Owners & Breeders: Do You Have a Responsibility To Your Breed?

Question

This doesn't refer to feeding, walking, exercising, etc....

With the Anti-dog and Anti-Breeding laws and legislation being proposed, what are your responsibilities towards protecting your breed?

What, if anything, do you do to see to it your breed, and your right to own that breed, aren't done away with?

This question applies to the average dog owner as well.

Anti breeding legislation DOES affect the responsible breeders...outlawing breeding will not solve the homeless pet problem.
Who will police such laws in the first place? And at what cost to taxpayers?

If you read most of the garbage being proposed, it doesn't protect anyone...it leaves the determination as to who is exempt to local authorities, who are as clueless about dogs as I am about camels.

EVERYONE needs to READ and then RE-READ Animal_Artwork's answer!
Amen!
That is EXACTLY why anti-dog laws of ANY sort MUST be stopped!

to BYs are morons:
You need to re-read the ENTIRE piece of garbage titled AB1634: it leaves the decison as to whether or not to ACCEPT the vet's recommendation to the individual counties/jurisdictions....a letter from the vet isn't a guarantee and doesn't protect anyone!

Why should the responsible breeders have to pay for someone else's mistakes?

We defeated AB1634 this year, but Mean Levine and his AR cronies will be back in January...time to fire up the fax machine and get those letters written.

How exactly is it the responsible breeder's fault for the various shelter situations? Responsible breeders take back and are responsible for, every puppy the put on the face of the earth for life...they don't end up in the shelters to start with.

And , don't give the reason that just because someone breeds a litter that is taking a home away from a shelter pet...not everyone wants a shelter dog. So, I guess to that reasoning, if you don't get one from a shelter, then you're SOL??? What a crock.

Answer 1

My responsibilities:

Breeding only dogs who closely fit the standard and who are health tested clear of any genetic issues.

Working with purebred rescue

Lobbying in support of the continued rights of Americans to determine what is best for their dogs (their property) in terms of spaying/neutering/breeding.

Lobbying in support of punishing the deed and not the breed.

Edit: BYB are Morons: My foundation stock came, in both cases, from b*tches who were sound, high quality WORKING dogs who were never shown. In both cases their pups gained championships... should my foundation girls have never existed because their mothers would have had to be spayed? Do you have any clue the narrowing of the gene pool that will be caused if pet owners are required to spay/neuter? Breeders often place good males in non-show homes and may or may not go back to them to breed. Who determines who is "good enough" to deserve a license to breed? Would it be for the best interest of my breed if I took one of a limited number of licenses when I breed VERY infrequently? Do you realize breeders are already refusing to sell large breed dogs to people in California simply because if the AB1634 bill passes the dog may be neutered too early to be healthy?

The concept is great... the issue is the loopholes leave things in pieces.

Editx2: 12 mos is nowhere near old enough for a Giant breed dog to be neutered/spayed. My foundation b*tch grew another inch and a half after the age of 18 mos and did not fully fill out until the age of 3... even now at 4.5 years she is now FINALLY looking mature. It would be irresponsible to neuter/spay her pups before the age of 2... which is why my contract states that. Owners can choose to do it earlier, but *MY* recommendation is 2 years.

Responsible breeders have next to nothing to do with dogs in shelters, other than the fact that purebred rescues FOUNDED by those same breeders are on a regular basis pulling apparent purebreds out of the shelters. In over 20 years of working with Samoyed rescue I have not EVER even once pulled out a breeder's pet quality dog (we can tell the difference you know)... I've pulled or have assisted in the placement of over 200 Samoyeds... and ALL were backyard bred.

If people WANTED shelter dogs, they would go to a shelter. If they don't do their research, or want a less expensive dog, they go to a backyard breeder. There is a SCARCITY of responsibly bred dogs... if there was not, they would not COST what they do. I had over a 100 applications to buy the last FOUR pups I produced... someone who wants a shelter dog is not paying $1800 for the pup I produce.... so the argument that responsible breeders shouldn't breed would just leave the puppymills, commercial breeders, backyard breeders... and eventually an underground black market in dogs.

Answer 2

Well, that's not nice at all! Any considerate dog owner will pick up their dog's poops whenever possible. I am thinking that maybe your HOA can step in and do something about it if you present your case to them at the next HOA meeting. Since you have cameras installed, you have evidential proof of certain people not picking up after their dogs, which is against the law in many parts of the country. As a dog owner I can tell you that there have admittedly been a few "emergency" situations where for some reason or another I was stuck without a bag and I had no other way to pick it up, and I have always felt so tremendously guilty when that happens, but I assure you that I would never just leave my dog's poop on someone's private lawn. Psychologically speaking, though (since this is the Psychology section), do you think that some misanthropic neighbors purposely seek out your lawn as a poo target for the express reason of your signs and cameras? Sometimes, people are tempted to purposely defy signs by doing exactly the opposite of what the signs ask. This is especially true if you live in a neighborhood with a lot of kids and teenagers, or if you just have some annoying neighbor who thinks your signs are an eyesore and is trying to make a point, in a very childish way.

Answer 3

Sorry. As a rescue volunteer for my chosen breed, Miniature Pinscher, my responsibility is to save the dogs being bred by all the horrible and irresponsible breeders that are pumping out poor quality dogs. I have no intention of championing the average Joe who wants to breed their pet quality dog and pass on all its genetic defects to puppies that end up dumped.

I have recently gotten into rescuing another breed, the Australian Cattle Dog, which is even worse off than the other one. The ignorance and lack of caring involved with the breeding of this breed ensures plenty for the kill shelters to do-and I am referring to euthanization.

In a perfect world, where so many animals wouldn't be dying, I might think differently, but I do have to quote "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one."
In other words, the dogs we already have deserve to be taken care of before the ones who haven't been born yet.

Answer 4

To insure that if someone is going to breed a Golden that they are doing it for all the Right reasons. To instill the importance of health testing for both dogs and to read and understand their pedigrees!
To make sure they have a mentor or at the very least know what the heck their doing and what signs to look for if something goes wrong. This is not for the novice person. To have a vet who is willing to be there for them and is also willing to give advice.
To adhear to breed standards! To make sure the dogs are of sound temperment. A badly bred Golden will bite and show terrible agression. To stress training!
Any well behavied dog is a trained dog. It just doesn't happen!
Make sure all the pups your thinking about producing have homes waiting for them! Do temperment testing on all the pups. Dont be afraid to tell someone "NO" this pup is not right for you but this one is.
The most important is to be "Resposible" not only for your dog/dogs but for the pups you bring into the world!

Answer 5

I've signed EVERY petition that I come across against BSLs and I've written to and e-mailed congressmen and state representatives and evan a judge or 2 on the matter.
I've gone to court as a witness for a dog bite situation where the person was at fault not the dog.
I've also gone out of my way to try to educate and motivate people with certain breeds who don't have a clue they are doing things that will cause their dogs to act aggressively.And other people who are terrified of certain breeds I've put at ease showing them their silly fear is causing the dogs to single them out.
If you can think of any more I can do please let me know.

Answer 6

Anti-breeding laws don't affect responsible breeders. Most of these statutes have "show dog" clauses in them and "responsible breeder" clauses in them.

BSL is another issue. Unfortunately, the backyard breeders and puppy millers of the world have given certain breeds a bad rap. It will take responsible breeding to get over that hump. And we are nowhere near that yet. Just take a look around here - BYB after BYB after BYB, and people who buy from BYBs and puppy mills.


Added:
"high quality WORKING dogs who were never shown"
I usually include a "working dog" caveat, but did not this time. That was indeed my mistake. But the CA bill said that working dog breeders can get a permit that excludes them from this law. It's in Article 3. "(3) The owner is a legitimate breeder of mixed breed or purebred working dogs, or is supplying mixed breed or purebred dogs for training as working dogs to law enforcement, fire agencies, or legitimate professional or volunteer private sector working dog organizations." and "(6) The dog is used for herding or guarding livestock, and the dog’s owner resides on or is the owner of property designated for agricultural use."

"Do you realize breeders are already refusing to sell large breed dogs to people in California simply because if the AB1634 bill passes the dog may be neutered too early to be healthy? "
My understanding was that you could get a vet furlough for spaying/neutering. The law provides for a veterinary deferral until 12 months of age. Here's the text:

"If an owner of a cat or dog provides a letter from a California
licensed veterinarian stating that it is the medical judgment of the veterinarian that the cat or dog should not be spayed or neutered prior to the age of nine months, the owner shall not be in violation of this chapter during that period. No earlier than 30 days after before the cat or dog has reached nine months of age, the veterinarian may provide a letter to the owner extending the date for spaying or neutering the cat or dog to 12 months of age. The letter from the veterinarian shall include the veterinarian’s license number, the name of the owner, and a description of the cat or dog in question."

I never said the laws were perfect, but I certainly believe that they are on the right track.

Answer 7

I'm lucky in this town they have not past a BSL law. I have helped others in places where they have or are trying with information speechs, I have even gone and stood in protest. I'm a old hippie and I always stand and do for what if believe in. I have also breed my dog to two other feamle becasue of the temperment of the parents, I own a pi bull and so many are poorly bred now, as in for wrong kind of temperment

Answer 8

All dog owners have a responsibility to live within the law. This means license, leash and clean up after your dog. It also means to keep your dog current on rabies vaccinations.
Beyond that ... for purebred dogs: every owner is responsible not to crossbreed. Every owner is responsible to learn his breed standard, and keep the dog groomed within the breed standard, and to nurture the purpose of the breed. All owners should be able to identify breed faults within their dogs, and they should be able to identify good breeding stock from bad stock. They should spay/neuter bad breeding stock, and they should only breed good stock to good stock. Noone should be ashamed to admit that their dog might not be a prime example of his breed. That doesn't mean you can't love them any less. Mixed breed dogs should not be intentionally bred.
All dog owners are responsible to show off the best of their dogs. That means that they should be good canine citizens, and that they should be a model to other dogs around them. A scent hound should show off his tracking skills. A retriever should show off his retrieving skills. A herder should show off his herding skills, etc etc.
Everyone can be proud of their dogs, but good owners and good breeders have the ability to make others proud of their dogs as well.

Answer 9

Every dog owner and dog lover has a responsibility to educate the public about responsible dog ownership. If you have a dog you are responsible for making sure that your dog is welll behaved in public and represents its breed and dog in general in a good light.

As far as anti-dog laws and legislation the AKC recommends that contact your local media and send them the “Deed Not Breed” http://www.akc.org/pdfs/public_education/Deed_Not_Breed.pdf flier if one of these proposals shows up in your area.

Answer 10

I am just as responsible as I can possibly be.

I have my Pit Bull:

-Spayed
-Obedience trained
-Socialized
-Properly confined in a crate when I am not home
-Always kept on leash

And I never bring her to a dog park. That's what I do to contribute to the Pit Bull community. OH, and I don't breed!

I help educate as many people as I can about the breed - and make my Pibble a breed ambassador.

I hope I answered your question right!