this will be very very unpopular in the dog community

this will be very very unpopular in the dog community

I am a professional dog trainer, and have worked in with dogs for 8 years now. I have worked in shelters, rescues, as a professional handler for dog shows/obedience rings, etc. And the amount of people trying to shit all over each other is staggering.
As with any other opinion, moderation is probably the sanest option. So saying "you should only ever rescue dogs" or "purebred dogs is the only true choice" is ridiculous. Take your needs into account. If you just want a dog, please rescue. If you need a working dog, you'll probably want a purebred.
But I've been seeing a disturbing trend of rescue people trying to smear everything breeders do as the worst of sins. How dare they make more dogs when there's so many homeless ones? Look at their training techniques, it's so evil because they aren't shoveling treats constantly down the dog's throat! Etc...
The way I see it, breeder's look very closely at a dog's lineage to prevent diseases, they baby their pups and breeders as their most beloved possessions, and work very hard to title their dogs to prove sound train-ability. They do more right by their dogs than most casual pet owners who leave their dogs outside, or feed poor quality food, or skip shots/heartworm preventatives/tick and flea medications.
As with any group, there is bad breeders and bad "rescuers" out there, and just like a dog's temperament - you can't lump one group as bad based on their title, but rather take each person as an individual.
What I'd like to see in the dog world is more togetherness. I want to run 5k charity events for shelters with my mutt, and turn around and compete in obedience with my client's flat-coated retriever, and see the same sorts of people at both events - supporting a positive dog world together.
Please watch what you say when you talk poorly against breeders, as every one I've worked with has been amazing people devoted 100% to bettering their dogs. Please support rescues and adoptions as much as possible, because those dogs come from poor conditions often and need help. And please stop acting as if the sides are pitted against one another. We are the same side of the coin. The other side is any sort of abuse and neglect, performed by pet owners and breeders alike. Being in one group does not make you better than the other.