My posts are talking about breeders, in FACT telling people not to buy their dogs from puppy mills and pet stores IS advocating them using a responsible breeder is it not? I'm not telling people not to buy from a responsible breeder if they choose to buy from a breeder, just telling them there are also other options. That's not a predjudice. I have nothing against breeders at all if someone wants a certain breed for a certain reason. I do wonder why breeders like you try to turn people against other options... makes it seem like it's all about the money
Just curious. Is there such a thing as a breeder who does it purely for the love of the breed and never had a thought about making any money out of breeding?
I have "made" $950 and have bred five litters since 2002. That is less than the cost of my original dogs. It is a miniscule amount compared to the money I have spent on wellness care and prenatal care for them, for dog show and trial entries, for dog training classes, health testing travel, equipment, food, and sundry expenses since the year 2000, when I got my first show quality dog. Virtually every hobby/show breeder is in a similar position. However, this thread was intended to discuss buying a dog from a responsible breeder. You can suggest alternatives in other threads. You have no need to troll mine.
I would say that most responsible breeders do breed for love of the breed, not just to make money. And LoupGarouTFTs please point out to me where in this thread I did not talk about breeding? Isn't the thread about breeders?
I also prefer dogs from shelter or to adopt dogs since I am not really after the breed of the dog. Responsible breeder could also means dogs there are in good condition, have enough care and food, and not abused. IMO
That's all well and good for you, if you want to buy a dog from a shelter or rescue instead of buying one from a breeder. However, people should still be permitted to choose the places where they get their dogs. In the United States, at least, there are many laws being passed that will go a long way to making dog breeding all but illegal and will prevent the average person from owning dogs. Dogs will become the playthings of the rich, even the mixed breeds--at least until the supply of mixed breeds is gone due to the mandatory spay/neuter laws that are being pushed through all over. Then the only people who will own dogs will be the ones that keep scrap books, I guess.
I find it hard to believe that dogs are going to become 'playthings of the rich' anytime soon. First of all, 4 million dogs are still euthanized in the United States each year. I'm not arguing against responsible breeders, and I don't think breeders should be outlawed. I firmly believe people should be able to buy a dog from where they choose to a point. I believe there should be stricter legislation against backyard breeders. A responsible breeder shouldn't worry about this legislation because if you are responsible the legislation won't affect you.
Wrong. Responsible breeders are affected all of the time by legislation intended to "protect" the public. It is impossible to have a responsible breeding program with just three dogs, but dog limit laws that set that limit exist all over the place. Oh, sure, you can get a kennel license if you want to have more, but such licenses can cost many hundreds of dollars a year and are more in line with commercial kennel needs. If you do get a license, you need to comply with the license requirements, including keeping your dogs on impermeable surfaces and space requirements and more things that are incompatible with keeping your dogs in your home. There are many ways that legislation affects responsible breeders and more anti-breeder laws get passed all of the time. It's just that the laws are passed as "anti-puppy mill" laws and people support them without really being aware of their ripple effects.
This is also straight from the humane societies website regarding responsible breeders: "Responsible breeders don't sell their puppies to the first person who shows up with cash in hand. Too often, unsuspecting people buy puppies from puppy mills, or sometimes neighbors who breed their dog to make a little money or simply because they have a dog "with papers." Too often, the result is puppies in poor health or with temperament problems that may not be discovered right away.A dog who has genetic health problems due to poor breeding practices or who develops significant behavior problems due to a lack of early socialization can cost thousands of dollars to treat—and result in grief and heartache as well."And here's a link the their 'responsible breeder checklist' Tell me what on that checklist shouldn't be there? http://www.humanesociety.org/assets/pdfs/pets/puppy_mills/find_responsible_dog_breeder.pdf I'm not saying the current laws in place are correct, but if I was a responsible dog breeder instead of fighting legislation in general I would make an attempt to work with the legislators to make laws that were fair to everyone involved. There are plenty of responsible breeders out there and for people who insist on a pure-bred dog for one reason or another should know how to find them. But 4 million dogs are euthanized in the US each year which means there are PLENTY of irresponsible breeders out there as well.
