What was your reasoning for buying vs rescuing?
I needed a sure thing, or as close to one as I could get. I needed a service dog, and if this dog failed, I wouldn't get another chance until one of my dogs passed away (I was and still am unwilling to rehome a dog because they failed to pan out as a service dog..they're still my pets and I still love them, and I could never part with either of them). So I needed the best chance possible that my dog would actually become a service dog. Enter Logan, who I actually found on Chaz thanks to Romy (actually, she pointed out his brother, and then the breeder offeredme Logan as a better fit). He was the right age (1 year old), healthy, just the right amount of drive, already was geared towards working (wilderness SAR), fantastic temperament, basic training already started, short haired...basically, he was the perfect dog at the perfect time.
Yes, Gavroche is a rescue. He was not from a shelter, but an actual rescue - he was a stray for months until one of our clients at the clinic took him in, then he lived outside for a couple weeks, and she just couldn't keep him since she already had several dogs, and two very sick ones. He was boarding at the clinic for a few weeks before I was able to finalize that I could indeed have him. The same lady that rescued him is the one I dogsat for for 6 months 2 years ago (it was really neat, because he was SO at home there instantly, he must have remembered living there before lol).
Shelters just turn me off, for many reasons. IF I were to get a rescue in the future, it would either be a true rescue (like Gavroche), or from a breed-specific rescue that would be willing to work with me regarding spay/neuter (either allowing me to leave them intact, or allowing me to get a vasectomy or OSS done in lieu of a full spay or neuter). And of course said rescue would have to be okay with me having other intact dogs, which is probably the most difficult part.
Did you feel any guilt for purchasing?
Nope! None at all.
The world needs well bred dogs, they exist for a reason
:hail: :hail: :hail: