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The puppies from puppy mills don't know where they were born and deserve all of the love you can give them. But there are tens of millions of dogs put to death every year because no one wants them. Please go to a pound; humane society, breed rescue group, or if you encounter one in trouble, pick the dog up off the street. There are many homeless dogs, partricularly in city slum areas. If you already have a dog, consider adding a friend for him. It won't always be possible; it doesn't work with every dog; but think about it. A puppy I am sure was terribly abused has helped keep my older dog young. She's six now, and I'm very thankful that I found her.
"I can't stand those puppy mill mistakes, that they try to sell as a "breed", like a "mini-pin-chi", like they meant for that to happen, delibrately. Or "Chi-Dauchounds", or whatever...and they still have the audacity to charge $500."
As long as people are willing to shell out big bucks for these "hybrid" dogs, breeders will be willing to sell them. We as consumers are the ones who need to keep this from happening.
I think that a lot of people still buy pups from stores or bybs because they don't like the way that *some* breeders feel that they can intrude into their lives. Personally, I would NEVER purchase a dog from a breeder who insisted, or even "strongly suggested" that I should keep in touch after I had the dog, or even suggested that they get my consent to speak to my veterinarian after I had the dog.
Unless I had a relationship with the breeder on another level, I wouldn't want that intrusion in my life. And, for someone to feel that was okay? That's just totally bizarre to me. If some are okay with that, no problem. More power to them. But, in my opinion, and in my experience, breeding for the betterment of the breed does NOT require intrusion upon either the new owner's or the dog's life after the sale.
I know that I'm not the only one that feels this way, and I think that this attitude of *some* breeders does in fact throw more business to the less reputable breeders.
People can, obviously, determine for themselves what the criteria are for a sale of their dog. This is a free market, after all. But, there should be some understanding that if those criteria become too restrictive or intrusive, people WILL go elsewhere to get what they want.
But, in my opinion, and in my experience, breeding for the betterment of the breed does NOT require intrusion upon either the new owner's or the dog's life after the sale.
i don't think that breeders "intrude" for the betterment of the breed - they do it for the welfare of their pups. the sad fact is, many many people are not responsible pet owners. if i bred or rescued dogs i'd do everything i could to ensure that they went to good homes, and that would include following up after the sale or adoption.
some people near me adopted a pit bull puppy from a local shelter. she was absolutely lovely, cute and sweet. they left her tied outside all the time until another neighbor called the humane officer on them, then who knows what they did with her. less than a year later she's been put to sleep (i'm guessing because they didn't train her and/or she bit one of the kids because they were mistreating her) and they have a little shihtzu or something that the kids drag around the neighborhood by his ears. i'm sure when he bites them he'll be gone too.
boy, do i wish that shelter, and whoever they got that shihtzu from, had the resources to "intrude" on people's lives post-adoption. maybe that sweet puppy would be alive today and living in a decent home. maybe the new pup wouldn't be living in an abusive situation where he'll likely suffer the same fate eventually.
now i'm sure you're not that kind of dog owner, but how is a breeder or shelter supposed to know that? should they just take your word for it? in order to adopt from this shelter you do have to fill out a questionnaire showing that you understand how to care for a dog and be interviewed. i'm sure these people came across as perfectly reasonable and didn't state that they planned to chain the dog outside or let their kids do whatever they wanted to her. but hey, that's what they did! this is why breeders and rescues impose these kinds of conditions, when they can.
if credit card companies didn't check people's credit before issuing them a card, a lot more people would get credit cards. even if cards that checked credit had better interest rates and better rewards, many people would opt for the no credit check version. a lot of those people would be perfectly fine with the cards, but some would default.
since people defaulting on a credit card cuts into the companies' profits, it is not possible to get a credit card without a credit check. but defaulting on the commitment to take care of a pet doesn't cost the person who sold it to you anything, so it comes down to the conscience of the seller. if your dog living a happy and healthy life was profitable to the seller, you wouldn't be able to buy a dog without a home visit and follow-up, just like you can't get a credit card without having your credit checked.
why do people think it's fine to submit to much more invasive scrutiny in order to have a line of credit than they are to become the caretaker for a living thing? the only reason is that with the latter there is an alternative.
i don't think that breeders "intrude" for the betterment of the breed - they do it for the welfare of their pups. the sad fact is, many many people are not responsible pet owners. if i bred or rescued dogs i'd do everything i could to ensure that they went to good homes, and that would include following up after the sale or adoption.
That, to me, is completely ridiculous. I mean, who are YOU, as the breeder of the dog that I have purchased, to intrude on my life like that?
And, even more than that, what are you going to do if I'm doing something that you don't like?
It's the hubris of certain breeders that gets to me (and quite a few others). If I need advice from the breeder, I'll ask. I certainly don't need (or want) them checking up on me. I actually find that patently offensive.
That, to me, is completely ridiculous. I mean, who are YOU, as the breeder of the dog that I have purchased, to intrude on my life like that?
And, even more than that, what are you going to do if I'm doing something that you don't like?
It's the hubris of certain breeders that gets to me (and quite a few others). If I need advice from the breeder, I'll ask. I certainly don't need (or want) them checking up on me. I actually find that patently offensive.
I disagree with this. We are in contact with PC's breeder, 2 years later. He emails us regularly and we see him pretty frequently because we live a mile apart. He invites us to different events/shows/picnics, where we bring PC and he gets to play with his dad/cousins/etc.
He's also been a huge help when PC was sick and we needed advice on what to do (not easy dealing with a sick Bulldog when e-vet only sees $$ when one walks in and regular Bulldog vet won't open til morning). He's helped a ton in those situations and we are VERY grateful.
We don't find this intrusive at all, it's not like he's checking up on us. We simply get along. I'm fairly certain he's aware that PC is the most spoiled and loved dog in the universe and has never told us to do things his way.
We don't find this intrusive at all, it's not like he's checking up on us. We simply get along. I'm fairly certain he's aware that PC is the most spoiled and loved dog in the universe and has never told us to do things his way.
And, that's your choice. Like I said, if it works for you, fine. But, for a breeder to *require* it, or even suggest it, is intrusive, IMO.
Once I pay the money for the pup, the breeder loses all rights to it, unless I sign some contract that says otherwise (which I couldn't imagine doing). I've seen more than one post from people on here that speak of this being part of what a "good breeder" does, and I believe that is a load of hooey.
I think a lot of people fall into the trap of thinking that "oh, if a breeder requires this, they must have the best dogs"... Yeah...not really.
Like I said, if a buyer accepts this, that's fine. Who am I, or anyone else, to judge? But, I've seen this attitude that this is "the way" to do it, and that's what I think is a load of bunk.
I have 3 friends that adopted children. Every single one of them has a social worker come to their house every year to ensure the kids are being taken care of. Yea, they paid for the adoption and those are their kids, but still are being checked up on. People have no issues with that, no reason to get up in arms over a breeder checking up on a dog that lives far fewer years than a human kid. Really, no need to be so dramatic about a system that's been in place with reputable breeders for many, many years.
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