# Adopt a dog or go to a breeder? An honest answer

https://casatrufa.com/en/guides/adopt-a-dog-or-go-to-a-breeder

By Casa Trufa · Published: 2026-10-07

If you don’t need a specific breed, adopt: thousands of dogs are waiting for a home, and it does the most good. Going to a breeder makes sense when you need predictable traits — size, coat type, temperament, working ability — and are willing to demand health tests and wait. What never makes sense is supporting careless breeding.

## In short

- Adopting is the first option if breed is not a requirement.
- A responsible breeder offers predictability, not superiority.
- The difference between a family kennel and a puppy mill shows in facts you can check.
- A puppy, wherever it comes from, is not a surprise gift.
- We breed dogs, and even so we tell many families to adopt.

## Why does a breeder’s website talk about adoption?

Because it is the question almost everyone asks before writing to us, and because the honest answer does not always favor us. In Colombia, adoption is the most common route: according to a 2024 study [cited by El Espectador](https://www.elespectador.com/la-red-zoocial/datos-reveladores-sobre-mascotas-en-colombia-consumo-gastos-y-adopcion/), 40% of people with a pet adopted it, and other surveys give higher figures. They do not agree with each other, but the direction is clear.

It is also true that the word “breeder” (criadero) carries a bad reputation it has thoroughly earned: in the press it appears alongside rescues of sick, overcrowded animals. We are not going to argue with that. We are going to explain how we differ, and tell you when your right option is not us.

## When is it better to adopt?

- **You want a companion** and have no requirement of breed, exact size or coat type.
- **You would rather have an adult.** Its size and temperament are already known: that is more information than any puppy gives you.
- **You don’t want to go through the puppy stage**, with its nights, its nipping and its months of training.
- **Your budget is tight.** What you don’t spend on getting the dog you will need for keeping it.
- **You want to do a concrete good.** One dog fewer in a shelter is a fact, not a slogan.

Where: at your municipality’s animal welfare centers and at foundations with a physical address. Go in person. Be wary of “adoptions” on social media that ask you to pay for shipping in advance: Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office (Fiscalía) warned in 2026 about scams aimed both at people looking for a purebred puppy and at people who want to adopt.

## When does it make sense to go to a breeder?

When you need **predictability** and know what for:

- A dog that **sheds very little**, because someone at home has a mild allergy and you have already confirmed they tolerate it.
- A known adult size, because of your space or an older person at home.
- A **working dog** for a farm, with its parents’ herding instinct.
- A particular temperament for living with small children, having met the parents.
- Being able to see the **health tests** of two generations.

None of that makes a purebred dog “better” than an adopted one. It makes it more predictable, if whoever breeds it does the job well. If they do it badly, you get the worst of both worlds.

## What separates a family kennel from a puppy mill?

|  | Responsible family kennel | Puppy mill |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Litters | A few a year, with a waiting list | “Puppies all year round,” of many breeds |
| Mothers | Age limits and rest between litters; they live in the house | Litter after litter; they live in cages |
| Health tests | For both parents, with documents | “They’re healthy” |
| Visit | You can meet the mother | Handover in a parking lot |
| Age at handover | Never before eight weeks | The sooner, the better |
| Contract | In writing, with a guarantee and a return clause | None |
| Questions | They ask how you live | They ask how you will pay |
| Afterward | They are still there | They don’t reply |

Colombia has no official registry that tells you who is who; our guide on [how to tell if a dog breeder is reputable](https://casatrufa.com/en/guides/how-to-tell-if-a-dog-breeder-is-reputable) explains it. You have to check point by point.

## Is it legal to sell dogs in Colombia?

We found no national ban in force. There are restrictions on where dogs are sold — not in the street, nor in the public market squares of Bogotá or Bucaramanga — and on where breeding kennels are located, outside the urban perimeter.

Congress has spent years trying to regulate breeding. The Senate’s [Bill 002 of 2025](https://www.senado.gov.co/index.php/documentos/comisiones/constitucionales/comision-quinta/proyectos-de-ley/proyectos-de-ley-y-ponencias-periodo-constitucional-2022-2026/proyectos-de-ley-y-ponencias-legislatura-20-julio-2025-20-julio-2026/p-de-l-no-002-2025-senado-reproduccion-cria-y-comercializacion-de-animales-de-compania/8995-ponencia-1er-debate-p-de-l-no-002-2025-senado-reproduccion-cria-y-comercializacion-de-animales-de-compania/file) would prohibit the commercial transfer of puppies under four months old, require them to be handed over sterilized and create a national registry of breeders. It is a bill, and we could not confirm what stage it is at. We think it is reasonable for regulation to exist.

## Why shouldn’t a puppy be a surprise gift?

Because a dog cannot be returned like a sweater. December is the month of gifts and, according to the press, January is the month of abandonments: [El Tiempo](https://www.eltiempo.com/cultura/gente/por-que-no-se-deben-regalar-animalitos-en-navidad-son-abandonados-en-enero-838313) has reported on it.

The person who is going to live with the dog has to be the one who decided. If you want to give someone a dog, give them the decision: a conversation, a visit to a shelter, time to think it over. If they then want one of ours, we will be here.

## What do we recommend?

That you start with the right question, which is not “where do I get one?” but “what kind of life can I give a dog?” Our [quiz](https://casatrufa.com/en/quiz) is useful even if you end up adopting: it helps you think about energy, time and space.

If the answer is a calm dog and you don’t mind the breed, go to a shelter. If it is one of the seven breeds we raise, read its page, especially the “not for you if…” list, and write to us. And if it is a breed we don’t raise, look for someone who breeds it by the same standards, with our guide on [questions to ask a dog breeder](https://casatrufa.com/en/guides/questions-to-ask-a-dog-breeder) in hand.

## Frequently asked questions

**Is it better to adopt or go to a breeder?** If you don’t need a specific breed, adopt. A responsible breeder makes sense when you need predictable traits, such as low shedding, a known size or working ability, and you are going to demand health tests.

**Where can I adopt a dog in Colombia?** At your municipality’s animal welfare centers and at foundations with a physical address, going in person. Be wary of adoptions on social media that ask you to pay for shipping or vaccines in advance.

**Is it legal to sell dogs in Colombia?** We found no national ban in force. There are restrictions: not in the street or in the public market squares of some cities, and breeding kennels must be outside the urban perimeter. There is a bill that would tighten the rules; it is a bill.

**Can you adopt a purebred dog?** They sometimes arrive at shelters, mostly as adults. It is worth asking. What does not exist is the purebred puppy “up for adoption” for which you only have to pay transport: that is usually a scam.

## Sources

1. [El Espectador, 22 de julio de 2024: datos sobre mascotas en Colombia (Colombian daily, July 22, 2024, figures on pets in Colombia)](https://www.elespectador.com/la-red-zoocial/datos-reveladores-sobre-mascotas-en-colombia-consumo-gastos-y-adopcion/)
2. [El Tiempo: por qué no se deben regalar animales en Navidad (Colombian daily, on why animals should not be given as Christmas presents)](https://www.eltiempo.com/cultura/gente/por-que-no-se-deben-regalar-animalitos-en-navidad-son-abandonados-en-enero-838313)
3. [Senado de la República: ponencia para primer debate del Proyecto de Ley 002 de 2025 (Colombian Senate, committee report for the first debate on Bill 002 of 2025)](https://www.senado.gov.co/index.php/documentos/comisiones/constitucionales/comision-quinta/proyectos-de-ley/proyectos-de-ley-y-ponencias-periodo-constitucional-2022-2026/proyectos-de-ley-y-ponencias-legislatura-20-julio-2025-20-julio-2026/p-de-l-no-002-2025-senado-reproduccion-cria-y-comercializacion-de-animales-de-compania/8995-ponencia-1er-debate-p-de-l-no-002-2025-senado-reproduccion-cria-y-comercializacion-de-animales-de-compania/file). A bill, not a law; we could not confirm its current status. The citations of Decree 780 of 2016 also come from this text
4. [Infobae, 23 de julio de 2026: alerta de la Fiscalía por estafas con mascotas en internet (news report, July 23, 2026, on the Attorney General’s Office warning about online pet scams)](https://www.infobae.com/colombia/2026/07/23/fiscalia-alerta-por-estafa-con-mascotas-en-internet-asi-enganan-a-compradores-y-adoptantes/). Press report on the warning issued by the Fiscalía
5. [Decreto 780 de 2016, sector salud (Decree 780 of 2016, health sector; text)](https://www.animallaw.info/statute/colombia-health-decreto-780). Articles 2.8.5.2.20 (public streets) and 2.8.5.2.37 (urban perimeter), cited through the Senate report