It is preferable to buy a pet from a breeder than from a shelter

My opponent states: “I might get an animal that has been abused. My cat, Farley, most certainly had a harrowing youth, and he still is quite skittish. My heart breaks when I see the way he reacts to sudden noises or even quick movements. While I did eventually tame him [. .. ] it was more difficult raising him than some of my other furry friends. But the difficulty to me is nothing in comparison to what his life may have been like if we did not choose to share our home with him. ” While I applaud my opponent’s love of animals, I’d also like to point out that many people who adopt animals have other responsibilities. A family with small children, or a couple with lots of friends may not have been such a good fit for Farley. Some people simply do not have the time and patience to tame a feral cat, or train a hyperactive dog. “Granted, rescuing a cat that had been abused is not dangerous to me or local children as, perhaps, rescuing a pit bull from Michael Vick. But even government pounds can identify aggressive animals, and will usually not let them be adopted. ” Instead of letting these animals be adopted, shelters kill them. This is a practice that I simply cannot condone. “Aggression can be either hereditary or environmental. Let us be clear that if a dog has been bred to be aggressive then it is the fault of the geneticist breeder, not the dog. And if a dog is aggressive because he was abused, it is also not his fault. ” I agree wholeheartedly, that if a dog is bred to be aggressive, then it is the fault of the breeder. However, a responsible breeder does not aim to breed aggressive animals- and if, by some miscalculation, they do, they do not abandon those animals to shelters. If an animal bred by a breeder cannot find a home, for any reason, the breeder will keep them as a pet, and the animal will receive just as much affection and care as their prize champions. “A dog that is genetically aggressive may or may not be successfully trained against this aggression. If it cannot be trained out of the aggression, it is the breeders who are to blame. [. .. ] A dog that has been trained to be aggressive (or, more likely, became aggressive because of poor training) can always be trained away from this tendency. ” My opponent contradicted himself here. He was correct in his first statement- sometimes, an animal is too far gone. If an animal reaches this point, where training does nothing to alleviate his fear of humans, or aggressive behavior, then I will concede that in some cases, it may be the breeder’s fault. However, it is not always the breeder’s fault. Abusive pet owners can make literally any animal aggressive and misanthropic. “On the contrary, if you can train an animal, there is nothing more rewarding than to bring it back from the wild. ” It is impossible to bring an animal completely back from the wild. Farley may be fine with you (if you are quiet and still enough), but he will never be happy in, for instance, a daycare center. “A good checkup at a veterinarian will give a new owner knowledge of the health of their animal, first-hand knowledge of the vaccinations it has received and will need in the future, as well as care and feeding advice. ” It doesn’t matter whether you have them checked or not. A veterinarian simply cannot screen for every single genetic disease known to feline kind. There are some diseases for which there is no genetic test- for instance, Black Skin disease, a disease that afflicts Pomeranians (as well as other breeds) and has been linked to kidney disease. Animals afflicted with this genetic disease do not even show signs of having it until they are at least 7 years of age. The only way to know that your animal has it is by asking the breeder if it’s prevalent in their line. “In addition, one has the satisfaction of knowing that the pet will be GOING to a stable, loving home. Certainly that is more important than knowing from where it came. ” There is nothing wrong with wanting to know the history of your animal. If I bought a dog that belonged to Michael Vick, I’d like to know about it. And a shelter would not be able to tell me. “If people would be more concerned with that commitment, there would be less animals in shelters to begin with. ” If there were more conscientious pet-owners, there would be less animals in shelters to begin with. I’ve said before, the problem isn’t breeders- it’s pet owners. The only way to stop pets from going to shelters is to ensure that they really do go to good, loving homes. Shelters don’t ensure this. They do not even try. Literally anyone with $200 in their pocket can buy an animal from a shelter. There is no screening process whatsoever. They do not care where these animals go, or where they end up. Breeders screen prospective pet owners between the time they say “I want a cat” and the time they take him home. Breeders are selective about who owns their animals, because they truly care about the individuals that they raised from birth. Furthermore, shelters create a cycle. People buy animals on a whim. Let’s say a puppy. They buy it thinking it’s cute, and don’t take it to the veterinarian. They don’t screen for genetic diseases. And when the puppy turns out to be a mastiff pit-bull mix, they take him back to the shelter, because he isn’t as cute anymore. There the puppy waits for another loving owner to take him in. And the next person who adopts him could be abusive. Or neglectful. Or they could know literally nothing about dogs. The shelter doesn’t care- they just want to make room for the next cycle. My opponent previously mentioned that shelters cost a lot less than breeders. This is a problem. Because these animals cost next to nothing, people buy them on a whim. There are some people, like my opponent, who know what they are getting into and truly love animals. But there are far more people who want something soft and cuddly, and don’t consider for a second that by buying an animal they are making a serious family decision. My opponent’s arguments in the previous round have mainly been emotional. He makes a valid point that animals in shelters are in immediate need. However, breeders care, too. We don’t look down on shelter animals, and we don’t love our pedigree cat simply because it’s pedigree. We love our cat because we’ve been with it for it’s entire life. We remember when our full-grown cats could fit in the palm of our hand. Furthermore, breeders aren’t only helping individuals. They are helping the entire species, by doing away with genetic disease and ensuring that each and every one of their animals goes to a loving home. I will concede that shelters are trying to alleviate some of the problems faced with pets today. The problem of pet overpopulation, and the problems of abuse and neglect. But shelters are like a band-aid on a broken bone.