It''s Puppy Season - rant

[waterlilly]

CC''d today on an email from a fellow rescuer, couldn''t say it better myself:

"Yay, it''s puppy season. This time of year is when shelters and rescues become overrun with puppies. If you are considering a puppy - PLEASE ADOPT and PLEASE SPAY/NEUTER YOUR PETS. There are puppies of ALL SIZES and BREEDS in shelters across the country desperate for homes.

Please do not line the pockets of people that breed dogs simply for money. If a "breeder" does not have proven TITLED dogs that have undergone health and genetic testing - they are not real breeders and are in it solely for the money. You will not get a better dog from them than if you adopted one, that is a fact. The only reason to ever breed a dog is to carry on proven superior genes that will better the breed.

I''ll spare you the details of 27 puppies and 4 mothers that met their fates this morning simply because there was no space to house them. Can you imagine what it is like to hold a puppy and say "Hey little guy, welcome to the world! Goodbye." ?? Next week there will be more. Meanwhile, people are spending ridiculous amounts of money to buy puggles or shi-poos or labradoodles or whatever ridiculous names they make up next from so called breeders.

Can you tell I''m on edge? You would be too if you had to look at a photo of 40+ puppies and only choose 3 that get to live (after they are weened and the mother is euthanized, of course).

Puppy season sucks."

 

[lulu]

AMEN!

 

[elrohwen]

Spring is so hard

I really hope people come out and adopt some of the puppies that are out there!

Easter is a horrible season for bunnies - lots of people buy them and dump them a few months later - so I''m gettig prepared for all of the new bunnies that will be coming in to the rescue

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

I know the feeling. My DH and I transported a feral mother and her 3 1/2 week old kittens to the humane society where we were told that if we left them, they would die. The mother got away and we hand raised them. They were adopted one they were old enough, but the feeling that might not have been or that some others didn''t because they were kills me.

None of the 5 cats in my family are shelter cats, but all would have been in the shelter if we hadn''t taken them. Of my parents, 1 was a stray kitten and 2 were from a barn in NE. Of ours, one was a stray and the other was the kitten of a stray and the runt the people who took in the mother couldn''t find someone to take.

They are ALL spayed and I tell everyone to do the same.

 

[elrohwen]

Date: 4/21/2010 3:49:39 PM
Author: brazen_irish_hussy
I know the feeling. My DH and I transported a feral mother and her 3 1/2 week old kittens to the humane society where we were told that if we left them, they would die. The mother got away and we hand raised them. They were adopted one they were old enough, but the feeling that might not have been or that some others didn't because they were kills me.

None of the 5 cats in my family are shelter cats, but all would have been in the shelter if we hadn't taken them. Of my parents, 1 was a stray kitten and 2 were from a barn in NE. Of ours, one was a stray and the other was the kitten of a stray and the runt the people who took in the mother couldn't find someone to take.

They are ALL spayed and I tell everyone to do the same.

So true - dogs, cats, or bunnies. It makes me so angry when people refuse to fix their bunnies, let them get together, and end up with an accidental litter. Those babies end up in pet stores or shelters, or sometimes as pets for a 5 year old that won't get good care. It makes me so angry. Espeiclaly the people who say "But they were only out for a second!" Uhh, how long do you think it takes for them to make babies?

 

[that_someone_special]

I like to call it Kitten season too..

 

[yssie]

Your fellow rescuer got it absolutely dead on, waterlilly

 

[luv2sparkle]

That is just so very sad!

 

[lyra]

That''s so sad. I wish spaying/neutering of all dogs and cats was a mandatory thing. I know it couldn''t be enforced well, but I believe this is in place in some European countries isn''t it? So only registered inspected and approved breeders could breed? Can''t think of a better solution. It would be great if something could be done though.

 

[movie zombie]

had to take one of the cats to the vet yesterday and while there i hear very young kitten mewing. when i asked, i was told that someone had dumped/left 3 very young, little kittens at their doorstep and they are having to bottle feed them and do everything for them that a mother cat should be doing for them. please adopt a kitten or cat from a shelter! it is now "kitten" season as well as "puppy" season. very sad.

mz

 

[kenny]

I prefer mutts because I believe they have fewer health problems than purebreds.

Random diverse breeding produces healthier offspring.

 

[waterlilly]

Date: 4/22/2010 12:30:17 AM
Author: kenny
I prefer mutts because I believe they have fewer health problems than purebreds.


Random diverse breeding produces healthier offspring.

REAL breeders are very selective about what animals are bred. They only breed animals that have proven themselves in the show ring and earned Ch. titles. They also will not breed animals that have any genetic predisposition to disease. Real breeders are very selective about where their animals go, and the price is usually quite high for one of their pups (1k+). For good reason.

So - buying from a real breeder - you will get a healthy pure bred dog. Buying from ANYONE that sells designer mixed breeds (puggles, labradoodles, pocket or "teacup" dogs, etc.) you are getting a poorly bred dog that likely is the result of inbreeding, females are bred as often as possible (real breeders might produce 1 litter a year for a particular female) and this person is doing it for one reason - $$$. With the numbers of puppies and adults that are gassed every week in this country, breeding dogs for money is a deplorable act in my opinion.

There are many resources out there, but here is one I pulled from a website, just the basic things you can expect. If the answer is NO to any of these questions, move on, you've found a bad breeder and the health of your new puppy in not a concern to them.

Here are a few things you should ask your breeder about as well as some expectations that you should have:
• Is there a signed veterinary health certificate, plus a written health guarantee from the breeder, including one against congenital defects?
• Are ACVO eye screening and OFA or Penn Hip certificates completed, to avoid any future problems with the puppies?
• Does the breeder have a written contract available for you to sign, specifying the rights of the seller and also the breeder’s rights?
• Is all health information available and up to date?
• Can the breeder provide AKC or CKC registration papers on the puppy?
• What is the lineage of the puppies? A responsible breeder should be able to tell you lineage from generations back, as well as giving you a family tree of the puppy.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Date: 4/22/2010 7:48:53 AM
Author: waterlilly

Date: 4/22/2010 12:30:17 AM
Author: kenny
I prefer mutts because I believe they have fewer health problems than purebreds.


Random diverse breeding produces healthier offspring.

REAL breeders are very selective about what animals are bred. They only breed animals that have proven themselves in the show ring and earned Ch. titles. They also will not breed animals that have any genetic predisposition to disease. Real breeders are very selective about where their animals go, and the price is usually quite high for one of their pups (1k+). For good reason.

So - buying from a real breeder - you will get a healthy pure bred dog. Buying from ANYONE that sells designer mixed breeds (puggles, labradoodles, pocket or 'teacup' dogs, etc.) you are getting a poorly bred dog that likely is the result of inbreeding, females are bred as often as possible (real breeders might produce 1 litter a year for a particular female) and this person is doing it for one reason - $$$. With the numbers of puppies and adults that are gassed every week in this country, breeding dogs for money is a deplorable act in my opinion.

There are many resources out there, but here is one I pulled from a website, just the basic things you can expect. If the answer is NO to any of these questions, move on, you've found a bad breeder and the health of your new puppy in not a concern to them.

Here are a few things you should ask your breeder about as well as some expectations that you should have:
• Is there a signed veterinary health certificate, plus a written health guarantee from the breeder, including one against congenital defects?
• Are ACVO eye screening and OFA or Penn Hip certificates completed, to avoid any future problems with the puppies?
• Does the breeder have a written contract available for you to sign, specifying the rights of the seller and also the breeder’s rights?
• Is all health information available and up to date?
• Can the breeder provide AKC or CKC registration papers on the puppy?
• What is the lineage of the puppies? A responsible breeder should be able to tell you lineage from generations back, as well as giving you a family tree of the puppy.

Very well stated, Waterlily! Also, a reputable breeder will only sell a puppy contingent upon the owner signing a contract stating that the owner will return the dog to its breeder if the owner can no longer care for the puppy. A reputable breeder would NEVER allow any of his/her dogs to go to a shelter.

I agree that puppy season sucks. Both the Spring and the Fall seasons. It's very mentally exhausting for those involved in rescue--it feels like the nation is over-run with puppy mills and back yard breeders. Thank you for all of your hard work, Waterlily!

 

[jewelz617]

I know... it''s awful. Enough with the designer dogs and cats!

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

Date: 4/21/2010 6:36:23 PM
Author: lyra
That''s so sad. I wish spaying/neutering of all dogs and cats was a mandatory thing. I know it couldn''t be enforced well, but I believe this is in place in some European countries isn''t it? So only registered inspected and approved breeders could breed? Can''t think of a better solution. It would be great if something could be done though.

I would love to take it one step further and be able to have ''backyard breeders'' prosecuted for breeding animals purely for the profits. Leave it to the registered and licenced breeders i say!!

 

[PumpkinPie]

very sad

 

[tigian]

It really is horrible.

When will people realize?

 

[TooPatient]

So sad. I don''t get how people can be so irresponsible and thoughtless

All of the animals in my family are rescues -- from people moving who can''t take them, found outside, or from shelters.

I got an e-mail from my mom last night. The stray cat she''s been feeding and the other one he spends time with had kittens. The mother, father, and all four of the kittens are going to be taken to the vet to be spayed/neutered.

When they are old enough, the kittens will be adopted out. (My mom is a softie for strays so she is likely to take one or two in herself)

 

[Laila619]

This is why I only buy pets from a SHELTER. There are so many needy animals that would love a good home that it is irresponsible to encourage breeders and to buy designer dogs.

UGH! It makes me so angry and sad.

 

[waterlilly]

Date: 4/22/2010 8:50:13 AM
Author: NewEnglandLady

Date: 4/22/2010 7:48:53 AM

Author: waterlilly

Date: 4/22/2010 12:30:17 AM

Author: kenny

I prefer mutts because I believe they have fewer health problems than purebreds.



Random diverse breeding produces healthier offspring.

REAL breeders are very selective about what animals are bred. They only breed animals that have proven themselves in the show ring and earned Ch. titles. They also will not breed animals that have any genetic predisposition to disease. Real breeders are very selective about where their animals go, and the price is usually quite high for one of their pups (1k+). For good reason.


So - buying from a real breeder - you will get a healthy pure bred dog. Buying from ANYONE that sells designer mixed breeds (puggles, labradoodles, pocket or ''teacup'' dogs, etc.) you are getting a poorly bred dog that likely is the result of inbreeding, females are bred as often as possible (real breeders might produce 1 litter a year for a particular female) and this person is doing it for one reason - $$$. With the numbers of puppies and adults that are gassed every week in this country, breeding dogs for money is a deplorable act in my opinion.


There are many resources out there, but here is one I pulled from a website, just the basic things you can expect. If the answer is NO to any of these questions, move on, you''ve found a bad breeder and the health of your new puppy in not a concern to them.


Here are a few things you should ask your breeder about as well as some expectations that you should have:

• Is there a signed veterinary health certificate, plus a written health guarantee from the breeder, including one against congenital defects?

• Are ACVO eye screening and OFA or Penn Hip certificates completed, to avoid any future problems with the puppies?

• Does the breeder have a written contract available for you to sign, specifying the rights of the seller and also the breeder’s rights?

• Is all health information available and up to date?

• Can the breeder provide AKC or CKC registration papers on the puppy?

• What is the lineage of the puppies? A responsible breeder should be able to tell you lineage from generations back, as well as giving you a family tree of the puppy.

Very well stated, Waterlily! Also, a reputable breeder will only sell a puppy contingent upon the owner signing a contract stating that the owner will return the dog to its breeder if the owner can no longer care for the puppy. A reputable breeder would NEVER allow any of his/her dogs to go to a shelter.


I agree that puppy season sucks. Both the Spring and the Fall seasons. It''s very mentally exhausting for those involved in rescue--it feels like the nation is over-run with puppy mills and back yard breeders. Thank you for all of your hard work, Waterlily!

Exactly!

And, to add to that:

If pet stores that sell puppies (ALL pet stores get their dogs from puppy mills or byb''s. ALL of them, a real breeder would cut their arms off before handing over their puppies to a pet store.) and BYB''s didn''t exist, neither would all the terrible diseases you see in dogs today. Hip dysplasia & joint diseases, eye problems, heart problems, etc. it''s because of them that these lousy specimens keep breeding and spreading these problems!

A lot of people think that mutts (which are the best dogs in the world imo) are healthier just because of the random breeding that occurs - but a true purebred dog is as healthy as a dog can be. It''s simply because the vast majority of people doing the breeding don''t have a clue, and simply don''t care - all they see are dollar signs. A real breeder has a passion for their breed and takes great pride in producing perfect and healthy offspring.

There are some folks in rescue that hate all breeders, but real breeders only produce a tiny fraction of the dogs born each year, they are not the problem when it comes to overpopulation, imo. BYB''s and of course, puppy mills are destroying dog breeds and are the reason euthanasia rates in the country are out of control.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Again, well stated, Waterlily.

I''ve volunteered at shelters, I volunteer within our breed club''s local chapter and I am good friends with several reputable breeders. I''ve said it before and I''ll say it again--the reputable breeders I know do 100x more for dogs than the shelters and rescue organizations. Rescue is necessary, but the reputable breeders are stopping the issue at the source. If everybody bought from a reputable breeder, there would be no need at all for shelters (or pet stores)...that would be the day.

When I volunteered at a shelter in the midwest there was a backyard breeder who would sometimes bring in the puppies he couldn''t sell. It was absolutely INFURIATING for me that we were essentially enabling this guy to stay in business. But the shelter could not legally turn him away.

I find it difficult to walk the line between trying to educate people and lecturing. I don''t want to be a dog snob, but the lack of education kills me.

 

[deegee]

That is so heartbreaking. My parents adopted lots of animals as I was growing up and always had them fixed, so I thought it was just something that everyone did when they had a pet.

Last year a friend a work rescued a mom dog and litter of 6 puppies and desperately tried to find homes for all of them. I adopted Lily (my avatar), and a few other coworkers adopted puppies also. One coworker decided she wanted a puppy too but didn''t want one of "those mutt dogs", so she spent a good bit of money to buy a dog from a pet store instead. Luckily my friend found good homes for all 7 of the sweethearts she rescued, and she made everyone that took a puppy promise to have it spayed or neutered as soon as it was old enough. The poor little dog from the pet store has already had to have 2 surgeries to correct a breeding defect.

Our local animal shelters are joining together and having an adoption party next weekend. I''m trying really hard to convince my hubby that Lily needs a little doggy buddy to play with!