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http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/04/magazine/04dogs.t.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1
Hi All -
I give you fair warning that the above story from the New York Times
Sunday (2/04/07) Magazine is quite lengthy but it gives those of us who
are animal advocates and perform unending rescue work much insight as to
what lies ahead of us. I ask you to read this when you have time to
spare and absorb. As you well know by now, "Designer Dogs" are popping
up everywhere like flies and when this mania subsides, it will be we who
pick up the castoffs. While we struggle to get homeless animals adopted
and as many as possible spayed and neutered, it's rather like spitting
in the ocean with the forces that work against us - breeders - and in
particular, puppy mills. Before you jump on me and tell me that you know
a breeder who always finds good homes for the puppies in exchange for
money, let me tell you there is no way to determine that all these
puppies won't be sold and bred and their progeny sold and bred while
other dogs (purebreds included) languish in animal pounds/shelters for a
lack of homes. I always grimace when someone allows their dog to have
puppies because they want their children to see "the miracle of birth".
I feel they should take their children to a dog pound and let them see
"the miracle of death".
Currently, the Labrador Retriever is the #1 purebred dog in the U.S. The
statistics for euthanizing Labrador Retrievers in animal facilities is
also #1 (surpassed only by mutts). Does that tell Labrador Retriever
breeders anything? No. Dog fanciers claim to breed for the "betterment
of the breed" but dogs have deteriorated under this selective breeding
that has been going on for years. I personally do not know of a dog
breed that is free from genetic health or temperament problems. In my
opinion, a great deal of these problems have been created by dog
fanciers because they breed for the show ring. In other words, they have
bred the health and brains out of dogs by breeding for beauty and
conformation. They breed for profuse coats, longer ears, shorter legs
and make snouts so short that many dogs have respiratory problems. Have
you ever noticed the modern Pekingese that has a face so flat it looks
like it ran into a brick wall at full speed? The first Pekingese ever
brought out of China and presented to Queen Victoria had short snouts
but nothing like the no-snouts they have today. I had a Yorkie (now
deceased) that was a dynamite looking dog but had serious inherited knee
problems that required surgeries. Puppy mills do not breed for looks,
health or temperament - they only breed for money and to heck with the
suffering of their stock.
The NY Times story centers on a puppy mill in Wisconsin that has 1,600
dogs on hand. All of the breeder dogs are purebred dogs producing
"hybrid" puppies - a mixture of two different breeds and most are sold
through pet store outlets. The owner of this mill was suspended for 10
years from the American Kennel Club (AKC) - more for his registering
dogs with another kennel club instead of anything else.
The puppy mills are where dogs live in horrible conditions, have
extremely poor health, are not socialized and are treated as
puppy-producing machines instead of sentient living beings. The end
product is the pet store puppy where the ignorant puppy-buying public
spends thousands for a puppy that is defective in many ways. Some states
have enacted puppy-lemon laws because the problem has become so great.
Most states, however, do not have this law.
In my long avocation I have rescued practically every known pure breed
of dog and now it looks like all of us at one time or another in the
future will be rescuing hybrids. As for breeds of dogs, I prefer the
mutt descended from many breeds. I have found them to be healthier with
better temperament due to not being so high strung. Currently, I have 4
purebred dogs in my group - a Golden Retriever with a sweet, docile
personality but lacking in brains - 1 Shih Tzu with terrible genetic eye
problems - 1 Shih Tzu with inherited skin problems - and one Poodle who
was born in a puppy mill with a serious heart defect that cost me
thousands of dollars to correct when he was only 16 weeks old. All are
rescues.
The Times article does not touch on pet overpopulation or the unending
work of people who do rescue work, but it does give insight into what
lies ahead. So please take the time to read it. Thanks.
Joan
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05361/628536-62.stm (additional
reading)
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