Have you ever walked through your animal shelter and seen how many wonderful dogs are there?

Question

And have you followed their progress, to see how many find homes or how many are euthanized because there are just too many dogs alive?
Have you seen the HBO special, out on video called "Shelter Dogs" by Cynthia Wade? http://www.shelterdogs.org/
I recommend you watch this before ever contemplating breeding any dog.

There are truly responsible breeders out there who care deeply about the welfare of any dog they breed and who will provide a home for any dog of their breeding for the entirety of the dog's life.

I have no issue with these people, as they have all had all the health checks done on their breeding dogs and breed responsibly. Lots of them also give back by doing rescue of their breed.

But people who think they are "responsible" breeders because a few of their friends want a puppy from them, or because some guy identitifies too much with his male dog's testicles and can't bear removing them.

Those are the people who should be forced to work at shelters and hold the dogs while the vet administers the pink juice to kill the dog. The "I have two litters of Dachsund Puppies" people who don't have a clue are the ones I have issues with.

People want/need dogs with specific qualities, that's why we need good, responsible breeders of purebred dogs. But responsible breeders have extensively researched their breed, the breeding process, bloodlines, health and temperament before even contemplating putting a female in heat with a male.

And the most striking hallmark of a responsible breeder? Being willing to take back any dog bred by them for the entirety of the dog's life.

All you backyard breeders, are you truly willing to take back an 8 year old dog with behavior problems just because you are the one responsible for it being alive? You should be.

Answer 1

I agree that there are too many wonderful dogs in the shelter, but expecting people, including reputable breeders, to stop breeding because of it is naive. People will still want a pure bred dog because they want to have a dog that is predictable. They want to be able to know what to expect. This is difficult, if not impossible from mixed breed "pound puppies." Not that I am saying that anything is wrong with a mixed breed or a pound puppy!

Also, it is really hard to find a small dog in the shelters and many times and many situations, medium and large dogs will just not fit with a family. In a perfect world all mixed breed dogs will have good homes and be fixed, and the only pure bred dogs will be bred by reputable breeders. Unfortunately, as long as there will be dogs as pets, we will still need shelters and we will still fight BYB and puppy mills.

**** I saw the posting about the "I have two litters of Dachsund Puppies" and I wanted to climb through the computer and slap them. You are right that any reputable breeder takes back any of their pups, at any age, before allowing it to go to rescue or the pound.

Answer 2

The problem is people are looking for puppies, so they go out and buy one. If these same people did a little research before getting a dog then the dogs in the shelters would not be there. It is NOT a pet overpopulation problem that we have going on it is a pet retention problem. People need to do more research before getting an animal this way they would know and understand what they are getting into when acquiring a dog, that alone would empty shelters faster than not breeding at all.

Actually, I do not breed at all ( I would not be able to give up the pups) I have been a whelping helper, I work with GSD rescue and it is not responsible reputable breeders that do bad placements it is BYB, mills and petstores that do not care where pups are placed all that they care about is money. (Any breeder who does not carefully screen potential owners and are not responsible for any and all dogs they created are not responsible or reputable) I have not seen too many puppies come through the rescue but I have seen a lot of young to middle aged adult dogs come through the rescue. This is why I say people need to be better educated BEFORE getting a dog.

Answer 3

Well if there WERE no pet breeders, where would JQP get there PB puppies? Show breeders breed less than 5% of all PB puppies and there is no way they can supply the demand for PB puppies.

Most shelter dogs are mixes (94% from a recent unbiased nation-wide study), meaning most were not bred on purpose, but rather result from irresponsible ownership. JQP is too stupid or lazy to properly care for their animal, and animal control won't enforce leash laws, and *THAT* is the cause of the problem! If the only dogs in shelters were some poorly bred PBs, we wouldn't have a problem at all!

Blame the ones responsible for the problem, the owners!


Fluffy said - "I support spaying and neutering programs for all dogs and cats."

Well, if *ALL* dogs and cats were S/N, they would become extinct! That is EXACTLY what the AR groups have in mind when they push mandatory S/N programs! Do you WANT the end of domestic pets??? *KNOW* what you are supporting!


You said - "All you backyard breeders"

I am not sure who you are referring to here, doesn't seem like there are ANY pet breeders even here. *I* breed for show/performance.

"are you truly willing to take back an 8 year old dog with behavior problems just because you are the one responsible for it being alive?"

Of course. But hopefully I am involved enough to circumvent behavior issues before they become a "problem".

Answer 4

Right on, girl! I rescued my dog. I will NEVER buy from a breeder or store.

I want to add the following for the post right above me:

You must be a breeder...German Shephards? My absolute favorite breed!!! I half way agree with your point. I would like to add that ALL breeders have a responsibility to ensure that the families that adopt the puppies are well suited for the type of dog. I've seen too many "good" breeders send their puppies off to unsuitable families.

Also, there ought to be a national law that bans the sale of puppies at pet stores.

Answer 5

Yes I have. Kinda hard to avoid, I work at the county pound. I've seen great dogs put down, great dogs returned from adoptive families, puppies with poor personalities picked over older dogs with wonderful ones because they're pups, and ones just too far gone in anger to be helped.

But realize something -- these dogs are coming from the 'breeders' out to make solely money, and these are the people who just don't care. No book, no video, no show, and no amount of days spent working a pound will make them stop and think.

Answer 6

Yes. All of our dogs and cats were rescued from a shelter except for two. The two were heading for a shelter though. A friend couldn't keep her dog because she came down with multiple sclerosis. So we adopted the dog and they get to visit.

And once I was walking the dog when one kitten of a crew of three ran over to us and was checking the dog out with no fear. I said, "Oh what a cute kitten!" And the woman said, "You want him? They're going to the pound in an hour." I took the kitten home.

I support spaying and neutering programs for all dogs and cats. Our neighborhood has a feral cat program. Volunteers trap the cats and take them to a vet so they can be "fixed."
Now if we can just get all of the people who have cats and dogs living with them to make the same trip!

Answer 7

Yes I have. My wife and I have rescued 3 dogs from the shelter. People may think I'm crazy but I really believe when you rescue a dog from the shelter they know your saving there life and pay you back by being the best pet . I'll never buy a dog ever

Answer 8

Yes, that's my Foxy's Alma Mater -- haven't watched "shelter
dogs" but have seen various news takes -- Foxy was a
couple of days from euthanasia, but she was the only one
I had room to take care of, tears you up knowing the fate of
her roommates. Agree and I do "spread the word"

Answer 9

Yes. I plan on working at our animal shelter as soon as they allow me to. Its truly awful. I always promote spaying and neutering of most animals, especially dogs.

Answer 10

It makes me want to cry when I go to pet stores or shelters.