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I've recently read posts from other veg*ns who have bought purebred animals, which led me to pose this question: is buying purebred animals ethical?

Let's begin with the facts. The Humane Society of the United Staes estimates anywhere from 6-8 million animals enter shelters each year. Only around 50% of these animals end up finding homes, the other half end up euthanized, or to avoid a euphanism, killed, due to lack of space in shelters, lack of funds, and the lack of people willing to adopt.

Purebred animals are more prone to specific genetic defects, which lead to health problems. The advantages of purebred animals? Attaining an animal with a certain appearance, temperament, and the prestige. However, as we know, breed doesn't determine an animal's personality. Not all American Pit Bull Terriers are aggressive, not all Collies bark excessively, and not all toy dog breeds are "yappy" or balls of energy.

In my opinion, breeding "purebred" animals is a form of exploitation and eugenics. It also helps fuel puppy mills and undeniably contributes to the overpopulation of animals, putting animals in shelters out of homes, causing the killing of the millions of homeless animals.

While I'm aware not all vegetarians and vegans are so because of the desire to end animal exploitation and suffering, I would believe that like the consumption of meat (and for vegans, dairy, eggs, honey, and other animal products) this would be an important issue for us.

So, now it's your turn to share.

Agreed.

I agree for the most part. I can think of a few cases where it might be ok, but for the vast majority of cases, why contribute to more breeding when there are so many animals that would benefit greatly from your care already?

The cases I can imagine would be those with special needs. For example, some breeds are very suitable as rescue dogs or seeing eye dogs. I do not have a problem "using animals" for this purpose if the animal has a pleasant life and enjoys the work. So, considering that a pure-breed lab, retriever, or st. bernard may be the most suitable for this employment, then perhaps purchasing one is acceptable.

Considering that these cases are a very small percentage, I would imagine that they do not significantly contribute to the problems mentioned in previous posts. For the vast majority of want-to-be pet "owners," I would hope they would at the very least visit the local shelter and - if a suitable (aka won't likely bite your five-year-old's head off) animal exists - choose an animal who dearly needs a caring home. Or perhaps simply abstaining from purchasing an animal rather than purchasing a purebred.

So, I wouldn't say that buying purebred animals is necessarily morally wrong in all cases. But certainly there is virtue in caring for an animal who's position is troubled enough to be in a shelter. I would imagine that there would not be virtue in choosing a pure-breed animal over a shelter animal when the only difference would be the existence of a certificate of authenticity.

Sorry for the rhetorical/philosophical wording here. It's hard to avoid it when the word "ethical" is mentioned.

It depends on the circumstances. I prefer purebred animals and wish people wouldn't breed randomly.
Except that breeding purebreds only adds to an existing problem.

Sorry for the double post, just re-read this.

Rescuing from puppy mills that are being forcefully closed are OK, obviously. However, an argument I'm constantly forced to contend with is: Well the animals in the pet stores have to have a home too! Of course they do, but by buying them, you're not rescuing anyone. You're supporting the breeders and puppy mills that put forth these animals for profit. You have no idea where they came from. Several pet stores will tell you their animals come from reputable breeders, but have you ever asked for papers? Or followed through on the papers to visit the breeding sites yourself? A local PassPets in my hometown of Springfield, IL came under fire when they tried to pull this scam on someone who bought a puppy from their store that ended up with some severe health problems. Just Google PassPets and you'll see lots of "wonderful" stories of animals that have come from these stores.

And adopting or buying from breeders still does not help the problem of the tens of thousands of animals killed every year because you have an affinity for a "pure bred."

very well said. i agree 100%. its illegal for humans to basically be "pure-breed" b/c it causes health problems (by the pure breed part i mean marrying like your brother or dad, etc), so y isnt it illegal for breeders to do so?

Again... this is a grey area, you can't really black and white an issue like breeding purebred dogs/cats. Your poll should have that option.

It touches on the issue of pet breeding, in general.

There are some irresponsible breeders out there, aka: puppy mills and people who overly-breed their pet dogs looking to make a profit. There's also people who have mix breeds who are too lazy/too poor to get their dogs fixed and so they too, are irresponsible breeders.

You shouldn't breed your pets..... Pet dogs, pet cats, pet ferrets, pet whatever... unless you are going to personally be able to take care of any and all offspring produced or are guaranteed of finding them good lifelong homes. (And no, "My friend said he might like one..." is not a guarantee!)

At the same time, you can't go around saying all purebred breeders are evil. Some really have their lives committed to these breeds, and do all they can to breed carefully and responsibly, and are very selective about finding their pups new homes. There also needs to be some breeders, otherwise the breeds would go extinct!

However, you'll also find those people rarely if ever are making a profit on their purebred pets.

If you want a pet, you really don't need a purebred. Most breeds of dogs were designed, originally at least, for given jobs or purposes.... hunting dogs, racing dogs, herding, fighting, ect.... some of those jobs now no longer exist, and many of these dogs suffer if forced to live the lifestyle of a bored housepet.

Which brings up another point... tons of purebreds end up in shelters! People often buy them for the wrong reasons, so they end up dumping them after a few months or years. So even if you want a given breed because of certain characteristics, chances are you can find a purebred in a shelter or rescue organization, all it takes is a little time and effort.

Like many others here have said, the first and foremost thing you should consider when getting a dog/cat or anything isn't "what breed do I like?" but the personality of the animal, and if it can mesh with your own life.