Why should you rescue a dog, rather than buying that cute puppy you saw advertised in the paper? You know, the one with "Champion Bloodlines?" Or the "rare white boxer?" Do you know that AKC papers are no guarantee of quality?

The AKC (American Kennel Club) will issue registration papers to the offspring of any purebred dogs, as long as the sire and dam are of the same breed and both are AKC registered. It doesn't matter whether the parents are of good quality or not. As a matter of fact, there is no genetic testing or bloodtyping to guarantee that the parents are even the dogs that the breeder says they are. The term "champion bloodlines" is meaningless if there are only a few champions, or if they only occur far back in the pedigree.

The "rare white boxer?" Not rare at all. There is at least one white puppy in the majority of litters from "flashy" parents (boxers with a lot of white markings - collars, blazes, stockings, etc.). The American Boxer Club does not permit white boxers to be registered, sold, shown or bred. In the past, it did not allow them to be given away either, and most breeders would cull (read: kill) the white puppies at birth. Many breeders kept the white ones as pets, but would not admit to having them, and the rumor got started that they were rare. Today, the ABC permits the placing of white puppies, and there are many white boxers showing in performance events with American Kennel Club Indefinite Listing Privilege ( ILP ) papers. From 15%-20% of white boxers are deaf, but deaf dogs also make excellent pets and require very little accommodation for their handicap. For wonderful information and resources about the white boxer, go to Dizzy & Bertie's Deaf Dog Site.

For information about why you should not buy a puppy from a "backyard breeder" and why you should not become a "backyard breeder," go to http://www.adoptarescuepet.org/byb.htm .

The purchase of any animal from a pet store raises many issues most purchasers never think about. Buyers find that the price of pet store puppies is almost always two to three times that charged by a reputable breeder. Most pet store puppies come from "puppy mills" - breeding farms where females are usually bred every time they come into season, animals are kept in small cages all their lives, health care is minimal because expenses are kept to an absolute minimum, puppies are rarely socialized, and often sold to brokers and shipped to pet stores while they are still too young to leave their mamas and littermates. They are far more susceptible to illness and disease, and are often unhealthy when they are sold, necessitating an immediate outlay of money to bring them back to health, in addition to the purchase price. Buying a puppy from a pet store supports and encourages these puppy mills and contributes to the misery of countless thousands of helpless animals. Adopting from a rescue or a shelter not only saves an animal from destruction, it avoids patronizing those who profit from the abuse of the animals in their care. For more detailed reasons, see "Don't Buy That Puppy in the Window" and "A Sad Tail - the Truth Behind Pet Store Puppies and Puppy Mills."

There are several reasons why adopting an adult boxer can be preferable to adopting a young puppy: 1) Rescuers and adoptors report that rescued boxers seem grateful for their new homes. Boxers readily adapt to new environments, and bonding is not the issue with boxers that it is for some other breeds. Most adoptors say it seems as though the dog has lived its entire life with them. 2) Adults are usually through the "chewing stage." Your furniture and your shoes are safer!3) Housebreaking is seldom an issue. Most rescues are already housebroken, but adults are usually easier to housetrain than puppies - they can "hold it" longer. 4) I'm sure you will think of a dozen more, once you have your rescued boxer!

Visit the American Boxer Rescue Association webpage
for more information