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.
>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.<
What a cop out. You are giving shelters a pass? Shelters have a duty to make sure the animal goes into a home where it will be valued and protected. You think it's ok for someone to get a dog, who will let it run loose to get hit by a car???
You sure don't value dogs, mixed or purebred, do you?