I recently read an ad that was posted on facebook to encourage dog rescue. I have read many ads conveying similar sentiment regarding adoption. This ad was a little different.
There was a picture of a dog behind bars, and written over the picture was the following:
"As long as dogs are dying in shelters, there's
no such thing as a responsible breeder."
I believe rescuing animals is a very important thing to do. I think that many of the people involved in rescue have very good intentions and I appreciate the time and effort they put forth on behalf of the animals. I have never had an issue before I saw this particular ad. At first I didn't think about it that much, but the more I did, the more offensive I found it.
I am not a breeder, but I know many responsible breeders.They are amazing people and likely far more responsible than the person who created that ad. That person obviously knows nothing about what a responsible breeder does. However, ignorance is not a good enough excuse for the 'hater' attitude toward breeders.
It made me feel like asking that person just exactly what they are doing to improve the health of dogs that are born into this world. I know breeders who have spent small fortunes to obtain and raise a dog that they believe will be a great addition to their breeding program, only to find that one or more of the health tests reveal some defect. The dog will then not be bred, but will be neutered and either kept as a pet, or re-homed. It is a heartbreaker, and often a tremendous financial loss as well. But a good breeder will not breed a dog with health issues that can be passed on to puppies.
So, Radical Rescue Person, I have some questions for you:
Do you really want to prevent the breeding of purebred dogs? Is it really okay with you if individual breeds eventually disappear? Is it okay with you that all breeds be melded into mutts with no distinguishing appearance or breed traits? Perhaps a mixed breed dog is right for you. There is nothing wrong with that, but what makes you think you have the right to prevent those who prefer a specific breed with a traceable heritage?
I may enjoy showing my dogs. Perhaps I want my dogs to be able to compete in sports that require a pedigree. There is a reason for that, not just snobbery. A herding breed should be physically and mentally capable of herding. If you want a herding dog, you will most likely look to a breeder of herding dogs. You will look for herding dogs that have distinguished themselves in herding contests. When you find one you relate to you may put a deposit down on a puppy of some future litter he may sire. He is a proven herder and since many traits can be inherited, you may want to aim for the best. This cannot happen with a pound dog. Not that he cannot necessarily herd sheep, but his history cannot be traced, and he cannot reproduce, no matter how good he is. It is just a different stage with different rules. When it comes to being a good pet, your puppy may be no better than the pound puppy, but you have a right to make a choice.
Do you discount the work breeders have done to eliminate many inherited diseases in various breeds, or are you even aware that happens? It does not happen in puppy mills.
Is it okay with you that without conscientious breeders, you will not be able to count on anyone to work to strengthen the breed you may love?
Do you really want to leave breeding to chance, or to backyard breeders who may have the best of intentions, but not the knowledge of geneology?
If you manage to put good breeders out of business, there will be only puppy mills, backyard breeders, and of course people who breed fighting dogs. They do not care about health testing or honest record keeping. Is it okay that these fighting dog breeders will be breeding for way different traits than conscientious, responsible breeders who are now trying to change the image of Pitt Bulls? They will be breeding for ferocity and destroying mellow, gentler dogs by using them for bait.
If you manage to banish responsible breeders and the breeds they love and strive to improve, you will make puppy mills even more profitable then they are now. You will have no idea which pound puppy will be best for your family. Breed traits will soon be as impossible to trace as they are now with dogs in the pound. You will not be able to visit with the sire and dam of your chosen puppy, to check the temperament. It will all be a gamble. You will have no idea where your puppy came from or what diseases or weaknesses he may be carrying in his genes. You will not know if his parents were stable and safe to be around your children. Eventually, if you want a well bred dog you will need to import one. They will be expensive and difficult to obtain.
Health testing will be abandoned because no one is going to spend all that money on health tests for puppy mill dogs, and no one is going to care if a dog carries for dysplasia or heart trouble or any number of inherited health issues. The people who handle puppy mill dogs consider them disposable. They will have no competition once you put the responsible breeders out of business.
I believe shelters need to exist, and it is a good thing that there are people who adopt. It is not a good thing that the burden of caring for unwanted animals is removed from the people who create those unwanted animals. They should be fined and made to support the animals they intentionally or carelessly brought into this world. They are the people who should be hunted down and taken to court, and made to support what they cause. Does anyone really believe persecuting responsible breeders and the people who buy their puppies is more important than stopping the cause of the overflowing shelters?
Harrassing responsible breeders to the point that they give up is shameful and short-sighted. The radical rescue people seem only to want to shame people who do not agree with them. They ignore the irresponsible, guilty people who are the cause of many homeless dogs and instead, attack the breeders. Do you know that the sales contracts of many breeders require their puppy buyers to sign an agreement to return any puppy they can no longer keep? Puppy buyers agree never to allow the puppy they buy to end up in a shelter. The breeder, in turn, agrees to take back any puppy that the buyer can no longer keep. Many shelter people lie to people who are adopting dogs and assure them of traits in a dog that they can not possibly guarantee - hence the high rate of dogs returned to shelters.
If your family decided you wanted to have a child, how would you feel if people shamed you and told you that no one should be allowed to have a child as long as there are children in orphanages?
If you just know that a Labrador Retriever, or a Beagle is the right dog for your family, how will it feel to be told that you must settle for no one knows exactly what kind of dog? Will it make you nervous that it may be the puppy of a fierce fighting dog that sees your children as prey?
Will it matter to you that although your child has asthma and might be compatible with a Poodle, the people at the pound cannot guarantee that the mix they are offering is non-allergenic?
If you absolutely overflow with joy at the look of a sight hound, or if your soul longs for a dog just like the Golden Retriever you had as a child, or you need a highly specialized service dog, will it be okay that a pound person tells you they are sure the mix they are offering will do just fine, because a dog is a dog? I don't think so, and when these misinformed, radical do-gooders finally realize what has been lost, if they have their way, will other countries care to help us rebuild what has been destroyed?
Shelters are killing dogs and that is very sad. But I see no reason to take it out on responsible breeders who are not the cause. Microchips are a method of finding out who is to blame for abandoning animals. They are a law in some cities. Perhaps it would be a good plan to make them mandatory. I can not tell you all the things that breeders do to insure that you get a healthier dog, but as an example, I can tell you that I am in contact with each of the breeders of my three dogs. I have received information or encouragement any time I have asked. I have seen the pride they have for a dog they have carefully bred, and I have seen how very sad they are over problems various dogs may experience. I had occasion to witness the agony one breeder experienced over a bad choice of puppy buyers. She offered to buy the puppy back and even to travel thousands of miles to bring the puppy home. The first thought that breeders I know have when they hear about one of their breed in a shelter is to determine whose puppy it might be. If the puppy is one of theirs, they will travel to retrieve the puppy if possible or have someone local pick it up for them.
The breed closest to my heart has one of the finest rescue organizations in existence: Echo White Shepherd Rescue. Echo Rescue is run entirely by volunteers. Dogs are pulled from shelters and fostered until homes are found. Then they are often transported across the country, separating their journey into several legs of travel. Volunteers fill in the transport legs that are near them until they bring the dog to its new home.
Breeders established White Shepherd Genetics. It is a website dedicated to the health and well-being of the White Shepherd and the White German Shepherd. I can submit questions about my dogs at any time. It is possible to receive information from advising veterinarians as well as from the entire membership should a health issue arise. A roster is kept on White Shepherds. Information is listed for members to see. I can find out how long my dogs' relatives lived, what they died of, and many other things I might wish to know. This is how you safely guard a breed. It is important stuff, and I appreciate the breeders who created it.
It is possible and likely there are similar organizations that are involved in other breeds. I am only familiar with my breed.
So, Radical Rescuers, while I can appreciate your dedication to rescuing animals from being euthenized, I just wish you would become more informed about what people do before you indulge in name calling and demeaning the reputation of people who not only care as much as you profess to care, but they actually do something constructive for the breeds and the well-being of the dogs.
