Why do people buy dogs instead of adopting them?
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| English Bulldog puppy |
For the cost of an adoption fee of around $250 to $350, a shelter dog could be out of a kennel and into a family home.
Yet, classified advertising websites continue to attract buyers for dogs costing well over $500, with some reaching $3,000. People are apparently willing to pay much more for a privately sold dog because they "can get exactly the dog they want." That is, they can get a particular breed at a particular age (i.e. a puppy). What these buyers don't realize is that they are not only running financial risks, but they are also entering a moral minefield.
Despite warnings from animal welfare groups and media investigations
exposing scams by online animal sellers, consumers continue to flock to
these sites to find their perfect dog.
The result is a sadly
familiar story that goes something like this: A family responds to an
online ad for a puppy; a meeting is arranged with the seller, who
delivers the dog, along with some paperwork about the dog's health. The
family soon discovers the dog is seriously ill, the paperwork is phoney
and the seller is nowhere to be found. The dog was from a puppy mill and
the family is left with huge veterinary bills or a puppy that has to be
euthanized.
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