Do you agree with breeding?

Question

What are your thought on breeding? (any animal)

I think it is OK if you breed purebred animals because they are easy to home. But I do not agree with breeding crossbreeds because it just adds to the overpopulation of homeless mutts in Rescues.

Your thoughts?

psych - lol thanks for calling me naive!! Gawd the reason I made this question was to learn WHY people agreed and disagreed with breeding. I may not know what goes on in the breeding world - it isn't my fault! I didn't realise they killed puppies.
Dalmatians aren't prone to obesity, they are prone to deafness. We had ONE litter (not my decision, my parents!) and all 7 puppies were tested for deafness.

Answer 1

There's idiots... and then there's respectable, responsible breeders.

Unfortunately the idiots far outnumber the good breeders.

Personally, I'm working to become a good breeder myself... or I wouldn't be spending approximately $4000 on the health checks and the time needed to make my dog a good contribution to the great dane breed.

It has nothing to do with being easy to home, per se. It has everything to do with preserving your chosen breed in the best possible health you can provide.

Get ready to get the screeching 'YOU ARE A MURDERER IF YOU BREED!' stuff from these 'volunteers' at these shelters. I volunteered at a shelter too, quite often. I never saw a single puppy or dog from a responsible breeder die within those godawful kennels. Why? Because the responsible breeder keeps track of their dog after it leaves... and the moment they're in a pound, they go and find them and bring them back home.

Responsible breeders are not to blame for shelters murdering puppies when they've got open runs (and yes, they do it. Quite often. I've seen it a LOT, and shelter workers, DON'T YOU DARE TRY TO DENY IT. YOU KNOW IT HAPPENS!). Backyard breeders are. People need to learn the difference.

And as for india and those that say we do it for money? I'd love to see you turn a profit on 5-10 puppies at $1000 each (very hard to sell) when you've invested $20,000+ in the parents. You're referring to backyard breeders. I have no interest in the money... I want to breed because I -love- great danes. I love them desperately, and if my boy's certifications come back in the condition they were originally done in when he was a pup? He'll be bred to a girl just as good as him... and forty years down the line, their great grandpups will be just as healthy, I hope.

Answer 2

I can only speak about rabbits, and cats. Rabbit breeding is really easy but (I volunteer at a very large rabbit rescue) we get calls every couple of weeks saying that 150+ rabbits have been found in a shed, two to a pet carrier stacked on top of another in filthy conditions, where the owner was breeding for pet stores but they were breeding faster than they were selling. Pure breed owners will ( if the 'stock' is not the right colour/size etc) send them for live hawk food or to be made into animal food ( dogs/cat food) . There are over 30,000 unwanted rabbits per year that end up in rescues and many more who are just dumped or killed. Some breeders will also just shoot those that don't conform. As for cats, much the same. but as an owner who could not get a cat from a rescue as I was too close to a main road, I had to go for a breeder but did pick the ugly one/tiny one ( my way of rescuing) She is now 11 yrs old, and healthy so I can see both sides of the coin, but would never buy from a breeder as they do only do it for money, not for love. Pure breeds as it happens have more money spent at the vets than cross breeds ( approx 42%more) as they are more prone to illness and disease. I will never buy from a breeder or pet shop ever again as they can't guarantee the sex, or health of the animal whereas rescues will have done all the checks and some even offer 6 weeks free pet insurance. Don't support breeding as this leads to many ending up in rescues when owners can't afford the vet fees or cope with the disabilities theses pure breds get.

Answer 3

I have let my Sheepies breed on a couple of occasions, but I have all the proper equipment and plenty of space. Its a lot of work for both the mum and myself as its like having a baby around. You have to be there for feeding and your never done washing the dirty bedding and cleaning out the whelping box, and watching out for the pups in general. You have to be sure the pups are going to a good home and if the people are not the right ones in your mind then you can't be afraid to say no. All my litters are registered with the Kennel Club and each pup has a vet health check before it goes to its new home. I keep in touch with all of the homes who I let have a pup, and I am always there for help and advice 24/7.Some times you need to take a pup back to re home it if there are problems and the people can't cope after all. Its a big commitment and you must follow it through.

Answer 4

With dogs and cats the reasons against are good as with the purer a dog or cat becomes the chances of genetic disorders such as hip displacia and spinal problems become greater (in dogs) but the reasons against are also good because a non-pedigree animal will fetch less at market and not be as regarded by its owners in most (ignorant) cases. With birds the case is dodgy as many crossbreed birds have very severe problems in later life and most crossbreeds do not survive. Let us stop breeding new animals and care for the abandoned and mistreated animals already around.

Answer 5

In light of the fact that both pedigree and non pedigree dogs and cats fill rescues across the country it is time to bring in some sort of licencing system .I don't think it is an animal problem but a money one...why should anyone be charging thousands for a dog or cat that should be part of a loving family, the moment money and status became the priority the animals welfare did not matter.The latest trend for designer little dogs dressed in clothes is totally unacceptable and really annoys me,but it highlights peoples ignorance in what it involves to own a pet.If only licenced and registered people could breed animals controlled possibly by the vets or rspca and police(the law has to be improved)the animals will always be exploited and abandoned pedigree or not.

Answer 6

Responsible breeding is fine, breeders do their best to breed good typical healthy examples of their breed & take responsibility for life for the animals they have produced. Most importantly they only sell to people they think will be responsible in their turn - unfortunately it's not foolproof & when things go wrong, the responsible breeder takes back the animal.
Ignorant people who breed without a clue what they are doing & with no idea of the commitment they should be making are the ones who cause the problems.

Answer 7

If nobody was breeding at all, then there wouldn't be any dogs and the world would be a poorer place for it.
I've got nothing against breeding itself, I object when its done shoddily by people who don't know what they're doing, and I object to puppy farming.
Even well bred litters have malformed pups, its sad but true, it doesn't always go well. But thats real life.
People who take responsibility for what they're doing aren't the problem; whether they're buying a pup for a pet or breeding.
I think what we need is a reliable source of information that people can turn to for advice rather than a witchunt. It can be a bit difficult for first time owners to get reliable, impartial advice about which sort of dog to get, where to get it from and how to look after it. I'd also like people to think about whether they can be suitable owners before they buy!

Answer 8

I perfer pure breeds with all animals, particularly horses. However this can be an expensive exercise with cattle, I always use a pure breed bull but my hefers are all mixed up. Plus F1's are the most effective for weight gain.

Most people are talking about dogs... with dogs I like pure breeds but in my case I am looking for a hunting dog and I am forced to cross breed to get my "all round" dog.

Answer 9

I dont believe in breeding for animal testing i dont believe ppl should make money out of it if they dont really care about the animal i think if it a business and they check on the baby's after they been re home 2 make sure they care for etc then yes i think it a gd idea but just breeding for fun is just wrong

Answer 10

I'm against captive breeding of...well, pretty much everything.

Here's my reasoning, since you're interested: it's unnecessary. So many animals are bred each year and if you breed something, someone will buy it. (Don't get me started on buying animals - they're lives, not possessions and certainly worth more than money!) Even with the best will in the world, you can't tell whether that person will get bored of the animal and sell it on, or if they might die suddenly and then the next door neighbour has to look after it. Pretty soon it just gets passed on from person to person like a book or toy, and mistreated and neglected and eventually abandoned. I would say this happens more in exotic animals (about 60%, I'd say, more with certain species) than dogs and cats (still about 10%+). But no matter how high the percentage, there shouldn't be a single animal on this planet that is unhappy because of us. But there are millions of them! The only solution is to stop breeding and allow time for people who want animals to rescue them instead of buying fresh ones.

Here's food for thought: there are more barn owls in captivity than in the wild in England. They are not falconry birds. The only reason someone would want one is as a pet (unless it's a falconry centre). These are the worst pets you could possibly have, and they quickly get abandoned. In the small sanctuary where I work, we have 5 of these, and we get calls all the time about them.

In every 10 tigers bred in captivity, 1 will survive past its first birthday.

As for dogs and cats...well, it's not hard to find puppies for sale, or even free to a good home. And some pedigree dogs just make me squirm. A dog isn't some plaything that you buy to match your curtains. It's already been mentioned the defects you get from inbreeding. If you want a dog just because it looks like a giant paintroller, or because its eyes are almond shaped...well, to me that's not what owning a dog is about. I know someone who bought a pedigree Birman cat, but was too late to buy his sister. His sister was shown, but then - horror of horrors - she developed a pink nose! The man who showed her immediately got rid of her. How shallow and obsessive is that?

I'm not against animals in captivity, but I am against how selfish we are in buying and selling an animal as if it was a car, and just breeding more and more until they overflow into rescue homes.

I can go on and on about this, partly because it's my job, but I think you have enough information now.

If the same thing was happening with humans in the US or UK, there would be uproar.