Can a shelter refuse an adoption of a dog because of the one I already have at home?

Question

I was told I couldn’t adopt a male dog at a shelter due to my male dog at home not being neutered. Are they allowed to do that? My German Shepard was $3000 from a pet store and I just wanted to rescue a dog who is male and who is already neutered and was turned down.

Answer

Shelters/rescues have discretion on the placement of their animals. While some shelters/rescues (depending on the facts and circumstances) will adopt to a person who has an unaltered animal at home, some shelters/rescues will not (as you have experienced). Rescues and shelters see first-hand the result of the overpopulation crisis of dogs and cats (and that includes purebred dogs and cats too). Dogs from pet stores often come from puppy mills where dogs are kept in deplorable, inhumane conditions and inbreeding results in congenital problems (so please consider that before breeding your dog). For this and other reasons, there is a growing trend to ban the sale of dogs and cats from pet stores. Spaying and neutering are the most effective ways to reduce the overpopulation of dogs and cats.