The idea that "everytime someone obtains a dog from a breeder, a shelter dog is not adopted," simply isn't true.
In my case, had I not gotten a dog from a responsible breeder, I wouldn't have gotten a dog at all.
Why?
For one- I wanted a show dog. Any dog leaving a shelter is spayed or neutered (as they should be), and let's face it- I have yet to see a show quality Shiba Inu in the 6 years that I have been volunteering at the Humane Society, find it's way to a shelter. (In all that time I've seen *one* Shiba mix.
Secondly, I had *very* specific qualifications for an animal to live in my house. Specific enough that after 2 years of research I found two relatively rare breeds that fit the bill. My dog needed to be extraordinarily quiet, relatively small, easy to groom, and capable of getting along with both children and skittish cats. I needed a dog that wasn't going to be velcroed to my hip for every minute that I was home- this was a dog that needed to be independent, and comfortable with being at home alone for longer periods of time than say a Golden or a GSD. Finally- despite it's small size, I wanted this dog to be athletic as all get-out. I'm a long-distance runner, and I wanted a dog that would *at least* be able to do an easy 5 mile run with me.
To be fair to both myself, and more importantly *the dog,* i KNEW that I needed to go to a breeder. This dog had to be as predictable as they come- and while every dog is an individual, I wanted to be able to look at (and interact with) the parents, trace the bloodlines, and meet the person who would be raising my future family member for 8 weeks of it's life.
I simply refused to be the type of person who would return in animal because "it just didn't fit." So I did the smart thing- and bought a dog from the avenue that I knew would give me the highest rate of success.
In the meantime- I volunteer at the Humane Society as much as I can- I hope that one day I *will* be in a position to rescue or adopt a future buddy, but until then- I do what's most fair to both me and the animals.