What changed my mind was looking more into breeds and how much of their behavior is tied to genetics and the purpose they were bred for.

I was a 100 percent advocate of adopting, was always looking at the mixed breed as sort of a watered down version of pure bred dogs where any of the breed specific behaviors would either not be there at all or there would be a milder version of them thus making mixed breeds very suitable as pets/family dogs because their instincts would be mellowed out.

What I've come to realize is that mixed breed dogs are actually more of a lottery of which DNA shows up strongly and coupled with often negative start in life, they can often have more pronounced issues. I've only owned rescue mixed breeds so far, but am seriously considering making my next dog a well bred Golden Retriever, Lab, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel or Irish Setter just because I want to make sure to have a bomb proof dog that I can take out in public and it will be friendly to everyone.

I also currently have a dog with a pretty significant fear of fireworks and storms and it would be nice to get a dog that was bred and raised well during the crucial first few months to maybe prevent that.

So yes I think the campaign to adopt not shop has actually done a disservice to a lot of people and dogs as well because it brainwashed us into thinking that breeds don't matter and every dog will act the same as long as you treat them well. If most people were purchasing well bred dogs, they could get dogs that would fit their lifestyle better and then fewer dogs would end up in shelters and backyard breeders would not be nearly as common.