For The Love of Dogs

Where to start with a topic so dear to my heart? I've always been a huge animal lover and owned pets all my life, who all lived to ripe old ages. I've rescued birds, baby mice, a half dead squirrel once, and was privileged to rehabilitate two baby racoons once (I'll save that for a different article on this blog of mine) and I have raised and homed puppies for years. But this blog is not about my love of animals, it's about dogs within the pet industry and is the first article of several.

Lately, I have been researching a lot online because of two incidents that occurred very close together in two different countries where I was amazed at the similarities in obvious control in cases where there should be none. I was more appalled by people's comments of complete ignorance or pure hatred on the topic by, and there can be no other word for it, complete imbeciles who merely copied what each other said. Ignorance shining through I doubt if any of them had even watched an animal documentary even once in their life. Therefore I write this to explain some important details.

If people don't stop attacking breeders we are facing a future of having no pets at all. Think I am exaggerating? I am not. In 2016 in the province of Ontario, Canada that has a population of 3 million people, there were approximately 10,000 ads for dogs/puppies, 8 years later when I referenced the number in the spring time there were less than 4,000 ads. Plus, there are now only 2 ad venues left and good luck finding a newspaper that will advertise puppies. There are different reasons for this but as it has evolved since not many people were paying attention then it is necessary now to point out a few things.

Breeders Love Their Dogs

All breeders do. They are with them 24/7 and know everything about them, their own, the world of puppies, and their breed. They are proud to do what they do and part of a PROFESSION that goes back to the mid 19th century. Dogs were actually domesticated 15,000 years ago it is estimated, breeding practices developed approximately 9,000 years ago and selective breeding began 200 years ago.

There is a difference between "backyard breeders," and registered ones. Backyard breeders are not the same as mixed breed breeders either, they are characterized by the way they do their business. They can be small but will use improper business practices, like faking registrations or health records, steal deposits, do bait-and-switch scams, or not honor contracts if they have them at all.

A registered breeder has references, is a knowledge base for their breed, is professional and has their dogs registered. They use applications and have contracts that will include, for example breeding or non-breeding stipulations, no re-selling, or return to the breeder if unforseen circumstances occur so that a person cannot care for the dog anymore (the owner may have a surgery or serious illness for example) and that keeps them out of shelters also. Registries don't govern pet businesses, they register the dogs and litters to keep a record of the offspring and lines.

According to the Canadian Constitution Act (1867), animals are considered a person's property

Purebred Dog Registries

Breeding is a lifestyle, so to the nay sayers... Get Over It.

Breeders have pet names, long fancy names or regular normal names for their dogs. They get portraits done, have plaques inscribed, carry 1000 photos of them around or saved on their phones, talk dog-talk all day long, put their dogs first and stay home with them, stay up all night to make sure mommy dog doesn't roll on a little one, and lots let them sleep in the bed with them, no matter how many. It's fun!

Breeding is not synonymous with mills, which many people now believe. A mill is a large operation, a warehouse full of cages, that transport bulk numbers of dogs that are unregistered and they can sell upwards of a hundred a week at times.

Large commercial breeders are perfectly legal. There industry standards are more rigorous because they are large and managing more. Government auctions fall under this as well. *The danger with this is fake rescuers will attend auctions, buy registered purebreds, dispose of the registrations and turn around and breed and sell and say they "rescued" them. * It's doubtful to ever see a genuine rescue dog as a puppy. a real Rescue Dog is one saved from death row in a shelter. A network of rescuers will temporarily house the dogs until finding a permanent home and rescue them from euthanasia.

Hobby Breeders are usually breeders who don't include training for Dog Shows, are just as knowledgeable as a larger scale business and have as much or more passion as any other breeder. They are often affectionately called "mom and pop breeders," or "kitchen breeders."

It is not uncommon for a small breeding business to reach a number of a 100 dogs, it's not usual but it can happen just like any business is dependent on the market fluctuations and sales being sabotaged (it is also a fiercely competitive business.) They normally all sell to good, loving homes in time. If not, they still belong legally, to the breeder until they do.

Dog Breeder Rights

Charter of Rights is Federal

The right to privacy, the right to earn a living, the right to property, the right to speak

This is a great little video about puppy love.

Once upon a time the local breeder or pet store used to be a place where people loved to go! Who doesn't love puppies? Now adays it's like a seek and destroy effort for anyone advertising them.

It has become obvious over the past decade at least that there is a concerted effort that not only undermines the pet industry, it is decimating it. Let's be careful here.

My personal opinion is that when things become authoritarian then it is time to privatize shelters, relax controls and restore some common sense.

Putting dog clothes on a dog, teaching them tricks, normal occasional barking inside, or a messy house are not abuse. Unnecessary calls are harassment.

The Plusses of Having a Pet

They are your friendly companion for life. Your best buddy, your cuddlebutt, your fur baby.

They teach children responsibility and caregiving

They encourage empathy and compassion

They help us rely on skills like patience

They lower stress and blood pressure

They are just all around fun to have

There is more to this and I will write more articles to raise awareness. This isn't just a support for breeders, the government is exacting enforcement that also violates the rights of pet owners worldwide. A Petition is attached here, feel free to read, sign, and share. It takes only a minute to change the world.