| Up to 10 million animals are
killed in the U.S. pounds and shelters every year. The
killing could easily be prevented by spaying and neutering.
Euthanasia is the single largest cause of death for dogs in
the U.S. Each
year 27 million of the animals
are born. Five to ten million we classify as
"surplus" and kill. That's about
one million per month. These numbers do not
include the millions of dead dogs
whose bodies we scrape off the streets, or
the hundreds of thousands of
abandoned, severely neglected or abused ones
who
never make it to our shelters to be counted and killed. The
five to ten
million figure represents those
we "must" kill because they are unwanted.
Most
of these animals are young and healthy; in fact, it is
estimated that a
majority are less than one year
of age. The problem is simple: we have too
many dogs. Too many for the too
few homes available. The solution we have
opted for is to kill the extras.
This solution has been considered
acceptable
by default, as though there were no other way
to control the crisis. And we
spend over $1 billion every year
destroying "man's best friend."
Why
is this happening in the United States today? The number one
biggest
contributor to the problem is the
backyard breeder not the puppy mills.
This is a name that has
become unpopular and no one wants to admit they are a
backyard breeder. Many people do
not even realize they are part of the
problem. This is what I need to
address in this post. The only way to stop
the needless killing of dogs is
to stop the needless breeding of them.
Every breed of dog recognized by the AKC has a written
standard, a blueprint
of what the dog should look like
and act like. These standards were written
so that all would know what a
quality example of the breed is and strive to
produce dogs that meet or exceed
the standard in health, temperament and
appearance. To be sure you are
breeding dogs that meet these standards,
your
dogs must be judged by people who have a lifetime of
experience among the
breed. Do you know the standard
of the Pure Breed Dog? Does your dog
meet this standard according to
an AKC Judge? If not, your dog is pet
quality. A pet is to be loved,
cherished, trained, cared for, spoiled and
bragged about, but it is NEVER to
be bred. No matter how cute or sweet the
dog may be, if it is not up to
the standard, you have no business breeding
it.
If
you have a purebred dog this does not give you the right to
breed it.
Most
purebred dogs are not breeding quality. If you breed your pet
quality
dog, you are a backyard breeder,
whether you breed the dog in your
backyard,
garage, living room or an expensive hotel
room, the term is still backyard
breeder.
If
your pet quality dog has AKC papers, that's nice but it
doesn't change
anything. You still don't have
the right to breed it.
If
your pet quality dog cost you $500 be glad you had the money
to afford
it.
You still have no right to breed it.
Do
you think you can make your $500 back if you breed your pet
dog or if
your
pet dog is a color or size that isn't in the standard but you
just know
everyone
will want buy a pup if you breed her? Shame on
you! Now you are a backyard
breeder with the purpose of
breeding pups for bucks.
If
the price for a tail dock or an ear crop seem high to you,
what are you
going to do when your beloved pet
needs an emergency C section. Will you
even be there with her to know if
she is in trouble? Would you recognize
trouble before it's too late?
And
if you still want to breed your pet dog but need to ask who's
supposed
to
cut off the tails and ears, ask yourself "What the Hell am I
thinking!"
Do
you think genetic testing is something they used in the OJ
trial but has
nothing to do with your dog
breeding career? You are a backyard breeder.
Backyard breeders sell pups that aren't up to the standard of
the breed.
They do this for many reasons.
None are good enough reasons to contribute
to
the killing of dogs. Period.
Backyard breeders will swear all of their pups went to a good
home. They
believe this but it's not true.
Some may have been lucky enough to go to a
good home but more than half of
them will end up dead, in a shelter, alone,
on a cold table with a needle
sticking out of their leg. Some of those good
homes will get tired of the dog
and they will just give it away to anyone
who
is willing to take it. Some of your beloved dog's children
will end up
living alone in a backyard,
barking all night, cold and neglected until the
owner gets complaints and then
that pup will be dead. Some will be starved
and beaten. Some will be bred
until they die from it. Some will end up in
rescue and I will have to find
space for it in my home and I will have to
show it that not all humans are
bad. I will train it, and feed it the
proper
food so it can heal. I will take the fleas off
of it and I will get rid of
the worms. I will give it the
shots it should have had but no one
remembered
to give it. I will do these things because the
backyard breeder didn't do it
and wouldn't take the dog back
when it was 2 years old and full of problems.
I
will spay or neuter that pup before I find it a new home so
that I will
never have to rescue one of it's
pups and so I can be sure it will never end
up in the hands of another
backyard breeder looking to make profit from
puppies.
Backyard breeders are not responsible pet owners. They think
they love the
dogs but it's not really true
because they don't really want to be bothered
with doing all that it takes to
breed ethically. They love feeling
important
when they say "I breed "Pure Breed dogs"". But
breeding pet dogs isn't
something to be proud of. If a
shame on our society. It's the reason for
the killing that goes on in
shelters. Why do you want to be part of that?
Do
you want to be respected? Spay or neuter you pet dog. There's
really no
other way. The kind of homes you
want for your pet pups don't want to buy
from you. They are looking for
responsible, respected breeders who are
doing
something for the breed as a whole. Most of
those who will come running to
buy your pups are the kind of
people I wouldn't give a dog I didn't like to.
They are the ones who will turn
your puppy into a shelter when the novelty
wears off. That's a fact.
Want
to stop the problem of killing 1 Million dogs a month all over
America?
Spay
or neuter your pet dog now and tell everyone you know to do
the same
and
leave the breeding to the people who are doing something to
better the
breed.
Let's make a difference starting now. |
