"no such thing as a responsible breeder"

Trianna · March 2012

I'm getting so sick of seeing people say this kind of thing. There was a proposed dog breeding facility (puppy mill) close enough to where I live to be on a local news site (it wasn't allowed to open), and there were people making comments like that. It just gets annoying to see people thinking like this... guess what, if nobody bred there wouldn't be purebred animals anymore.... if everyone in the world spayed and neutered their animals then dogs, cats, and every other species of animal humans breed would cease to exist (at least the domesticated varieties). There are in fact responsible breeders, and they breed to better the animal they work with, not to make a profit. Yes, shelter dogs get put down, but that isn't the fault of the responsible breeders and people who buy from them, it's the fault of puppy mill for-profit breeders, and most of all, bad owners. The other part of this, people saying "If you buy a dog from a breeder then you're killing a shelter dog" gets pretty annoying too... personally, I've looked through the adoptable pet lists of shelters in a 100 mile range of where I live for the past 2-3 years, and found maybe 20 total dogs that have met the specifications of what I'm looking for in a dog... and they all get adopted before I get a chance to inquire about them. It just happens to be most of the breeds I like don't end up in shelters near where I am often. That, combined with the fact that my family includes a soon-to-be 2 year old and 4 cats and I would like to know some history on the animal and it's temperament to make sure it's safe, means I'll most likely get a dog from a breeder. If I adopt from a breeder, it doesn't mean some shelter dog is missing out on a home, if I wouldn't have adopted any of the available shelter dogs anyway.

Animal Lover1996 · March 2012

Exactly! All but one of my dogs was rescued and people say stuff to me (even like one or two people on VP) about how there's 'no such thing as a responsible breeder' and that it was wrong for us to pay $400 for a Brittany Spaniel from a breeder. People just need to realize it's not US the -responsible- pet owners to blame for overpopulation in shelters. It's the irresponsible pet owners. I'm from Alabama and you would not BELIEVE how many dogs you see on the side of the road in just a short trip to the grocery store or something. It's horrible. People down here have no idea how to take care of their animals.

Minx · March 2012

I hate this as well. And not just with dogs either. I'e heard the same thing with horses, especially since my colt isn't purebred, albeit he IS registered. Thing is, he's trained better than a LOT of back yard breeders who breed crap horses to get foals to sell JUST because they're registered. Bad breeders give all of us a bad name.

Adrianna32 · March 2012

No such thing? My family has been proving that statement wrong for over fifty years. -___- And I will continue to prove it wrong for the rest of my life. It's one of my pet peeves when someone gives me that -you kill shelter dogs when you breed and buy pures- bull crap.

Alabama · March 2012

Maybe it comes down to each person's definition of responsible. Is it socially responsible to breed any animal when there are thousands being put to sleep every day? Is it personally responsible to only breed with a goal in mind? I bred American Quarter Horses for years, and I like to believe that I did it responsibly since we bred only healthy horses and were trying to integrate foundation stock with performance horses, so we paid a lot of attention to conformation and bloodlines. More than a few of our foals became champions. But, I can see where someone might say we weren't breeding responsibly because there are so many horses dying and up for sale that could be loved and do exactly what our QH were meant to do and there are hundreds of big breeders who have the stock, money and commitment to keep the breed alive and pure. So really, what was I doing all those years? Putting out more cheap purebred QH that honestly were not needed. I think I was breeding responsibly by my own definition, but by someone else's I could have been called a backyard breeder because our mare herd was fewer than a dozen horses and we did not have a stud on the property. They were foaled literally in our backyard. When it comes to smaller animals, dogs, cats, etc., I think the differences can be a lot larger because they can have so many more offspring per litter and so many more litters per year. I believe you can be personally responsible by only breeding healthy animals, paying attention to details and producing well bred and cared for animals. I also believe you can be socially irresponsible at the same time by ignoring the hundreds/thousands of animals dying so that you can pursue your own personal goal.

DiamondPuppy0809 · March 2012

Alabama wrote:

When it comes to smaller animals, dogs, cats, etc., I think the differences can be a lot larger because they can have so many more offspring per litter and so many more litters per year. I believe you can be personally responsible by only breeding healthy animals, paying attention to details and producing well bred and cared for animals. I also believe you can be socially irresponsible at the same time by ignoring the hundreds/thousands of animals dying so that you can pursue your own personal goal.

I don't think this could have been said any better!

Trianna · March 2012

Alabama wrote:

 When it comes to smaller animals, dogs, cats, etc., I think the differences can be a lot larger because they can have so many more offspring per litter and so many more litters per year.

Part of the definition of responsible breeding, to me, is not to breed too often, and to not chose to breed a type of animal that is already extremely overpopulated. You can breed happy, healthy, well socialized animals to try to better the breed, and still be irresponsible if you breed too often, or breed to many litters from one animal, etc. I consider the IW breeders I've chosen to get a puppy from to be responsible breeders. They breed, at most, one litter per year, and last year they didn't produce a litter because they are busy showing their breeding stock. IW's aren't a particularly abundant breed, so these breeders, by producing dogs and working with other breeders, are helping to maintain some genetic diversity in the breed. However, I consider most people who breed dogs who already have more than enough of a population, such as APBT's, to be extremely irresponsible. Yes, there do need to be a few breeders, to produce genetically and temperamentally sound pups to preserve the breed, but there don't need to be nearly as many breeders as there are. However, most of the breeders for the breeds that are the most overpopulated are basically puppy mills. Take the "designer mixes".... I don't think I've ever seen a responsible breeder calling the dogs they produce "designer". Yes, some responsible breeders will out cross to help a breed or create a new one, but they don't do it for profit. The only people who breed "designer mixes" around here are puppy mills. Our shelters around here are full of them, and full of ABPT's, Staffies, and Am. Bulldogs... none of it is because of responsible breeders. The bully breeds are mostly rescued from places like NYC where they were going to be used for fighting, a few were bait dogs or ex-fighters. The mixes mostly are old breeding dogs from puppy mills that would have been "euthanized" (and I use that term loosely, one puppy mill breeder around here stuck his dogs in a box connected to an engine and gassed them, and that's not the worst of it). A responsible breeder will not contribute to shelter overpopulation because they won't breed an animal they aren't willing to take back. They make sure their animals aren't placed in shelters by checking up on them for the life of the animal. Most animals are in shelters because of irresponsible breeders, and the irresponsible people who buy an animal because " Oh, look how cute that puppy is!" or "Oh, what a pretty little kitten!" and then it grows up, and it's not cute anymore, and lo and behold, owning an animal is work, who would have thought. So they dump it off by the road somewhere, or at the local pound. Truly responsible breeders screen their possible adopters, and make sure they don't sell to people with that sort of mindset. Reducing the number of animals in shelters can only be done with responsible breeding, responsible animal husbandry, and stricter rules on all who chose to breed.

Adrianna32 · March 2012

I do breed my Tosas (a breed considered rare), but I also donate money and supplies to local Animal Shelters. I volunteer and foster as well.. anything I can do to help. In my opinion, I am definitely a responsible breeder, and I deserve that title. I may be producing animals once a year, but what I am doing in return makes up for it. I never feel bad when a new litter arrives or a breeding is planned, because I know that when it comes to the shelter dogs, I definitely do my part. That's all anyone can really ask of me. And Trianna, that entire post is just... perfect. ^

DarkHawke · March 2012

I know exactly where you're coming from. I breed boston terriers. I am one of two breeders in my area (the other being my cousin xD). Neither of us have ever had a problem getting rid of any of our pups, ever. Why is that? Because there are people who want ONLY pure bred, well raised dogs with good lines. Those same people, 99% of the time would not go adopt a shelter dog if they didn't get one of our pups. Because a shelter dog is not what they want. Yes, I realize that shelter dogs are pure bred a lot of the time, but most people don't want them if they don't have papers (If a pure bred dog is what they are looking for.) So to stop my rambling and make my point: By breeding responsibly, you are not killing a shelter dog, because most of your clientele would not be adopting shelter dogs if they didn't get your pups. They'd just wait for another breeder to have a litter that they are interested in. /MyTwoCents.

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"no such thing as a responsible breeder"

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