BREEDING... your thoughts?

Question

I understand there has to be breeding of some sort or our beloved best friends would be extinct.
But even reputable breeders need to be regulated at this rate....

10 to 12 MILLION dogs and cats are euthanized annually.

192,308 per week

27,473 every 24 hours

25% are PURE- BRED

http://www.sniksnak.com/stop_s-n.html

How many people actually bring the dog back to the breeder when they decide it was an impulse purchase or for another reason? Not many, because it would be embarrassing. They end up reselling it.

Then you have the people who let their pure bred $1000 Snoopy out to potty and she ends up tying up with the neighborhood mutt. It happens everyday, therefore we have mixed breed mutts, and the cycle begins.

It would be nice if ALL breeders cared enough to put microchips in their puppies so they would get them back and have to take care of them if they ended up in a shelter. But unfortunately 90% of breeders are in for the money. Reputable breeders are rare.

I think Vets should step up and help. A lot of them do, but they could more. Like have a Nickel Neuter Day once a month for low income families. They would have to bring in their Tax Return from the previous year to prove they qualify. Another YA member posted yesterday she was gathering up all the stray cats she could find because they were having a Nickel Neuter day an hour away from where she lives, that is awesome and we need more Vets and people like her.

Yes STARK: apparently those type of Vets are rare. I have yet to come across one that pushed spay & neutering. Your office is doing a good thing by educating.

Answer 1

i think that people should have to get some sort of licence before they are leagally able to breed.

Answer 2

It is not reputable dog breeders that are the cause for the homelessness and euthanisia of millions of dogs. It is BYB and puppmills that are the cause of so many animals dying. Reputable breeders careful screen potential owners to ensure a good home. They also do not allow their pups, no matter how old they become, to end up in shelters, they always are willing to take them back. BYB and puppymills do want them back and are not ever willing to take them back, the only thing those types of breeders care about is cash and once the sale is over they do not care what happens to the puppy.
Another reason for the problem is the fact we live in a disposible society. People should not buy dogs as impulse purchases, thought and research should go into getting a dog. People get a dog and once the novelty wears off and they realize how much work and responsibility is involved with dog ownership, the get rid of it. Pets are for life, not just while they are small, cute and convenient. If people would keep pets for the duration of their lives we would not have such a pet overpopulation problem and the market for puppies would be dramatically reduced. It would also, stop puppymills and bybs from breeding because if they could not make money off of the dogs, they would quit breeding.
I do not think regulation by the government is a good or wise choice and should be avioded. If we ask the government to solve all our problems, we may not like the outcome but then it will be too late.
We need to educate people about dogs and their care and teach them that dogs are for life.

Answer 3

There are also puppy millers out there who produce "pure-bred's" and belive it or not ther are some of us out here who are reputable breeders. Those of us who take the time to show our dogs in confirmation and ensure that they are worthy of breeding (which by the way can cost several $1000 if you live in a very competetive area). We do take our dogs back and have contracts with the owners that state as such and we keep in touch with those owners to make sure that the dogs are safe. Most reputable breeders rarely make money on their litters what with the cost of championships, stud fees, vet bills and everything else. You may want to speak to a few before you go passing judgement on them. I know of quite a few who are very careful on their placements and have taken many dogs back from their first and or second homes in order to rehome them to another home. These were cases where illness or other things came up and the dogs were returned to the breeder. Yes I think overpopulation is a problem but until you can target the real problem of the puppy millers and the back yard breeders throwing any dog together and breed litter after litter. For the record any reputable breeder only breeds any particular female between 1-3 in her lifetime. Does that really sound like we are the problem?

Answer 4

The dogs that end up in shelters are usually from backyard breeders that are only in it for the money or people that failed to have their pet spayed or neutered. A responsible and ethical breeder has a contract that prevents one of their beloved pups from ever facing that fate. Any good breeder will require that you return the dog to them or let them approve the new family if you ever have to give up your puppy. We do need to do something about the homeless dog problem. Its horrible. Until every breeder and pet owner abides by the ethics of dog breeding the problem will exist. I personally think that education is the key. The more people know the better. You will always have people that don't care and are just in it to make a buck. Most of the time those pups will have health problems and when they do report that breeder to the better business bureau and to the registry. Do what you can and we as responsible breeders will do what we can.

Answer 5

I work in Doberman rescue and in the 10 years I have done rescue, we have only had 2 dogs come into the rescue from repuatable breeders. Those breeders were tracked through the microchip and contacted and immediately came and got the dogs. Almost all of our rescue dogs come from puppymills or BYBs. The responsible breeders are not the problem at all and in fact, if not for them, there would be no quality dogs at all. The responsible ones regulate themselves and do not cause problems, it is the irresponsible ones that are causing all the shelter over crowding and over population.
I agree that some regulation needs to happen, but there needs to be a way that the reputable ones aren't punished in the process. What that solution is, I don't know, but all I know is that I don't want the good breeders to be pushed out of the business because of so many bad regulations.

Answer 6

Resonsible breeders are very careful who they sell to. They do microchip all puppies plus register the chip before the pups are sold. They also keep in touch with the buyer after pups are sold. The breeder is aware of issues and wil lhelp resolve and despite what you posted..people indeed do bring back pups to the responsible breeder if it doesn't work out..no embarrassment involved.
Responsible breeders only make up @ 10% of all breeders out there so unfortunately that leaves a high number of breeders who don't breed in a responsible manner.

Answer 7

I rescued a Chihuahua 7 weeks ago. When I got the call I was told she was fat, spayed, hated men, hated kids, hated dog food and was lazy. When we picked her up, we took her to Petco to get a leash and collar for her and some food (I have 2 big dogs didnt think she could handle their stuff) my fiance put her on the ground and I noticed right away she was pregnant. Our vet confirmed it in the morning. So my fat spayed chi turned out to be a fat pregnant chi who loves men and kids and eats dog food. We found out the people who had her were BYB's so I had them shut down. I think they dumped her because her pups are not purebred chi's. Her labor was difficult and I had to assist with 2 of the pups. We are lucky to have 3 survivors from a litter of 4 pups.We have her spay scheduled for when the pups are weaned and all 3 pups who are 3 weeks old now have homes for when they turn 12 weeks WITH a contract stating they must be returned to ME if ever unwanted.I agree, we need to shut down BYB's and have stricter laws regarding breeding but I do not think we will ever get rid of this problem. I work at a nature center, I'm a naturalist and I cant tell you how many times I have found kittens, cats, rabbits and puppies dumped into the woods. Just dumped because people wont spay and neuter. In Milwaukee where I am the humane society does the surgery for $10.00.....thats it. 10 bucks. And yet people would rather spend that elsewhere. AND if you tell them you dont have the 10 they do it FREE

Answer 8

I think the veterinarians should play a role in educating EVERYONE who comes in with a puppy or intact dog about breeding. I work at a vet clinic, and this is what we do. Once we explain how much work actually goes into breeding and puppy care they are quick to get their pet spayed or neutered. The only problem we run into is men with male dogs. They tend to be very against neutering. We educate them every time they come in, and explain the health benefits of getting their dog neutered. Most of them comply and get their pet neutered also.

I work at a very small privately owned veterinary practice, so it would be absolutely Impossible for us to have a nickel spay and neuter day. We would just lose too much money. But the Humane Society in our area does very low cost spays and neuters all the time, and that is where we refer people, if they can't afford to get it done. I wish we could do nickel spay and neuter days, but if we did, we would all be out of a job. But it IS very Important for veterinarians to educate owners on breeding and pet over population. I can't believe there are veterinarians out there who aren't doing this.

Answer 9

Well if breeders are doing the right thing and making sure dogs go into good homes, and insisting that their dogs come back if people can't keep them. Making sure that the dogs are microchipped and them listed as the contact so that they are contacted if the dog ends up in the shelter or rescue.. Making sure that they keep tabs on where their dogs are and are ready and willing to take back the dogs they bred.. This wouldn't be much of an issue. You would have only lost or abandoned dogs in the shelter.

The responsible breeders take back their dogs and make sure they don't end up in the shelter.. People who breed a litter in their back bedroom, the puppymills the backyard breeders, and those irresponsible people who didn't spay/neuter and they allow their little pet to have puppies.. Those people are NOT being responsible for what they produce. I think the law should be changed to.. " IF you produce it, you are responsible to make sure that it end up in a good home, and NOT add to the shelters and Rescue " WIll get rid of these little kids who breed their chihuahua just to see puppies. If they have to be 18 to breed ( or whatever the legal age is in your area ) and are forced to sell dogs on contracts stating that they will take back their own. It would help stop people from breeding for fun.. or just to see what will come of the breeding.

Be Responsible for what you produce.. Take back your dogs, and don't let them end up in shelters! If you can't do that.. then you have NO BUSINESS BREEDING!

Answer 10

The sad thing is that most of the breeders are not responsible. Only a handful go above and beyond to ensure the health and safety of their dogs while most are simply in it for the money. People need to understand that breeding is not a profitable operation and should only be done by those who have a passion for the breed and are willing to put forth time, effort, and money instead of trying to find the cheapest way to breed so they can make an extra dollar. Until those people have a reality check, which they never will, these poor dogs are doomed. Eventually someone is going to have to start regulating the process and it's sad that it would have to come to that.

Answer 11

Reputable breeders' animals typically do not go to animal shelters. A reputable breeder will have a contract that if you cannot care for the animal, the animal MUST be returned to the breeder. If you are going to give the animal to someone else, it MUST be approved by the breeder.

The breeder I got my dog from has a papillon rescue group's link in her email signature, so every time she sends out an email to someone, whether already an owner of one of her dogs, or someone inquiring about a puppy, she is also reminding them of the option to go to a rescue group.

The focus needs to be on backyard breeders and puppymills. Also, the people that take the time to find a reputable breeder, go through their screening and interview process, often be on a waiting list, and lay out $1000+ for a puppy up-front, are typically not the impulse buyers that think "oh, cute puppy" and them abandon it in a couple years.

EDIT:
I agree with tom. I do not want the government regulating dog breeders. (Puppymills can be inspected and have dogs seized because there is usually animal cruelty going on.) But as far as the government deciding who can breed dogs, I disagree. The focus action against non-reputable breeders should be education of the target market, not government regulation.