A dog problem

There is a dog problem; without a doubt there are too many dogs.  The other night my son and I had a very in-depth conversation about the problem of too many dogs, rescuing and breeders.  It all started over Elsa's tail; as a extremely compassionate person with regards to animal welfare he just cannot understand why?  Why would anyone cut off a dog's tail.  "Why do they do it?" He asked me and I tried to explain where the practice all began.  He then asked "why do people still do it then," and I tried to answer that one. 

We then moved onto breeders, being that we were talking about those who do and those who do not amputate tails.  He took issue with people breeding dogs in general; it was an across the board statement so we discussed breeders across the board.  This is a common opinion for many people; I have been told before that I don't deserve a dog because I want a particular kind.  So I explained to him my point of view on the whole 'dog problem.'

There are too many dogs; the shelters and rescues are filled to the brim and then some.  But where do these dogs come from?  Breeders, yes, but not good breeders.  I explained to him what my list entails to be considered a good breeder. 

Breeder - has one or two litters a year, not a page long list of available puppies at any time.
  -dogs and puppies live in the house as family.
 - rescues when they can.
 - will take back a puppy or adult dog at any time to replace. (Things happen in life)
 - only breeds dogs who have been completely health screened.
 - breeds only dogs with sound temperaments.
 - breeds to build a sound dog, doesn't follow a trend.
 - breeds with a passion for their dogs; is not driven by the lure of greed.  (This shows up in  many different ways)
 - temperament tests puppies and places them in homes accordingly.  (Not picked at 2 weeks of age by the prospective owner)
 - offers the puppies external stimulus and socialization early on.
 - does not breed for what is "in."
 - will never breed an iffy dog either in temperament or structure due to anticipation, time and effort.

I could go on and on but this is my base list.  He then asked "how do you make breeders do these things?"  The answer is, you don't.  If you have to make people do all of these things then they aren't doing it for the right reasons.  I want someone who wants to do all of these things. 

We then moved onto Millers.  There lies the problem, right there.  Millers are the problem, they rely on quantity not quality to fill their pockets.  They let impulse buyers buy their goods and don't care who takes the dog as long as they pay.  Millers are the problem and that is where animal lovers should direct their attention for attack.  Shut the mills down and we will be almost there. 

I then explained about random people who want to have a litter of puppies.  They too will sell to whoever will buy.  They don't want all these puppies; they maybe wanted just one or to turn a quick buck.  They have no idea of what they are selling; there were no health tests, no temperament tests and they will give one to whoever will pay. 

Support the good breeders and go after the bad; it is that simple.  There are very, very few amazing breeders out there.  The solution to finding those is to educate the public.  But then again many of the public are not listening; they don't care as long as they get the puppy they want.  Even if it means that 2 months down the road they don't want it anymore and just dump it down a long and abandoned road. 

The topic is vast; there are many things to talk about.  But if for one minute you think that all breeders are bad, think again.   Out of all of the dogs in rescue and or shelters; a very low percentage are from the people who care, the good breeders.  It can happen but the problem is the mass producers and those who will sell a dog to anyone for money. 

The conversation will continue.....

Its got to stop

Today I wanted to discuss some serious business. I've been talking to alot of rescue groups lately and its really getting to me. Everyone has their own opinion to the solution of over population and dumped dogs. Certainly there are many different factors that have a part in it all but to me the biggest factor in so many dogs being dumped are the Pet stores and puppy mills. Spaying and neutering does indeed help but when you have talked to so many people and had a really long look at the big picture it is pretty clear.

I deal with many dog people everyday and the dogs that are simply dumped or brought to rescues or shelters are often linked to puppy mills. Pet stores that sell puppies should be outlawed plain and simple. These stores rely on the awwww factor and hope that their clients have not thought it through. Obviously they want you to buy one of their puppies and you cannot even return them if you change your mind, oh no pet stores have a one way door.

Pet stores are set up for the impulse buyer. I even know people who work for rescue groups who are appauled by puppy mills and pet stores that sell puppies and they themselves buckled under the pressure. You go in just to look and maybe to sway some prospective owners and before you know it your sucked into a pair of the deepest, brownest eyes you've ever seen. But this is only helping the millers to keep pumping out those poor little helpless and innocent animals.

The fact is that good, reputible and ethical breeders do not sell their puppies to pet stores and if you try to convince yourself that they do, you are only fooling yourself. I have had this conversation so many times, "how do you know they aren't from a good breeder?" Because no ethical, reputible breeder who spends hundreds of dollars ensuring that their breeding dogs are fit and healthy and have the puppies vet checked, temperament tested and give written guarantees with their babies are going to hand them over to Joe pet store owner not knowing where or who they would end up with, wouldn't happen.

The people who are supplying pet stores with puppies are doing it to fill their pockets. These people have quickly discovered that the less you put out in feed and medical costs the more for your pocket. The puppies from these horrendous places are often taken away from their mother way too soon leaving them with serious issues. I see serious behavior, temperament and health problems repeatedly in pet store dogs and feel heart sick for families who fall in love with their dog only to loose it to a fatal disease.

It just has to end but how are we going to end this all. Not all millers work from Pet stores, the internet is a huge tool for them now as well. You see the photos of the puppies set up around flowers and pretty blankets all in a row. Which one do you want? Just pick one and its yours.

What you don't see are the parents left in the tiny cages full of filth and sadness, the dogs who are underfed, sick and lonely. No, if you saw those dogs you probably wouldn't buy a puppy would you? The solution starts with us, the people who go into the stores and buy the puppies. If you know a store sells kittens or puppies don't go there, give your business to the stores who have taken a stand against selling puppies.

One small step from you can cause a chain reaction. I will never go in a store that sells puppies, for one I won't give them my business and two its heartbreaking to me. I'm just fed up, dogs deserve our fight for this to end.