Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky come under fire after introducing new family member: 'Was he adopted?'

Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky welcomed a new family member this week.

The Spanish actress, 48, posted to Instagram on Saturday to share the exciting news that she and Chris, 41, had a new dog.

The animal, a German Shepherd, comes from Capaill Coloured Shepherds, a breeder based in Queensland. 

The company promises: 'We breed solid, healthy, purebred German Shepherds in delicious colors'.

The average price for this breed averages between $3,500 and $4,000 based on estimates online. 

Elsa shared a series of images of the adorable puppy, as well as a few with the mother of three cuddling up with the new family member. 

'Our new member of the family, a beautiful German Shepherd,' Elsa wrote in the caption.

However, she was soon hit with backlash from her fans and animal rescue groups alike for choosing to buy from a breeder rather than adopt from a shelter. 

'What rescue was he adopted from as surely you wouldn't have purchased off a breeder!!!!' one angry fan asked in her comments on Instagram. 

'Dog lovers make it our business to spread the word of the RIGHT thing to do. Adopt, Always!!!' another said. 

'Adopt. Buying is taking away a dog's chance in a cage,' said someone else. 

'Elsa adopt, do not accept kennel, or breed dogs' one more detractor chimed in below the images. 

Kerrin Lee from Jades Dog Rescue NSW also spoke up, telling Yahoo on Monday that 'people are dumping and surrendering dogs in unprecedented numbers'. 

'Adopting a dog from a pound or from a rescue will save one more dog from death. Thousands of unwanted dogs are killed every year,' Kerrin said. 

'We always promote adopt don't shop, but we also understand that not everyone wants to adopt a rescue dog.' 

Other fans showed support, with one person writing: 'She's a beautiful girl! @capaill_coloured_gsd_australia are fantastic ethical breeders. 

'We have two boys from them, one who is your girl's brother from the same litter! Such beautiful dogs'.

Another said: 'So what, doesn't this puppy deserve a family that wants him just because someone else had him for sale?

'As if the dog was to blame. It's okay to adopt but I don't see the problem either if someone wants to buy it all puppies deserve someone to love them.'

'Omg those floppy ears,' wrote one, while another said, 'Wow, looks like a wolf.'

Meanwhile, someone else said, 'Oh my goshhh so fluffy!'

The new addition to the family joins Elsa, Chris, their twin sons Tristan and Sasha, 10, and daughter India, 12.

The family live in Byron Bay in a sprawling $30million eight-bedroom mansion that sits on a massive 4.2 hectares of land in Broken Head.

 Elsa revealed that she wasn't always convinced about moving Down Under and had one very specific condition for Chris before she relocated.

Elsa, who is originally from Madrid, admitted she told Chris that she would only move to Australia if they lived on a sprawling farm where she could have horses.

'That was my deal with Chris,' she told the Courier Mail. 

'I said I would move to Australia but I wanted to live on a property, a farm, and have horses and he knew that.'

Elsa also gave a candid insight into her relationship with Chris and shared their secret to a happy marriage despite facing many challenges over the years.

'I think we all have the idea of this beautiful dream of a marriage and loving each other and it all being perfect but it's much more work than you think,' she said.

'It comes with so many challenges but it's beautiful to grow into those challenges and learn about each other and how we change with the years and how we adapt to each other.

'You can think from the outside that a marriage is perfect but they all have their things and they all need a lot of work.'

Elsa and Chris will celebrate 14 years of marriage on December 22, though she confessed they rarely remember their anniversary.

Even though it might seem like a relationship faux pas, Elsa insisted the date is easily forgotten because it's so close to Christmas and said they laugh it off every year.

Gushing over her husband, Elsa also admitted that she has always wanted a 'partner for life' as she told how she wants to grow old with Thor actor Chris.  

Elsa and Chris got married in a spontaneous ceremony while in holiday in Australia in December 2010, just three months after they made their relationship public and ten months after they first met.

They moved to Byron Bay five years later after buying their forever home in the coastal paradise for $7.6million.