"Backyard breeding" & "puppymills"

[Guest Anonymous]

:bad-words: I just have to say that some people really
go overboard with the backyard breeder and puppymill thing. Not
everyone can have acres of land and a actual "kennel" facility. You
can build a nice area in a backyard. You could even in a garage. In a
garage it is even indoors and they might have cooling in summer and
heat in winter! Even an official "kennel" facility can be ill kept.
Just having an official facility does not guarantee fantastic
animals.

News flash, even people competing in Crufts and other big
shows have been charged with animal abuse and piss poor environmental
conditions. And for some reason, some people think you have to show
in order to be legit and have good dogs. People in Crufts have had
winning dogs, but do not take proper care of them. Then there could
be someone who has dogs in there backyard, loves them, cleans, gives
them fresh water in a clean green free bowl, takes them to the vet,
gives them heat in winter, brushes them if they need to be and you
call them "backyard breeders". It isn't right or fair. Maybe some do
not breed on a grand scale and do not need a complete "kennel"
facility.

Breeding dogs for profit is another issue. Well,those that do
have an official "kennel", they are running an official business.
They have a tax ID #, and are registered with AKC! And here in the
US, business is for profit...capitalism.

Think of a restaurant. Some are big & fancy and some are a little dive
mom and pop place. Does that mean the dive restaurant is evil and no
one should eat there? Only eat at the fancy restaurant? No.

Some have a fancier facility for there dogs than others. That does not mean don't buy from the place that has dogs in the backyard. And MANY kennels breed more than one breed too. They have a good number of dogs. Hummm. Doesn't that make them a puppymill?

[Aonir]

Puppy Mills can be ANYONE, including if their dogs are champions. People can have puppies in a garage, no problem with that. As long as the garage is cleaned with no chemicals that the dog can eat/drinks. My breeder had a small yard and kept her dogs in her garage most the time. But she made sure they were groomed and walked. She didn't give them quality food, and they weren't champions, but she was no puppy mill. Why? because she made sure they were socialized, had all their shots and she even had a 'waiting list' PRIOR to breeding. She wasn't a puppy mill. She even had a good vet reference. They commented on how her puppies and dogs are well-mannered... Small house.. Small income.. One goal - breed quality pet dogs. No more than one litter per bitch a year.. 3 bitches.

Now, someone who has champions and a BIG yard can STILL be a puppy mill. Just because they have a nice house and a champion doesn't mean the animal is treated correctly. The pups could be born in a nice room, but with no fresh water, no food and be cramped in a cage. The parents might not have been groomed or walked since they got their championship. Why? Because their purpose is complete. Treat nice until they can make them loads of cash. They're no champs.. Being fed leftovers, not walked, and taking care of pups in a small cage. People don't expect it because they 'groom' the dog prior to visiting, and let the puppies loose to make them look good.

What is a puppy mill? How can you tell? You honestly cant.. Someone who breeds more than 2 breeds is a puppy mill. Someone who has 20+ dogs with 5+ litters a month is a puppy mill - because they can NOT take care of that many dogs NOR puppies!

Anyone care to add to this? That clear it up any?

[Rosebud]

:-?

[quote name='darkmystery']:bad-words: I just have to say that some people really
go overboard with the backyard breeder and puppymill thing. Not
everyone can have acres of land and a actual "kennel" facility. You
can build a nice area in a backyard. You could even in a garage. In a
garage it is even indoors and they might have cooling in summer and
heat in winter! Even an official "kennel" facility can be ill kept.
Just having an official facility does not guarantee fantastic
animals.

[color=red]This is true, anyone can breed dogs and not everyone can afford state of the art facilities.

However, [b]B[/b]reeders will not breed a litter if they can't afford to, they have time and money invested in pedigree research, health tests, proper vaccination schedules for the parents and the puppies, not to mention membership dues to their particular breeds parent club. They have high long-distance phone bills from constant communication with other breeders about you name it, the next show, a particular dog in a pedigree, an upcoming litter, who's line has health issues......, then they have legislation to contend with, and of course they have the possibility of having to take back a pup they placed every day of their life.[/color]

News flash, even people competing in Crufts and other big
shows have been charged with animal abuse and p*** poor environmental
conditions. And for some reason, some people think you have to show
in order to be legit and have good dogs. People in Crufts have had
winning dogs, but do not take proper care of them. Then there could
be someone who has dogs in there backyard, loves them, cleans, gives
them fresh water in a clean green free bowl, takes them to the vet,
gives them heat in winter, brushes them if they need to be and you
call them "backyard breeders". It isn't right or fair. Maybe some do
not breed on a grand scale and do not need a complete "kennel"
facility.

[color=red]This is true as well, however the purpose of conformation, showing is to get what is supposed to be unbiased professional opinion on how well your dog represents the written breed standard, unfortunately there are people that abuse any system that is set in place. The purpose of the National Parent Breed Club is to help individuals looking for a companion animal weed out these people. There are also tons of [b]B[/b]reeders who only breed a litter when they want a pup, yet they still spend the tons of money it takes to make sure that the pups born will be sound and able to perform the job they were bred to do. There are also tons of working lines that do not compete in conformation, yet they have working titles which appear at the end of the name.[/color]

Breeding dogs for profit is another issue. Well,those that do
have an official "kennel", they are running an official business.
They have a tax ID #, and are registered with AKC! And here in the
US, business is for profit...capitalism.

Think of a restaurant. Some are big & fancy and some are a little dive
mom and pop place. Does that mean the dive restaurant is evil and no
one should eat there? Only eat at the fancy restaurant? No.

Some have a fancier facility for there dogs than others. That does not mean don't buy from the place that has dogs in the backyard. And MANY kennels breed more than one breed too. They have a good number of dogs. Hummm. Doesn't that make them a puppymill?

[color=red]Again you are correct, However as hard as it is to believe the [b]B[/b]reeder is not in the business to make a profit, they are running a business that is part hobby, part love of the breed & part accepting the reposonsibility to perserve the breed. Some are registered with the AKC, some are not. Registration with the AKC is not proof that you are a responsible kennel, however I for one would be suspicious of a kennel that is AKC registered and does not in any way try to prove their stock in any AKC sanctioned event.[/color]
[/quote]

A Breeder is not in the business of making money, they are in the business of making sure that the breed they love, does not end up in the wrong hands that could endanger the reputation, health and future of the breed.

A BYB breeder is in the business of making money and doesn't care about much of anything else except how much that litter of pups will sell for, how fast they can get rid of them, and how much will the newspaper ad cost. They will use tons of excuses as to why this, why that but what it will eventually boil down to is that they don't want to spend the money making sure that the pups they breed will be the best that they can do and that they will actually make a substantual contribution to the gene pool of that breed.

A puppy-mill doesn't care about anything, just the dollar.

:angel:

[imported_Kat]

Yes there are puppy mills but then there are people who have a lot of dogs for show or whatever purpose, and just can't have all the dogs in the house. In this situation a kennel run is more than adequate. The classic case of dog cruelty and puppy milling was in England. Caroline Gatheral judged at Crufts and was well respected in her capacity. She was charged for cruelty of 83 dogs, lost her judging and breeding licence and will never be respected again.

Not all people at Crufts are like that and not all people at Crufts show their dog in breed. My Border Collie bitch Meg loves Crufts and we compete in Obedience and Agility at Championship level. She is a pet first and foremost, and is never deprived of anything, but it is a great honour to be at Crufts and that goes for the majority of the other tens of thousands of dogs there. Most people at Crufts you will find to be caring towards their dogs and a dog not well looked after will be spotted immediately.

[DogPaddle]

I would just like to clarify. You can be a good small scale breeder or a bad small scale breeder. Bad small scale breeders are BYBs, good small scale breeders are:
1. Not going to make a profit.
2. Breed rarely.
3. Are concerned with the betterment of the breed.
4. Are very selective as to who their pups go to.
5. Do all nec. health checks.
6. ARE THE PEOPLE WHO MANY OF US LOOK TO GET OUR PETS FROM.
7. Spend plenty of time with their dogs and treat them like valued members of their household and produce well socialized pups.
I'm sure there are plenty of other qualities people can use to seperate Breeders from BYBs.

As for larger scale breeders . . . I have not seen or heard of a single one who I would consider GOOD yet, so I guess I view all large scale breeders as Puppy Millers.

[imported_amber]

I agree with all the above. We've had Great Danes for 18 years, the first two being rescue, the latter past away a week of her 11 birthday, good age for a Dane. Now to my point, having had danes for all these years, we had our first litter in february of this year, the time was right. We didn't see much profit, but it was a 'labour' :wink: of love, the mum was brilliant and had 9 beautiful babies, I kept 2, and only 1 went to a show home, the rest to wonderful pet homes, who were all vetted and okayed and we all keep in touch and loads of photo's. :lol:
Yes there are good and bad breeders but consider myself to be one of the better, not all is gloom and doom, just thought you would all like to know of our experience and thoughts. :lol:

[Guest Anonymous]

[color=red]Bad small scale breeders are BYBs, good small scale breeders are:
1. Not going to make a profit.
2. Breed rarely.
3. Are concerned with the betterment of the breed.
4. Are very selective as to who their pups go to.
5. Do all nec. health checks.
6. ARE THE PEOPLE WHO MANY OF US LOOK TO GET OUR PETS FROM.
7. Spend plenty of time with their dogs and treat them like valued members of their household and produce well socialized pups.
I'm sure there are plenty of other qualities people can use to seperate Breeders from BYBs. [/color]

:roll: Ok. So, What you are calling "breeders" really sounds more like
a non-profit organization. Those people really aren't breeders. These
are people that every so often mate there dogs! It really isn't to make
dogs for people to own and enjoy. People should be able to own a certain
breed and of course you try and put them in good homes. A spanish
inquisition is not necessary. Like I said, people have really gone crazy
throwing out these "backyard breeder" and "puppymill" labels. People
that do are acting as if they are :modla: higher than thou :modla: &
self-rightous. People put down others just to give themselves a feeling
of being better than.

Now, there are puppymills out there. You know, the ones that do not give
health care to there dogs, crowd them, give them no heat or cooling,
no love and they live in cages all the time nor nearly all of the time.

The label backyard breeders was made up by the higher than thou's
that realized not all were not puppymills but still were not as high up as
what you laid out in your message. So, you had to come up with some
kind of label for those not as good as you.

What you laid out as "breeders" aren't even breeders in the first place!
They shouldn't even call themselves breeders!!! :bad-words:

[DogPaddle]

[quote]So, you had to come up with some
kind of label for those not as good as you.[/quote]

I don't breed at all so I'm not sure this really applies - No breeder or BYB is a better or worse breeder than me because I don't breed.

I did not come up with the BYB label.
I make no apologies for my opinion as I'm sure you don't for your opinions.
I didn't develop my opinion for any of the reasons you alluded to in your post, I developed my opinion because I am concerned about the quality of living of pets, the responsible breeding of pets to eliminate health and behaviour problems and because I did a bit of research.

Which of these statements do you have a problem with:
[quote]1. Not going to make a profit.
2. Breed rarely.
3. Are concerned with the betterment of the breed.
4. Are very selective as to who their pups go to.
5. Do all nec. health checks.
6. ARE THE PEOPLE WHO MANY OF US LOOK TO GET OUR PETS FROM.
7. Spend plenty of time with their dogs and treat them like valued members of their household and produce well socialized pups.[/quote]

[DogPaddle]

[quote]All of A's last three litters have been singletons. Of course she's going to lose money here.

B has been lucky with her last 3 litters. She's had a litter of 10, and two litters of 8. She's done everything A has, but she has more puppies to sell. With litters that size. She'd more than likely make money. Nothing wrong with that here. She's done everything right. [/quote]

Agreed.

Perhaps I should clarify my statement on money by saying: A good breeder doesn't breed for profit because often its not going to happen - at least if you do all the health checks, vet visists, registering, proper nutrition, emergancies and if possible spend the time and money to prove you breeding dogs quality by titling, competing etc.

[Rosebud]

[quote name='darkmystery']
:roll: Ok. So, What you are calling "breeders" really sounds more like
a non-profit organization. Those people really aren't breeders. These
are people that every so often mate there dogs! It really isn't to make
dogs for people to own and enjoy. People should be able to own a certain
breed and of course you try and put them in good homes. A spanish
inquisition is not necessary. Like I said, people have really gone crazy
throwing out these "backyard breeder" and "puppymill" labels. People
that do are acting as if they are :modla: higher than thou :modla: &
self-rightous. People put down others just to give themselves a feeling
of being better than.

Now, there are puppymills out there. You know, the ones that do not give
health care to there dogs, crowd them, give them no heat or cooling,
no love and they live in cages all the time nor nearly all of the time.

[b]The label backyard breeders was made up by the higher than thou's
that realized not all were not puppymills but still were not as high up as
what you laid out in your message. So, you had to come up with some
kind of label for those not as good as you.[/b]

What you laid out as "breeders" aren't even breeders in the first place!
They shouldn't even call themselves breeders!!! :bad-words:[/quote]

I'm sorry darkmystery but it sounds as if you are sour maybe because you have tried to purchase a dog from a Breeder and were turned down, or you're trying to start a fight.

[b]Breeders [/b]are hobby breeders who breed while keeping in mind the welfare of the dog(s), the breed and what will happen to the offspring and their offspring.

[b]BYB [/b]are hobby breeders that do not care to prove that the dogs they are breeding are sound enough to breed or what happens to the pups once they get PAID.

[b]Mills [/b]don't care either way.

I'm sorry if you are sour to Breeders but quite personally I would rather buy a pup from someone who is reponsible enough to give the third degree, make sure that breed is suited to my family and lifestyle, someone who cared enough about the breed to research, compete with and test the dog for health related diseases than buy from a "wham, bam, thank you mame" type person.

That is my final say on this topic to an obviously hostile newbie.

:angel:

[imported_amber]

DARKMYSTERY, WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM, I AM NOT "HIGHER THAN THOU" OR MORE SELF RIGHTOUS, I JUST LIKE TO THINK THAT MY PUPPIES WERE WELL BRED, WELL CARED FOR AND MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE, LOVED MORE THAN MY HEART COULD COPE WITH :roll:
IF I COULDN'T COPE WITH WHERE MY PUPPIES WENT OR TO WHOM I WOULD NOT HAVE BRED FROM MY GIRL :angel:
IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU HAVE HAD A PROBLEM BUT WON'T LET US IN ON IT :-? IF YOU HAVE TELL US THEN WE MIGHT UNDERSTAND WHAT THE PROBLEM IS :wink:
AND IF YOU CAN'T TAKE THIS HEAT, GET OUT OF OUR KITCHEN :agrue:
KIND REGARDS AMBER

[Peng1zrule]

a 'KENNEL' is what you call your breeding program. in some cities, owning a certain number of dogs means you have to have a KENNEL license. calling yourself a KENNEL does not mean you are operating ten dog runs in a sterilized cement building.

NEWS FLASH--if the people competing in crufts have actually been charged with animal abuse, THEY WEREN'T COMPETING IN CRUFTS. If the dog was so poorly treated it was taken away, then the dog was not winning enough shows to get to crufts. Sure, animal control may have been called on them, but all you need to do to make an investigation happen is pick up your phone and dial. The reason that people feel that dogs need to be shown to be bred is to prove they are breeding to type. If a dog has a level top line, and it's the only dog of that breed you've ever owned, and the top line looks alright to you, but a judge decrees that nope, not level enough, but all other aspects good, then you know how to choose the mate for your dog. NO, not any idiot looking at a dog can tell if the dog fits the breed type. And the judges actually do some schooling to get to where they are.

IF you breed right, there's not any profit. show costs, tack costs, grooming costs, stud fees, vet fees, (tons of vet fees) hip/eye/ear/testing fees, competition fees, by the time you're done breeding, all your so-called "profits" have been eaten up by paying your bills.

and actually, MANY kennels do NOT breed many breeds at one time. THAT WOULD MAKE THEM A PUPPY MILL. sometimes a breeder is educated, talented, and patient enough to breed more than one breed at a time. But as for raising four or five breeds, breeding every heat, and earning enough to stay home from work--in your dreams, maybe. No real breeder does that. Being an idiot with two dogs that have "papers" doesnt make you a breeder anymore than owning a bic ball point and some lined notebook paper make you an author.

And as for "backyard breeders" --while leaving the dogs alone in the yard is a common feature, BYB means an uneducated owner breeding dogs together in thier own home with no show qualifications or even working the dogs to see if they are capable of doing the job the breed is intended to do.

[DogPaddle]

Nice points Peng1zrule.

[Malamum]

IMO the term backyard breeder isn't based on premises but on attitude and the amount of dedication to the breed in question.

The breeder that I got my dog from did not have acres of land or an actual kennel facility as you described it. She is a regular person with a regular house however in my opinion the aspects that make her a fair dinkum breeder are:

1. She shows her dogs. This tells me that she is very knowledgeable on the breed and the breed standard and that her dogs have been judged to meet this standard by independent persons.

2. She is a member of the xxxxx breed club.

3. Both the sire and dam had all the relevant heath checks done and I was given copies of all the paperwork. And no - just being told by your vet that your dog his healthy enough to breed is not enough.

4. She did give us the third degree and we had to sign a comprehensive contract before she would let us become the new parents of one of her babies.

5. No puppy produced by one of her breedings will ever end up in a pound or shelter etc. If for whatever reason the new owners can't keep the dog (regardless of age) it must go back to the breeder.


Now say for example I had a purebreed dog and well what do you know a friend of mine has purebreed dog of the same breed and we decide that we want to have puppies. Both dogs are loved and well cared for family pets. They both have no obvious health issues however we don't really know that they both meet the breed standard 100% and we don't bother with the expensive genetic testing. The bitch is very well cared for during her pregnancy and so are the puppies once they are born. All puppies are sold to people who seem very nice however I don't really ask too many questions about fences or their lifestyles to determine whether they are really suited to this particular breed.

In the above scenario there has definitely been no abuse or neglect however I would still be a backyard breeder.

[Guest Anonymous]

Hi all,

Here is an excellent example of a back yard breeder. Two idiots kept a pair of beagles (M&F) and a pair of labs (M&F) together. They did not neuter because some day they might want to breed.

The female lab got pregnant by either the beagle or the lab, with the father unknown the idiots dumped the lab in a rural shelter and got another, non pregnant female to breed akc labs.

How do I know, we adopted one of the pups. :roll:

By the way, the pup's mother should never have been breed in the first place due to extreme shyness. Thankfully I am in a position to provide the poor pup with therapy and a quiet environment.

[Guest Anonymous]

[quote name='Kiwi']JMTCW
[b]IE My two breeders who I'll call A and B. Both these breeders are amongst the top in the country for conformation, temperament and health clearances. I think very highly of the both of them.

All of A's last three litters have been singletons. Of course she's going to lose money here.

B has been lucky with her last 3 litters. She's had a litter of 10, and two litters of 8. She's done everything A has, but she has more puppies to sell. With litters that size. She'd more than likely make money. Nothing wrong with that here. She's done everything right.[/b]
[/quote]

When you breed you don't make a profit, or shouldn't if you are doing it correctly and for the right reasons.
B would be a puppy peddler IMO with 3 litters totally 26 pups. Even then if they did it right I don't think they would make a profit?? Why are they breeding dogs in the first place if they cannot keep them to further their breeding program? I'm not saying to keep all the pups, many breeders do not do this. I can understand having to sell some pups for room especially with large litters like that, probably selling about half the litter is 13 pups to good homes, still no profit made once you think add up all the expenses it takes to breed.

[Guest Anonymous]

Hi,

I have been following this thread and had to add my two cents.

Each side has it's points. I do have to say that the BYB term is being
thrown around a lot. I think it makes some people feel bad that really
do love their dogs and try and give them a good life.

[Aonir]

[quote name='pappajo']Each side has it's points. I do have to say that the BYB term is being
thrown around a lot. I think it makes some people feel bad that really
do love their dogs and try and give them a good life.[/quote]

Well, pappajo, a backyard breeder doesn't 'care' about the health or life of each of their pups. A breeder that 'cares' isn't a backyard breeder. A breeder that has TOO many dogs can't garuntee each dog the special attention they deserve. And if they do NOT give health checks on both parents before the pregnancy, nor health checks/shots on all the puppies - thats auto-bad, no matter how much they care. BECAUSE they aren't showing they care.

We've seen someone who thought we thought they were a backyard breeder because they didn't have the best of place. BUT they gave health checks, shots, grooming, etc. to each of their dogs and puppies. They even made sure that their puppies went to good homes. By NO means were they a BYB.

One slip up is bad, but no one can always be perfect. Even the best breeders sometimes have 'oops' litters.

[Guest Mutts4Me]

[quote name='pappajo']Each side has it's points. I do have to say that the BYB term is being
thrown around a lot. I think it makes some people feel bad that really
do love their dogs and try and give them a good life.[/quote]

That's great if people "really do love their dogs and try to give them a good life"! But you can love your dogs and give them a good life and [b]not breed[/b] them!

A good breeder doesn't require [quote name='darkmystery']acres of land and a actual "kennel" facility[/quote] and I've never seen anyone on this board suggest that they do. People on this board may have somewhat differing opinions on what a BYB actually is, but I don't think that the BYB title is "thrown around" that loosely by anyone.

Basically, I think that everyone is concerned by the number of dogs spending their last days in shelters before being euthanized. Those dogs don't have to be there, they don't have to die. But they are there, and they are dying. A lot of them are there because of irresponsible dog owners who don't spay/neuter their pets. But a lot of them are there because their owners weren't prepared for them. Why? Because the BYB, who may have cared about his/her dogs, and given them the proper care, didn't do thorough background checks on both parents for health defects, or temperment issues. Or they didn't thoroughly inform the new family about the breed's characterisitics and special needs.

K posted this a while back, and I think it's relevant to bring back up now:
[quote name='K']Dear Backyard Breeder

[Guest Anonymous]

I don't know guys. I've read through the posts and while I respect the opinions of those who are ok with responsible breeders, I just couldn't bring myself to BUY a puppy from anyone. There are just too many dogs out there without homes and being euthanized every minute to be spending money on new dogs.

Of course, I'd much rather prefer a responsible breeder as described in previous posts to an irresponsible one. Perhaps I'm being idealistic here but there should be much more regulation in terms of how many dogs of each breed can be bred every year in the entire country. As a society, I think we need to nip this thing before we should be selling puppies left and right from ANY source. Let's take care of rescuing all of the "left-over" and abandoned and "not show material" animals out there. Then we can talk about buying puppies. Naturaly we would want to keep a certain level of reproduction to maintain the breed standards and what have you, but so often these poor dogs end up abandoned because they were a Christmas present for so-and-so that didn't have the time to spend on training them and then they grow out of their cute puppy stage and suddenly you have an adult dog in a shelter that doesn't have a lick of training and is now facing death row for nothing he or she did.

I'm sorry guys that I'm on a rant right now, but it makes me angry to think that dogs are being killed this VERY second for no good reason whatsoever. That's why I will NEVER buy a puppy and why I will ALWAYS discourage my friends, family and work colleagues -- and in fact, everyone I meet not to buy one either and of course to spay/neuter their dogs.

[Rosebud]

o.k. I said I was done with this topic, and I am in fact done with it, [b]however[/b] I do need to say one more thing.


[size=7][b]My hat is off to you Labadore,[/b][/size]


[quote name='Labadore']I'm sorry guys that I'm on a rant right now, but it makes me angry to think that dogs are being killed this VERY second for no good reason whatsoever. [color=red]That's why I will NEVER buy a puppy and why I will ALWAYS discourage my friends, family and work colleagues -- and in fact, everyone I meet not to buy one either and of course to spay/neuter their dogs.[/color][/quote]

Have you thought of joining your breeds rescue organization and becoming a foster home. I am sure that they would be so greatful to have someone like you with them.

:angel:

[Guest Anonymous]

Hi Rosebud,

Actually, I am a volunteer for Labrador Retriever Rescue of Florida ([url]www.labradorrescue.org[/url]). I am fostering right now too and I also help them with home visits, transportation, fundraising etc...

I've been doing it for about 3 years now and I can tell you it is very hard work but also very rewarding. Recently I've made a lot of contacts with all sorts of rescue organizations in South Florida that take in all different types of breeds. So if anyone is looking for a pooch to love and welcome into their family, please let me know, chances are I can point you in the right direction if you're in South Florida.

Thank you Rosebud for the nod. I appreciate that other people feel the same way I do. It validates what I and a lot of other volunteers do. In fact, we should all do SOMETHING. Even if it's not fostering, we should call our local rescue organizations of any breed -- pick one -- and ask them how you can help them even if it's only for one weekend to go to an event and help them set-up their table or raise money or get press coverage in the local paper.

I can tell you from experience that these organizations are on the verge of closing everyday because of funds. While the adoption fees cover a little bit, too often dogs come in with SEVERE medical needs and the organization's funds dwindle. So every little bit of your help counts. So pick your favorite breed and do a search on Google and find a rescue organization in your area. Even if your breed isn't there, pick another one. If you have special skills like web design, help them with their website. Truly what you can contribute could be almost ANYTHING. Even toys your dogs don't play with anymore or old stuff from your house so they can have a garage sale with the proceeds to benefit the organization.

Anything you do can help and will be greatly appreciated! :D

[Rosebud]

:D

Your welcome, Labadore.

I have the utmost respect and admiration for two types of dog people.

The first being those people who have dedicated their life to rescue work, the other being those breeders who take the time to make sure that their pups do not end up being tended by rescue workers.

Unfortunately, there are more breeders, some of which are considered responsible breeders, who turn dogs of their breed over to rescue workers to rehabilitate.

I hope for one day soon to be able to have enough acerage to be able to take in fosters and rehabilitate them, to also be able to hold training classes for new dog owners to attend so that the various dog breeders in the area can be assured their pups will receive proper socialization and training and to educate the public (new owners) of responsible dog ownership.

While I do intend to breed RR's for (genetic) soundness, I can not do so with a clean conscious before first developing my own personal rescue plan.


Back to original topic which this is my final word on the topic.

How many BYBreeders considered what they would do IF [b]every pup[/b] they placed came back to them, a Responsible [b]B[/b]reeder already knows what they will do and will actually state it in their contract.

The two main points to realize when deciphering the difference between the BYB and the [b]B[/b]reeder are these.

A [b]B[/b]reeder does [b]ALL[/b] of the health tests and [b]will not breed [/b] without satisfactory results.

The BYB considers it a burden, and might do just the hips in order to get a better price.


A [b]B[/b]reeder will stipulate what will happen to the pup if things don't work out, ie. "You have to bring the pup back to ME!"

A BYB basically says to you "Yeah, right."



:angel:

[Guest Anonymous]

You make an excellent point Rosebud.

We are always cleaning up the messes from breeders who just dump a dog on our lap and expect us to do all of the hard work FOR them. It's not fair at all to the dog or us and while we do our best, it really should be a PART of that breeder's responsibility.

Not to mention that we get so many dogs in that are a result of poor breeding that supposedly come from respectable breeders.

It's funny, but we sometimes go to conformation shows in our area and often we get the breeders pass by our booth and they kinda just ignore us or whatever. It makes me mad because we're the ones cleaning up their mistakes and they KNOW IT!

So for me, it takes a lot more to prove that a breeder is responsible.

[DogPaddle]

:klacz: :thumbs: Labadore!