If I can find the time to get it written, I have a similar post about rescue organizations brewing.

Vanity Dogs
I assume by vanity dog, you mean a purebred dog. Personally, I disagree with the perspective the purebreds exist solely for vanity reasons. I do agree that there are some useless breeds and also breeds that have multiple problems due to bad breeding for misinformed purposes. I wish that weren’t the case, but I still don’t believe purebred dogs shouldn’t exist.

I know it seems odd to some people, that someone as involved in rescue as I am would be OK with the breeding of dogs. I am, however, a breed enthusiast. Many breeds exist for a reason. They were bred over 100s of years to achieve a certain purpose. Many dogs are still used for those purposes today and breeding RESPONSIBLY to strengthen the traits that make them good at those jobs is not a bad thing in my mind. Some breeds aren’t still used for their original purpose, but their breed characteristics are unique and it would be a shame to lose them. Shibas are a perfect example actually. I’m definitely not hunting small game in the city with my Shibas! BUT the traits that are unique to the breed make them an ideal pet for my personality and lifestyle. Conversely, I’ve met dogs of other breeds that I didn’t like all that much. Some personality traits (such as clingy affection or goofiness) or physical traits (like drooling) are so unpleasant to me that I’d rather not HAVE a dog if they were my only option. There are many different types of people in the world and having different types of pets makes sense to me.

I’m sure I’m not explaining this nearly as well as I could if I took awhile to formulate my thoughts better, but I really wanted to address your comment. I hope I’m making sense.

Defining Commodity
I did indeed buy one of my dogs – Snickers – from a breeder. As I mentioned in my post above, I had specific reasons (legitimate to me, possibly not to you) for wanting both a puppy and a purebred. I hadn’t thought of it the way you present it, but I do see where you are coming from with your question… by seeking a particular type of dog, researching a breeder, and then purchasing the dog I am effectively shopping for the dog – treating it like merchandise. I do see your point here. But I’m not sure how to avoid the similarities to shopping…

Do I believe our companion animals are sentient beings with rights to humane treatment? Yes. Do I believe a person should have the ability to find and choose and companion animal that suits their personality and lifestyle? Also yes. How you do that without “shopping,” I don’t know. Is it really THAT different from how we choose our friends or mates; we know a set of characteristics we are looking for and we choose accordingly. It’s harder to find a dog based on characteristics though. It’s not like you can go a shelter and take dogs home on a trial basis till you find one that fits. You can’t take them out for drinks and dinner – like a date – to discuss what sort of activities they like. Breed characteristics are one way of trying to find the right type of pet for your personality, lifestyle, activity level, etc.

By “commodity” I was really referring to the practice of commercial breeders of bringing lives into the world simply to make money. (That was what I meant by “poor souls being created for profit.”) There is a HUGE difference in the way these dogs are bred and cared for and the way a dog from a responsible breeder is bred and cared for. Responsible breeders breed a small number of dogs, very carefully, seeking to maximize health and genetic soundness. They spend time and money to have healthy, happy dogs. They study the genetics of different lines to make decisions about which dogs to breed or not breed, they test for inherited diseases and other issues before breeding, they give their adult dogs and puppies the best care, and they look for the best homes for their puppies. They never breed more dogs than they can take care of or find great homes for and they never breed an adult that shouldn’t be bred. Commercial breeders don’t care about any of these things. They put any two dogs together that can produce puppies, regardless of genetic soundness or health. Their adult dogs are often only kept in conditions as required by law. They spend as little money as possible, so they can maximize their profits and they usually breed as many dogs as they can. They don’t care whether their adult dogs or puppies suffer physically or emotionally and they couldn’t care less where their pups go after they are sold.

I hope that helps to clarify how I can feel the way I do about puppies being bred to make money even though I bought one of my dogs from a breeder.