[Dailydrool] Breeders/exhibitors on the list and what's going on in our world

[Brenda Waldrop]

Without responsible breeders we wouldn't have most of the dog breeds we have
today, not the least of which is the basset hound.  The scourge on the pet
world is not the responsible show breeders, but the backyard breeders and
the puppy mills.

A responsible breeder breeds to strengthen the breed.  They usually only
breed a bitch a couple of times, sometimes only once.  They are careful to
keep genetic diversity and avoid inbreeding.  They go to great lengths to
ensure that their dogs are bred only if they don't display genetic defects.
During their pregnancy the bitches receive the best care.  Their puppies are
well cared for and go to homes that cherish them, and the breeders are very
selective about who they allow to have their puppies.

A backyard breeder or puppy mill breeds for volume.  Their sires and bitches
are kept in poor conditions and they are bred far too often.  In many cases
the bitches are malnourished and abused.  The puppies often display a myriad
of genetic disorders and little thought is given to preventing
inbreeding.  Dogs that end up in shelters, or worse, because of sheer
volume, because the owner can't afford to care for their genetic defects, or
because the "breeder" didn't care who bought the puppy and the person was
unfit to own a dog or was unaware of the responsibility required to own a
dog, is staggering.  Rarely will you find a responsibly-bred pure breed dog
abandoned in a shelter.

I've never had an interest in showing my dogs (waaaaay too much work for
me), so all of mine have been rescues, but if there were fewer backyard
breeders and more responsible show breeders, the shelters wouldn't be
overflowing with abused animals.  If animal rights activists (and I put
myself in that category but with reservation) really wanted animals not to
suffer, they would concentrate on backyard breeders and leave the show
breeders alone.

As far as not "owning" dogs.  I've never owned dogs.  My dogs have always
owned me and I seriously doubt they would be very happy trying to fend for
themselves.  One missed meal or one cold night and my bassets would be
flying back to my house.  Also, bassets, as a "created" breed need humans.
They are far too removed from their Wolf origins to do well on their own.  I
mean seriously, can you picture packs of wild bassets roaming the land?

Also, to prevent overpopulation, animals have to feel secure and
prosperous.  It's an anthropological fact that the amount of children a
human woman will have is directly affected by her socioeconomic status.  The
less secure and less prosperous a woman is, the more chance that her
children will starve to death, or die in any number of ways that more
prosperous offspring are not exposed to.  The natural instinct then is for
the mother to have as many children as possible, increasing the chances that
one or more of them will make it to adulthood.  While I do know anthropology
well, I cannot say that the exact same applies to other animals, I have
found in my anthropological studies that human nature tends to be much more
like other animals than you might think.  It stands to reason then (go with
me here it's just my opinion), that if well cared for dogs were bred
responsibly they would have smaller, healthier litters and hundreds of dogs
a day wouldn't need to be euthanized.

Just my two cents.

btw- I did own a purebred basset, daughter of a best in show champion with
papers and everything.  She'd been bought as a puppy for the only daughter
of a family here in SD.  Both parents traveled 3 weeks out of 4, so when the
daughter went off to college they listed her on Craigslist, free to a good
home, so we scooped her up.  Other than being a complete prima donna
(rearing not breeding was to blame) she was a dream.  As far as I can tell,
the purebreds are just as lovable as the mutts, but it's the mutts who fill
the shelters by the thousands so it seems very counterproductive for groups
to go after responsible show breeders while backyard breeders are causing
all the pain.
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