Why do some people still breed their pets?

Question

With all the dogs (millions) dying in shelters every year because of not enough homes, why do some.....people..... still insist on breeding their pets? When only 1 dog in 10 gets a permanent home, why do they still do backyard breeding? Someone please tell me. Why?

Please be aware, about 25% of the dogs in shelters are purebred.

Also akc papers does not mean a dog is breeding quality.

This is a hard one to pick best. Skillet, Kelly C,Karen S, Princess & Eteqit2002 (I like your attitude) I wish I could pick you all. Ontario Ashley, Hex913, Iyamacog, Linnie & KateT, you are all on the right track too. S_Silly is just that and MJ needs educating on the subject, badly. Sal & Doldaggdbuzz, you both sound like bonifide responsible breeders, not the backyard variety. You are not the ones I have an issue with. It is the people that breed just for the sake of breeding, AKC does not mean breeding quality. Just because fido is cute does not mean he needs to make shelter pups and just because fluffy is so darn sweet doesn't mean she needs to make more pups to end up in shelters. There are too many dogs born. It is as simple as that. Spaying & neutering our pets would help the problem. All of my pets (1 dog, 4 cats) are rescues and there is not a baby maker amoung them. Some people don't realize the snowball effect. One litter of pups escalates to a whole bunch of dogs.

Answer 1

I cannot believe some of the responses to this question! Some of them are so irresponsible!Here are some facts:Most people are surprised to learn that we have a very large pet overpopulation problem here in the United States. There are so many animals born DAILY that it boggles the mind! This is a nightmare problem that doesn’t ever seem to get better. The Humane Society of the United States estimates that there are over 70,000 puppies and kittens born every twenty-four hours. That is a whole lot of babies! To even attempt to place those numbers of animals is impossible. There are about seven animals to every human born. The sad fact is that just is not possible to place them all.
Every year over 20 million animals end up in a shelter. Over 15 million of them are killed (euthanized is the nice term). Of those animals 61% of the dogs and 75% of the cats are killed. Very few of these are claimed and there are many more that die from disease, starvation, animal attacks and cars! Anyone who sees these facts must agree that not neutering an animal is contributing to mass cruelty and irresponsibility!

Many people feel that neutering an animal is cruel, it isn’t. The fact is that it is actually much healthier and more beneficial to your animal.
Benefits to your pet after neutering mean that females have less chance of ovarian cancer or uterine infections if it is done before their first "heat". Each cycle they experience increases the chances of illness greatly, as much as ten times each! The other benefit is that you will not have to clean up the mess which happens during her cycle! The behavior benefits mean that your pooch or feline will be calmer and more reliable. You also won’t have to bat the male dogs or cats away and deal with the fence climbing, dirt digging, fence destroying mongrels or yowling, prowling, spraying and fighting tom cats!
Neutering your pet is just as important! It takes only one escape to find a female and become a villain of pet overpopulation. One cat and her kits will produce over 420,000 cats in about seven years! Males who are neutered have less of a desire to roam, fight, mark and be destructive. They also have less problems with the prostate gland and testicular cancer. From a behavioral standpoint, neutered animals are more reliable, stable and have about sixty percent (60%) less problems than those left "intact."
Veterinarians are now able to neuter animals at younger ages, some as early as two to four months of age! Traditionally, most veterinary offices will perform this procedure at six months. It is cheaper and easier to neuter the younger animals as many clinics will charge by weight.
You have a choice to make, be part of the SOLUTION, or part of the PROBLEM!!

Answer 2

Oh my god, people are so ignorant sometimes...grrr...
there was a person who answered this question above me who said she did it becasue she "wanted to" and seemed all offended. She said she was an animal lover and was responsible. She said that she didn't even breed her dog for the sake of making purebreds. So basically, what she was saying, is that she bred her dog for absolutely NO REASON other than to add more mixed breed dogs to the already overpopulated world...If she had not added more dogs to the world, a few more dogs could have been saved from euthanasia at a shelter. That is irresponsible dog ownership and the exact reason that so many animals die everyday.

If you are a true animal lover you will spay and neuter your pets and adopt animals from the shelter.

And people can get purebreds at shelters so you can't use the excuse that you wanted a purebred dog.

And also, you can't use the excuse that shelter dogs are too big for kids like someone previously did becasue if you had ever been to a shelter you would find all different sizes, temperments and breeds of dogs. There is a right dog for everybody at the shelters if you look hard enough.

(However if you are a dedicated breeder looking to better or carry on a certain purebred dog, then that is different...that is not ignorance. When people breed because they like puppies, or because they want money or something like that, THAT is ignorance.)

Answer 3

I breed Siberian Huskies because I want to maintain and try to better the breed. A lot of people are in to shows and competition. That is what they do. I breed to maintain a quality dog and to do that is very expensive, there are tests, certifications, DNA samples to take and register, eye scans, also to register with an accredited club ie: AKC, ISCA, SHCA.

There are Government regulations, county restrictions, licenses, inspections. This isn't a go get a couple dogs and let them have puppies and make some money - this is being dedicated to a specific breed and it is very hard work.

Reputable breeders will give a 2-5 yr health guarantee - which basically tells you they are confident in their pups health.

I believe in spaying or neutering - I also believe people have a right to breed dogs, most breeders follow strict guidelines and ethic obligations.

If you take and spay and neuter every dog, cat, etc.. in the world - in 20 years people will be on here begging people to help them find any kind of pet. They'll all be gone. Then what?

Answer 4

MOST dog in shelters are mixes. 25% purebred sounds like some made up number from the HSUS or PeTA.

But even to use this number would mean that 75% (most) are mixes. How about getting angry at the people who allow their pets to roam and breed indiscriminately. Why isn't anybody ever raging about the people who are responsible for the 75%? Why does everybody get angry with PB breeders because the pet owning public are to STUPID and LAZY to manage their animals?

The overpopulation problem (and the dog attack problem) could be easily controlled if AC would just ENFORCE LEASH LAWS! It is not brain surgery, it is rather simple.

But, oh, thats right! You ARs don't want to look at real solutions, you just want to wail about the problems...


And yes, I DO look at my dogs with $$$ in my eyes! I pour all my time and money into my dogs. I look at them and think, jeez you guys are expensive.... good thing I love them!


KAREN - don't quote the AR lunatics as a reputable source of statistics of any kind. Their statistics mean absolutely nothing, much of it is lies, or at the very least a twisting of the truth.

Answer 5

Because they are ignorant about how many dogs die each year from euthanisation in shelters also they do it for money and dont care what happens to the dog also they are too cheap too get thier dog spayed/neutered or just to irresponsible keep them away from other dogs if they arent fixed. Also breeders like to fool themselves into thinking that all thier responibly bred puerbreed dogs arent getting dropped of at shelters or used in mills, and also because the just plain make alot of money off of it. I dont think anyone should breed dogs even the Purebred ones there are too many that need homes. When the Human society asked for a voluntary moratorium on breeders they all freaked out and tried to blame the pet over population on owners of mutt dogs and they all refused to stop breeding thier dogs until all the dogs in shelters got homes. Why?? MONEY MONEY MONEY and IGNORANCE or CARELESSNESS or just plain CHEAP and IRRESPONSIBLE

Also why do people say its ok to breed purebred dogs but not mutts?? THAT IS SIMPLY HYPOCRITICAL BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PUREBRED DOGS AFTER THEY ARE SOLD AND CANNOT CONTROL WHAT PEOPLE DO WITH THEM WHERE DO THESE PEOPLE THINK THAT BYBS AN PUPPY MILLS GET THE PUREBREDS THEY ARE EXPLOITING???? geez that makes me so mad you cant have a double standard...it makes no sense. I could just as easily say I am breeding mutts to improve thier health and standardize thier appearance that still doesnt make it right!! All breeds and all mutts are put to death everyday because there arent enough homes!!!!

Answer 6

Please don't clump respectable, intelligent, hard-working people in with "backyard breeders". If everyone stopped breeding dogs right now, there would be no more dogs. That's not terribly realistic, either, is it?

I *never* have unwanted puppies. I have a waiting list of wonderful homes before I even *think* about producing a litter. I have them sign a contract stating that if the dog is not cared for properly (medically and emotionally), that I can reclaim said puppy. Also in this contract, among other things, is the statement that if they must ever give up the dog for any reason, I have the legal right to buy it back first.

I keep in constant touch with all of my puppies' families to be sure that this is enforced. To this day, I have not had to reclaim one puppy. I know all of my puppies by name, and all of their people by first names. I have, and will maintain a 100% placement rate, or I will quit. As it is, for the area I live in, and the breed that I deal with, any "extra" puppies would be very quickly spoken for. I had one, once. It was a large litter. It was the only ad I have ever had to place for my puppies. (Most of the people I deal with are return clients of my mentor's.) This puppy was spoken for one day after I placed a local ad and did the interview. He was two weeks old at that point. (If for some horrible reason, the 12 other people that called about him weren't good homes, I would have kept him myself.) And voila! I have 12 people to interview for the next litter, a year or so later! I've had some people wait two years.

Many people just don't know what it takes to do it the right way, or understand the ethical reasons to do it or to *not* do it. There are solutions, and they will be put in place some day... Until then, we just have to keep directing people to shelters and rescues, which I do all the time. Even at the top of my dog website, the most prominent feature is the link to Petfinder.com, with strong encouragement to adopt an older dog. I am *in no way* in search of homes for my puppies. They find me en masse... I just have to sort through them.

Edit: And by the way, I don't make a penny of profit. I only charge enough for my puppies to pretty much break even. Every cent goes back into my program for (very large) vet bills, dog food, equipment, training, registrations, tests, etc. If you know a rich 'dog breeder', report them. They're doing something underhanded...

If you do get a dog from a shelter or rescue, yo cannot research the dog's temperament, health, or past traumas. A good breeder gives you all of this information when you call them for a puppy, and also provides you with *documentation* to prove that lineage. When you get a dog from a shelter, you often don't know what you are getting. Some people are willing to cope with that issue, and others are not. That is a personal choice, and a *very* important one. With a *GOOD* breeder, you can look at the dog's entire genetic make-up, sitting there in the living room with you, and know your chances of having a good dog or a nasty one, a sick one or a healthy one. It's funny that people don't yet understand this, in the golden age of genetic research.

Answer 7

Oh my gosh....You have touched on an issue that is near and dear to my heart. I agree with you 100%. There are so many animal shelters that offer a low cost spay/neuter program. There is NO excuse not to have your dog spayed or neutered. I try to be somewhat sympathetic to the pure bred breeders as I have known many that breed for the sheer, true love of the breed of their dog. The only problem I have with this is WHY do they not monitor where their dogs are going? Is that one dog going to be allowed to breed and breed? Are that dog's puppies going to be tied to a tree and left to be bred by stray dogs over and over? And what happens to THOSE puppies? It's a never ending breeding cycle and this is why our shelters are overrun and why so many animals are being euthanized before they even have a shot at a good home. It's such a sad, sad thing.

Answer 8

I have a female pitbull that I breed. Instead of concentrating on pet owners that breed their pets, why don't you concentrate on the thousands of animals that are being abused, neglected, "adopted" by bad people and even eaten in other countries.
I breed my dog because I WANTED TO. I wanted her to experience motherhood. I feel that as long as the owner is responsible then why should you care?
I breed my dog once (and not for reasons of having a pure breed because her babies were all mutts) and then I had my males fixed. I feel that it is a choice and should not be mandatory for owners to fix their animals. Most animal lovers are responsible.

If you feel so bad about this, go adopt some animals, take a few strays in and keep them as pets. DON'T TALK ABOUT IT, BE ABOUT IT!

Edited to add: Say what you want Skillet but people don't have to listen to you guys because you think it's senseless. If you read properly, you would see that I said, I breed my female once and then fixed my males. I breed my dog for personal reasons, not money (cause I didn't sell her pups) and not for pure breed status (cause she didn't mix with pittbull). You may think that was 'NO REASON' but I had my reasons. I wasn't offended in the least with this question. Everyone has a right to their opinion. When you come over to my house on a dialy basis and feed all four of my 100+ pound dogs, walk them daily, play with them, bathe them and show them love.....then you can have a say in what I do with my dog and her uterus.

Answer 9

Some people believe that it is the animal's right as an animal to be able to carry on its genes. It is how nature works...They think that it is in humane for humans to take away that right.

I,on the other hand, think that unless an animal has papers that detail their blood line it should be the law to get the animal fixed. That would start to bring down the pet population and prevent backyard breeding.

Answer 10

While there are a sad and pathetic number of animals in shelters that will probably not make it out, the sad fact is that most people want "purebreds" this is what drives the backyard breeders business, so if business is good, why quit? It makes me sick!