6/30    People buying purebred animals often buy them at petstores and
        are contributing to the problem. ADOPT MUTTS DON'T BUY PURE!
        http://www.helpinganimals.com/ga_petstore.asp
        \_ Suppose every single person in America adopts a pet, will the
           problem be solved? No, because there will be more litters of
           unwanted pets due to negligence from new owners who fail to
           keep their pets indoors and/or spayed/neutered, and the whole
           cycle repeats. Adopting to solve the unwanted pet problem is
           like boycotting gasoline for a day. It doesn't get to the root
           of the problem-- irresponsible owners.
             I once adopted a pet from an owner who had unexpected babies.
           I thought solved his problem. Well guess what, his pet kept
           having unexpected babies. Adoption does not work. Punishing
           irresponsible owners does.
           \_ I wonder if you are willing to extend this argument to people
              having children 'irresponsibly.'
        \_ Meanwhile the rest of the world has bigger problems.
           \_ Agreed. We need to bring justice to all the evil bastards
              who had [oral] sex with his/her interns.      -conservative
              \_ Phew!  Interns.  I thought you were going to say sisters.
        \_ http://dogs.about.com/od/dogbreeders/a/why_buy.htm
           Buying from a breeder makes you evil?
           \_ Yes, and so does driving, and complaining about airline security
              and living in the city and why do you hate America?  -John
              \- that breeder link reads like a debeers ad.
              \- that breeder link reads like a debeers ad. strangely
                 "debeers" and "breeders" are just a letter off.
        \_ Buying from a puppy mill doesn't make you evil.  If you want a nice
           family dog, don't buy from a PM *or* from the local pound if you're
           in the SF area.  The PM dogs are very likely to be unhealthy because
           they breed for looks and there's a *lot* of inbreeding going on to
           get certain 'designer' looks in dogs.  The pound dogs are usually
           either abused or pit mixes, neither makes for a family friendly dog.
           Places like "Arf" provide the healthiest mutt and sometimes mixed
           puppies.  Breeders who have a litter every year or so from their
           1 or 2 dogs provide the best pure breed dogs.  Dog health and
           attitude aside, please make sure *you* are the kind of person who
           is ready for a dog.  Dogs require a *lot* of time, they are messy,
           they eat expensive stuff you don't want eaten, and they never grow
           up and go away to college.  It's like having an infant for 10-15
           years but furry with teeth, tail, and in need of more attention
           through most of it's life.  I'm a very happy two dog owner but I'm
           ok not being able to travel, spending thousands a year on vets,
           food, and other dog expenses, and I gave up counting total damage
           for each dog when they hit the $3k mark.  Research the breeds you're
           interested in before buying.  If it is a working dog it will be
           smarter than most other dogs but also be very high energy.  Other
           dogs require a *lot* of grooming.  Some breeds require human
           intervention while giving birth.  There's all sorts of weird things
           we've done to dogs.  Do yourself and the dog a favor and know what
           you're getting into first.  If you got a dog and gave it away or
           abandoned it because you were clueless when you got it, *that*
           would be evil.