Somewhere between many and most dog breeds should only be owned in ideal settings – farms, ranches, wilderness, etc. Owning the dogs outside of these circumstances is likely cruel.
Most dog owners should buy small-to-mid sized breeds with a long genetic history of high sociability and little-to-no history of work. Such dogs are the most well-suited to modern ownership. Cockapoos are actually a really good choice by these standards.
Unless you have a really good reason to get a thoroughbred, you should probably rescue a mutt from a dog shelter instead. Mutts are healthier, don’t contribute to the continued genetic deformity of purebreds, and can be rescued from misery and/or death in shelters.
Unless you have the resources to pay for a doggy-day-care where the dog spends all days with other dogs, you probably shouldn’t own a dog if you have a full time job.
This is a case of “are you asking the right question” for me. If the question is “are you giving your dog its best life,” most dog owners will have to say no. If the question is “are you giving your dog a better life than it would have if you did not acquire the dog,” most people who get dogs from shelters can honestly say yes. Living in a shelter or being euthanized seems clearly worse than a penned-in, neutered life as a coddled pet.
Another set of questions you could ask:”What are we actually doing here” and “what incentives am I taking part in or reinforcing”. For me the answers are “indistinguishable from prison” and “trading time/money for enjoyment.” For you, those answers might be different.
This made me curious about where most people get their dogs from. Apparently, something like 34% are purchased from breeders and 23% are obtained from shelters, according to https://www.aspca.org/animal-homelessness/shelter-intake-and-surrender/pet-statistics (though their numbers don’t add up to 100%, and I’m not sure why). Getting them from friends/relatives is also pretty common, at 20%.
Author’s partial conclusions to save you a click:
Somewhere between many and most dog breeds should only be owned in ideal settings – farms, ranches, wilderness, etc. Owning the dogs outside of these circumstances is likely cruel.
Most dog owners should buy small-to-mid sized breeds with a long genetic history of high sociability and little-to-no history of work. Such dogs are the most well-suited to modern ownership. Cockapoos are actually a really good choice by these standards.
Unless you have a really good reason to get a thoroughbred, you should probably rescue a mutt from a dog shelter instead. Mutts are healthier, don’t contribute to the continued genetic deformity of purebreds, and can be rescued from misery and/or death in shelters.
Unless you have the resources to pay for a doggy-day-care where the dog spends all days with other dogs, you probably shouldn’t own a dog if you have a full time job.
This is a case of “are you asking the right question” for me. If the question is “are you giving your dog its best life,” most dog owners will have to say no. If the question is “are you giving your dog a better life than it would have if you did not acquire the dog,” most people who get dogs from shelters can honestly say yes. Living in a shelter or being euthanized seems clearly worse than a penned-in, neutered life as a coddled pet.
Another set of questions you could ask:”What are we actually doing here” and “what incentives am I taking part in or reinforcing”. For me the answers are “indistinguishable from prison” and “trading time/money for enjoyment.” For you, those answers might be different.
This made me curious about where most people get their dogs from. Apparently, something like 34% are purchased from breeders and 23% are obtained from shelters, according to https://www.aspca.org/animal-homelessness/shelter-intake-and-surrender/pet-statistics (though their numbers don’t add up to 100%, and I’m not sure why). Getting them from friends/relatives is also pretty common, at 20%.