Why You Need to Stop Posting “Adopt Don’t Shop” Memes

Author's Note: Written from ten years of living with ferals, rescues, bottle-feeding litters, trapping-neutering-releasing, and raising one very spoiled store-bought pug. Compassion comes in many shapes — this is simply my story.

I’m not ashamed—or intimidated—to say my Pug, Frankie, came from a pet store and cost $1700. I was sixty, and I knew exactly what kind of companion would fit my life, my home, and my heart. I’d narrowed it down to a Pug or a Chihuahua, read up on both breeds, and went looking with intention. I also knew I needed a puppy so my cat, Louie, could maintain his natural dominance; he never tolerated big dogs, and introducing a youngster ensured they’d learn each other gently.

It worked. They got along beautifully.

Naturally, I wanted to introduce Frankie to the world, to share that joy. But what followed was…chilling in its own quiet way.

Except we didn’t—because the truth is simple:

Frankie was in a cage too.
Frankie needed a home too.

I had been thinking about him long before I found him; when I walked through that door and saw him watching me from this cage, the love was instant. God does not rank lives by where they happen to be waiting. A shelter kennel and a pet store cage are no different to Him.

When people repeat “Adopt, don’t shop,” many genuinely believe they’re promoting kindness. But kindness without understanding easily turns into shaming—limiting the very compassion it claims to champion.

and honoring every animal as one of God’s creatures, no matter how they arrived in this world or where they wait to be chosen.

Here are my 8 arguments supporting this view to stop the stupid nonsense with "Adopt Don't Shop" slogan. 

So if God remembers each sparrow, He certainly remembers each dog—purebred or mixed, purchased or adopted.

The idea that one dog “deserves” a home while another “doesn’t” simply because of where it came from is a human invention. Not a spiritual one.

Over 3 million dogs are adopted every year in the U.S. (ASPCA). So 'adoption' is working. Buying a purebred does not prevent anyone from adopting.

The top reason dogs enter shelters have nothing to do with breeders or pet stores: owner surrender (moving, behavior, finances), lack of training, and unplanned backyard litters.

The #1 cause of shelter overpopulation is accidental litters—not regulated breeders.
(Source: National Animal Interest Alliance)

USDA licensed pet stores and breeders must meet federal standards under the Animal Welfare Act, something the online critics rarely understand or acknowledge.

The pet economy itself—veterinary care, adoption programs, pet food production, training services—depends on both adopters and purchasers.

Shelters, rescues, trainers, and veterinarians all benefit financially when any dog finds a home, no matter where it came from.

People say “just adopt,” but many individuals need or want specific traits:

• Low-shedding breeds for asthma

• High-drive working dogs for farm or ranch work

• Guardian breeds for property

• Service or therapy dog prospects with predictable temperament

• Breeds compatible with physical limitations or age

Breeds only survive because people continue to value and seek them.

A world without the Collie, the Golden Retriever, the German Shepherd, the Rottweiler, the Labrador, the Pug, the Pointer, the Westie, or any other breed is not a world that honors the diversity of God’s creation—it erases it.

I saw a Pug—my Pug—alone in a cage.

To God, I did not “shop.”

I freed one of His creatures from confinement and gave it love, safety, and years of devotion.

That is no different in His eyes from adopting at a shelter.

People forget this inconvenient truth:

You pay to adopt from a shelter.

You pay to purchase from a store or breeder.

The money simply flows to different places.

To claim one is “good” and the other is “evil” ignores that in both cases, a human exchanges resources in order to take a dog home.

And here’s the most important part:

No matter where the money goes, the dog wins.
It gets out of confinement and into a family.

What determines whether someone is a compassionate dog owner?

Not “adopt vs. shop.”

But:

• Do you provide lifelong care?

• Do you train and socialize properly?

• Do you spay/neuter responsibly to avoid accidental litters?

• Do you give the dog safety, structure, affection, and medical care?

God’s standard is simple:
Be a good steward of the life in your care.
(Genesis 1:26–28)

A person who buys a purebred dog and cherishes it is infinitely more ethical than someone who “adopts” a dog and then neglects, abandons, or surrenders it.

Morality is in the heart of the human, not the location of the kennel.

The war between “adopt vs. shop” does nothing for living dogs who need families.

What helps dogs is:

• Respecting all pathways to companionship

• Encouraging responsible breeding and responsible adoption

• Reducing unplanned litters

• Supporting shelters without demonizing ethical breeders

• Making room for choice, compatibility, and individual needs

The goal should be:

**Every dog gets a home.

Not just the ones from the “approved” places.**

If someone feels called to adopt—wonderful.

If someone feels called to buy a breed that fits their lifestyle—also wonderful.

Both actions remove an animal from confinement and bring it into love.

What God honors is compassion, responsibility, and integrity… not hashtags.

It’s interesting—almost poetic—that the same people who rushed to post a timely “adopt don’t shop” meme instead of offering a simple blessing over my new furry friend are the very same people (both friends, and family) who’ve long known about the work my husband and I quietly do for the stray cats in our community.

And so, to people like that, I say this:

Yet over time, silver reveals its strength.
It holds its value.
It endures.
It becomes useful in ways others never expected.
And in the right hands, it can even change lives—sometimes literally.

The Silver my husband and I invested in long ago, helped us to be able to afford to do something about our community's stray cat problem. Some 15 cats Trapped, Neutered and Released because we knew the value in both Silver, and life itself.

Compassion is understanding value—of animals, of effort, of responsibility—even when others don’t.

And compassion is what God sees long after the memes stop circulating.

So the next time someone repeats,
“Adopt, don’t Shop,”
I hope they pause—even briefly—
and consider the truth that’s been missing from that conversation:

Every dog deserves a home.
Every act of rescue counts.
Every life matters—whether it begins in a shelter, a street,
or in the first cage you see at a pet shop.

Adopting is good.

Buying responsibly is good.

But loving the dog you pick—no matter where it comes from—
that is the part that matters to God.

Recommended Resources & References

Resources & Further Reading

• ASPCA — U.S. Animal Shelter Statistics 2024 data on adoptions, euthanasia, and returns.

• Shelter Animals Count — 2024 Year-End Report & national shelter-intake database.

• Best Friends Animal Society — Recent reports on shelter pet lifesaving and “Bring Love Home” campaign data.

• National pet adoption statistics — Overview of annual U.S. shelter adoptions (2024).

• Pets by the Numbers — Study on how Americans acquire pets (shelter, store, rescue, etc.).

• Faunalytics 2021 Shelter-Data Report — Historical data on shelter intake vs outcomes across many U.S. welfare organizations."

Up next: the full story of Big G’s CATSHED — how three stray cats changed our lives, how a simple storage shed became a sanctuary, and the truth about rescuing outdoor cats: the joy, the heartbreak, and the nightly adventures that keep us doing it anyway.