Of the many values that my mother instilled in me, today I am thankful for giving me a strong sense of what a good dog breeder is. When I was young, I remember being embarrassed when my mom lectured a woman selling puppies out of a stall in a flea market. Mom kept insisting that a dog is not an impulse purchase. Now, that I am older and have seen the horrors of puppy mills and the aftermath of impulsively bought dogs, I couldn’t be prouder. I grew up in a house where the big yard was fenced, where long walks were part of the daily routine and a litter of puppies were born only when it made sense to have a litter of puppies.
I’m sometimes accused of being anti-mixed breed. I don’t think I am. I will happily (and quite goofily) meet any dog that looks like it wants to meet me. I love dogs, period. Growing up with a grooming salon in the basement taught me that all dogs are good and that most dog owners are hopelessly in love with their dogs.
But above all, I am adamant about responsible breeding. And, though exceptions surely exist on both sides, responsible breeders deal exclusively in purebreds. If you have a mutt or a purebred love it and care for it, your dog deserves nothing less. But if you don’t know how to breed (what tests to do, how to choose an appropriate sire, how to interview to find the best possible homes for your pup, the ins and outs of whelping), I’m begging you, don’t put your dog through it.
Even the best breeders have been let down by seemingly acceptable homes. If you have a streak of bad luck, are you prepared to take a whole litter of grown dogs into your home and start all over again? Being a good breeder means never allowing one of your dogs to ever set foot in a shelter.
And that, is precisely the issue I have with animal rights organizations that try to blame the plight of homeless dogs on purebred breeders. Most responsible breeders have their owners sign a contract promising to return the dog to them if for some reason the owner is unable to keep it. Even when a breeder is unable to step up for whatever reason, breed rescue clubs are out there moving mountains to protect their breed.
Does someone choosing a purebred pup mean one less home for a shelter dog? Maybe, but this issue is not that simple. For me, caring about one dog means caring about them all. Just because I choose to own purebreds doesn’t mean I don’t donate money to shelters. Just because I choose to purchase a purebred puppy doesn’t mean that rescuing one from a shelter isn’t up there on my ‘bucket list.’ The way I see it, the purebred community is largely a part of the solution, not the problem.
And one last thought. Let’s say somehow everyone wakes up tomorrow and never breeds again. Everyone goes out and instead adopts a spayed or neutered dog from the shelter. Where does that leave us in 15 years?
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Very well written Alison. I have a grooming salon in my basement too. I work on all breeds an mixes. I love all dogs, purebred, mixed, re-homed and have shared my home with all. It’s not about snobbery: It’s about putting blame where it’s due, not where it isn’t. You are right, responsible breeders of purebred dogs are not to blame for busy shelters. Yes, irresponsible breeders have a part in those overflowing shelters, but I’ll go one step further in putting the blame truly where it belongs: The shelters are ‘full’ because of irresponsible consumers and the shelters themselves in some cases.
People put more thought into buying a toaster than adding a dog to their family. They give them up because they don’t train them and the dogs get into trouble as adolescents. Or because they move. Or because the novelty wore off. The list of lame excuses is huge. If people would put more thought into getting a dog, there wouldn’t be a market for the irresponsible breeders.
The shelters (I’m not referring to breed rescues but some community shelters) don’t always screen potential adopters and match them with dogs well, resulting in a revolving door. At my local shelter there seems to be little screening at all - basically it’s whoever puts first hold on a dog. However, you do have to make an appointment even to see the dog(s) since they don’t let people into the shelter anymore. Talk about a contradiction. Make it hard for people to see the dogs, losing lots of potential adopters that way. Don’t screen the ones who do make an appointment. So the shelter is shrinking its pool of potential adopters, and not screening those remaining. Perfect recipe for a full shelter with a revolving door of misery. JMO.
Excellent post Al - you’ve hit the nail fairly and squarely on the head. Pity the radicals don’t see it the same way. No wonder your Mum brags about you all the time
Well said. Your mother taught you well and I love that you are sharing that knowledge.
That’s a great point, Tarra. In my experience a good breeder:
- Asks a ton of questions
-Will let you into their home to see ALL of their dogs, not just the pups
-Will want an ongoing relationship with you. It’s been 12 years since we had a litter in the Preiss household, and some of those dogs have passed on, but we still keep in contact with the owners of all of them.
There are a ton of other helpful tips, I’ll find a great piece and add the link. But basically, if you get an uneasy feeling, it’s time to move on
*commitment not commited..oops*
I can truly say I can agree. As someone who runs a dog rescue, and sees the hardships that we have to take on a daily basis, I have dealt with many irresponsible breeders along the way. Most of which are not even aware the dog they have provided to a family is being surrendered to a rescue or a shelter and even better still cannot concretely identify their own dog. This is where I wish the “advocates” as we will call them would wake up and place blame where blame is due.
Many purebred breeders have contracts and ones we have modeled our adoption contracts after. They clearly and concretely state that the dog may be returned to them at any time, whether behavioral or family issue related. On the other flip side is the “backyard” breeders that cannot even count or account for which litter a dog may have come from. Even with a provided age and a photo.
I see it daily, hear stories of lies told, and general miseducation of what type of commited a dog of any caliber is. I wish someone would open the eyes of the general public, not only the dog supporting public, and identify, solitify and distinguish the difference between a backyard, money making scheme and a breeder with class.
I couldn’t agree more. If given the choice I would buy a dog from a breeder to make sure it dosen’t have any health issues, but I want to foster shelter dogs as well. It’s not the responsible breeders that are causing dogs to end up in shelters, it’s people breeding ill tempered dogs to make money and selling to people that are not suited for the breed or temperment level
Thanks Sam
well said Alison
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