Why do people still breed cats & dogs when there are so many homeless animals already?

Question

It makes me sick when I hear about people profiting from breeding animals while adding to the out-of-control homeless pet population in the United States. There are so many great pets waiting for homes in shelters that have less of a chance because people insist on breeding animals. Does anyone else see these breeders as selfish people out to make a buck at the expense of our country's homeless pets?

I have adopted: 2 dogs, 2 ferrets, and 2 birds from animal shelters and every animal I ever have will be adopted from a shelter!! I think it is justifiable to say that breeders contribute to the homelss pet population because for every animal that is bought from a breeder, one less animal is adopted from a shelter.

I’ve spent several years working and/or volunteering at Humane Societies, and I can’t help but be angry at the fact that there are people deliberately producing more animals when there are so many already that end up being euthanized because they can’t find a home. I was harsh to make a generalized statement that breeders are, themselves, selfish. I’m sure many quality pets have been produced by responsible and caring breeders. But I think it’s out of control- I think it’s time to stop breeding and let the demand catch up with the supply. There are other ways to make a living.

I whole-heartedly agree that pet owners should be responsible and spay/neuter their pets to control the pet population. But what kind of sense does it make to say that and then turn around and say, “but go ahead and breed animals if you want.” Some statistics to consider:
“Each day 10,000 humans are born in the U.S., and each day 70,000 puppies and kittens are born. As long as these birth rates exist, there will never be enough homes for all the animals.” Source: Spay USA
“The public acquires only 14% of its pets from shelters; 48% get their pets as strays, from friends, from animal rescuers, 38% get their pets from breeders or pet stores.” Source: The Humane Society of the United States
“Over $2 billion is spent annually by local governments to shelter and ultimately destroy 8-10 million adoptable dogs and cats due to shortage of homes” Source: Business Wire Features

Answer 1

I agree 100% It's a sad thing. The best thing you can do is adopt a pet from a shelter. That's where mine came from, and they're the best!

Answer 2

Well, there are several reasons.
Breeders are not neccasarily selfish people.
Some people only occupation is a breeder.
Sorry but, It takes money to survive in america.
That hippy-**** is old & that why there are many homeless PEOPLE.
And when it comes to some one starving or an animal out on the street, let the animal wander. May be harsh, but it's true.
And people don't always want animals that have been abandoned. Some aren't trained & are to the age where it would take lots and lots and lots and LOTS of constant work, some are jaded & not good with all types of people, and some are so traumatized by being on the streets that they will only continue to scavage through the owners garbage - Which by the way, waking up to a dumped out trash can all over the kitchen floor is a *****.
And my aunt breeds weimers, she's not selfish - Shes trying to provide for her family. Unfortunately her husband can't work because of a spinal injury & they don't have the money for a home nurse so she has to stay at home. Puts her in a tricky situation where she has to chose either working out of the house (so she doesn't seem selfish to dumbasses like you) and letting her husband very well possibly die, or staying in and taking care of him & making money in what ways she can.
So, look at it from the other side of the fence before you make snap judgements.

Answer 3

What easier way to make money than to buy a couple of dogs and sit back while they mate and make babies? And, as long as people are willing to pay out the big bucks just to have a "brand" name, people will keep breeding. I have a dachshound... pure bred, but, he adopted me at a humane society. Some heartless #*@*@8 person left him in a crate for almost a month with no food or water. There are also rescue organizations that deal with pure breds only and adopt them out at a very nominal fee. I wasn't looking for a pure bred when I went to the humane society. I was looking for a larger dog. But, my little guy won my heart, and although a lot of people had their names on the list to get him, I made sure I beat them to him. The sad thing is, there are a lot of breeders out there that don't care how many times they breed a dog, or if they breed them with their own pups. There should be very strict guidelines on the industry, but you still have the private parties that don't fall under those guidelines, it seems. Yes, I agree that these breeders are selfish people out to make a quick buck at the expense of homeless animals. But, they couldn't do it if there wasn't a large demand for them. In a way, it's about status. It's about show. Look at the celebs that are walking around with pure breds (Paris Hilton, for example). People see her and think they have to have the same kind of dog. I did volunteer work at a no kill shelter. They had min pins and other pure breds that got dumped. To adopt one, someone would only have to pay $100, which includes shots, spay/neuter, chips, the whole works. Much more reasonable than $300-400. So why don't people go there and adopt? Who knows. If you can figure people out and why they do what they do, you might have the answer.

Answer 4

BYB contribute to animals in animal shelters (backyard breeders) a reputable and ethical breeder requires a spay/neuter contract for dogs who don't fit the breed standard and have a return only contract. so the dog will never end up in a shelter no matter how old it is it is returned to the breeder. Breeders like this charge top dollar for there dogs and if a person is going to pay that for a dog then they really want that breed and are most likely not going to adopt from a shelter anyways. Not all breeders are bad its the ones who are doing it for the money that are. People who do it for the breed by being very praticular in what dogs they breed and nowing the genetic flaws are the good breeders. Breeders who are dedicated to the breed standard and eliminating breed problems for instance in cocker spaniels hip dysplasia has been reduced dramatically due to good breeding however they still have 15 hereditary eye disorders and proness to deafness. A reputable breeder woudl breed sound dogs. Pure breed shelter dogs are a result of BYB

Answer 5

I know it seems that way, but you also have to look at who you are against. Of course, I am against puppy mills and backyard breeders, but I believe that a registered reputable breeder is good for the dog population. They produce well-tempered, healthy, happy dogs. I know it seems that way, but breeders aren't just out there to up the animal population. The truth is, you never know what you're getting when you go to the pound. I got a puppy in early december from a pound in Tennessee. She was the exact dog I was looking for, small with some Australian Shepherd in her. She came to me spayed (a bad idea at her size) and apparently sick because she died 3 days later. The truth is, some people need that reassurance. It's just like asking married people not to have any more kids because there are so many pregnant or single moms out there. Just because a birth was intentional doesn't mean it's bad and aimed toward overpopulation... We all belong, regardless of who our parents are, what race we are, etc. That's the same with animals.

EDIT: One bred puppy does NOT take the place of a shelter dog. It all depends on the dog, not where they happen to be. I don't care how destitute a dog is if it's vicious, I won't adopt it. However, if I find a querky style unusual looking sweet and spunky dog, no matter where or what kind it is, I'll adopt it.

Answer 6

the breeders are not the evil that is amongst the public

they breed for the simple reason that they love the kind of dogs that they breed and selling the excess ,and because there is a market amongst the public ,so the market is also responsible .
just as the market for cheap labor demands Mexicans
the blame is always spread around .

But what you say is of course true ,animal shelters and similar institutions all over the world are full of unwanted dogs .

many include good breed dogs .and people should go there first if they want to do something positive for society and more important ,for the animals .many are killed at the end of the day-
but many people like to have papers ,so that they in turn will have valuable puppies .and go to breeders for that reason.

and far too many people buy pets and then discard them if they become inconvenient .often in cruel ways

also there should be stricter control on the birthrate of animals ,this also applies to people ,there is a food crisis waiting in the near future.

nobody is as selfish as the governments ,whose motives are control ,not the well being of the public
guess the public learns from them

Answer 7

I guess I don't understand how breeders are adding to the out of control homeless pet population. Breeders find homes for their animals..they're not ending up on the streets.
Breeders are not selfish people looking to make a buck at the expense of the homeless pets (okay, not the good ones anyway). Most breeders have a genuine love for the breeds that they have.

I do agree that some breeders are the EXTREME that you talk about, but not all of them..that's actually a pretty prejudice thing to say....and how many shelter animals do you own by the way?

Answer 8

I understand what you are saying, and I agree with your opinion when it comes to puppymills. However, what about the really good reputable breeders? There are people out there that breed the dogs to maintain the integrity of the breed itself. Most dogs were originally bred for a purpose, and have specific traits/characteristics that are expected when choosing that breed. Yes, they sell some of their dogs, and they do make money, but they also take tons of time showing the dogs, training them, and raising them to be the type of pets we want in our homes. If the breeders stop breeding the dogs, then we will all eventually own a pit bull mix as that is what most of the dogs are at the shelters.

I totally agree that the shelter situation is extremely sad, and I encourage everyone to adopt a pet from the shelters. I have one dog from a shelter, but also a purebred Powderpuff that I got from a breeder.

A reputable breeder will screen adoptive family, have a contract that requires spay/neuter of pets that are not intended to be bred by a licensed breeder, and will make sure that only the best dogs are sold to be bred, thus to ensure the highest quality health, characteristics, temperament, etc.

Instead of bashing the breeders, why not direct your anger at the irresponsible pet owners that refuse to spay/neuter their pets and let them run wild. Or the people that abuse and neglect their pets after they get them, so they can eventually end up back at the shelters.

Answer 9

People breed cats and dogs for 2 reasons.
1. To create pure breed breeds or to create new specialized breeds of cats or dogs. These animals are breed by well off people and are only sold to other people that can take good care of the animals.
2. Puppy and Kitty mills to raise money. The typical puppy mill has a group of dogs that are living in cages, possibly standing in their own wastes. They don't run or play they are only breed to make new puppies to be sent off to pet stores.

People want kitties or puppies because they think the young ones will be easier to live with, if you take in account the house breaking though they really are not. Cats are easier to house break as far as going to the bathroom, but they love to sharpen their claws on the furniture and people's legs.

Most dogs and cats in the animal shelter are from homes that couldn't take care of them or were abandoned on the street. Fewer cats are of this category because they can turn feral (no longer domestic and afraid of humans) so quickly.

I agree with you that more animals need to be adopted from the animal shelters, especially those shelters that put their animals to sleep. It is so much better to get an animal from a shelter than from the pet store. Most of the pets you find in a pet store are from puppy or kitty mills and their parents live in filth and are abused with no human contact and only the minimum of care.

It is true that some animals have problems, but the SPCA checks every incoming animal to weed out those that have problems that can't be dealt with by normal people. Unfortunately a lot of these animals have to be destroyed, and more often than not their bad behavior is due to abuse from humans.

Breeders who work with pure breeds may seem like better breeders and more responsible pet owners but there is a huge problem of inbreeding in them. The Kennel Association has set the standards for various breeds and when a person shows an animal they have to conform to those standards. So breeders breed their animals to their sisters and daughters or at best their first cousins. The reason why this is bad is because a genetic deficiency is locked into the breed and with successive inbreeding the problems get only worse. But, at least all the animals they breed are given to good homes and are pampered and cared for all their lives.

Puppy Mill breeders deserve their own special level in hell. They abuse the animals they breed and often their product is disease ridden because of improper care.

Answer 10

Breeding started long ago when humans realized that animals could be bred for certain traits...hunting, speed, etc. Now that we have automatic transportation and have developed farming and raising animals for meat, we've have negated our reliance on animals for hunting, travelling or farming.
The traditions are thousands of years old, and I am sick of it too. It's a status thing, a way to brag about your position in life to tell someone you spent 2000 on a dog. I am sick of our spending economy, especially when I see that Americans spend millions, even billions, of dollars on horses, cats, dogs, etc. and can't find a way to feed and shelter all the poor kids in this country. So many people out there let their cats and dogs run wild that strays are going to be a problem until we become a lot more stringent with laws about owning pets.

Answer 11

Profit and ignorance.

There are some breeders who breed alot of dogs at once and don't care about the mother's health. They just worry about getting the best pups to slap a $500 add in the paper for purebreds. Other breeders take good care of their dogs or even breed one or two family dogs - they just happen to be ignorant of pet overpopulation.

Although this really makes me sad, seeing your question and all of the answers makes me glad to see the awareness of this growing problem. I've adopted 3 dogs from shelters and fostered 1, and that's where I will adopt all of my dogs in the future.