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

I have shown that there are any number of reasons that it is preferable to rescue an animal from a shelter rather than purchase from a breeder. While I concede that there are a few benefits that breeders can offer that are unavailable at a shelter, I have shown that the majority of them that my opponent has claimed are far from specific to a breeder. Health risks While a breeder knows more about an animals background, there is never a guarantee an animal will not come down with a sickness. You roll the dice either way. However, hybrid vigor is a well known evolutionary trait that is specific to mixed breeds. Advantage: shelter rescuesOverpopulationMany shelters require neutering of the animal. I have provided sources which say that almost 30% of the animals in shelters are purebred, so intentional breeding increases the number of animals needing homes, many of which become the shelter rescues that my opponent would have you ignore. Advantage: shelter rescues Health at time of adoptionMany shelters have veterinarians on staff or who provide veterinary checkups pro bono. Since we are not discussing puppy mills, I am willing to concede my opponents point that breeders provide adequate medical care for their animals. The animals that come from shelters as well as breeders are considered healthy at the time of adoptionAdvantage: tiedShelter animals have a greater need and provide an opportunity to helpMy opponent claims that breeders already provide loving homes for the animals they have brought into the world. At the same time there are animals in your local shelter that desperately need a home or they face euthanasia. Whether this is important depends on the type of person one is. I have great faith in the innate goodness of people who want to get pets, and so I argue that there are few who would not receive an emotional benefit from knowing they have helped an animal in need. However, I am willing to stipulate that there are people in this world that just do not care about the need of those animals and can turn away from them in order to pay for a bred animal. I will claim this advantage, but the voters will, of course, decide for themselves if they think it is an advantage. Advantage: shelter rescuesGood homesMy opponent claims that breeders use the cost of the animal to ensure they go to a good home. I argue that money does not equate to morality. Just because someone has money does not mean that they will use that money for their pet. Look at Michael Vick, how much money he had. I, on the other hand, lived on Ramen while I was in college, but my cats always ate Iams. I will always sacrifice for my animals, because they are my responsibility. That has nothing to do with how much money I paid for them. People who rescue animals from shelters, I submit, have big hearts even if they do not have big bank accounts. It is important to them to provide a loving home to an animal that needs it. Advantage: shelter rescues Breed If one feels the need to custom make their pet, then purchasing from a breeder is a must, I concede. While there are always pure breeds in a shelter, there are not always every possible breed. However, I argue that the benefits of having a purebred animal are shallow and probably more perceived than actual. Animal personality traits, even if common in a particular breed, are not guaranteed to be in the animal one might choose. Genetics only goes so far in determining the personality of an animal. Environment is what counts, whether for people or for animals. This country was founded by people who believed that nobility was a matter of character, not of birth. It was our hybrid vigor that was the secret to our greatness, not the narrowness of our family tree. Advantage: Shelter rescues I concede there are people who have such a narrow focus in their desire for a pet that buying from a breeder is preferable. But in no way has my opponent shown that it is always preferable for all people. I have shown that, for many if not most, the benefits of rescuing from a shelter are enormous and so it is preferable to all but a few.