any problem with wholesale killing which is "humane." Thank God for the rescues, that pick up animals because they want to give them a fighting chance to find a new home.
 
#29 ·
Mrs. K: That is very good advice about many things in life in general. So long as someone is not doing direct harm, no one has any business telling them what to do with their money. Most Americans, though, have the common sense to tell people to mind their own darn business and don't usually wallow in guilt.
 
#33 ·
I've never heard of ALF or ELF... least not the abbreviations anyway. Who are they? I know a few years back PETA was considered by the government to be a terrorist organization. But that was also when they were literally taking peoples pets from their yards and breaking into homes to steal pets while nobody was home and killing them. Its very possible i missed the memo that they're no longer considered terrorists but are still watched. Thank you for clearing that up.
 
#36 ·
Animal Liberation Front, and Earth Liberation Front. These are the people that let lab animals loose into the woods to die of starvation/predation/etc and torch SUVs because they're gas guzzlers. The *majority* of the things they do are highly illegal, and many consider the ALF to be the underground, illicit arm of some PETA fanatics.
 
#35 ·
Yes. White GSD's are purebred. They are just a color variant. A PAL number will allow you to do anything in AKC except conformation. Your dog must be spay/neutered and look like a GSD. If you want to do agility/rally, you can join ASCA.

I don't know what UKC regs are.
 
#37 ·
I believe the choice is up to the owner and the only time one should feel guilty is buying from a pet store. We all know that those are puppy mills being supported. I think those people should be encouraged to rescue.

I was guilty of this many years ago, not only did I end up with a wacky GSD but I have since learned where these pups really come from. Lesson learned!!!!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top