You’re a dreamer, but you’re not the only one! Eventually, people will learn.
I should probably point out that I have nothing against people that go out and buy/adopt puppies...I think it’s great that we have the choice.
I, personally, have no desire to go through the whole teething-potty training-more teething-puberty aspect of a dog’s life, so I prefer adults. It has nothing to do with any notion of ‘rescue’ or ‘giving a home to the unwanted’.
I just find grown dogs more convenient. :-)
I think there is a place for both (and I too like to get adult dogs, I feel up to the task of evaluating them as an experienced dog owner/breeder—my problem is with the average person with little experience who looks and goes, oh, he’s pretty lets get him who has no clue how to evaluate temperament on a dog he knows nothing else about). Throwing kids into the mix just makes the problem bigger. That’s all I’m saying. Some breeds are less of a problem. Goldens are less likely to bite, for instance, small dogs are less likely to do damage if they do. Altho I was nailed by two small dogs this summer at relatives houses totally out of nowhere, and I still have no clue why. I must have smelled funny! LOL
At the risk of coming across pejoratively, would that not be the very problem? People are too lazy? Training a puppy, a horse, both of which I have done, takes an exceptional level of commitment. Nearly as much as a child.
The result is a dog who knows where her yard is and where she does not go. Who is welcome and who is a threat. When to bark and when to be silent. What spot in the rooms belong to her and what do not. The result is a horse anyone can ride even if they have never ridden before without spooking her. One which will eat a cube of sugar from a small child's hand without biting. One which you can stand behind without getting kicked.
If you have an unknown adult animal, you do not even have Los Vegas odds. Maybe it won't be BAD... But it will NOT be exceptional. That only comes from a lifetime of work.
If you have children, which are also a lifetime of work, they are WORTH the effort to avoid becoming the subject of a story all too common, like this one.