Hehehe- hey there RD!
Mordy- I absolutely agree with you that people like me are not in the majority- however, I wanted to point out that the rescue vs. breeder issue is *never* as cut and dried as people try to make it sound.
And I still feel that the best policy (or at least the most *realistic*) is to educate the general puppy-buying public about the best places to obtain an animal (be it shelter or breeder).
What this really is about is a simple lack of understanding- most people do less research in finding a new family member than they do buying a car. The general public still doesn't see anything wrong with pet stores, and thinks that backyard breeding to experience "the joy of having puppies," seems like a lot of fun. It never occurs to them that their b!tch might have trouble or die in labor, that there may be more puppies than homes, that raising puppies for eight weeks IS NOT FUN.
That's where it is our responsibility to come in and educate them. To teach about rescues, responsible breeders, the benefits of puppy kindergarten classes etc.
Once the demand for poorly-bred pet store animals is gone- so is the motivation for breeding. These people aren't in it because they love their breed, they're in it because they're making a good deal of money.
And while it's a pipe dream to believe that we will ever be able to completely end the pet overpopulation problem, education (at least to me), makes a TON more sense than telling people who are interested in breeding quality animals not to do so because there are "too many of breed x already." That's no way to go about *improving* a breed. Unfortunately, the people most likely to feel guilty, and thus decide NOT to pursue their dream, are the good breeders (or the people who would make good breeders), NOT the people making a living off of their breeding program.
I can guarantee that when my first homebred pups are sent to their new homes- should they not work out for ANY reason (even if it's simply that the family decides that the dog at 15 years of age, is simply no fun anymore), they will come back home to me. That's the position the breeder I obtained my two dogs from takes, and the position that most people I know personally involved in the show world take as well. We are also *all* very active in rescue as well. It's what you do when you love the breed.
EDIT: how the heck do you make signature pictures smaller??? This one's a beast!
Mordy- I absolutely agree with you that people like me are not in the majority- however, I wanted to point out that the rescue vs. breeder issue is *never* as cut and dried as people try to make it sound.
And I still feel that the best policy (or at least the most *realistic*) is to educate the general puppy-buying public about the best places to obtain an animal (be it shelter or breeder).
What this really is about is a simple lack of understanding- most people do less research in finding a new family member than they do buying a car. The general public still doesn't see anything wrong with pet stores, and thinks that backyard breeding to experience "the joy of having puppies," seems like a lot of fun. It never occurs to them that their b!tch might have trouble or die in labor, that there may be more puppies than homes, that raising puppies for eight weeks IS NOT FUN.
That's where it is our responsibility to come in and educate them. To teach about rescues, responsible breeders, the benefits of puppy kindergarten classes etc.
Once the demand for poorly-bred pet store animals is gone- so is the motivation for breeding. These people aren't in it because they love their breed, they're in it because they're making a good deal of money.
And while it's a pipe dream to believe that we will ever be able to completely end the pet overpopulation problem, education (at least to me), makes a TON more sense than telling people who are interested in breeding quality animals not to do so because there are "too many of breed x already." That's no way to go about *improving* a breed. Unfortunately, the people most likely to feel guilty, and thus decide NOT to pursue their dream, are the good breeders (or the people who would make good breeders), NOT the people making a living off of their breeding program.
I can guarantee that when my first homebred pups are sent to their new homes- should they not work out for ANY reason (even if it's simply that the family decides that the dog at 15 years of age, is simply no fun anymore), they will come back home to me. That's the position the breeder I obtained my two dogs from takes, and the position that most people I know personally involved in the show world take as well. We are also *all* very active in rescue as well. It's what you do when you love the breed.
EDIT: how the heck do you make signature pictures smaller??? This one's a beast!
