Adopt Or Shop: Rescue A Dog or Buy A Puppy?
Table Of Contents
- Intro
- Puppies
- Rescues
- Rescue Dogs From Abroad
If you’re thinking of introducing a dog to your family, the two most common routes are finding a puppy, ideally from a responsible and ethical breeder, or adopting a rescue dog via a shelter or charity.
It’s likely that you’ll encounter many conflicting opinions during your research, and the choice can also come with a certain amount of societal pressure. Being able to give an unwanted dog a home is a wonderful idea, but it’s not the right choice for every family, and choosing a puppy comes with a different set of responsibilities.
Bringing any animal into your home, puppy or rescue, requires careful thought, commitment and dedication.
Puppies
There is no getting away from the obvious appeal of a cuddly, waggy eight week old puppy. As well as wanting to experience the undeniable cuteness, people often choose to obtain a puppy because of the perceived ‘blank slate’ concept – that they can train and mould the puppy into the dog they desire. "It's not about their breed, it's all about how you raise them” is a common belief, but the truth lies in a complicated mix of both socialisation efforts and genetic influence.
Socialisation is a process of gradual, positive exposure to a range of people, dogs and new experiences, so that they are considered part of normal life. The most critical period in dogs, where these experiences have the most influence, is around 4 to 16 weeks of age. What happens during this time provides a blueprint for how dogs approach, react and cope with new challenges in later life.
However, how a puppy’s temperament develops into adulthood also has a significant genetic component. Their instincts and resilience – how they approach new experiences and bounce back after stressful ones – is also the product of generations of breeding for certain traits.
It is possible to have a textbook socialisation period, full of well-handled experiences and positive influence, and still arrive at an adult dog with, for example, a natural aloofness with strangers – because he is a German Shepherd, selected from generations of dogs who share this trait because it was considered desirable for the work they performed.
An advantage of choosing a puppy is being able to access a record of their family history and health. It should be possible to form a good idea of their likely temperament from observing their parents and other relatives and also reduce their chance of suffering from genetic disease by seeking evidence of health testing throughout the previous generations.
Provided both socialisation and breed predispositions are considered, purchasing a puppy can allow you to be confident you can meet the needs of your new pet, such as exercise and grooming requirements. It may allow greater ability to ensure compatibility with your family, especially if this includes children or other pets.
Another consideration when choosing to buy a puppy is cost. While the purchase price is a drop in the ocean compared to the ongoing costs of caring for a dog, it’s a significant amount of money to part with right at the start of your dog ownership journey.
There is also a responsibility to ensure that this payment isn’t fuelling unethical breeding practices. Some breeders are concerned only with profit, rather than breeding healthy and happy puppies. Others may be selecting for extreme features which are not in the health interests of the puppy, such as breeding for short muzzles and flat faces. Supporting these breeders financially – including if you buy a puppy to ‘rescue’ it because you feel sorry for it – allows them to continue.
You may have your heart set on a specific breed that fits in with your family’s lifestyle, have a sport or hobby in which a certain type of dog tends to be successful, or want a dog with a particular type of coat for allergy reasons. There are lots of valid reasons to want to bring a puppy home over rescuing a dog and, if it is done responsibly, no one should be criticised for making that choice.
Rescues
At its simplest, giving an unwanted dog a loving home is a kind and selfless act. Choosing a dog that is already in rescue also eliminates the chance of fuelling puppy farming or unethical breeding.
Adopting a dog is likely to be much cheaper than purchasing a puppy, with charities typically charging an adoption fee in the region of a few hundred pounds. This will almost always include neutering, vaccinating and microchipping the dog before they are rehomed, meaning that some significant early costs are covered.
It is commonly assumed that rescue dogs must have traumatic backgrounds and come with behavioural difficulties, but many arrive in rescue through no fault of their own. Divorce, ill health or change in employment can all leave people unable to care for their dogs. Some owners may have simply underestimated the level of care and commitment their dog requires and made the responsible choice to seek another home where their needs can be better fulfilled.
Rescuing a dog is more likely to get you a ‘known quantity’. Staff will have spent time getting to know the dog, building up a relationship with them and profiling their personality. They can help pick the right dog to match your family situation, with less chance of being blindsided by any unexpected problems. An older dog is also likely to be house trained, and past any challenging adolescent behaviours.
There can also be more time to bond with the dog and check that they are the right fit for you, with multiple visits to the kennels or even arrangements to foster a dog with a view to adopting.
Where rescue dogs do have behavioural issues, these are likely to have been picked up by the rescue staff who will be able to give advice on the nature of the problem, and the need for any ongoing management and training to mitigate or overcome them. There is also likely to be a commitment to giving advice and support throughout the lifetime of the dog, should you encounter any problems in the future. That said, it is worth noting that not all dogs will behave the same in a kennel environment as in a home, so there is a possibility behavioural problems noted prior to adoption could improve or worsen post adoption. Sadly, some dogs will have insurmountable behavioural issues due to poor breeding, mistreatment or lack of socialisation and may not be suited to rehoming.
While rescues can have young puppies available, these will be in high demand and waiting lists can be long. It is also less likely that you will be able to find a specific breed; breed-specific rescues exist but again are likely to involve a waiting list for the right dog to come along.
To ensure that their dogs go to suitable homes, rescues can have stringent criteria on who they will rehome to. Some will not consider applications from people who work full time, who don’t have an enclosed garden or who have young children in the household. If you already have a dog or other pets, this can present additional barriers as some dogs will not be compatible.
Adopting a dog can involve compromising on the exact breed or type of dog you’d like, and potential disappointment in not matching with a certain dog or having applications denied. However, if you find the right match it can be an ideal way to bypass the worst parts of ethically sourcing a puppy and puppy raising and, with some adjustment period, jump straight to finding the right dog for you and your family.
Rescue Dogs From Abroad
In recent years, there has been a huge increase in rescue organisations importing foreign dogs to rehome in the UK. Dogs that come from other countries have specific health concerns due to the risk of diseases that are not currently found in the UK.
As testing for these diseases is not a requirement before dogs enter the country, and dogs may not become unwell until months or years after exposure, there is a risk of unknowingly obtaining a dog with a health condition that may affect them for life. These conditions can be difficult and/or costly to treat. There is also a risk of passing some of these diseases to other dogs, or even to humans.
Dogs from abroad can also arrive with a unique set of behavioural challenges. They may have come from generations of street dogs, used to independent living without reliance on humans, or have been born or raised in rescue kennels to parents of unknown history and temperament. Missing the early socialisation window, and not being accustomed to normal household comings and goings, means that many rescues from abroad can struggle to adapt to life in the UK.
It is not uncommon for these dogs to be fearful of everyday things like going for a walk, travelling in a car, loud noises, household appliances and visitors. They may not be used to handling and affection; efforts to comfort them can cause further fear and anxiety.
Some rescues transport dogs directly to their new homes without any foster period or behavioural assessment once in the UK, meaning that the new owners may not be adequately prepared to take on these behavioural difficulties.
Transporting dogs long distances to the UK and placing them in unfamiliar environments can lead to an unacceptable level of emotional and behavioural distress. Additionally, for every foreign dog imported for rehoming, a dog already in kennels in the UK faces euthanasia due to a lack of adopters. We would advise you to consider your options carefully before seeking an imported rescue dog. It may be preferable to improve the welfare of these dogs in their own environments, by supporting neutering and vaccination initiatives instead of adoption schemes.
However you choose to get a dog, it's important that you think carefully about how having a dog will affect your lifestyle and your current routine, and whether you're happy to make amendments to accommodate them. Most importantly, you need to consider whether you can provide everything your dog needs to be happy and healthy. Check out some of our other articles on choosing the right dog for you to make sure it's the right choice for everyone.
Disclaimer
Please note that the content made available on this webpage is for general information purposes only. Whilst we try to ensure that at the time of writing all material is up to date and reflects industry standards, we make no representation, warranties or guarantees that the information made available is up to date, accurate or complete. Any reliance placed by yourselves is done so at your own risk.
Page last reviewed: 30th January 2025
Next review due: 30th January 2027