iplantyou:

egggheads:

the idea of just adopting a shelter dog without thinking about breed is so harmful. Like, there are people who just walk into a shelter and say “this one is cute I’ll take it” and then pat themselves on the fucking back because “adopt don’t shop” but then be 100% unprepared for that dog’s breed specific needs. A Herding dog will be energetic. A Bull-breed will have a high chance of dog reactivity. A Sighthound will have a prey drive. A Nordic breed will be vocal. These are all things you need to think about BEFORE you look for a dog. Don’t go into an adoption blind, rescue or not you are doing yourself and that dog no favors.

I just wanna add how actually harmful this mentality is. You should know a dog’s owner past, past behavior, specific breed needs and characteristics etc

I’m NOT saying that “dogs with an abusive past are unloveable” or that “pit bulls and Rottweilers maul children” cause that’s just stupid.

I’m saying that, some dogs need more experienced owners than others. Depending on the dog you may need to be able to detect signs of distress, put more work to build a trusting relationship, be able to deal with situations where the dog gets defensive, change their living situation so the dog will have enough space, etc. Some people won’t do that. And it just results in the dog getting either euthanized, locked up somewhere and shelter dogs and specific breeds end up getting a bad reputation because people never own up to their own irresponsibility, it’s always the dog’s fault.

Dogs are not decorations. They are living breathing beings that depend entirely on you, and you need to know what you’re up for before getting yourself one because it looks cute.