This. Pet stores have zero interest or ability to influence the conditions at a breeder and rarely sell papered animals. They just cash in on trends around cert

This. Pet stores have zero interest or ability to influence the conditions at a breeder and rarely sell papered animals. They just cash in on trends around certain breeds and will happily sell any animal to a buyer who isn't really that discerning. My wife & I work with a rescue and the breakdown tends to looks like: RESCUE ANIMAL conditions: abysmal when rescued; then the most loving fosters and homes around breed: "brown dog" cost: ~ $200-$400 depending on fees owner: really wants a dog (our screening is quite strict) PET STORE ANIMAL conditions: unknown, but lots of rescues come from backyard breeders that willingly or not have terrible conditions breed: looks like whatever is hot this year (yorkie cross, french bulldog, chocolate lab) cost: $hundreds to thousands owner: wants a type of dog but cost, effort or timing prevents planning with a breeder BREEDER conditions: usually pretty good if they're a registered breeder or breed, though the females have more litters than breed: very specialized, registered cost: $thousands owner: wants a very specific dog for various reasons, willing to plan 6+ months in advance, disposable income Interestingly the type of people who adopt rescues are very similar to many of those who buy the expensive breeder animals.