The debate's been hot lately; you all have seen it. "Adopt, don't shop" bumper stickers versus a surplus of articles about why the author just prefers breeder-bought dogs. But I'm tired of the arguments and the statistics and the needless needling, and I'm here to settle it.

Surprise: it really doesn't matter.

Okay, it matters some. Both methods of -what, dog procurement?- have some issues. Some shoppers argue that when a person adopts a dog from a shelter, they could potentially have to deal with a host of medical and behavioral problems they were not warned of nor prepared for. (Personally, I believe that when you get a dog, like when you get a new friend, you sign up for the good and the bad, but I digress.) Adopters argue that if you aren't extraordinarily thorough, you could end up supporting puppy mills and other abusive institutions by purchasing from a breeder. Both arguments are valid, and I appreciate the considerations behind them. However, when you get a dog, the most important thing about it isn't where and how you got it or who you got it from. What is it, then?

It's that you do your all to love and cherish that dog.

Adopters, you won't change shoppers' minds. Shoppers, same to you. You both have your reasons for doing things the way you do, and that's great. But what would be even better would be if you got off the internet and played with your pups. Reminder: your ego and your opinions are no longer priority when you have a living being depending on you for care. It doesn't matter where your dog comes from; it matters what care and happiness you give it now.

Lauren Frick, a creator and editor at the Odyssey, is a former pet groomer and current pet owner. As a pet owner, she has both purchased a dog from a breeder and taken in a stray (pictured on the right below and the immediate left, respectively). As a groomer, she noticed that, "a lot of pure breed dogs people paid a lot of money for and then didn't take care of at all. What's the point? ... A lot of people who would bring in mutts or less glamorous breeds loved them with all they had. Those dogs were

the happiest and sweetest to deal with." Frick also said that, "There is a major difference in the happiness and quality of life of dogs that come from loving homes and those that do not."

Dogs will have issues, anything from peeing in the house to exhibiting serious aggressive behaviors. But any dog is capable of everything, and all dogs are capable of returning any and all love given to them. They are fundamentally good creatures, not perfect, but good, which is more than I can say for most people. If you accidentally purchase a dog from a puppy mill, honestly, that's terrible-- but if, like one member of the WC Odyssey team, you nurse that dog back to health and give her an incredible life, then you've done your job as a pet owner. If you adopt a pup from your local humane society, like this one, and teach that dog trust and love, then you have done something genuinely incredible. So, for the love of God, stop arguing about where to get your dog and just love them instead. Clean up their ear infections, give them baths, take them for walks-- care for them. That's all you need to do.