This will no doubt be a controversial blog today. Yep, that's right, I said it. I SUPPORT SMALL BREEDERS. Not all small breeders, there are small millers. I support just the good ones. I'm tired of people looking down at me and others who purchase our puppies. Yes I did my research, chose a breeder, purchased a puppy and care for that puppy with every ounce of care in me. She has been amazingly socialized, is in the process of being trained, is groomed regularly, taken to the vet, getting spayed next week, fed a real and nutritional diet and loved, very, very loved. So, shame on me? Am I a part of the problem of pet over population? NO.
The problem is the big breeders; large and small, the millers. I for one scoop all the mass production breeders into one big bag of millers. I don't care if they have the newest, most modern facility to breed their dogs; they are still millers to me. Mass production and distribution is the problem my friends. Those who treat dogs as a product instead of the wonderfully intelligent creatures that they are. Millers who care only for the bottom line, money. Millers don't have to have a huge facility, it can be right in their back yard. They just keep breeding and breeding and breeding. As long as the demand is there they will keep the supply flowing. Disgusting.
Another problem lies in those who just let it happen. They get a puppy, don't get it spayed and oops. Or maybe not an oops, perhaps they breed their dog on purpose. I've talked to many people who have dogs and they so badly want to breed their dog because it would be so cute to have puppies. Or they want a puppy from their wonderful dog. Worse still they want their children to experience the whole birth and puppy thing. Then they are left with a litter of puppies they don't know what to do with. The puppies get no socializing, no vet care. So they offer them up to anyone who wants one and the cycle continues.
The problem lies not with the amazing, caring breeders who have one or two litters a year. The breeders who have the litter in their home, socialize and temperament test their puppies. No they are not the problem. They check, double check and triple check a family before placing a puppy with them. Sometimes they reject a potential owner because they care and are concerned with their puppies future. A good breeder would never in a million years sell their puppy to a pet store and that is a non-debatable fact. If a breeder sends their puppies to a pet store then they are a miller and a part of the problem.
Greed - a selfish and excessive desire for more of something than is needed.
Greed is the core of the problem in the whole pet over population, at least with dogs. Greed is the core of almost everything gone wrong. Sadly it may be the whole undoing of it all. Breeders can turn bad quickly, they get a taste of the possibility of continuing money flow and they are hooked. Greed is the big problem. I know several breeders who started out good and then greed took over. It is pretty easy to evaluate a breeder if you just spend the time discussing puppies with them. You may have to visit their home if you have any doubts; of course a home visit is always a good plan.
I can pretty much tell a good breeder from a miller quickly. Care and concern if the first thing that is noticeably missing in a miller. They have a pushy "here take a puppy" attitude. Whereas a good small breeder holds their puppies close until they are sure you are deserving. I support those good ones and hope that someday they will be the only ones remaining. People may have to wait for a puppy but anticipation is a good thing.
With this statement of mine comes the obvious fact that I support rescue as well. I am a huge advocate of those who rescue and adopt and the tireless volunteers that do the rescuing. I will most definitely adopt a rescue down the road as well. But for now I will care for the two I have, giving them my utmost attention and love.
I completely agree Sherri. I have been doing animal rescue for over 20 years and the small dedicated breeder is NOT the problem. I have only had a few of these dogs even come into rescue.I always try to contact the breeder when a registered dog comes in. Try getting some of these back yard breeders to return your calls, if they even have the same number anymore. Even the few that you can reach have only been willing to take back young unaltered dogs, like that was going to happen. On the other hand, the small dedicated breeders have always been horrified their dogs have ended up in rescue. They have either been willing to immediately take the dog back or have done everything they can to get their dog adopted into a new home as quickly as possible, even offering to pay vet fees for their care.
ReplyDeleteSherry-
ReplyDeleteI know this is a controversial subject with some HOWEVER I don’t have a problem with it. What I have a problem with are those who are out for ONLY profit, care nothing about the health and overall well-being of puppies and their mothers, big or small – the irresponsible breeder and they can be found from the backyard breeder to the p-millers. When I got Shiloh I really did not have any idea of what I was in for – oh I had grown up around dogs, had a couple of my own and raised them from puppies but I was not as involved with all the more what I call, in-depth knowledge, research and kind of what you might call the more serious side of dog ownership. Oh I fed them, took them to the vet when needed and gave them all the attention and love I could as well as some discipline when absolutely needed. But when I got Shiloh, things changed. I did start doing a little more research on just what Beagles were like, I joined some online Beagle groups and talked to other Beagle owners. I started to care more about what exactly a nutritional food was and all the different elements were that go into one. I paid more attention to the vet and had to change a couple times because of things I had either heard from friends or found out through local media. Those things are all the things an IRRESPONSIBLE breeder/dog owner wouldn’t care about. And yes, I know from personal - well it was really by way of my sister but I was there with her through most of the heartache and realization. As a result, we are both more careful now which is one reason why when I got my other Beagle - Shasta - I went back to where I got Shiloh. In fact Shiloh came from the litter as Shasta's mom and yes, they had different dads. And the breeder knew how to take care of the mom and puppies - that's one reason I went back,
Kim
I, too, thank the breeders of my poodles. It is a pleasure to have well socialized healthy pups available to me within a reasonable driving distance.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I would caution you in your blanket condemnations of "puppy mills", "mills", and "millers". The Humane Society of the United States (or H$U$ to those of us who have been fighting them for years)considers each and every person or facility that breeds a single litter to be a "puppy miller." Similarly, to them, every hunter is a "poacher" and every family farmer is a "factory farmer." Please don't give them credibility by adopting their terminology.
The H$U$ leadership would, if they could, and without hesitation, stop all dog breeding whatsoever right now. I find that a horrid thought.
Anonymous; I have not adapted the HSUS's terminology. I call a miller a miller. I do not scoop all breeders into the same group. There are the good breeders who I believe stand out. They are few and far between. Anyone who mass produces puppies without any care as to where they end up, their health (mental and physical) or anything else about the dog itself is for me a miller.
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