Adopt, don’t shop this holiday season

Upon visiting with the dog and a few others, we ended up taking another one home who was a little less jumpy and much more reserved. With a small adoption cost of $100, he was already neutered, had all his necessary shots and wasn’t even a year old. Patience was the key to making him comfortable around us: letting him walk around our backyard with his leash on, carrying him outside constantly for potty training, and lots of pets and love — easy in a household of three girls. Although it took him about three weeks to go on his first real walk, and in those first three weeks he felt safer in his crate than in his bed, we got to see him transform from a nervous and reserved puppy into a protective and affectionate dog.

Fast-forward to today, and he barks strictly at strangers (and the mailman, of course) and gets so excited when we come home whether we’ve been gone for 20 minutes or four hours. His favorite thing in the world is going on walks or runs, despite him being extremely cautious at first. The reward of patience and love has earned my family and me an amazing dog, not to mention he’s a great mix of shepherd and hound and constantly gets compliments. Saying he’s a rescue and seeing faces of surprise on neighbor’s faces gives me an amazing and proud feeling of how far he’s come, one I want others to experience as well.

Not everyone has amazing rescue experiences, which is why I want to stress research. One of the best things about rescuing from the SPCA, in my opinion, is that most animals have been there long enough for the staff to have learned their behavior and aid you in rescuing one that will fit into your family. Not every dog is a pit bull or an older dog that requires weeks or months of patience, but patience is required in the research process. Searching different rescue sites, visiting with different animals and discussing with your own family and staff what you want and need are all extremely important factors to get the reward of a great addition to the family.

As I’m writing this, I’m also browsing the San Francisco SPCA sites, finding dogs of all breeds and ages. It’s understandable for families to want hypoallergenic dogs or purebreds due to animal allergies and many other reasons, all which are valid and understandable. Who doesn’t want an adorable golden retriever puppy? I would, except that the first website I click on for that specific type tells me I also need to pay $2,000. It cost my family $100 for an amazing dog, which was a puppy at the time we rescued him.

If you are a firm believer in the idea that purebreds are healthier and better than mixes, I also urge you to do your research on that topic before making a decision. This debate goes back many years with many studies conducted and evidence for both arguments. The Institute of Canine Biology has a detailed page on a study conducted six years ago, with data from 27,000 dogs, to determine the likelihood of genetic disorders in mixed breeds versus purebreds. It found that the “incidence of 10 genetic disorders was significantly greater in purebred dogs,” while the incidence of only one disorder was greater in mixed breeds. All of the evidence, data and graphs are included at the bottom of the page, and the article was written by Carol Beuchat, a vertebrate biologist with a Ph.D. and more than 30 years of experience — her bio page is also available on the website for the Institute of Canine Biology.

If you still wish to purchase — I sound like a broken record — research your breeder. Ensure you are not buying from a breeder that abuses or holds animals in bad conditions, and try not to buy from an animal mill. Adoption helps reduce the demand for mills while simultaneously opening up another spot for a new animal to be moved into the shelter and put up for adoption; you might possibly be saving two animals with one rescue.

The debate between shopping and adopting has fair and valid arguments on both sides, but I hope I’ve at least given you something to think about. They say knowledge is power: Make your decision after you do your research.

Brooke Hanshaw is a senior at Aragon High School in San Mateo. Student News appears in the weekend edition. You can email Student News at news@smdailyjournal.com.