Date: 4/28/2009 8:07:09 PM
Author: NewEnglandLady
Date: 4/28/2009 7:29:11 PM
Author: purrfectpear
I hate puppy mills with a passion. Not only for what they do (which is totally bad enough), but also for the fact that the press from them makes some people think every purebred dog owner is selfish, and only shelter dogs should be owned.
Agreed. If everybody bought from a reputable breeder, there would be no need for shelters since good breeders require you to return the dog to them if you cannot fulfill your responsibilities.
I''m not even going to touch on the puppy mill issues because it''s sickening. I am involved in our regional breed rescue and it''s a constant battle. Luckily Newfoundlands are very rare to find in pet stores, though we did find one once and a few of us in the rescue group pooled the money to buy him and turned the dog over to rescue so that it wouldn''t go into the hands of another puppy mill. Puppy mills are still an issue, though. I often troll Craigslist looking for anybody selling a newf and just two weeks ago ran across a man selling his 9-year-old in-tact male. I emailed him and urged him to turn the dog over to rescue, but he wanted to try to recoup some money (he was going through a costly divorce, he said) and he said there was another man who was interested in him so long as he was definitely in-tact. UGH! I knew at that moment a puppy mill was interested in buying him. Luckily a few of us were able to convince him to sell the dog to a friend of ours with a family and another newf, so it all worked out, but it''s always frustrating when you know there is a local puppy mill. I know PA is full of them.
I find myself biting my lip every time I go to the dog park and hear that somebody bought their dog at a pet store because he/she was ''soooo cute''. I don''t want to be the woman who lectures people, but I just wish people knew better.
Date: 4/28/2009 8:37:02 PM
Author: Gypsy
I cannot watch these shows. Last year my SIL caved to her 14 and 16 year old and purchased a $1000 puppymill dog (mixed breed no papers, nothing) from a mall pet store. I couldn''t even open my mouth I was so livid when I heard. They kept wanting to send pics over and tell us all about the dog and I was just... too bitter for words. Especially since we both volunteered a great no-kill shelter in SIL''s town, and they knew that... AND because we knew for a fact that one of the worst kill shelters in the area was the ''drop site'' for that exact pet store''s left overs. Whenever one of their dogs got over a certain age/size they would dump them at this place. Any given week you could walk in there and save a dog''s life... LITERALLY because they killed the animals the SECOND they were legally permitted to do so. Heck, my hands are shaking just thinking about it now. Not that I blame the poor dog, he''s a cutie of course, but my SIL is just so freaking IRRESPONSIBLE and she is setting such a poor example for her kids (I mean COME ON all you have to do is say, ''no we don''t support these businesses and here is why. Why don''t we spend Saturday at the local shelters and see if we can find a great dog-- and save a life at the same time.'' OR ''no, we don''t support these businesses. If we are gong to buy a dog, we are going to be responsible. Let''s look up local AKC breeders selling Pomeranians (main breed of the dog) and see if we can find a dog to give a home to.'')
You know, I bottle things up too much. Then when they come out, I blow. I seem to be ''blowing'' all over PS this week. Sorry.
Date: 4/28/2009 9:43:58 PM
Author: purrfectpear
One thing that I think a lot of people aren''t aware of is that most breeds have a breed specific rescue organization. If you happen to see a purebred dog at a shelter and have the time, please look on the internet to see if there''s a rescue for that breed. Most rescues will find someone to get the dog out of the shelter and foster it until it can be adopted.
I''ve seen some ''Silkies'' on the breed rescue site that are so far removed from Silky conformation, I''m amazed that they were rescued. Just shows that their hearts are in the right place
The one organization that really SHOULD address the puppy mill issue, and could have a REAL impact, is the AKC. Unfortunately they refuse to deal with it at all. It''s a big disappointment to anyone in the dog fancy. AKC makes it''s money off of the litter/dog registrations, and sadly they wash their hands claiming they can''t police who registers. I say *BS*. Put a three litter/year limit and that will clearly eliminate ALL responsible breeders, as none that I know of have 3 bitches breeding yearly. Charge a substantial surcharge for registrations in excess of three annual litters. The puppy mills won''t be able to afford it and maybe, there would be less of them. They lobby quite hard and send a lot of money to the AKC to keep things the way they are.
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