Do you think only people who are independently wealthy should have the privilege of breeding dogs??? Wealthy people sometimes make good breeders, sometimes they shouldn't be allowed to own a stuffed dog, much less be entrusted with breeding live ones.
Breeding dogs correctly takes money. X-rays for hip dysplasia, exams by certified canine opthamologists, and dog shows (the only place where a breeder can get objective experts to evaluate their breeding programs) are expensive.
It's been said there's money in dogs. Every ethical dog breeder has invested enough of it in the critters, so I guess the saying has merit.
Dog shows are where unhealthy standards for breeds are actively promoted, so I don't buy that responsible breeders have to go to them to get advice -- they'll be advised to breed German Shepherds with defective hips, Pekingese which can barely breathe, and Shar Peis which will be blinded by horrible eye infections if they don't have surgery as puppies to correct the grossly excessive skin that dog show "experts" demand as a condition for awarding ribbons and "champion" titles.
As for the perils of "giving away" dogs, shelters have to adopt out as many animals as possible, as quickly as possible, and therefore just can't do any real checking on the prospective owners. Charging a fee weeds out most of the people looking for pit bull bait and cats to be sold to research labs. But a home breeder seeking homes for one litter of puppies of year can do a lot more, and can require a lot from prospective owners (vet and neighbor references, home inspection by a third party paid for by the prospective dog owner, financial records to prove they can afford basic veterinary care for the dog, etc.). It should be a status symbol to get approved for one of these dogs, not to fork over big bucks for one.
Perhaps the problem is that our society treats sentient creatures as property rather than living beings. Maybe if people were taught to treat animals with respect rather than treating them like an iPod or PlayStation, this wouldn't be a problem.
Yes, I know. PETA, Commie, blah blah blah.
GS makes good points. Puppy mills are a huge problem and no decent society should be killing thousands upon thousands of animals each month.
Our City animal shelter does give the animals away for free. They have you sign a form promising to spay or neuter the animal. These animals are only given a week to live. The shelter is manned by a police officer who is not there very often. Therefore, most are put to sleep.
Our County shelter does charge for the animals and also has the person sign a form promising to spay or neuter the animal.
Both places make the person aware of low cost spaying and neutering available.