I've read through this thread multiple times, and have tried to respond, but my internet keeps cutting out for some reason. It seems to be working now though.
I think it's beyond absurd that people have the belief that because I (or anyone else) got a dog from an ethical breeder, that a shelter dog then died. I've had one great rescue experience, and three terrible rescue experiences. Because of those last three, I can't see myself rescuing for a long time, if ever again. My temperament is not cut out to deal with a rescue dog's issues for the most part. There are more issues a rescue can have than aggression, and I just feel more comfortable raising a dog myself than rehabilitating a dog, no matter how great or small that task might be. I'd rather get rid of or prevent problems early on, than have to try and retrain a dog all over again as an adult. I've had more than my fair shair of heartbreaking experiences with dogs over the years, and now I want purebreds from good breeders as a result. I want to know my dog's background inside and out. I want to know that my chances of having my dog live longer than 5 years is great thanks to health testing by his/her breeder. I want to know what my dog's parents' temperaments are like, what their quirks are, etc. I want to know as much as I possibly can about my dog, in order to make absolutely certain I'm getting the right dog for me.
As a house-sitter, I have the opportunity to spend loads of time with all sorts of different kinds of dogs. In doing so, that just makes me appreciate my breeds of choice all the more. There are a lot of breed specific traits I couldn't live with, and therefore, I have a very short list of breeds I will ever consider owning. No dog is going to die in a shelter because I got my dogs (and will continue to get) from good breeders. I don't want a rescue dog, and if I can't have a dog from a good breeder, then I probably wouldn't have a dog at all unless it was a really exceptional rescue. It's not fair to a rescue dog or myself for me to adopt something that isn't going to suit me, no matter how much I might want it to. No dog died because of where I got my dogs either. My breeders both take back any and all dogs they sell, and their dogs would never, ever end up in a shelter.
I love all dogs, but I don't want to and cannot live with all dogs. I commend the people that do rescue -- I think that's wonderful that you're able to do that -- but it's not for me. And I don't feel that those of us who choose to go the breeder route should be knocked down for it, and made out to be lesser people than those that can adopt. I have three dogs from breeders, and will continue to purchase dogs from breeders for the rest of my life, and I will not ever feel guilty about it.
I didn't choose my purebreds based on appearance, either. I chose them based on breed traits that I want and need in a dog. Of course appearance played a part as well, but even if I was adopting a rescue, appearance would play a role there as well. I wouldn't get a dog I didn't like the looks of.