I came across this article and thought it was pretty balanced, but more importantly I think its greater point is sound: http://www.examiner.com/article/if-you-bought-your-dog-i-m-not-judging-you?cid=rss&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter. The main point of the article is that the dog rescue community should not attempt to vilify those who for one reason or another purchase a pet from a breeder but instead attempt to educate them.

I think a lot of people in the rescue community are very harsh to people who are not knowledgeable about the number of animals euthanized every year and about the ethics of a lot of breeders and pet stores. This does not make people who go to a pet store and buy a $2,000 chihuahua bad by any means so I agree with the premise of the article. The best of the rescue community is full of people who seek to educate the public about the issues and work on making rescue dogs easier to adopt. Taking an approach that shows people the light seems much more constructive than the alternative to me. If not for all these great rescuers out there, we would have had no idea about the issues. I was very ignorant myself (and still am about most things), and so I am extremely appreciative that people have helped spend their time educating me.

There is a big difference between an individual buying a pure bred dog and a breeder breeding hundreds of dogs and selling them online. There is also a big difference between this breeder and a family breeding their beloved pet. I would argue very aggressively of course that people should have their pets spayed or neutered and not breed them but not everyone is aware that by breeding their animals it helps contribute to an overpopulation.

So, in summary, if you know someone looking to add a pet to their family, please help inform them in a constructive way that their are lots of dogs out their that need homes that would be perfect for them. Whether they want a puppy or adult dog, a purebred or mix, a housetrained animal or whatever, there are thousands of dogs out there that need homes and with a little bit of internet searching they can find the perfect pet for them.