Some People Just Don't Get It, or, A Rant About Backyard Breeders - Page 4

[Heavenly]

Originally Posted by blessedwithboys

I have heard that truly responsible breeders may sometimes try to time their matings to coincide with an approved waiting list. In other words, whenever possible, they only have a litter when they know there are homes waiting. Any of the breeders here want to chime in?

We are on a list for a litter of pugs due next week and that is what our breeder does. She only plans a litter of pups when she has requests for them.

[Heavenly]

Originally Posted by buttercup784ever

And I totally agree with this. A reputable breeder feels responsible for every puppy that goes out into the world. But personally, for me, I would never buy a puppy knowing that there are dogs out there that need homes, and I encourage anyone who asks me not to do so as well. I don't think people who buy from breeders are bad people. I don't think breeders are bad people. I just don't think they are helping the situation.

So to people like Irishmommy, if you were telling me this story IRL and giving me your reasons for going to a breeder, I would smile and think that your reasons were as good as anyone else's.

Do you have biological children? Could the same thing not to be written about children?

"Personally, for me, I would never give birth to a child knowing that there are children out there that need homes, and I encourage anyone who asks me not to do so as well."

[mom0810]

No. A good breeder does any breeding because they want something for themselves. Not because they are interested in placing puppies.

For a good breeder, we have waiting lists all the time, every day of the year, and have no trouble at all placing our puppies. I have people that contact me all the time looking for puppies and I have to refer them to friends and club members who do have puppies.

So, NO. I would not wait until I had people waiting for puppies. I don't look at the breedings I do as being for anyone else but myself. If there are puppies left over after I am done picking mine, then they go to pet homes on my waiting list.

[Tjej]

When we wanted to get our dogs I TRIED to use the local SPCA and petfinder.com and the local pound. I'll admit, I only searched around for a couple of months, but it was one thing after another. I didn't have our yard fenced in properly yet, I might have kids in a few years (yes, really, that was a problem!), I lived too far away (um, less than an hour!). It was just silly. My DH wasn't a dog person, so getting a puppy for him to grow up with as a first dog was pretty useful.

I HATE the puppy mill thing. Our first dog ended up being a local "accident" on a farm around the corner. I would gratefully have purchased a puppy from the SPCA or other regional rescue programs (and even actually had a dog from a reputable breeder lined up when my DH found our girl.

I am a responsible person and I get that the shelters/rescues wanted to be responsible in who and how they gave dogs - but they made it annoyingly difficult for me as a new homeowner/renovater/young family to rescue a dog. It was really frustrating. Our dogs are 7 now - I think we've been really good dog owners - no we aren't PERFECT. Yeah, my one dog could use haircuts a little more often than I do them, and my other dog would like a little more time on an acreage at the cabin, but we love them, work well with them, and meet their needs. Because I couldn't prove I would do that up front the shelters around here made it seem like I was some evil person for wanting a dog and that I was the problem.

Anyway, that's my tirade. Thankfully now I have a friend who is well involved in dog breeding/showing and any future dogs we may get I can use that connection to get a good dog from a breeder, but as an average person looking for a dog before, it was silly. I didn't want to contribute to the backyard breeder problem, but my efforts to do things the right way just made me feel like I was some sort of idiot bad-guy for wanting a puppy in the first place.

Tjej

[buttercup784ever]

Originally Posted by Heavenly

Do you have biological children? Could the same thing not to be written about children?

"Personally, for me, I would never give birth to a child knowing that there are children out there that need homes, and I encourage anyone who asks me not to do so as well."

Someone always has this argument, don't they? The difference between dogs and humans...besides the obvious... is that I as a parent can support and raise my children, and then my children will go off into the world to support themselves. A dog can't do that. Their puppies are dependent on humans to keep them alive, happy, and healthy. And there are not enough humans willing to do that.

Besides that point, there ARE people that feel that way. Just because I don't doesn't make my stance on animal issues any less compelling.

Tjej- I understand that a lot of people have this issue with rescues, and some of the rules they have DO keep pets out of perfectly reasonable homes. It depends on the situation whether those rules are warranted or not.

For instance, if your fence is not properly built, and you are looking to adopt a big dog like a lab, you are going to have a problem. Chances are the dog will get out of the fence and either get lost or get hit by a car. It's the rescues' responsibility to keep that dog safe, and that is an unsafe situation.

Another example you gave is not getting your dog's haircut. Now, I don't know what kind of dog you have. I have a std. poodle, and I don't HAVE to get his haircut more than twice a year if I want to. Probably longer if I'm brave. I DO however have to brush him so he doesn't get matted. If you're not grooming him, and he's allowed to get matted, and I was a rescue seeing your dog in that state (I'm not saying he is, just a situation where that would be a problem), I would not allow you to adopt. Being matted is painful for the dog and can cause skin infections.

I think most rescues do get hung up on finding 'perfect' homes for the animals in their care, which I don't think is necessarily a bad thing. It's just idealistic, and there are a lot of animals dying that would be better off in a 'good enough' home.

[buttercup784ever]

Originally Posted by Tjej

When we wanted to get our dogs I TRIED to use the local SPCA and petfinder.com and the local pound. I'll admit, I only searched around for a couple of months, but it was one thing after another. I didn't have our yard fenced in properly yet, I might have kids in a few years (yes, really, that was a problem!), I lived too far away (um, less than an hour!). It was just silly. My DH wasn't a dog person, so getting a puppy for him to grow up with as a first dog was pretty useful.

Well, we've seen this over and over here on Mothering. This actually IS a problem. Especially if you want a puppy. If "a few years" means next year or in two years especially it's a HUGE problem. I don't know the statistics on how many families give up their dogs of that age when they have babies, but judging by Craigslist and the posts here, it's quite a bit!

Originally Posted by Tjej

I am a responsible person and I get that the shelters/rescues wanted to be responsible in who and how they gave dogs - but they made it annoyingly difficult for me as a new homeowner/renovater/young family to rescue a dog. It was really frustrating. Our dogs are 7 now - I think we've been really good dog owners - no we aren't PERFECT. Yeah, my one dog could use haircuts a little more often than I do them, and my other dog would like a little more time on an acreage at the cabin, but we love them, work well with them, and meet their needs. Because I couldn't prove I would do that up front the shelters around here made it seem like I was some evil person for wanting a dog and that I was the problem.
Anyway, that's my tirade. Thankfully now I have a friend who is well involved in dog breeding/showing and any future dogs we may get I can use that connection to get a good dog from a breeder, but as an average person looking for a dog before, it was silly. I didn't want to contribute to the backyard breeder problem, but my efforts to do things the right way just made me feel like I was some sort of idiot bad-guy for wanting a puppy in the first place.
Tjej

I don't think you or anyone else is an idiot or evil for wanting a dog. The reasons you were turned down at rescues are the standard reasons. Because those situations are dangerous or not stable for dogs. People that work in rescue know what kind of home their dogs need.

I just wonder how many people that want a dog and are turned down at rescue for various reasons actually say to themselves, 'hmm, maybe these people know a thing or two about this. Maybe I DON'T need a puppy right now'? It doesn't happen.

So they all go to a 'good' breeder. The people that can't find the perfect dog in rescue, the people that are turned down at rescue, the people that think that only puppies are trainable, etc. And at the end of the day those reasons do just as much good as 'I want a tiny teacup Morkie because they are sooooo cute.'

[Tjej]

I understand they had good reasons- it was frustrating and a bit humiliating/degrading that they were uninterested in and unwilling to hear out my reasons for why the potential problems were not insurmountable. And I was frustrated because I WAS being thoughtful about our life situation and the future, as well as the dog population and about backyard breeder stuff and it didn't matter to them - I didn't meet their checklist so I was unfit, end of story.

And BTW, don't worry, my most neglected dog is far from neglected - she isn't matted or anything. She just looks (and acts) like a dust mop!

Tjej

[buttercup784ever]

^^ I totally understand. It's really frustrating when a rescue is so picky about who their animals go to. I think their hearts are in the right place, and I'm guessing they don't wind up doing a whole lot of placements. For some it's more about quality than quantity, but the problem is so huge you'd think they'd be more accomodating. Not all rescues are like that, and if you got turned down by a whole slew of them there was 'something' going on that triggered that decision. I would guess it was the fence issue. That's a biggie for most rescues.

[ReadingMama]

Originally Posted by buttercup784ever

Not all rescues are like that, and if you got turned down by a whole slew of them there was 'something' going on that triggered that decision. I would guess it was the fence issue. That's a biggie for most rescues.

I agree with this. I think every rescue in my town defaults to not approving applicants without a fenced in back yard (unless they live in an apartment). Too many people chain their dogs up to a tree or a dog house. And rescues don't have time to get to know you well enough to know if you're really going to get that fence done soon. They get lied to all the time. It's hard not to take it personally when you're trying to adopt a pet--but it's really not personal. It's about a basic set of agreed-upon criteria that a rescue group follows.

I've been rejected (by a different group) for a more iffy reason. I went to see a border collie mix near the end of the day at Petsmart. The dog was taking a nap on the floor and I let her sleep while I asked her foster mom for more information. I was denied the adoption because I didn't seem "affectionate enough" with the dog to the foster mom. My thought process was that since it was the end of the showing day, the dog was tired and overstimulated from a busy day of meeting people. So I let her sleep. That was a more personal reason for being rejected. It hurt, but I came to realize that she must have not been the right dog for us. I started fostering rescue dogs instead!