I sit here tonight stunned. There are no words to express my feelings. Earlier tonight I got word of a terrible situation near Mobile, AL. Hundreds of dogs and cats at a rescue/boarding facility left starving to death while the owners took off and CLAIM they left an employee in charge of the animals care. At least 50 are already dead. Some will probably not make it through the night. They have gone over 10 days with no food or water and not because there was none. As they sat and starved, to the point of some turning on and eating each other, they could glimpse full bowls of food right outside their kennels....just out of reach. I have been told by rescue friends working the situation first hand that the scene there was worse than anything shown on the news stories about this. Now, already overwhelmed and underfunded rescues will step up to help the dogs these monsters left to die.
I just can't seem to understand. It is beyond my comprehension how a facility with so many people in and out didn't have anyone notice the problem sooner. How do you just walk away?
I of course have reached out to our fellow rescuers in Mobile and offered them the help of RRR in any way we can. We already have a transport arranged there for this weekend and some of these dogs may replace others who needed us as their need is more urgent. I just can't wrap my head around any of this. Every day REAL rescuers clean up the messes left by others, and then one of our own (or someone who was supposed to be) does this. How does that happen? WHY?
I wish I could be in Alabama right now helping the volunteers, our friends, and rescue groups but I can't so I will have to wait until Sunday to do whatever small part I can, if any. The situation is overwhelming and chaotic. I'm watching friends struggle to place their healthy adoptable dogs quickly to make room for the influx of dogs that is surely to come. Even worse, we fear people who want to help the 'Purple Hearted' dogs but aren't ready for the responsibility will step up too quickly and the dogs will end up in yet again another bad situation.
Sometimes I am asked, and sometimes I ask myself, why I continue in rescue when it seems so overwhelming and so much easier to give up. THIS is why. As long as there are those out there without a voice, someone has to stand up and speak for them. This is also why there are times when I say 'no'. As heartbreaking as it is to be the last chance or lifeline for a dog, we cannot overwhelm ourselves either or we do no one any good. Wonderful things are happening at RRR made possible by other rescue groups we work with that are enabling us to save more lives but there is still that line that we must always be aware not to cross. Thankfully, adoption rates are on the rise and working together with other rescues is proving to be a great thing for all of us. We are able to save more lives and find more forever homes for the babies in need.
However, what people can't forget, and the reason we need our fans, is because without donations from the public, rescues cease to exist. No one can support a rescue on their own. I know that money is tight for many people, I know everyone has their own debts and problems but I say this in the nicest way possible...for all the people who want to see rescues stepping up to help more, to save more lives, to continue the work they do...put your money where your mouth is. Rescues need funds, they need food, they need supplies. Even if you have old towels, send them to a rescue in need! We all can make use of anything we are given. There is NO GIFT TOO SMALL. EVEN if it just means clicking a share button to encourage others to help...PLEASE reach out and take a moment. It DOES save lives!
I look at the faces at RRR every day, the ones others had given up on, the hopeless and lost ones, the unwanted ones, the sick and scared ones...all getting better, all living in peace, all getting ready to find their forever...I can't turn my back on them. I have given my own time, money, supplies, knowledge, and literally blood, sweat and tears...Rob and I live rescue every day. THIS is our 'hobby', our 'work', our life. In light of that, is a dollar, literally $1 too much to ask? Is an old towel too much to ask? A bag of food? I know this sounds awful of me, but it is the truth. And this isn't just about RRR, this is for ALL the rescues needing support. This is for everyone like us who gives as much as we do. This is for every dog that people want saved but no one else will step up for. THIS is all for the ones without a voice.
With daylight we will know more of the situation for the dogs in Alabama, after 8 am we will know even more. It is likely we are going to be asked to take some and other rescues are stepping up to help us make this happen. We have the room, they have the resources but again, none of us are limitless. We all need your help. So tomorrow, take a moment to think about it before you buy a soda, a bag of chips, a snack at McDonalds and if you can find it in your heart take that money and instead give it to a rescue you see LIVING their work. It doesn't matter where they are, or how many they have saved (some can only do a few at a time)....the real rescues are forever greatful for knowing someone has thought of them, someone appreciates their work and someone is helping them to save lives.
Until tomorrow....
*Nicole
Friday, January 27, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
The Forgotten Ones
Boarded up in a dog house with her puppies, starved and abandoned, used as a bait or fight dog, human aggressive, dog aggressive, emaciated, heartworm positive, neglected, unwanted....Looking down a list of dogs at RRR almost every one could have one of these labels attached next to their name.
Sometimes, even though a dog 'looks' fine and is healthy, it's the invisible scars that are the hardest to heal. We have dealt with our fair share of those too. I often compare these dogs to Soldiers who return with PTSD and TBI. On the outside, they 'look' fine. On the inside, they are anything but.
It is easy to forget the scars that don't adorn ones body but instead their mind. Many of the dogs we rehabilitate, even once they are back to health, are still fighting a long and hard road to recovery. We have had great success rehabbing dogs others have given up on, but it definitely is not easy and I know, there will be a dog we cannot save.
What is it that makes these dogs this way? How does a dog who was once a sweet puppy become a 'monster'? Usually, the answer is bad owners. Very rarely, it can be a genetic trait which is brought out by a bad owner. Sometimes, it's lack of training and sometimes it's just a set of circumstances the dog is living in that just don't fit. Those aren't the bad owners, they are just the owners who may not understand what that particular dog needs or how to be a strong enough leader to them.
When I look around every day, I see these faces with scars (visible and invisible) for whom we were their only hope. In every one of the dogs here, there is beauty. The sad part is, not everyone may see it.
For example, to many people 'Dee' is 'just another black pit bull needing a home' but to us, Dee is a survivor. Dee and her puppies were seized from a neglectful, awful owner who boarded her and her puppies INSIDE her dog house with no food or water, and still attached to the chain she led most of her life on. She landed in the local rabies control facility which is a VERY high kill shelter that euth's usually twice a week for space. Her puppies were saved by a rescue, but Dee was left behind with no interest from anyone wanting to save her. We stepped up. When we pulled Dee, she was vetted the next day and we discovered she had pyometra, a potentially life threatening infection of her uterus. Though severely underweight and high heartworm positive, Dee had to undergo emergency surgery to have any chance at life. We weren't sure she would make it through and I questioned our vet about his thoughts on if she would make it. I remember his answer to me too. He said, 'Look at this dog and all she's been through. A lot of other dogs would have been long gone already but she's a fighter. If she made it through that, she'll make it through this'. Sure enough, the next day Dee emerged from surgery no worse for the wear and came home to us the day after. She has learned to play, love and befriend other dogs. She is a survivor. I sometimes see in her eyes that she thinks about her past. I know that some people say dogs can't or don't, but I feel different. I know she does. However, that thoughtful sad look on her face lasts for only a moment and soon she is back to playing and having fun or cuddling up on the couch. Dee deserves her own family, though she is so much a part of ours. She deserves someone to pay attention to only her, to love only her, to spend all of their free hours with only her. However, we also know that the chances of Dee finding a home while still undergoing heartworm treatment, and being black and a pit bull, are not high. Still we hold out hope that one day, she will have a family that will be her own and treat her the way she deserves to be treated.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that some of the dogs at RRR may not be 'beautiful' or 'special' by others standards, but they are to us. Some have faces only a mother could love, and I do and I know someday, someone else will fall in love with some of them too. As many scars as they may have from their lives before or as 'scary' as they may look to some, to me, watching these forgotten ones happy and playing is a feeling I just cannot explain.
Then, I see dogs like Soldier, who is a beautiful, physically healthy young pit bull. He will be coming this week for his rehab to begin. Soldier appears to have never missed a meal. He is a happy, people loving, wonderful dog who is gorgeous in every physical way. To most people, he 'looks' fine. However, because of Soldier's behavior, it is believed he was raised and trained to be a fight dog and this prevents him from having a normal life and interacting normally with other dogs. Some people don't feel that Soldiers need is as 'urgent' because he looks okay. However, Soldier was almost put to sleep because of his invisible scars and has no chance at a normal life, in a normal family, until those scars are healed.
While we often pull or save dogs that look physically bad, no one should misunderstand that the need is just as urgent for the ones whose scars don't show. They stand just as small a chance at a happily ever after as the emaciated dog in a shelter that people fear to adopt because of the potential need for care and in the wrong hands, they can be deadly until trained, to not only others but to themselves as well. They need us just as much since there are not many rescues who can or will rehabilitate dogs with severe behavioral problems.
Every dog here deserves a chance. They deserve the best possible. They deserve having someone look at them and find the beauty beneath the surface. It is my hope, that someday, all of them will find their happily ever after. Maybe, for a dog here, that happily ever after could be you.
Until next time,
Nicole
Sometimes, even though a dog 'looks' fine and is healthy, it's the invisible scars that are the hardest to heal. We have dealt with our fair share of those too. I often compare these dogs to Soldiers who return with PTSD and TBI. On the outside, they 'look' fine. On the inside, they are anything but.
It is easy to forget the scars that don't adorn ones body but instead their mind. Many of the dogs we rehabilitate, even once they are back to health, are still fighting a long and hard road to recovery. We have had great success rehabbing dogs others have given up on, but it definitely is not easy and I know, there will be a dog we cannot save.
What is it that makes these dogs this way? How does a dog who was once a sweet puppy become a 'monster'? Usually, the answer is bad owners. Very rarely, it can be a genetic trait which is brought out by a bad owner. Sometimes, it's lack of training and sometimes it's just a set of circumstances the dog is living in that just don't fit. Those aren't the bad owners, they are just the owners who may not understand what that particular dog needs or how to be a strong enough leader to them.
When I look around every day, I see these faces with scars (visible and invisible) for whom we were their only hope. In every one of the dogs here, there is beauty. The sad part is, not everyone may see it.
For example, to many people 'Dee' is 'just another black pit bull needing a home' but to us, Dee is a survivor. Dee and her puppies were seized from a neglectful, awful owner who boarded her and her puppies INSIDE her dog house with no food or water, and still attached to the chain she led most of her life on. She landed in the local rabies control facility which is a VERY high kill shelter that euth's usually twice a week for space. Her puppies were saved by a rescue, but Dee was left behind with no interest from anyone wanting to save her. We stepped up. When we pulled Dee, she was vetted the next day and we discovered she had pyometra, a potentially life threatening infection of her uterus. Though severely underweight and high heartworm positive, Dee had to undergo emergency surgery to have any chance at life. We weren't sure she would make it through and I questioned our vet about his thoughts on if she would make it. I remember his answer to me too. He said, 'Look at this dog and all she's been through. A lot of other dogs would have been long gone already but she's a fighter. If she made it through that, she'll make it through this'. Sure enough, the next day Dee emerged from surgery no worse for the wear and came home to us the day after. She has learned to play, love and befriend other dogs. She is a survivor. I sometimes see in her eyes that she thinks about her past. I know that some people say dogs can't or don't, but I feel different. I know she does. However, that thoughtful sad look on her face lasts for only a moment and soon she is back to playing and having fun or cuddling up on the couch. Dee deserves her own family, though she is so much a part of ours. She deserves someone to pay attention to only her, to love only her, to spend all of their free hours with only her. However, we also know that the chances of Dee finding a home while still undergoing heartworm treatment, and being black and a pit bull, are not high. Still we hold out hope that one day, she will have a family that will be her own and treat her the way she deserves to be treated.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that some of the dogs at RRR may not be 'beautiful' or 'special' by others standards, but they are to us. Some have faces only a mother could love, and I do and I know someday, someone else will fall in love with some of them too. As many scars as they may have from their lives before or as 'scary' as they may look to some, to me, watching these forgotten ones happy and playing is a feeling I just cannot explain.
Then, I see dogs like Soldier, who is a beautiful, physically healthy young pit bull. He will be coming this week for his rehab to begin. Soldier appears to have never missed a meal. He is a happy, people loving, wonderful dog who is gorgeous in every physical way. To most people, he 'looks' fine. However, because of Soldier's behavior, it is believed he was raised and trained to be a fight dog and this prevents him from having a normal life and interacting normally with other dogs. Some people don't feel that Soldiers need is as 'urgent' because he looks okay. However, Soldier was almost put to sleep because of his invisible scars and has no chance at a normal life, in a normal family, until those scars are healed.
While we often pull or save dogs that look physically bad, no one should misunderstand that the need is just as urgent for the ones whose scars don't show. They stand just as small a chance at a happily ever after as the emaciated dog in a shelter that people fear to adopt because of the potential need for care and in the wrong hands, they can be deadly until trained, to not only others but to themselves as well. They need us just as much since there are not many rescues who can or will rehabilitate dogs with severe behavioral problems.
Every dog here deserves a chance. They deserve the best possible. They deserve having someone look at them and find the beauty beneath the surface. It is my hope, that someday, all of them will find their happily ever after. Maybe, for a dog here, that happily ever after could be you.
Until next time,
Nicole
Friday, January 20, 2012
What's So Wrong With Breeding?
I want to write today about a topic that is somewhat controversial in the rescue world, and that is breeding. Emotions run high among rescuers whenever this topic is raised. Many people don't understand why and unfortunately too few understand what breeding really is or should be.
The term 'breeder' has become an ugly word in the rescue world. To most people, it's just something you should not do ever, for any reason and for MOST people, that is true. But to me a TRUE breeder is totally different than the person pawning off dogs to the first person to arrive with cash.
A TRUE breeder is someone who should be BETTERING their breed and caring about the dogs they bring in to this world as if they are their own children. This person should be well versed in the appropriate breed standards, care, training, and genetic testing needed to produce a dog of outstanding quality, conformation, temperament and ability. A TRUE breeder doesn't produce litter after litter. They research, study, select the best of the best and create one litter a year, IF that. A TRUE breeder will have homes lined up for the pups WELL before they are ready to be weaned, and sometimes even before they are born. Most of the time a TRUE breeder will have those homes fill out a question and answer sheet to know exactly which puppies will be suited perfectly to that home and they will only choose homes from that pool of applicants. A TRUE breeder will have as rigorous a process involved in buying one of their dogs as an adoption agency would have in adopting out a rescue. A true breeder has parent dogs genetically tested and screened for any diseases that are prevalent in their breed and chooses lines where the incidences of these diseases or faults are not prevalent or have not existed. Finally, the most important part...a TRUE breeder rarely, if ever MAKES money producing a litter. That is not to say they give their dogs away for free, quite the opposite. However, when proper care, training, testing, etc is done, the money 'made' off of the litter rarely equals what was spent in producing it. A TRUE breeder does what they do as a labor of love, not just to make cute puppies.
I always hear the argument that no one should breed a dog while there are still so many dogs in shelters and that those dogs would get adopted more if there weren't breeders out there producing more dogs. Well, the fact is, as sad as it may be, that not EVERYONE wants to adopt a dog. Not EVERY shelter dog, or even most, can fit every purpose that a dog sought from a breeder might fit easily. Now, don't mistake what I'm saying here. I think shelter and rescue dogs are some of the most amazing dogs out there. I think there are quite a few who exceed their purebred counterparts on many levels. However, the sad fact is that not all can and not all do and to some people, when they are intending to invest time, money and training into a dog for a specific purpose they are not willing to take a chance on unknowns. Do I think that shelter dogs get passed over MORE because there are people breeding? No, I don't. Furthermore, the argument that many dogs from breeders end up in shelters is inaccurate as well. Dogs from BACKYARD breeders end up in shelters. Dogs from less than caring or reputable breeders end up in shelters. In all the time I have been doing this, do you know how many dogs that were from reputable, reliable, and caring breeders, or even dogs who were imported by those breeders, I have seen end up in a shelter (and this is talking about those who vet the families these dogs go to beforehand)? NONE. I have yet to see a tattooed, well bred, papered dog from a breeder who may charge thousands of dollars and has gone above and beyond to ensure their dog is well placed, end up in a shelter. MOST of the dogs that end up in shelters were impulse buys, dogs whose breeders would not take any of their dogs back at any point in their life or attempt to rehome them if the owners could not, 'gifts', dogs bred by someone wanting to make a quick dollar and dogs who were produced with little care. I'm not saying there are not purebreds in shelters, there most certainly are. BUT if these dogs were from a TRUE breeder, there would be a way to trace them back to that breeder be it through microchip or tattoo and that breeder would be taking responsibility for them long before the situation declined to the point the dog ended up in a shelter. This person would be checking in with the family and dog on a regular basis and be there to support them through their ownership process and to step in if a situation turned bad. And of course, I'm not talking about a dog who goes to a shelter as a stray, although the chances of that happening with a dog from a TRUE breeder are less likely too because the homes they have approved for their dogs would have the utmost safety and security of the dog in mind at all times and even if they did not, the dog would be able to be traced back to the breeder.
Here's the deal, from my point of view. There are good and bad breeders, just like there is good and bad in every avenue of life. 90% of breeders are bad breeders and that 10% gets a bad name because of the 90%. What we need to spend time doing is not bashing the TRUE breeders but getting rid of and educating the other, or back yard breeders, so that they understand the damage they are doing by producing dogs they think should be bred because they are 'cute'.
TRUE breeders can be a GREAT resource to rescues and rescue workers as well as rescue dogs. These breeders are EXPERTS in their breed and have a deep love and appreciation for all that makes their breed what it is. Often times, they may hold the answer to a problem we are unsure about simply because we didn't know the traits of a breed. MOST true breeders also love their breed enough to agree that the majority of those who own their breed should be spayed/neutered and ensure that the same happens for their pups unless they are going to another TRUE breeder.
I think it's time we stop shunning TRUE breeders and having them help us to educate those who are not (and most real breeders are willing to do this) to spay and neuter their pets.
For almost all dog owners, you will have a more fulfilled, healthier and happier pet if they are spayed or neutered. On top of that, you'll know you never run the risk of contributing to the overpopulation of dogs in this country. Breeding, like so many other things, should be left to the experts! For those of you who truly LOVE your breed, want to improve it and watch that dog work and have a fulfilling life, I encourage you to be mentored by a TRUE breeder. STUDY bloodlines and breed characteristics. Go speak with judges of your chosen breed either in conformation or work and learn what they have to share about what makes the best of the best.
For those of you who wave this off and think that you'll breed any way, I want you to consider a few things....
1) Are you EXPERIENCED in medical care of dogs, pre and post whelp?
2) What would you do, and what could you afford to do, if there was a medical emergency with the bitch or one of the pups either pre or post whelp?
3) Do you know what the word whelp means?
4) Is your dog registered with a REPUTABLE registry such as the AKC and have you researched their pedigree until you are familiar with every name, and the offspring of those dogs, in the pedigree as well as whatever faults or defects they may have passed on? Have you studied other crosses of the lines you intend to mix?
5) WHY are you breeding your dogs? What purpose will the puppies serve? Who will be the main people attracted to buying one of your puppies? Do you feel they will give it a great home? Why or why not?
6) Are you willing and able to take one of the puppies you produced back at any time during it's life, or help to find another suitable home, if the person who bought the dog was no longer able to care for it or passed away?
7) How do you keep track of your puppies and where they go? What do you do to ensure that if one of your pups is lost or stolen not only the new owner, but you, will be contacted about the dog?
8) Can you name at least one genetic disease or fault that is prevalent in your chosen breed and the test used to diagnose that particular disease or fault? Has your dog been tested either genetically or physically to make sure they do not carry that trait and the likelihood of them passing it on is little to none?
9) Are you prepared to support new puppy owners by answering any and all questions they may have about their new pup and as time goes on? Are you able to assist in training with or for that pup to ensure it is a safe, healthy, happy dog?
10) Do you have a purchase contract? Do you frequently follow up on the pups you have produced? Do you require non-professional owners to spay or neuter their pup/dog?
11) Is your dog trained or do they specialize in some kind of 'work' or 'skill'? Are they, or dogs within 3 generations, titled? Have you carefully assessed and do you understand the temperament of your dog?
12) Has your dog been fully vetted? Vaccinated? Dewormed? Tested? Approved by an expert of the breed? Swabbed and free of diseases?
13) Are you aware that separating pups from their dam before 8 - 12 weeks can have a significant effect on the dogs behavior for the rest of their life and that having a mentally unstable dog raise a litter will often result in the pups having similar behavior problems?
If you answered NO to ANY of these questions...you should not breed a dog. If and when you do, it is likely if not guaranteed, one of your puppies will end up on an 'urgent' list, facing euthanasia at some point in it's probably all too short life.
It is proven that dogs who are spayed/neutered are healthier, calmer, happier dogs than those handled by the average person who breeds a dog. Litters that are not planned or researched are often loaded with health problems, sometimes occurring before they are even born. While genetic defects CAN occur in even the most carefully planned litter, it is far less likely. The same goes for behavior and temperament issues as well as home incompatibility.
Now, ask yourself, do you want to set up any puppies you bring into this world for success or failure? Do you want to be looked down upon by others for producing sub standard dogs that will serve no function or purpose to better their breed or enrich the lives of those who care for them? Is money, or the betterment of your breed or dogs, more important to you?
While everyone may not agree, and they are entitled to this opinion, these are my core beliefs about what makes breeding 'right' or 'wrong' and each breeder should be judged on a case by case basis.
I do NOT believe in breeding a rescue dog, an unstable dog, an unpapered/unproven dog and simply because a dog DOES have a paper saying 'purebred' does not mean they should reproduce. It is often MUCH easier, time and cost effective, to select a dog that fits what you are looking for than to try to produce one.
That being said, unless you are a PROFESSIONAL or are working to become one, your next amazing dog can come from the shelter down the street and should be spayed or neutered. For 99% of people, I agree that they should not shop, but adopt.
Thank you!
The term 'breeder' has become an ugly word in the rescue world. To most people, it's just something you should not do ever, for any reason and for MOST people, that is true. But to me a TRUE breeder is totally different than the person pawning off dogs to the first person to arrive with cash.
A TRUE breeder is someone who should be BETTERING their breed and caring about the dogs they bring in to this world as if they are their own children. This person should be well versed in the appropriate breed standards, care, training, and genetic testing needed to produce a dog of outstanding quality, conformation, temperament and ability. A TRUE breeder doesn't produce litter after litter. They research, study, select the best of the best and create one litter a year, IF that. A TRUE breeder will have homes lined up for the pups WELL before they are ready to be weaned, and sometimes even before they are born. Most of the time a TRUE breeder will have those homes fill out a question and answer sheet to know exactly which puppies will be suited perfectly to that home and they will only choose homes from that pool of applicants. A TRUE breeder will have as rigorous a process involved in buying one of their dogs as an adoption agency would have in adopting out a rescue. A true breeder has parent dogs genetically tested and screened for any diseases that are prevalent in their breed and chooses lines where the incidences of these diseases or faults are not prevalent or have not existed. Finally, the most important part...a TRUE breeder rarely, if ever MAKES money producing a litter. That is not to say they give their dogs away for free, quite the opposite. However, when proper care, training, testing, etc is done, the money 'made' off of the litter rarely equals what was spent in producing it. A TRUE breeder does what they do as a labor of love, not just to make cute puppies.
I always hear the argument that no one should breed a dog while there are still so many dogs in shelters and that those dogs would get adopted more if there weren't breeders out there producing more dogs. Well, the fact is, as sad as it may be, that not EVERYONE wants to adopt a dog. Not EVERY shelter dog, or even most, can fit every purpose that a dog sought from a breeder might fit easily. Now, don't mistake what I'm saying here. I think shelter and rescue dogs are some of the most amazing dogs out there. I think there are quite a few who exceed their purebred counterparts on many levels. However, the sad fact is that not all can and not all do and to some people, when they are intending to invest time, money and training into a dog for a specific purpose they are not willing to take a chance on unknowns. Do I think that shelter dogs get passed over MORE because there are people breeding? No, I don't. Furthermore, the argument that many dogs from breeders end up in shelters is inaccurate as well. Dogs from BACKYARD breeders end up in shelters. Dogs from less than caring or reputable breeders end up in shelters. In all the time I have been doing this, do you know how many dogs that were from reputable, reliable, and caring breeders, or even dogs who were imported by those breeders, I have seen end up in a shelter (and this is talking about those who vet the families these dogs go to beforehand)? NONE. I have yet to see a tattooed, well bred, papered dog from a breeder who may charge thousands of dollars and has gone above and beyond to ensure their dog is well placed, end up in a shelter. MOST of the dogs that end up in shelters were impulse buys, dogs whose breeders would not take any of their dogs back at any point in their life or attempt to rehome them if the owners could not, 'gifts', dogs bred by someone wanting to make a quick dollar and dogs who were produced with little care. I'm not saying there are not purebreds in shelters, there most certainly are. BUT if these dogs were from a TRUE breeder, there would be a way to trace them back to that breeder be it through microchip or tattoo and that breeder would be taking responsibility for them long before the situation declined to the point the dog ended up in a shelter. This person would be checking in with the family and dog on a regular basis and be there to support them through their ownership process and to step in if a situation turned bad. And of course, I'm not talking about a dog who goes to a shelter as a stray, although the chances of that happening with a dog from a TRUE breeder are less likely too because the homes they have approved for their dogs would have the utmost safety and security of the dog in mind at all times and even if they did not, the dog would be able to be traced back to the breeder.
Here's the deal, from my point of view. There are good and bad breeders, just like there is good and bad in every avenue of life. 90% of breeders are bad breeders and that 10% gets a bad name because of the 90%. What we need to spend time doing is not bashing the TRUE breeders but getting rid of and educating the other, or back yard breeders, so that they understand the damage they are doing by producing dogs they think should be bred because they are 'cute'.
TRUE breeders can be a GREAT resource to rescues and rescue workers as well as rescue dogs. These breeders are EXPERTS in their breed and have a deep love and appreciation for all that makes their breed what it is. Often times, they may hold the answer to a problem we are unsure about simply because we didn't know the traits of a breed. MOST true breeders also love their breed enough to agree that the majority of those who own their breed should be spayed/neutered and ensure that the same happens for their pups unless they are going to another TRUE breeder.
I think it's time we stop shunning TRUE breeders and having them help us to educate those who are not (and most real breeders are willing to do this) to spay and neuter their pets.
For almost all dog owners, you will have a more fulfilled, healthier and happier pet if they are spayed or neutered. On top of that, you'll know you never run the risk of contributing to the overpopulation of dogs in this country. Breeding, like so many other things, should be left to the experts! For those of you who truly LOVE your breed, want to improve it and watch that dog work and have a fulfilling life, I encourage you to be mentored by a TRUE breeder. STUDY bloodlines and breed characteristics. Go speak with judges of your chosen breed either in conformation or work and learn what they have to share about what makes the best of the best.
For those of you who wave this off and think that you'll breed any way, I want you to consider a few things....
1) Are you EXPERIENCED in medical care of dogs, pre and post whelp?
2) What would you do, and what could you afford to do, if there was a medical emergency with the bitch or one of the pups either pre or post whelp?
3) Do you know what the word whelp means?
4) Is your dog registered with a REPUTABLE registry such as the AKC and have you researched their pedigree until you are familiar with every name, and the offspring of those dogs, in the pedigree as well as whatever faults or defects they may have passed on? Have you studied other crosses of the lines you intend to mix?
5) WHY are you breeding your dogs? What purpose will the puppies serve? Who will be the main people attracted to buying one of your puppies? Do you feel they will give it a great home? Why or why not?
6) Are you willing and able to take one of the puppies you produced back at any time during it's life, or help to find another suitable home, if the person who bought the dog was no longer able to care for it or passed away?
7) How do you keep track of your puppies and where they go? What do you do to ensure that if one of your pups is lost or stolen not only the new owner, but you, will be contacted about the dog?
8) Can you name at least one genetic disease or fault that is prevalent in your chosen breed and the test used to diagnose that particular disease or fault? Has your dog been tested either genetically or physically to make sure they do not carry that trait and the likelihood of them passing it on is little to none?
9) Are you prepared to support new puppy owners by answering any and all questions they may have about their new pup and as time goes on? Are you able to assist in training with or for that pup to ensure it is a safe, healthy, happy dog?
10) Do you have a purchase contract? Do you frequently follow up on the pups you have produced? Do you require non-professional owners to spay or neuter their pup/dog?
11) Is your dog trained or do they specialize in some kind of 'work' or 'skill'? Are they, or dogs within 3 generations, titled? Have you carefully assessed and do you understand the temperament of your dog?
12) Has your dog been fully vetted? Vaccinated? Dewormed? Tested? Approved by an expert of the breed? Swabbed and free of diseases?
13) Are you aware that separating pups from their dam before 8 - 12 weeks can have a significant effect on the dogs behavior for the rest of their life and that having a mentally unstable dog raise a litter will often result in the pups having similar behavior problems?
If you answered NO to ANY of these questions...you should not breed a dog. If and when you do, it is likely if not guaranteed, one of your puppies will end up on an 'urgent' list, facing euthanasia at some point in it's probably all too short life.
It is proven that dogs who are spayed/neutered are healthier, calmer, happier dogs than those handled by the average person who breeds a dog. Litters that are not planned or researched are often loaded with health problems, sometimes occurring before they are even born. While genetic defects CAN occur in even the most carefully planned litter, it is far less likely. The same goes for behavior and temperament issues as well as home incompatibility.
Now, ask yourself, do you want to set up any puppies you bring into this world for success or failure? Do you want to be looked down upon by others for producing sub standard dogs that will serve no function or purpose to better their breed or enrich the lives of those who care for them? Is money, or the betterment of your breed or dogs, more important to you?
While everyone may not agree, and they are entitled to this opinion, these are my core beliefs about what makes breeding 'right' or 'wrong' and each breeder should be judged on a case by case basis.
I do NOT believe in breeding a rescue dog, an unstable dog, an unpapered/unproven dog and simply because a dog DOES have a paper saying 'purebred' does not mean they should reproduce. It is often MUCH easier, time and cost effective, to select a dog that fits what you are looking for than to try to produce one.
That being said, unless you are a PROFESSIONAL or are working to become one, your next amazing dog can come from the shelter down the street and should be spayed or neutered. For 99% of people, I agree that they should not shop, but adopt.
Thank you!
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