Dogs have been domesticated for longer than any other animal except perhaps the horse. In that time we have created the widest variety within any species on planet earth. 

The fact that a pug and a wolf are technically the same species is absolutely mind blowing don't you think? 

But a pug and a wolf are - despite being close enough relatives that they could hypothetically make "Wugs" together - completely different animals. Living with a pug is absolutely nothing like living with a wolf. For one thing, the pug will require a LOT more health care, but will kill fewer squirrels. 

So when you bring a dog home, be it pug, wolf, or any of the variations in between, it matters which one you pick.

Dog breeds have been bred for hundreds of years to have a certain collection of physical and temperamental traits. If you have very specific requirements for a dog - like you need your dog to remain under your strata's 25 lb weight limit, or you want a dog who will have a non-shedding coat, or you want a dog to herd sheep all day in the pouring rain, then you are better off looking for a dog who was bred to fit those requirements.

But if you just happen to like the look and style of a particular breed, look up the job that breed was bred to do and ask yourself if you want that.

After all, you wouldn't buy a race car and complain that it makes a terrible ride-on lawn mower, would you?

...Then don't bring home a border collie and complain that it's obsessed with chasing things, or a beagle and complain that it won't heel. They were bred for a purpose, so they're going to be best for that purpose.

Purebreds are also far more likely to have health problems, so check your vet bill budget, too. Corgis and dachschunds have dwarfism and pugs have skull and spinal abnormalities. They will take extra care. 

Some dogs are born on the street. The majority of the world's dogs are feral city dogs. Some rescues focus on taking these dogs off of the street and putting them into people's homes.

The dogs don't usually get a say in this.

If you have been born and raised on the streets of Mexico, you may not WANT to be shipped to the Pacific Northwest to live trapped in a house. Some dogs do - they are delighted to have a family and a home. Other dogs, I think, really miss the freedom of their old life. 

In places like Vancouver, where there are no feral dog populations, dogs end up in shelters because their families didn't shop enough.

• A family with small children decided to get a German Shepherd and then discovered that they couldn't handle that dogs' dramatic way of asking the kids not to pull his ears.
• A single person who works decided to get a Viszla and discovered the dog did not like being left home alone for ten hours a day.
• Someone with psychiatric struggles brought home a dog who needs a lot of emotional support, and they just can't give the dog that right now.
• A couple living in a condo with a dog size limit brought home a dog who grew to be too large.
• A family brought home a golden retriever who thought she was a husky and whose lifelong ambition was to run the Iditarod. 
• A dog with extreme sensory sensitivities was brought to live in a condo downtown and couldn't handle the noise and bustle, and the family had to accept that this dog needs a quieter home in a more rural area.

The best thing you can do for your family and for your dog is to bring home the right dog. And if you find that dog in the shelter - because there are truly fantastic dogs out there looking for the right home - then that's awesome.

But if you can't, that is also okay. It is better to get the dog you need and can live with than "rescue" a dog and break their heart. 

1. Someone let that dog be born, and didn't take the care to make sure it ended up in the right home. 

2. Someone brought that dog from somewhere else, and didn't take the care to make sure it ended up in the right home. 

If we are not in a position to rescue a dog, the best thing we can do is be sure we don't give money to someone who creates dogs who will someday need rescuing. 

If you are looking for a dog, and you find a breeder who will let you pick out your own puppy based on looks, then that breeder is creating future rescue dogs. 

If you are looking for a dog, and you see a "rescue" that is taking dogs out of one country, shipping them to very different environment, and delivering them directly into an adopter's home without meeting them, providing them with support and training, or matching dogs based on temperament - then that rescue is not rescuing - they are just moving dogs from point A to point B. 

If you are looking for a dog and you find someone on craigslist whose dog had puppies, and they're selling the puppies to whoever shows up at their door - then that person is creating future rescue dogs. 

Please don't ever give money to someone who is creating future rescue dogs. Please don't support people who treat dogs like commodities to be sold, instead of individuals to be cherished. 

Please look for the breeder who shows that they have a lot of interest in you, in your situation, and who has opinions about which puppy would do best in your home. 

Please look for a rescue who isn't just mass importing feral dogs and charging people adoption fees, but who are specifically selecting dogs who would do well in the Pacific North West, and who are careful about where they place their dogs.

Please look for the dog that is right for you - whose personality type matches yours, whose needs and lifestyle fit yours well. Because when you do that, you are saving THAT dog from the shelter... even if you're buying them from a breeder.