Why does anyone need to breed? Shelters are bursting. Ethical breeders??? No such thing as long as kill shelters exist.

I love Setters, Irish, Gordon and English. My Irish setter was from a family that couldn’t take care of her. My first Gordon was from a breeder, second from a rescue. I’ve also had other rescues in my life that you only have some idea what mixture of breeds they are. So answer is if you really love a specific breed get one from accredited breeder and save a life from a rescue.

there is no such thing as an ethical breeder

I think it's important to adopt or shop responsibly. If you want to go to a breeder, pick one who actually does stuff with their dogs, who does all of the recommended health testing (NOT just dna!), and who offers lifetime support to their puppy buyers ie if something happens and a dog needs to be rehomed at any point, they will take the dog back no questions asked. How often are they breeding their dogs, what they're breeding for etc are also very important questions.

Breeding for the quality of breed and continuation of their working traits is needed. Those dogs are tested, trained, & have been screened thoroughly before breeding. They aren’t breeding for profit but for the quality of upholding the breed. For profit breeding where puppies are pumped out for looks/$ with no regard to health of the breed or the future is the problem. I am a rescue dog mama & believe completely in rescuing is important but breeding for quality of working dogs matter too.

I’m a massive rescue advocate and frequent foster but i ynderstand ethical breeding. It’s important to preserve breeds and after owning a highly reactive dog I can understand why people want a dependable temperament.

I’m a veterinarian. I got rejected by 3 shelters before I finally got mine from a breeder, felt like I had no other choice

Adopt or shop responsibly😊 ethical breeders don’t contribute to the shelter populations

I am an advocate for both. I have two rescue dogs and one we bought from an ethical breeder. There are dying breeds and believe in preserving those breeds. However, I do think there is an over saturation and unethical breeding of breeds such as French Bulldogs and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.

Adopt don’t shop. There are so many dogs in shelters that need homes. Unless you need a dog for a very specific purpose l(gun dog/hunting, farm dog/herding, etc.) I really don’t see why anyone would need a pure breed. If you are determined on a particular breed, there are breed-specific rescues for every type.