Fifteen months after the pandemic arguably began, we see a light at the end of the tunnel. The willing are vaccinated. People are traveling again. Masks are off – mostly. And offices are starting to discuss The Return.

There’s also been an influx of returns to pet shelters. Now this piece isn’t shaming those who must rehome a pet — I covered my own personal turmoil on this topic already — but this is a unique opportunity for the many who want a purebred dog to get one ethically.

This is my plea for people to visit pet shelters when getting pets, especially for dogs.

The Gentrified Gentry of Breeds

Since I graduated college in 2013, many friends have gotten dogs – especially puppies, the doe-eyed, tail-wagging, cute carpet wetters that grow up into handsome, laidback guardians of the apartment. The majority of my friends have also gravitated toward specific breeds – namely, the Doodle, the bull dog (French seems especially vogue these days), and never-to-be-overlooked gentrified gentry of breeds best encapsulated in golden retrievers, Labradors, et al.

I grew up with two golden retrievers. My parents purchased them in the ‘80s. I also have visited a golden retriever puppy farm outside Harrisonburg, VA in 2012 where I obtained a successful profile picture holding a youngin’. I also remember that while most of my peers remained with the writhing mass of puppies, the farm staff asked for dog walker volunteers for the mothers. I have never seen such sad, forlorn dogs as the mothers with glazed eyes and dilated nipples, kept separate both from their puppies and from the eager cameras of Instagram influencers lest the realities of dog breeding ruin the aesthetic.

Stop Buying Purebreds

I have sat on this thought for a while, afraid to offend my many friends with their golden doodles, labradoodles, Shi poos, peekapoos, and then all the bulldogs (I myself want an English bulldog). A few friend claim they tried visiting shelters, but many have gone straight to breeders that are perhaps not the infamous puppy mill, but instead a small business puppy mill (perhaps even women- or minority-run?!). While most admit shelter dogs are “fine,” they also insist they must have a specific breed.

Purebred Dogs are a Form of Eugenics

This is 2021. In a year of racial reckoning and purported wokeness, we need to acknowledge the parallel language used to describe dog breeds (and justify purchases) that stem from, you got it, eugenics. But, but, but they’re dogs, not people – and, of course, they are. However, we shouldn’t overlook both the privilege and the problematic view that certain breeds are superior than another.

People often ascribe certain traits to breeds. They want an “athletic” dog or a “family” dog. These things definitely matter – and would increase retention when a dog is best matched with an owner. No one wants an “aggressive” dog breed. However, many of these breed perceptions are folklore perpetuated by breeders to keep the puppy mill industry churning.

The classic aggressive breeds – pit bulls, Rottweilers, dachshunds (which Google searching aggressive breeds also includes the plot twist Chihuahua and the Dalmatian, oh no, Taco Bell and Disney) – are not necessarily aggressive when you look further. Yes, many shelters may describe an individual dog of these breeds by this characteristic, but if I told you a white person is mean, does that make all white people mean?

Also, consider the chicken or the egg. For example, many pit bulls are rescued from situations where they are trained for dog fighting. Similarly, if I adopted a child who had been abused in their early years, I would expect some struggles.

Oftentimes, the “positive spin” is that someone wants a docile dog, e.g., “I need a golden retriever because they’re good with kids.” Consider where this assumption comes from – perhaps it’s just because four-person nuclear families in the suburbs consistently raise golden retrievers and report on their virtuous standing. (I will acknowledge Chihuahua owners rarely defend the virtue of that breed as it stereotypically sits beneath their armpit in a purse, but also I note these same people also don’t consider treating the dog less like an accessory.)

Shelters Ensure You Know Your Dog Better

Never forget that breeders are there to sell a dog. They are making grands off you.

Shelters are there to save a dog. They want to have the best fit because they don’t want the dog returned. A shelter will go to great lengths to do that, including giving you descriptions and known histories of the dog if the dog is older. They warn adopters if a dog is hostile, loud, not good with kids, etc.

What can a breeder at all tell you about a puppy? People often claim their new dog is “precocious,” “playful,” “relaxed,” etc. Even if they haven’t met it yet, the breeder has assured them. You know what other animals I could describe with those words? My hamster when I was nine. My neighbor’s rescue puppy. My preschool classmate who stabbed another kid at 17.

The point is, no one knows what a puppy is going to grow up to be. Stop making assumptions or justifying decisions based on a breed. Again, consider if there is any universal trait you would describe to a human race. Are all white people [insert adjective]? I didn’t think so (or else I’m curious what you’re thinking).

Mutts are Healthier

Purebred is just another word for inbred. I hate to break it to you. Many purebreds are known for their host of health problems – beagles develop tumors, golden retrievers suffer hip problems and cancer, bull dogs simply can’t breathe. My own two golden retrievers were put down when their hips failed them, though their other faculties remained intact.

Inbreeding is only exacerbated by this fixation to have a standard breed that looks like the prototype. Grandmother dogs are bred with grandson dogs. Cousins are definitely bred. This genetic pool is even narrower because they’re dogs. These breeders are looking for geographic opportunity. They are not going to breed a French bulldog in California with one in New York, let alone Europe (though they’re probably all second cousins anyway).

Not only are you paying a premium price for a clone copy of your neighbor’s Doodle (and possibly your mom’s), you are signing up for the knee replacements, the hip replacements, and potentially the premature grieving of a dog that dies within a decade.

You Can Get a Purebred at a Shelter – Especially Right Now

Finally, if one if so dead set on a purebred (note, I have not critiqued their cuteness once in this diatribe), you can get rescued purebreds. There are shelters for specific breeds, but this summer is the absolute highest odds of finding a purebred as many families and persons recognize they are not suited for a dog they purchased in quarantine. These dogs are perhaps even cuter because they are abandoned. (This may be my own melodramatic savior spin.)

Shelters are both cheaper and more ethical. Many reimburse you for the purchase if you have your dog neutered or spayed. You also are not propping up an industry built on inbreeding and simply meeting the latest craze.

Similarly, if you visit a shelter looking for a purebred – either in-person or virtually – you can view all the other options. That includes the mutts, the lost dogs, the rehomed dogs, and the otherwise displaced dogs who still need love and a home — and are simply not being afforded your attention because they are not a purebred.

All in all, I love dogs. I love purebreds. But we need to stop buying them.

Visit a shelter. Look at the options. Find an ethical purebred (and don’t send me a website for an ethical puppy mill with big yards, low puppy output, etc.; it’s still part of an unethical industry). Be the woke person we claim to be in 2021.