A Breeders Thoughts

I get a bit frustrated when people pit rescue and ethical breeder against each other. They are my two preferred options, and they should work in tandem.

They 'should' balance each other in getting rid of mills/bybs. Rescues take dogs in tough situations. Breeders perpetuate dogs in the right way.

I support breeder dogs when I want a predictable and accurate representation of the breed. Regardless of whether we are going to compete in something or not.

I adopt rescue dogs to support the rescue effort, and because I believe in giving every dog a chance. There are gems in rescue. River is a fantastic addition to my home.

I have both, and I support both. I do not see either avenue of acquisition as questionable or immoral.

:hail::hail::hail:

You'd be surprised how many times I was berated when working in the shelter for not owning shelter dogs myself. To me as I said before the best thing is to do your research and get a dog responsibly and take care of it for life. That could be either a breeder dog or a rescue.

Ditto.

There isn't anything wrong with going to a breeder. There isn't anything wrong with going to a rescue or shelter. There isn't anything wrong with wanting a purebred dog. There isn't anything wrong with wanting a mixed breed dog.

There is no reason why, just because you (general you, no one specific) don't agree with breeders/purebreds/etc, that you should put someone down because of YOUR personal belief. If they want a certain type of dog, why would you not get it? If I want a Border Collie, I'm not going to get a Boxer. If I want a Papillon, I'm not going to get a Great Dane.

I do too Crazy, it's ridiculous isn't it?

As for rescues, I have one and I would challenge ANYONE...........ANYONE........to show me a more stable, loving, well mannered dog than she is. As someone said early on, she WAS a bit more work in the beginning. She chewed, dug, door charged, this was no fault of her own, it was obviously the PEOPLE who had her first. They didn't train a thing, didn't set any limits or boundaries for her whatsoever, can't blame her for that. She is a VERY intelligent, easy dog to work with and live with and has ZERO behavior issues now, and has had ZERO health issues.

It makes me very sad that anyone would discount rescues based on one experience

Oh man - if anyone remembers my post about the Foxhound I got sent home from PA to Canada to her original breeder, you know how I feel about rescues and breeders working TOGETHER! Shiver ended up with a happy ending, but the fact that TONS of rescues had seen that email, which NAMED the Am/Can Ch parents and NO ONE ELSE googled them and tried to contact the breeders?! I was appalled!

It also irks me to NO END people who say rescue dogs are "unpredictable" and you don't know what you're getting - actually, in a lot of cases, we just had crappy owners turn them in with full histories We had a beagle surrendered on suggestion of his vet, because he was 5 years old, 52lbs, and they never tied him up - he'd been hit by a car twice. He came with his "puppy papers" & "pedigree" (from a BYB ) and a full set of vet records. Nothing unpredictible about Duke, he was wonderful!

So while I agree with rescue is not the only option, and everyone has a right to their purebreds, I most certainly think it's the best option unless you absolutely know what you want in a dog and must have it. ie: I can't show Plott hounds with a shelter dog, so I have 3 breeder-bought Plotts. I wasn't looking for a basset when I got Daisy - I just didn't like the way she was being treated/cared for at my boyfriend's house... I brought her home, knowing almost nothing about her, and I cannot tell you how much I love this little dog <3 I love my SPCA pit almost as much as Daisy and probably (shhh) more than the other dogs, and if I didn't rent I'd probably keep her...

I get the same thing here when i work at the HS. I'm not in the position to get dogs from shelters, or mix breeds. I need what i can handle and that is purebred pugs. I've only bought one from a breeder but i have taken my last 2 pugs from rehoming situations. I'd rather take a rehomed purebred, than get a mix from the shelter because i know what i want.

Ehh... I think it's a little silly. She has some very valid arguments, but personally I appreciate when a breeder thinks enough to say "placed" or "adopted". I don't find anthropomorphism a respectful way of treating any animal, but to me, using these terms reminds people that these animals aren't objects, and should not be treated as such.

I agree with you Cali



I will never. *never* purchase a dog unless there is a radical change in what is available.

I wont say more because my personal beliefs on breeding would offend to many people.

Eh I don't know. I feel like I bought Mia and Summer, I don't think I 'adopted' them. I paid someone else money and in return for the money I got a dog. I don't see this as a bad thing nor in any way indicative of how a dog is viewed. I saw one breeder with an 'adoption fee' of $2000 which I think is silly. Why not just call it what it is, which is a price?

I agree with this (well I agree with your other post too but this issue is a peeve of mine).

First of all, adopt to me means taking something without a home. Like you adopt a baby the parents can't/won't care for, you adopt a child from foster care with no parents, etc. It makes sense in a dog shelter context too (I still think of "adopt" as a human child term but whatever). Like removing something from unfortunate circumstances. Now we have this breeder going and purposely making animals to be "adopted". It's dumb.

Furthermore, I get the feeling they are trying to elevate themselves by using a euphemism. Like Laur said... they breed a dog, you want the dog, they want compensation for the dog, so you give them money for it. So it is annoying when someone tries to sugar coat it by saying "Oh we don't sell our puppies, we adopt them out." Neither them nor their dogs are special, they're doing the same **** thing everybody else is. Which is breeding and selling a dog. It is animal-rightsey language. It is moving from the idea of animals as property to animals as children. Personally, I want to keep them at the property end of the spectrum.

Yes that was way too much writing for the usage of just one term

Oh and PS. While I would encourage someone looking for just a pet to go to a shelter I wouldn't encourage them to take just any dog, a dog with behavior problems or anything like that, and I CERTAINLY don't think anyone should have to go to a shelter to get their dog. Do what floats your own boat.

^What she said.
I am so sick and tired of people telling me that I should just go to the shelter and get a small dog. "There are so many of them" Ok, yeah, that may be the case, but a lot of them are some kind of poo mix that I just have no desire to own. I am sure that there are a ton of other people that are looking for just that, but not me.

I told my husband that I either want a papillon or a crestie for our next dog and he is ok with that because he knows that I research out the wazoo, go and meet the breed, and have mulled many others over as well.

I am not trying to say anything against shelter mixes. My husband and I have rescued before and those have been some of the best dogs we've owned. Calli being one of them. On the other hand we have had some with severe behavioral problems that I don't want in my house right now with two small children.

Iam sorry, everyone keeps saying they are trying to avoid "behavior problems" with shelter dogs...what are we concerned about? I have never has a rescue bite without ALOT of provacation. Most other things are pretty workable.

Ok, well my cousin got a Golden from a rescue and it was fine for a month or so. While supervised, her 3 yo moved too quickly, too close to the dog and the dog bit the kid in the face. There may have been subtle signs that the dog had fear issues (I assume that was the problem) but my cousin didn't see them. I don't blame her at all.

This was from a golden rescue too so they had to have the dog in foster care beforehand, you'd think they would've seen something.

She told the rescue and they took the dog back and put it down. My cousin felt really bad and ended going back to the breeder of their last Golden and getting a puppy (which by the way is perfect with the kid).

My mom's dog bit from when we got him (16 weeks) if you grabbed his collar or in any way force him to do something, he would bite. He had resource guarding issues too. He still isn't "fixed" but no one has worked with him either. The rescue knew about this from fostering and told us he "could be difficult" and we did have a trial period with him. My mom fell in love with him despite the biting.

I agree that most shelter dogs are just good ol' dogs but you do have to be careful. For instance I am confident I could go to a shelter and pick out a good, stable pet dog. But some people don't recognize even basic dog behavior ie, petting the dog and the ears are pinned back and the whites of the eyes are showing, lip licking etc.

I have had purebreds and mixed breeds. I have worked at a shelter. I will rescue in the future. My next dog, however, will be from a reputable breeder. I have specific wants in my next dog. I have a pet store chihuahua already. Next I want a chi from a reputable breeder, a chi who looks like a chi. I won't feel guilty about it either.

IMO it's really responsible to get what you want in a dog, even if that means buying a dog from a breeder rather than saving one from a shelter. Having as much compatibility as possible with the dog you own is often what keeps dogs from being dumped when things don't "work out" in the first place.

I am very pro-rescue, and like I said I will go to a shelter or rescue when it's right for me.

Not all shelter dogs have "issues." I also think, when you're in the right place, working through those potential issues is extremely worth it.

:hail::hail::hail:

I do agree, that the idea of monetary value shouldn't necessarily be removed from that situation, and you're right, it absolutely is a price. I do wonder if saying that type of language is pandering to AR activists is too much, however.. I don't really think that's happening. Meh, maybe there is middle ground somewhere.

I agree...

^^^Yep, I agree with that, too. I think of an adoption fee as when you make a donation or whatever or back up the price of shots/neuter of the dog at a shelter. Not when you buy a dog from a breeder.

I won't comment on the rest of it, but i LOVE the OP!

Abby, in a word. Abby does not bite, but stable and good she is not. Abby has cost us probably twice what Harper has cost, not that it should ever be a factor.

But, that's what people are afraid of and I don't blame them.

People SHOULD know the risks of getting a shelter dog, JUST Like they should know the risks of a breeder dog.

Had Abby been in another home, one with kids especially, she would have been bounced around because of her behavior issues.

She happened to luck into a home that does not have kids or alot of activity, so that allows her to have a schedule with which she is somewhat comfortable.