How do Americans acquire their dogs?

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Acceptable-Remove792@reddit

Both of mine are rescues from the humane society. I don't understand why people want purebred dogs. Damsel is a purebred, she was rescued from a puppy mill where she was used as a breeder. Even now that she's healthy she's a hot fucking mess because Boston Terriers are an abomination unto nature, she was bred to be tortured. Her body is just fucked up, just from being a Boston Terrier. There's no call for this. There was no reason to create something to suffer.

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soap---poisoning@reddit

While I would agree that irresponsible breeding practices are a problem, people can have good reasons for wanting a specific breed instead of a mystery mix from a shelter.

My father-in-law was driving a rural highway one day when he saw a vague dark streak on the side of the road. He stopped and went to investigate. It was a very malnourished puppy. He put it in his car and drove straight home and took it to the vet. Other than being dehydrated and underfed, she was in decent condition. After about four days at the veterinary hospital, she was healthy enough to go home. The vet told them, “you know, this appears to be a purebred red Doberman.” She was a great dog - when I started dating my wife, the dog was about two years old, and she would accompany me on walks in the floodplains near my house. The area was very natural (obviously, there is no development inside the levees) and while you would occasionally see pretty sketchy people, nobody bothers the guy who has an 85-pound guard dog, especially when they know I could just drop the leash at any moment and let her at them.

The fact that she would probably charge them, just so she could lick them to death, was not known to them.

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shelwood46@reddit

Yes, my favorite dog was dumped off, along with the rest of his litter, at a campground we were staying at for a holiday weekend. We were only able to capture him, he was in bad shape (seed ticks all over his ears), but I took him home and had a lovely 15 years with him.

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wayneforest@reddit

That’s our pup’s story too! We went camping and he came up to us in the middle of the night looking for food and a warm spot sleep. He slept in our tent that night after we attempted to find owners and campers got mad at us since it was midnight. In the daylight we realized he was emaciated, covered in ticks and missing fur patches (the vet later said it looked like acid had been poured sadly).

The next morning the ranger told us he had been there for a few weeks and that we should take him home otherwise he was obligated to take him to the local shelter, and the only one in the tiny town was a kill shelter. The ranger actually found his own two pups in the forest and nursed them back to health since it was a known dumping ground.

He’s such a good boy, and funny enough will only lay on a blankie when outdoors haha… he decided no more dirt or wood chips for him. Sometimes I literally have to put my own cardigan on the grass or dirt so he will lay down! Haha. It’s been 9 years now and we still say it was the best camping trip ever.

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Certain_Accident3382@reddit

That's how im scrambling to find homes for kitten right now. Mama had a collar on and you can see where the rabies vaccine/name tag got pulled off. No one answered fb, next door, fliers, no chip. Next thing I know Kittens!

Got a visit with a local charity to fix the males tomorrow. Mama and daughters in July.

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GiraffesCantSwim@reddit

You got a r/trojancat! 😂

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Certain_Accident3382@reddit

There's always a new one come "kitten season".

Apparently having a sign for fresh eggs = place to leave your cat.

There's a beautiful shy black cat with a star on her chest I think is also a Trojan Kitty. Been working on trying to get her to trust me for a month now. She talks to me when I collect eggs and will eat if I put food down, but only if I step back 6 feet and don't make a move like I'll touch her. She does let me pet her if she sees me petting my barn cats by leaning in to love on them and just happens to brush my hand. She just doesn't want my focus on her.

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bassjam1@reddit

We were the first farm on a country road and we had countless dogs, puppies, cats, kittens, and pregnant dogs and puppies dropped off on the roadside. We kept a lot of them, but eventually you have no choice but to take them to the county shelter.

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FunCod5383@reddit

Sort of how we got an Irish setter years and years ago - my sister and I were walking across a busy street and a dog who was following a group of people turned around halfway across and started following us instead. We grabbed the dog and yelled to them, “Hey, your dog!” and they said “It’s not ours,” so we took it home with us to join our other Irish setter. Mom did due diligence to see if she could find the owner, but couldn’t so we kept her and named her after my mom’s family (Casey).

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Arkyguy13@reddit

It's a rural thing for the most part. People dump dogs and puppies all the time in the country. Those are the "nice" people, the not nice people drown them in the pond.

Our dog sources:

Found in grocery store parking lot: 1

Found abandoned as puppy after its mom killed some our chickens: 2

I don't know: 2

Came with some property we bought: 1

Shelter: 3

Showed up randomly at our house: 4 (we had 4 more show up at our house but we already had too many dogs so those had to go to the shelter)

Breeder: 1

Our cat sources:

Showed up randomly at our house (indoor cats): 4

Rescued on our farm as a kitten (mother abandoned): 2

Showed up randomly on the farm (farm cats): 6

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DancingFlamingo11@reddit

That’s how my best friend got one of her dogs. Showed up after a big storm. She put up signs and posted on line about finding him. Went to her vet to see if he was chipped. No one ever claimed him so she kept him.

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jda404@reddit

That's how I got my childhood dog. She came to our porch one cold February night. We took her in, got her warm, fed her. This was back in the 90s before social media and before what the internet is today. We put flyers up, put something in the local newspaper. No one ever claimed her. After 30 days of no one claiming her the local humane society said legally she was ours to keep if we wanted to and we kept her.

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brzantium@reddit

This is how I got my first dog. He showed up at my parents' house while my mom was out front gardening. They went through all the motions of trying to figure out who he belonged to, and after a few days and no leads, they called me to see if I wanted a dog.

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AMB3494@reddit

My family did this on vacation in Florida. We found a dog, asked around to see if a dog was lost. Nobody came. So we drove back to NY with our new chihuahua named “Taco” (it was the late 90s or early 2000s and the Taco Bell dog was big).

Lmao.

This is how my dad's wife got two orange kittens that were still an age they needed to be bottle fed, some woman in a parking lot basically just went "here, can you hold these?" and left her there befuddled. They're enormous now.

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602223@reddit

Hmm, there are things around the house I’d like to get rid of.

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jUsT-As-G0oD@reddit

Guy looks at me and goes: “Hey can you hold this real quick? I’ll be right back”

tragicsandwichblogs@reddit

My neighbor was at a stoplight and a dog jumped through the open window into his truck. They tried to find an owner, but that's his dog now.

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Cyber_Angel_Ritual@reddit

This happened to my best friend too. Her parents found a teacup Yorkie in the middle of the storm. She just walked up to them. No one claimed the dog, so it was theirs.

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BagpiperAnonymous@reddit

Or you find them loose on the street. I’ve rescued 4 dogs that way. 3 were chipped, one I turned into animal control because it was malnourished. If I hadn’t already had my dog quota, I would have considered keeping it.

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Evee862@reddit

Like cats, I just keep the generic ones that show up in the yard looking for food and attention. All mine are pure bred mutt

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I had a dog show up in my house. I was bringing in groceries from the car when the kids were little and had propped the garage door so I could carry bags in without needing to keep opening the door. I set a set of bags on the counter in the kitchen, turned around, tripped over the dog, yelled at the kids to keep the dog out of the kitchen while I got groceries in and then my brain caught up and realized we don’t have a dog. So long story short, golden retriever puppy in the kitchen. Very friendly. Took it to a local vet, no microchip. Called animal control, no missing puppy report and they asked if we could keep it for a bit in case the owner called later. Kids had a lovely afternoon playing with the puppy. Around 6pm, animal control calls back and says someone had just gotten home from work and their puppy had dug a hole under a fence and escaped. They lived near a busy highway, figured puppy was a goner and were ecstatic to learn he’d run to our house instead. He was happily reunited with his family that night. I would have absolutely kept him if no one came forward - he was a great dog, great with the kids and there is no world in which we could afford a golden retriever puppy. But I am glad his humans didn’t have the pain of losing him.

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aachensjoker@reddit

As a kid, some of our dogs showed up that way also.

We live in the country. And unfortunately, people would drop off their dog or cat not wanting them.

They would show up and my parents would feed them cause my sis and i would start playing with them.

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PantsIsDown@reddit

Same thing goes for cats. Cats will adopt people pretty often just by showing up and deciding they live at your house now. Also finding kittens or puppies on the side of the road happens too.

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sluttypidge@reddit

My Grandma found my dog in her front yard when he was a puppy, many, many years ago.

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poorperspective@reddit

It’s more common in rural areas. For dogs to “just show up.” Usually it’s an outside farm dog that got lost. Rural people usually are much more relaxed about toeing up the dog. My grandmother owned 5 acres that was remote and just let her dogs run free.

ThatGirl_Tasha@reddit

Yes, but you have to live somewhere where alligators don't eat them

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Picklesadog@reddit

That's how I got my dog when I was a kid. This big yellow lab with no collar just showed up in our little yard on a busy street. My mom coaxed him inside and that was that.

My current cat was a lonely kitten living under a porta potty at a construction site across from my old apartment. Scooped her up 8 years ago and she's never forgiven me.

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anonymouse278@reddit

Our local Nextdoor is essentially just an endless series of "This dog is hanging out on our block, I think his owners moved and left him, can anybody take him because animal control is full" posts.

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MrTeeWrecks@reddit

Only if you live somewhere very rural or a ‘rough’ part of town.

Happened to us in June of 1989. Went strawberry picking, came back there was a dog in our fenced in yard. Not an unusual thing as we did actually have a dog, but this was not our dog. We let her out of the yard, went to the movies (either batman or indiana Jones 3 (can’t remember), came back dog had not left, was just curled up in front of our door.

We kept the extra dog.

That’s pretty much how we got our last family dog. Dog wandered up to a family friend’s sister, friendly as anything and clearly a stray. She couldn’t take him in, so she asked around if anyone wanted a dog. She was told that my parents were almost empty nesters (my siblings and I were all in college, so we were only somewhat around, but not out yet). They did the “Eh, what the hell, it’ll be nice to have a dog around.” Had him for about 10 years. He wasn’t especially bright, but he was a delight.

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FaithlessnessRich490@reddit

Pits do

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LadyGreyIcedTea@reddit

That's how one of my dogs got rescued. She wandered onto someone's farm in Arkansas.

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Ok_Researcher_9796@reddit

I've never had that happen. Cats do though.

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coccopuffs606@reddit

Yup.

My brother lives in the middle of nowhere, and people dump dogs they don’t want anymore on their property fairly regularly. Most his dogs are the ones they kept, and the rest are given away or sent to a rescue

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hpfan1516@reddit

Once, a black dog followed my dad home on a hot, bright day. We let her in the backyard where there was shade, gave her some water, and tried to figure out where the heck she came from, since she didn't have a collar (either that or no name tag, don't recall). My parents left the gate open, so no claims of dog theft lol. She stayed.

We eventually found the previous owner, who already had several dogs. She didn't think much of this idea, and vaulted the 6-foot fence he had and went on a walkabout until she found my dad. She had apparently been trained to vault things. Lol. But she liked my dad and our backyard and stayed!

Previous owner just wanted her to be happy, and clearly she was content with us lol. She hadn't been mistreated or anything, just liked to let herself out a lot and wander. He was sick of having to pick her up from wherever she'd gotten to. Lol. She never ran away from us though :) (well, she'd take herself on the occasional walk, but she'd always come home happily and willingly if the neighbors saw her out lol)

Eat--The--Rich--@reddit

My brother found his dog duct taped into a garbage bag on the side of the highway. No idea what happened to her. She's a bloodhound and she is the sweetest most gentle thing you will ever meet.

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kit0000033@reddit

We have dogs show up in our yard about twice a year.

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Outside_Narwhal3784@reddit

On occasion.

Growing up I attending a boarding school, my parent were faculty so we lived on staff housing on campus. It was 800 acres of land, about five miles from the local town, and I found a little Pomeranian that wasn’t from anybody living on campus because of their hard and fast* no dogs policy.

I was so excited and rushed home with the dog and begged my parents to keep it. They of course reminded me of the rule of no dogs and said they couldn’t (we had a dog prior to coming to this school and gave him up for adoption before moving here).

Anyway turned her in to the school’s lost and found, the lovely lady there (not an exec) held on to her and put up found signs in the local town. Found the owner and returned her. Not two days later I found the little shit again on campus AGAIN. I took her back to the lost and found lady, and she attempted to return him to the owner, and the owner told her to just go ahead and keep her since she kept running away. And she did. She kept the dog and no one said a fucking word about it. My dad told me had he known no one was going to enforce the no dogs rule, he would have let me keep her.

The last one is how I got the dog that was with me for over 12 years and has his name now tattooed on my chest.

He was a good dog and after he randomly showed up one summer day after I mowed and was chilling eating a sandwich, he became my dog for the rest of his life.

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azulweber@reddit

Or just finding them abandoned somewhere. My roommate found her German Shepherd in a box on the side of a back road. My boyfriend found his Catahoula after it was hit by a car and left for dead.

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Advanced-Culture189@reddit

Buddy was in our yard, with no tags. We took him to scan for a chip. Shelter contacted the last known number, and no one got back to them. We tried finding an owner on NextDoor & FB with no luck, so now he's living his best life with us.

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DebutsPal@reddit

My dogs are all from responsible breeders breeding to preserve the breed. Ironically, it's primarily puppymills who are registered with the government (very few responsbile breeders breed at the scale that requires federal oversight) (I'm a dog nut, so I'm way more into than most Americans)

When I was a kid I vividely remember going to the shelter and picking out a dog. He was dog kind of dog.

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GingerGalJeanie@reddit

One of the most upsetting things to many purebred dog lovers is how the Pennsylvania Amish run purebred puppy mills. I only ever bought a purebred puppy from a breeder who let me see the place where the pups/parents lived, to confirm humane and loving breeders - and who could provide good health records on the parents.

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Chickstan33@reddit

When we picked our puppy from the breeders (who owned a working farm), we got to pick him out in person and meet his parents. Just one litter at a time and the puppies all live in the house with the owners. Adoption definitely is the most ethical, but we knew what we wanted.

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senjisilly@reddit

A breed rescue I volunteer with will go to animal auctions and bid against the Amish for breeding pairs and puppies. The Amish treat all their animals as livestock, like cattle, horses, pigs, and goats. They are an awful people.

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DebutsPal@reddit

yeah, those are so upsetting. Back when I was breeding I alsway facetimed people to show them the environment (biosecurity with young pups is a concern) and they saw everything at pick.up.

And health records needs to include genetic concerns as well, not just shots and things

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The_bedbug@reddit (OP)

dsmac085@reddit

My parents were dog rescue types (see a random dog in a bad situation and convince the owner to give them the dog) or did the "free to good home" thing. Never got a dog we didn't love.

Dad did go the breeder route once when he decided to finally get his dream dog after retiring from the Navy. Got a wildly pedigreed Irish Shepherd. Sadly he had to rehome her a few years later because we simply did not have the land he felt she needed as we lived in a city. She ended up in Newfoundland on a large farm with a guy who had bought puppies from one of her litters.

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Idk where you are, but in the Northeast there don't seem to be many rescues / strays so they are brought up from the South. So our shelter dogs aren't cheap.

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anneofgraygardens@reddit

Here in California a lot of rescue dogs seem to be from the Central Valley. My dog was rescued from the Fresno humane society so i tend to notice this particularly. I'm always being shown adoptable dogs on Instagram and it's really really common to see that the dogs are also from Fresno. I always ask my dog if they're her cousins.

The rescue I got her from theoretically changed me $300 but they never actually ran my credit card (they had forgotten the higher tech method of paying, so they just took my cc number....i spent days waiting for the charge to appear and it just never did) so she was free.

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Phil_ODendron@reddit

When I adopted a dog in NJ 2 years ago, it was $450.00. They said that he came from Tennessee.

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SlowInsurance1616@reddit

Mine's from South Carolina.

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brzantium@reddit

That's so wild to me that some states import shelter dogs. My city's shelters are all full (but we're also a no kill city).

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bmadisonthrowaway@reddit

I've heard of rescues importing dogs, but not shelters. In my experience the shelter just has what they have, they're not like "Hmmm, we should restock the golden retrievers; anybody wanna call South Carolina later this afternoon?"

If my local shelter did not have any dogs, then they would not adopt out any dogs. If you go looking for a puppy, something that is x size or type of breed, a dog that is good with kids, etc. and they don't have what you're looking for, they just say sorry, we don't have that right now.

seatownquilt-N-plant@reddit

my city has a ton of dogs. The joke is more dogs than children. But it really stands out when I see an un-neutered male dog. I kind of forget they have testicles.

it is very uncommon to see an intact dog in the city. Seattle.

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SlowInsurance1616@reddit

Yeah, we get a lot from TX, too.

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DeniseReades@reddit

I travel for work but I'm originally from Houston. The number of people I meet in northern city dog parks who are like, "Oh! My dog is from Texas too!" is ridiculously high. It's funny af because my dogs aren't from Texas. 🤣😂

Grizlatron@reddit

In Virginia, a shelter dog is about $100, that includes the neuter/spay and their shots.

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smokiechick@reddit

Mine's from Alabama

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justalittlelupy@reddit

That's crazy. Here in the central valley of California, there's hundreds of dogs at the local shelters for free or very cheap. I got my boy for free, a ranch dog border collie/ heeler mix. My parents got a pure bred corgi for $25.

Olivia_O@reddit

Feel like a road trip? Come to Texas! We have a dog distribution system down here!

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kittenpantzen@reddit

If you don't mind waiting for a specific weekend, you can often get shelter dogs for free even. But, agree, rescue requirements can be completely insane.

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UnfairHoneydew6690@reddit

I’d also add a 6th

People who find a pregnant dog (probably dropped) and give away the puppies when they’re old enough. Sometimes they’ll post a little ad at the vets office or they’ll use a local Facebook group.

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Jumpy-Dig5503@reddit

A friend or acquaintance tells you they can't care for their dog anymore, and can you adopt it?

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Lothar_Ecklord@reddit

My parents have always had a dog, and for the better part of 2 decades, they’ve had 2. All their/our dogs came from either an ASPCA shelter or a friend who didn’t want their dog. The one they have now is a family who adopted a puppy and instantly realized how much goes into that…

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stpetedawg@reddit

8th. I am a breeder host for an organization that breeds and trains service dogs. My dog came to live with me at 2 years old after displaying exceptional traits that the organization wants to pass along to future guide dogs. He belongs to the organization, he’s just in my care. The organization takes care of all veterinary needs (staff vets). He lives with me with the understanding that when they call, I bring him in within 12-24 hours. He’ll be “on call” when he has a “date” with a female lined up which is determined in advance. It’s just a matter of when she goes into heat. At that point, he may be at the facility for a week to 10 days. I also bring him in for weight and health checks frequently. They will keep him in service for 2-4 years, then retire him by neutering. After retirement, I officially become his owner. There’s no cost to me (other than food, toys, etc), but I get an exceptionally well trained dog (2 years of obedience training, first with a puppy raiser then with 6 months to a year living at the facility training daily to be a guide dog) with great genetics, and I get the satisfaction of being of service to a world class nonprofit serving people in need.

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cerealandcorgies@reddit

A close family member died less than a month ago and I now have (another) dog.

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CarriageTrail@reddit

Some prisons have programs in which inmates learn how to train dogs. I’ve adopted two prison dogs and both were awesome! I paid a fee for each to cover some of the program costs.

id also add on the breed specific rescues that it can be a really tough application process...some of the rescues have some pretty high stipulations for your experience, fence yard etc.

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SheZowRaisedByWolves@reddit

I’ll add friends and family, and roadside puppies for sale/free

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MattieShoes@reddit

3. Go to a breed specific animal rescue and pick a dog. Potentially pure bred, but often a mutt with indicators of a specifc breed. Low cost.

clearliquidclearjar@reddit

23% of the dogs taken in by families or individuals come from animal shelters, comparatively just 6% are taken in as strays from the streets. However, 34% of dogs are bought from breeders or puppy mills, and another 20% come from friends and family.

https://rainwalkpetinsurance.com/pet-adoption-statistics-2022/

So the parentage is only known for about 40%-50% of American dogs. Most people adopt from shelters or get a puppy from a friend who put off fixing their mixed breed dog for too long.

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graceling@reddit

Honestly I'm shocked at how low the adoption from shelters is... My brain just doesn't even see breeders as an option.

But I suppose if we add 23(shelter)+20(family/friends)+6(stray)=49% which sounds much better. 34% breeders and torture camps.

That's only 83%... So I'm still confused at the end.

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Blonde_Vampire_1984@reddit

Fejj1997@reddit

I got my pup from the pound the same day she got nabbed off the streets.

I got my last dog from a friend who owned a ranch.

The dog before that we got from a farmer.

The dog before that, if I recall correctly, was gifted to my father from a family friend, as my mother really wanted a dog(Was before I was born)

So basically, we just find them lying around and take them home

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AntisocialHikerDude@reddit

My most recent puppy acquisition was via a Facebook post lol. Someone in a town an hour away posted that they had a few German Shepherd pups for sale and I DM'd them and told them I'd be by that day with cash for one. Their pet GSDs just had puppies and they were selling them off their back porch. There isn't a requirement to register with the government, or if there is no one actually does it in this kind of "accidental" situation.

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Always the Humane Society for us. We've gotten all our animals there. I don't think breeding is a good idea. Too many dogs that are already alive that need a home. I think it should be illegal to breed.

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EasyMode556@reddit

We have breeders too, but also sometimes someone will have a dog that gets pregnant, and will just sell the puppies off Craigslist or wherever.

I got my dog at a shelter. People often guess at the breeds of their rescue dogs and get it wrong.

The shelter called my dog a mountain cur, but everyone kept asking me if he was a boxer. I guessed that he was a boxer and hound mix, which was miraculously pretty correct (and a bunch of other stuff, but he was half boxer and like a quarter hound). I was expecting to be wrong and for him to be half pit bull just because that’s so common.

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BuildingAFuture21@reddit

All my pups have been from rescues since 1997. My faves are my deaf/blind Australian Shepherds. So smart and loyal! I teach them sign language to communicate.♥️

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doinmy_best@reddit

Yes those are the ways here too but (1) breeder registration is not officially certified like it can be recognized through American Kennel Club but that is only for purebred show or working breeds (not mixed breeds which many people want) and (2) there are not many puppies in shelters. My local shelters are filled with pit bull mixes (often county city or building restricted), difficult to train dogs, and geriatric dogs. When we want a dog we often want a puppy right now. The fastest and cheapest way to get a puppy is from a listing on Facebook, Craigslist, eBay, your church friend, etc. They may not know the breed of the male dog and they might lie about the breed to up the price.

I go to the shelter or I take someone else’s dog they can no longer care for because all dogs are good dogs not just pure bred.

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Spare-Anxiety-547@reddit

We get ours from a breeder. We want specific breeds so we shop. Many people adopt dogs at an animal shelter or a rescue. Sometimes people buy them at a pet store.

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OlliHF@reddit

When I was a kid, my dad couldn't turn away a stray (dog or cat), so we ended up with four dogs and four cats.

People with money buy specific breeds, but my tax bracket pays $50 for a dog at the pound.

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Few-Pineapple-5632@reddit

There are no “purebred” dogs at shelters. Most are pitbull mixes. If you want a “purebred” dog, you have to search the internet, pay hundreds or thousands of dollars and hope the breeder isn’t ripping you off.

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21Gatorade21@reddit

Either you find a breeder through a friend (someone who has already bought the type of dog you want from that breeder), go through the AKC website which list all the registered breeders and their websites, go to a shelter, or find some random dog on the street and rescue it.

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dustyg013@reddit

I've bought 2 from breeders, was given 1 by a friend who had rescued it, and got 1 from a rescue organization.

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veronicaAc@reddit

In this country, even if you do obtain a dog from a breeder, you cannot share that information or you risk massive bullshit spewing your way "DONT SHOP, ADOPT!"

Meanwhile, adoption agencies over here require you to basically own your own home, be a stay-at-home whatever to avoid leaving your pet home alone for any duration.

As if we're all so blessed....

I don't have that luxury, so I went to a breeder for my lil boy.

Regardless of your thoughts on adopt vs shop, all of them need loving homes so I feel zero guilt.

My aunt lives in Arizona and in the last 15 years she has had at least 20-30 dogs just show up at the front door, and that doesn’t count the ones we found running around our neighborhood. People like to also dump them too.

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bonzombiekitty@reddit

There's a variety of ways.

Unethical backyard breeders. These are people who care little about the health of the dogs nor who they go to. They pump out puppies as quickly as they can and will often ignore health issues of both the parents and the puppies. They will often lie about the pedigree of the dog and will do things like sell a puppy well before it should be away from its mother.
"Ethical"/"Good" breeders. These are people who care more about the health and well being of the dogs they breed. They keep good track of the pedigree of the puppies (these sorts of places usually can have their puppies registered by the AKC), will try to vet prospective owners to make sure the puppies will go to a good family. These are usually very expensive and have waiting lists.
Shelters & rescues. These come in a large range from municipal dog pounds who are just trying to get dogs out and don't really care much about who takes them (usually heavily populated by dogs people don't tend to want). To more private rescues/shelters who are much more selective about who can adopt. To private breed specific rescues. To "rescues" that are really just a front to unethical breeders.

We got ours from a local rescue organization, which is essentially a network of foster homes. Many of their dogs are dogs that were removed from regional backyard breeders, especially from Lancaster County, PA (the Amish are a bit notorious for the way they breed dogs). The adopt him, we had to submit an application, meet him twice, have several references, and then have a home visit.

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OGMom2022@reddit

If I know someone who bought one from a breeder and not a rescue or shelter, I explain why they shouldn’t and if they argue, I will shame them.

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silentsnak3@reddit

It is the same here mostly. If you want a certain breed, start doing research on breeders. If you just want a dog, go to the shelter.

In my case though, most of my dogs had been abandoned or lost and found their way to my house. One of the best dogs I had was a old abandoned hunting dog. Came to my house skin and bones, but we got her right. Loyal to a fault and just dumb, but she was still a good dog.

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sasspancakes@reddit

We got our pyrenees mix from a farm for $100 on Craigslist lol. Their dog had an unplanned litter and he was the only one that made it. He's a good boy.

My parents on the other hand have bought a purebred springer spaniel from a breeder for around $2k, and she's terrible.

If I ever get another dog, I'm going with a shelter or rescue dog. Growing up those always made the best dogs. Everyone I know with a dog from a breeder, ends up being awful in some way or another.

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Range-Shoddy@reddit

Rescued and shelters. I’m not adding to the pet population bc I need a dog with a specific name. Sad we’re not past that as a society yet.

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Kburge20@reddit

I got two from my grandma because her dogs mated. They passed away back to back due to old age in 2024.

Recently got our new puppy and got him from a reputable breeder that my mom got her last 3 dogs from.

Before the two brothers - I rescued a dog that some dipshit tied to the train tracks and happen to see him on my way home from work.

Most people I know either get them from breeders, shelters, family or friends or the strays that pick them.

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Kielbasa_Nunchucka@reddit

all of my dogs are from rescue organizations. most were scheduled for euthanasia before being taken in by the fostwrs that work with said orgs. I do know for a fact that they're all border collies (except my golden, we found him on the highway) because they originally came from disreputable breeders.

IHaveALittleNeck@reddit

I have adopted all of my dachshunds, either through rescue services or the shelter. I would never buy a dog when so many need homes.

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Websites like Petfinder are pretty common. They will often have a picture of the animal and what shelter they’re at if applicable. It’s how I found 2 of my cats. My chihuahua came from someone who found him in their backyard and they already had dogs.

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jcstan05@reddit

pure blooded mutt

Is that not a contradiction in terms?

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We always adopt older dogs. We have an idea of what breed they are, but only the first one was purebred; the others have been mixes of at least two breeds. Our current dog looks like he was assembled from parts, but his personality makes that work.

We know we're not puppy people, and we're not interested in buying from breeders.

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Razrgrrl@reddit

I always go to shelters or keep stray cats that show up nearby. I looove adopting from shelters.

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Tha_Kush_Munsta@reddit

Sometimes there like 2 little kids in a parking lot in the not good side of town which just means immigrants and first generation americans of brown and black color maybe Asians, but the kids are selling pups for 20 bucks or so and it’s just a good deal and probably a cute puppy.

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Odd_Championship7286@reddit

We’ve got both of ours from rescues so they just have a guess at the breed to put something on the website

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Far_Winner5508@reddit

All our dogs are from the local city shelters. Mutts for the most part. Wife came home with a “greyhound mix”. She’s a pittie mix. Super sweet girl but a couch hog.

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Impossible_Emu5095@reddit

I lived in India for six years and adopted my three off the street in front of my house.

I am in the minority.

AdhesiveSeaMonkey@reddit

Got my last dog (cockapoo) because the owner, who bred them from akc certified purebred parents, fell ill and could no longer care for them. They were just pups at the time, about 6 weeks I think. He surrendered them to the vet who cared for them until they were old enough to adopt them out for the cost of vaccines and neutering/spaying.

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Appropriate-Gas-1014@reddit

I find lots of dogs abandoned and left to die in the desert near my property. Sometimes on my property. I take them all in and find them homes.

The most recent is laying in bed next to me right now. He's an absolutely great dog, has lupus on his nose.

A previous one I found now loves with a family a couple towns over. GSP with benign tumors.

Sometimes I only find bones. Those dogs get buried with the rest of the pets.

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BrazilianButtCheeks@reddit

Most people see breeders and pet stores selling papered dogs as unethical.. if you don’t get a rescue/shelter dog people act like youre a monster

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Dunfalach@reddit

Generally speaking, registered breeders are mostly for pedigree dogs. And they’re registered with kennel clubs, not the government. Government involvement is mostly limited to whether you qualify to require a business license and getting involved if there’s animal cruelty complaints.

That’s not true everywhere as some places are more regulated than others. But anyone with two dogs of different genders can breed and sell in a lot of areas. Then there’s shelter dogs, pet stores, and neighbors who haven’t spayed or neutered their pets trying to get rid of the litters by giving them away.

Decent_Cow@reddit

Most people don't get dogs from breeders but from pet stores or shelters.

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ptfancollector@reddit

Got first dog from a shelter, about 8 when we got him. We got our second dog came from a couple who wanted to rehome her during covid. Probably 5-6 years old when we got her. Had each for about 5 years when they developed a debilitating disease that required us to put them to sleep. Miss them both, great dogs.

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feochampas@reddit

Once got a puppy on a tinder date. Kept the puppy, lost the date.

I usually get my dogs at the pound. I don't really care about breed, I prefer the vibe I get with a dog.

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kmill0202@reddit

Some people have their heart set on a particular breed and will do careful research to find an ethical breeder with good documentation on lineage and health. Some people who want a specific breed will just buy from the first breeder they stumble across, or whichever is the cheapest. There are good, ethical breeders who take steps to make sure they're producing healthy animals under humane conditions. But unfortunately we also have our fair share of back yard breeders and puppy mills who produce animals with all sorts of genetic defects and/or have them in disgusting conditions.

Some people will just seek out a dog from a shelter or rescue. Those people aren't always seeking a particular breed but more like a set of characteristics depending on their lifestyle, living situation, and so on.

Some people just find a dog that's a stray because it's been lost or dumped off and will keep it, or they'll take over a dog from family, friends, or neighbors because the original owners have had a change in circumstances. Lots of different ways to go about acquiring a dog in the US, and sometimes they aquire you.

I found my dog through a local rescue. He was being put up for adoption because his original owners couldn't care for him anymore. The rescue posted his picture on Facebook, and there was just something about him that made me decide to ask about him and eventually go meet him and ultimately adopt him. I had been thinking about getting a dog, but wasn't seriously looking at the time. It was more of an "eventually" thing for me. But I saw his picture and figured there was no harm in asking about him. One of the best decisions I ever made.

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lfxlPassionz@reddit

We have a saying in the US, "adopt don't shop".

Breeding dogs is a terrible thing so we encourage people to never buy a dog.

Dogs are animals. All animals are equally worthy of a good life. Humans are animals.

We usually go to an animal shelter to adopt a dog. Buying animals, especially ones we have as pets, means to treat them as objects with no rights. Dogs are family.

There are also more dogs than there are families willing to adopt them plus the breeders that do exist here all follow pretty evil practices.

It's very common to find abandoned dogs on the street or for someone to give them up because they can't take care of the dog.

We have shelters all over the place that house dogs and cats and occasionally other pets. These shelters often have vets that will spay and neuter pets as well as care for their general health the best they can. These vets are overbooked so they can only do so much.

In my state (MICHIGAN) kill shelters (where dogs are killed if they aren't adopted in time) are uncommon and we are considered a "no kill state" meaning most of the shelters will not kill pets due to overcrowding.

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PenelopeLumley@reddit

As a kid, I asked my mom for a dog, and she saw a local vet offering a dog on their sign. He was a stray that one of their clients brought in.

Years later, she went to Walmart and ran into two young women who had found a puppy and were there to buy dog food for him. My mom thought he looked so much like a puppy version of our dog that she just offered to take the puppy.

Yes. All dogs to some degree are predators so you need to know how to read your dog and meet your dog’s needs in regards to training to make sure you’ve mitigated risk to others.

I got my dog for $75 at the shelter. Someone abandoned him on the street, the shelter picked him up and listed him on their website. I was browsing the site and fell in love with his picture, signed some papers, paid them money, and took him home within the hour

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Bluebird_Flies@reddit

I’ve always gotten my dogs at a shelter. They just guess what breed(s) the dog is and they can be WAY off.

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mjsmore33@reddit

First dog we got from someone rehoming him. Second we got from a shelter. Third we got from a lady who had an unexpected litter and was just trying to find them homes

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CommercialWorried319@reddit

Aside from mutts from a friend or shelter dogs , people love a bargain so they'll buy from people on Facebook and other places that look like the breed they want and sometimes even have fake papers.

frr_Vegeta@reddit

Both of my dogs are rescues.

Penny was amongst a litter of puppies under a rusted out lawnmower. My wife (before I had even met her) adopted one, her sister adopted another, other random people in their area adopted the rest.

Ahri, our other dog, was posted in a local rescue facebook group. She was currently being fostered by a couple who rescued her from a kill shelter down in Texas. We met her and she got along well with Penny so we adopted her.

A few ways. One popular method is adopting. It can be a town animal shelter or some form of rescue. They do have breed specific rescues. They might rescue German Shepard and German Shepard mixed for instance.

Then you have breeders. It’s up to the person to research the breeder and make sure they’re getting a quality animal. Asking the appropriate questions, like how many times they breed a female, genetic testing, etc.

You also have found animals. Whether they wander into your yard, you find them out somewhere, someone you know finds one, and I’ll include friends/family/strangers who had an accident and are looking to home them.

I’m not opposed to any of these. I love mutts, butt I’ve had purebreds too. There is a definite place for them. What there is not a place for is the last category. That’s unethical scam artists.

These are people asking you to pay way too much for nothing. They’ll ask for $3,000 for a “purebred” whatever and it may or may not be purebred, the females are bred till they give out. Puppy mills fall in here. So do backyard breeders. Like anything else, these scams continue till people quite falling for them. Guilt is used a lot of times. I’ve seen setups where people pay for them to rescue them from the person breeding them. My aunt got caught by this one. He was a good dog, but riddled with medical issues his whole life. By giving the person money, she just insured that they’d keep breeding and set more dogs up to suffer.

It’s everyone’s responsibility to make a good decision on their pet. Research your breeders if you’re paying a lot. If you’re adopting, you should pay very little. Whether it’s an individual or rescue. You’re covering some of their expenses for food and basic shots. People need to think. The latest scam I’ve seen is “designer” dogs. A doodle is an example. I’m not saying you can’t end up with an okay animal. The whole point is you can’t say you will. A breed is a set of standards and well known issues you try to avoid. Outside of individual personalities, you know what their size, looks, temperament, train ability will generally be. A “designer” dog is a mutt. One of my favorite kinds of dogs, but pay accordingly. Don’t she’ll out thousands of dollars for a dog that’s no different than one you’ll find in a shelter. Which is a mixed bag, that you don’t know anything about and could turn out to be riddled with medical and behavioral issues, or the best dog you’ve ever had. You’re paying for certainty with a breed.

I think those are the basic ways Americans obtain dogs.

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MotherofaPickle@reddit

My first dog I got out of a bin outside of a Walmart. Someone was giving away their farm dog’s puppies.

My second (current) showed up on my front porch.

grippysockgang@reddit

I got two of mine from the animal shelter (different states and times). The other I rescued from a puppy mill. A lot of people purchase “purebreds” but people also pay a good bit of money to adopt from foster groups. They can cost almost as much as a breeder because the foster group heavily vets people and it’s not cheap. (Im out of town right now and now I miss my dogs lol)

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StunGod@reddit

Go to a shelter and find a dog. If you're already a breeder and for specific breeds, you know where to get them. If you're not, you don't need a specific breed. If you think you do, you're probably an idiot.

No normal person needs a purebred anything. If you think you do, please explain exactly what you want that dog to do, that no other dogs can do. If you think you're going to be a breeder, you're already doing stupid shit.

I adopted mine from a rescue that specializes in finding pregnant moms, many from native American indigenous tribal lands. They foster the moms, then adopt out the pups. My dog's birth mother was found in New Mexico and fostered by a Japanese diplomat where she gave birth to 9 puppies. My previous dog came from a public shelter. Both dogs are beautiful mixed breeds.

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We have 3 cats and 2 dogs, none of them from a breeder or shelter lol. In order from oldest to youngest

Laila (10yr dilute calico)- rehoming Facebook post Odin (6yr maine coon) - box on the side of the road Loki (5yr siamese) - was abandoned at my husbands winter break vet tech job with his eye hanging out of its socket. He convinced the vet to save the cat and then took it home Ruby (4yr malinois mix) - brought to the emergency care vet my husband worked at, not chipped, never claimed Blizzard (3yr husky) - army coworker’s wife threatened to shoot him if he wasn’t removed from their house after HER PRETEEN KID HIT HIM and the dog nipped him for it

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im_a_lasagna_hog_@reddit

my parents got my childhood dog from a breeder back around when designer breeds were becoming a big deal (he’s a yorkie-pom, didn’t really catch on but he’s very well behaved and adorable) and little homie is still alive at 20 living with my dad. my mom got her dog on facebook. she’s a wisdom panel confirmed mutt; pit bull, boxer, lab, golden retriever, chow chow, chihuahua, redbone coonhound, and more:)

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BelleMakaiHawaii@reddit

All of mine have been rescues

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briar_rose@reddit

This is hugely dependent on the individual. If a person wants a particular breed, and they’re responsible, they will find a reputable breeder and adopt from them.

Others, like me, are okay with a little uncertainty and adopt from either nonprofit shelters, or in my case, a municipal shelter and are not certain the breed of their dog.

The city shelter I adopted my dog from as a 2.5 to 3.5 month old puppy (she was brought in as a stray because some asshole dumped her) listed her as a Great Pyrenees mix. I embarked her and she’s only 3% Great Pyrenees. She’s mostly Australian Cattle Dog.

To be fair, I live in an ares with a lot of Great Pyrenees, so it wasn’t a stretch, but I was looking for a less high strung dog than an ACD. I found out what she was after I loved her, so I’m dealing with the more insane than I was counting on because that’s why you do when you adopt a mutt…you never know what you’re going to get.

Anyway, that’s my experience. A lot of people will ask what breed others think their dog is if they’ve adopted from a shelter and they just don’t know and sometimes a DNA test is not it the budget.

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TheFoolTruffaldino@reddit

“Pure blooded mutt” is an oxymoron, you basically do the same here, but people in the US are often times fairly preoccupied with ancestry, that extends onto pets. Especially with most Americans being fairly proud of their foreign heritage, people also want to be proud of all the different breeds that their dog may be mixed with.

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SpecificJunket8083@reddit

Rescues.

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My only dog right now was adopted after it's owner died. They were a friend of my family and so we took it in. That's the second time I've done this.

My friend’s dad got in an accident and couldn’t care for his dog “for a while.” He eventually asked me to help find a home.

Yup now I have a dog.

If you want help, let me know.

I adopted mine but she has papers so I know what she is. First owner wasn't a good fit. I know someone who paid for a pitbull but the "breeder" didn't want to "deal with the government" or something. It was mostly Boston terrier and idiot with some pitbull

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JadeHarley0@reddit

We have 4 dogs, here's how they came to us

Dog 1) rescued from an abusive situation and given to my husband because nobody else could care for her at the time, and she just ended up staying.

Dog 2) acquired from a friend who is an ethical breeder because my ex-husband wanted a specific dog breed they happened to breed.

Dog 3) Craig's list dog from an accidental litter that is mostly the breed my husband has always wanted, and I cannot say no to this man.

Macropixi@reddit

My Brother in law has adopted both of his through a shelter.

When I was growing up both of our dogs came from divine providence. The first one was abandoned in front of the emergency room my dad worked at. Coincidentally my parents had been discussing getting a dog and had specific set of requirements that said dog would need to meet. Good with kids and people, small but not yappy, and smart. The dog that was abandoned at the hospital figured out how to use the automatic door (back in the day of pressure plates) he was jumping on the plate to activate the door and had come into the ER and getting loved on by the patients… so smart and good with people. Physically this dog was a short long dog, with a bark, not a yap or a yip. Looked like a cross between a basset hound and a collie. Dad took him home. Vet placed him anywhere from 3-5 years old. We had Patches from 1980-1994. He passed away around the age of 16 to 18 years old.

Samantha showed up in our yard, our fenced in yard in June of 1989. She was about a year old and going through her first heat. 13 year old me came home with my family from strawberry picking and glanced into the front yard and there curled up on the ground was this dog that was not the dog that was supposed to be there.

I said “there’s a dog in our yard!” And as I mentioned in a prior comment not an unheard of thing considering we did have Patches. But this dog was long legged, short haired, and German shepherd colored… not a short legged, long bodied, long haired collie colored dog. We let her out of the fenced in yard, got ready to go to the movies, and my parents commented that if she was still there when we got back, we had another dog.

soap---poisoning@reddit

What’s horrifying is that people keep breeding dogs of a specific type that end up in shelters in disproportionate numbers. The reasons behind that are complicated, but you can easily look up the statistics.

WaitingForEmacs@reddit

From two Canadian Bahai missionaries from Calgary in the Central African Republic.

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NarrowAd4973@reddit

Many people get their dogs from shelters, where the shelter may not know the breed. My sister's dogs came from a shelter, and she had to get DNA tests to figure out the breeds (they're mixed to the point you need a chart to keep track).

Because there are so many dogs sitting in shelters, some people look down on getting a dog from a store or even a licensed breeder.

Some might go to licensed breeders, but those tend to be expensive.

My parent's had gotten their dogs from a few different places. The two they have now came from a store that acts as a middleman for locals whose dogs have puppies. They have two rooms across from the register with a window looking into each, and a door that leads to two more doors leading to a section separated from the rest of the room by a half wall that allows you to look in to pick out which one you want. When they have dogs in (there are times the rooms are empty), they'll have one litter in each room, with the dogs running around freely.

Their next dog was an old spaniel from another shelter, got free because she was a senior.

Parents also had a mill runt that my sister eanted but it died. Also a husky mix that was allowed to run loose and got hit by a truck as a puppy. They had a cocker spaniel when i was really small no idea where it came from.

My next dog was a German shepherd mix, got from a no kill shelter, senior, but had behavior problems so i sent her back after 5 months and $10,000 in damages to my house (a lifetime in the shelter and she couldn't adapt to anything else).

My next dog was a senior blue heeler i got from some mennonites who were going to shoot him for being too old to work (lived with me 2 years before he had too many health problems)

Current dogs are a blue heeler mix i got from a shelter (was picked up as a stray chasing cars) i walked 20 miles to the shelter when i heard they finally had a blue heeler. He was young when i got him, a senior now. Also have a middle age lab mix i got as a puppy from some Mennonites i know.

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robb12365@reddit

I don't think I ever bought a dog. I've picked them up on the side of the road, I've had them show up, I've had them given to me. I even traded a sack of dog food for one once. Usually I had an idea what they were. It didn't really matter, they just needed a home.

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Embarrassed-Lead6471@reddit

I adopted mine from an animal shelter.

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TankDestroyerSarg@reddit

Breeders (I have friends who have been breeders), animal shelters (got one within walking distance), puppies-4-sale flyers, asked to take a pet from someone who is moving or unable to care for them.

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iremainunvanquished1@reddit

Of the dogs I've had,

Four were strays that showed up on the farm and never left

Two were beagles bought from someone who was breeding them.

One was the puppy of one of the strays

All of my dogs have been either from an animal shelter or given to me by someone who needed to rehome their dog due to moving or death of owner. I guess when I was a small child our dog was from a neighbor’s dog who had puppies.

There are people in the US who do get their dogs from breeders.

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nancylyn@reddit

I got my Pomeranian from a rescue.

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Ok_Stop7366@reddit

Some people get AKC breeders, some look down on that and get dogs from shelters.

Others get em from puppy mills, or Facebook marketplace type situations.

Personally, I’ve always gone the breeder route, you can be fairly certain of temperament and health.

My experience with shelter dogs is they’re either old and super chill, or terrified and super aggressive to everyone but their owner.

I’m not looking to pay someone’s medical bills or have to put my dog down, so I’m okay with paying full rate.

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HotTopicMallRat@reddit

We actually like to yell at each other over this

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Horangi1987@reddit

I got my English pointer from a farmer and hunter that bred the dogs primarily for his own hunting stock. My dad grew up on a rural farm, so he helped me raise the pointer as a competent gun dog. That dog was so silly - he naturally pointed with no training. It was so adorable watching him point every bird when we walked.

Before that, I had a Walker Hound that I got from an abandonment; the lady told us it was a full grown Beagle, then six months later we had an 80 lb huge hound. We ended up getting a blue tick hound so they could be best friends. They were the biggest trouble makers of any dogs I ever knew. Those dogs would move furniture to get to what they wanted. I even caught them climbing atop each other like a dog pyramid to get something out of reach.

bonzai113@reddit

I've got two old bloodhounds that i found in an animal shelter. I don't care about their ancestry. they've been my companions since 2015. their names are Rufus and Whiskey.

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Dogs have a way of showing up when you need one. A stray will choose your yard, a friend will call with a puppy, a neighbor will move and leave one behind. If you want a particular breed, you can contact a rescue group. People throw away perfectly good dogs, so there’s no reason to buy one. One of our favorite dogs was “unadoptable” because he killed a few dogs at the pound - he ended up being a sweet cuddly guy who meshed perfectly with our other dogs and our cats.

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DarwinGhoti@reddit

Nearly everyone I know adopts from shelters or strays.

Occasionally someone will buy from a breeder, but it’s usually for a specific purpose: allergies, working dogs, etc.

I checked Golden Retriever as that's my favorite dog. Looked for breeders near me and came up with the most adorable boy. $2750.

Majority of people just want the family dog and go to big box corporate pet stores and pick a dog for a couple $100.

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TheNatureOfTheGame@reddit

Both of mine were adopted.

One from my daughter, after her ex dumped him on her knowing full well she didn't have the time or resources to care for him properly.

The other from a rescue, who rescued her from a life as a breeder in a puppy mill.

Usually at the animal shelter.

If it’s planned, we will go to a shelter and find one that suits our family.

But on two different occasions my mom just came home with a new animal she found. Once she brought home a pitty from a bus yard in Brooklyn and another time she walked into a bodega and the bodega cat had just had a litter and she just dropped her kitten in front of my mom like “take him”

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imadethisjusttosub@reddit

Mine both just kind of showed up. One at a friend’s house, one at work. After a few weeks of attempting to find their owners, including checking for microchips, I went through the process of getting them vetted, fixed, and chipped to me.

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cdr-77@reddit

I have only ever gotten my dogs from a shelter.

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Willing-Book-4188@reddit

You go to the shelter, and you see a dog and you’re like yeah that’s the one. Or you go online, find a breeder who may or may not be registered and legit and buy a dog who may or may not come with a plethora of health issues. Or the good old fashioned way you roll up to a garage sale and they’re selling puppies bc their dog got out and got knocked up by the dog two houses down and they’re probably the best dog you ever had. Or sometimes you drive down the road and some mangy dog is out there and you open your car and you’re like get in and they just hop in and now you have a dog.

(Obviously you should search for an owner if you find a dog but like a lot of the time they’ve been abandoned)

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Mathchick99@reddit

I have 4 dogs, all of them are rescues. There are even breed specific rescues if you are partial to a specific breed. One of mine is from a beagle rescue. 3 of the 4 were puppies (6 months old or less) when we got them.

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shammy_dammy@reddit

Bought? About one third of US dogs are bought from a breeder. There's the rescue route. There's the "My neighbor's dog had puppies" route. My last dog was a "Took friend to look at horse. Horse owner had adorable puppies. Friend got a puppy instead of the horse. Friend's husband hated puppy. Friend called asking if we would take puppy. We took puppy." Puppy was possibly purebred, but who knows.

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seifd@reddit

I acquired my dog from a dog shelter. They acquired her from the steet.

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breebop83@reddit

All of our dogs have been mutts. Our first dog came from a friend of my husband when her pup had a litter (golden retriever/white shepard mix), second dog came from Craigslist (wolfhound/german Shepard mix), third and forth dogs came from shelters (mystery hound/pit and Doberman/cattle dog).

My dad’s childhood dog wondered to the house one day and they took her in.

It really is a mixed bag and especially if you adopt from a shelter you may have no idea what breed(s) the dog is. Knowing breed can help with training (knowing prone behaviors, intelligence and traits) and possible health concerns.

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Murderhornet212@reddit

The pound if you don’t care about breed

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Colorado_Car-Guy@reddit

Got 4 dogs,

1) was bought on Craigslist for $40. (Austrlian catter dog, aka blue heeler)

2) was sold by my girlfriends parents as a pup, and then returned 2 years later. And my girlfriend took him in (German Shepard)

3) the oldest brother of the same German Shepard, and same scenario, was sold as a pup and then surrendered back 6years later after the owner went to jail, to my girls parents and then my girl took him in.

There’s numerous ways to get a dog in the U.S.

Shelters, breeders, pet stores, from a friend/family whose dog just had puppies, and off of websites/apps such as Craigslist, Facebook, and nextdoor. On occasion from a box of puppies someone has left in front of a supermarket.

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brzantium@reddit

First two were strays. Third one was adopted from a shelter. Current one was given to us by someone who couldn't care for it.

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CHAIFE671@reddit

All of my dogs came from shelters. Breeders are pretty pricey and some run puppy mills. I don't support puppy mills. They're just not my cup of tea. Sure there are reputable breeders but Im not getting a dog for dog shows,hunting,or service dogs. I just wanted 3 cuddly potatoes that'll be lazy on the couch. I found 3 amazing dogs who needed homes and didn't have to pay thousands of dollars.

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Character_School_671@reddit

If you live on a farm, dogs show up fairly frequently.

This is because nearby idiots that live in the city bring their dogs out that they no longer want or have ruined and dump them off in the country.

This is psychologically easier for them, as well as being cheaper.

So they show up in your yard desperate and usually with major behavioral issues.

Well the big ones do at least. You don't find many small ones, because the coyotes get them first.

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Unusual_Pay8364@reddit

Your friend down the street who had a surprise litter

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GingerGalJeanie@reddit

I remember, decades ago (1970’s or so) when you might see people sitting in front of the grocery store with a box of puppies and a sign: “free to good home” - which they made no effort to verify, of course. Now, it’s more likely that I’ll see a sign at a busy streetcorner: “AKC {breed name} puppies {phone number}”.

I went online to a local small breed rescue organization for my last 2 pups - one was a pure (but not AKC registered) Chihuahua, the other a mix-breed. They’re both very good dogs and I love them so much, and was happy to pay a nominal fee to support the rescue effort.

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whatdoidonowdamnit@reddit

One dog was from a friend who got the dog from one of their friend’s sister who was moving.

Another dog was my neighbor’s dog before the dogs started fighting with each other and it became unsafe for them to live together anymore.

Not asked for but my cat was living in our hallway in our apartment building until I propped the door open and he moved himself in.

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Sometimes, I see random people selling puppies on the side of the road from the back of their SUV.

In our tropical climate, this is much more common during the colder months of the year when these puppies won’t overheat from being outside.

We got our last 2 dogs from a breed-specific rescue group and the one before it was from an unofficial breeder we found on the web.

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baalroo@reddit

Rich people buy from breeders, and it's seen by most everyone else as sort of gross and despicable most of the time.

I like that system. We have a problem with puppy mills in America. They get shut down, but the groups that find them are mostly nonprofit and they struggle to keep up. So a lot of people buy their dogs from disreputable breeders.

I go mutt. But sometimes a mutt looks a lot like a breed and we try to figure it out while we wait on the DNA test.

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FivebyFive@reddit

If only ever gotten dogs to rescues or having them show up in my yard.

We do have breed specific rescues here though. My mom wanted a Pomeranian and went through the Pomeranian rescue, so best of both worlds got the purebred dog she wanted but it was one that had been abandoned, and needed a home.

I actually just got my purebred dachshund from the pound. He was found on the street, underweight. Still had a microchip from the breeder so we knew his history, but the people the breeder sold them to wouldn't take him back. And I'm so glad because he belongs with me!!

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capsrock02@reddit

We buy them

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TPSreportmkay@reddit

The shelter doesn't know sometimes. Your friend's dog might have puppies because they didn't bother to spay them. Sketchy breeders.

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DrWooolyNipples@reddit

Small scale operations (where most US sales occur) have no government oversight. Everything is done through word of mouth or a general online marketplace. Some breeders act more official than others, but generally paperwork is limited unless the breeder is serious.

My grandparents bred pure German Shepards for years with documentation, their neighbors bred Yorkshire terriers with none, they were both available through Craigslist. 🤷‍♂️

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The_bedbug@reddit (OP)

Somehow that's both illuminating and confusing at the same time 😄

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DrWooolyNipples@reddit

Lmao I understand. We’re very anti-government regulation here so there’s nothing I can even compare it with. Closest parallel might be the car market? Everyone is free to sell cars, but it starts getting complicated if you sell too many

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DrBlankslate@reddit

Most of us go to the local pound and adopt a dog which will otherwise be euthanized. If you want a purebred, you buy one from a dealer.

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ButterDrake@reddit

I don't have dogs now, but when I was a kid and teenager, my grandpa dropped off a couple dogs for us.

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Demented-Alpaca@reddit

Lots of ways:

Go to the local shelter. There you kind of get what you get. But you're saving a dog so that's nice.
Go to rescue groups for the breed you're interested in. Again, you're saving a dog but you rarely get puppies. Many times they are that breed mixed with another but not always.
You buy one from some guy out in front of Cabella's. (No really, look it up, it's a whole damn thing.)
You find someone selling that breed on Craigs list. These are often someone's dog got out and knocked up someone else's dog. You may or may not be getting what you're paying for.
You find a breeder online. these are often "puppy mills" and aren't usually the most reputable way to do it.
You go to the AKC website, or similar, and find known, documented and reputable breeders for that breed.

Option 1 is usually the cheapest route but you get "mutts" most of the time. And they can be some of the best, most amazing dogs. You'll find any age dog there, sometimes pure breed, mostly not.

Option 2 is kind of a mixed bag of ages but the dog will be at least partly that particular breed.

Options 3-5 are usually puppies, are often sold as pure breeds but aren't. Frequently a mixed bag of good people and shitty people.

Option 6 is puppies, expensive but you get the best of the breed.

And no matter what option you pick you can get a really great companion. They may have some health issues from less reputable breeding but they're all dogs and they're all worth loving and enjoying.

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Forlorn_Cyborg@reddit

In the US buying dogs directly from breeders is extremely expensive and for most this is unnecessary. The main reason to go thru a breeder here is to buy dogs to breed yourself, and you can see the bloodline is of good lineage/no health problems. One of my dogs was from a breeder and cost $800. They could easily go for thousands.

There are animal shelters/rescues everywhere, where you adopt a dog who need a home. Its much cheaper, and you can probably find the breed you're looking for. Tho its genetics will be a mystery.

We have a problem with some people, breeding as a hobby who known nothing about genetics. And you get some really sad birth defects.

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Katskit89@reddit

Breeders and shelters

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polkjamespolk@reddit

Some bitch got pregnant and her owner put her pups in the back of a pickup truck and showed them around at my apartment complex. My then wife decided to take one, even though it violated our lease.

One of many times I should have just said no.

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MoriKitsune@reddit

My childhood home had 4 dogs over the years-

Mine, a beagle, (presumed purebred or nearly so) came from a family friend who'd had a litter after taking in an unfixed female he found in the woods and keeping her with his hunting pack.

My middle sibling's was a mutt (gsd/weimaraner/lab) and came from the local animal shelter.

My mom's was a purebred lab and came from an akc recognized breeder.

My little sister's is a pit bull mix, also from the local shelter.

GemarD00f@reddit

the ways I've acquired my dogs over my life are

one was stolen from my then friends but now really, long story short both families saw that the dog liked us more

2nd was an adopted stray

3rd also adopted stray

4th and 5th where puppies we kept from stray 3s puppies.

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azuth89@reddit

I've only ever gotten them from pounds, except the one that kust showed up at my parents place and didnt want to leave.

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AmmoSexualBulletkin@reddit

I personally have used the local shelter. When I was younger we had one mutt we got from a local family giving away puppies. We also had one show up on our doorstep and basically adopted us. When I was very young my mother raised great danes she got from a breeder. Fun fact, breeders sell pure blood dogs for less if they aren't "show quality". Which starts to get into the darker parts of dog breeding, like puppy mills. My last dog was a rescue that was most likely used for a puppy mill.

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DebutsPal@reddit

In most (all?) places where selling a dog is illegal that refers to pet shops and pet brokers, not breeders.

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Danibear285@reddit

We just installed a dog vending machine at my local mall!

Some people go through traditional breeders. But the wait list can be high.

Breeders and human societies can be difficult to get approved at times. Some rescues refuse if you have kids or don't have a fenced in yard etc.

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valtboy23@reddit

For me it's usually someone's dog had puppies or a rescue from the street.

DOMSdeluise@reddit

that's about how it works here, although reputable breeders would be registered with the American Kennel Club rather than the government. If you want a purebred, you find a breeder (hopefully an AKC registered one but there are many shady and unethical breeders as well) or you go to an animal shelter. Or you find a stray and take one in lol.