Animal "Rescue" Groups

Today, I would like to discuss animal rescue groups.

Particularly, I would like to talk about dog rescue groups... obviously. Dog adoptions are usually known for their heartwarming stories that result from accepting or saving dogs from bad situations, fixing them up, and finding them a wonderful home and everyone lives happily ever after. My problem with some "rescue groups" is the fact that they choose to specialize in "purebred" dog adoption. First of all, based on the definition of a purebred dog, a dog that is picked up from an animal shelter most likely won't have documentation based on its ancestors so that in itself nulls the idea of considering them to be certified in any way. Overall, my problem with most of these "purebred rescues" is the fact that they don't even wait until a dog is up for adoption to go "save" it from a shelter. What I'm getting at... the likelihood of a cute fluffy designer dog (like the one pictured left) being chosen for adoption is much higher than that of say a black lab with mange, so, why do these "rescue groups" feel the need to go pick up only purebred dogs with no health issues and turn around and sell them for around $400 or more? Honestly, if you have any insight on this matter, then I'd love to hear your point-of-view. As some of you may already know, Leia (pictured right) was a rescue (see her story here) who spent a month of her short life in a cage before I spotted her at Cobb County Animal Control. That being said, I will back the "Adopt, don't shop" policy until the day I die, but I just can't understand the groups described above.

How do you feel about "purebred" dog rescue groups? Do you have a personal experience?