Quite often I see someone making reference to so and so as being a "YTCA breeder." I'm curious as to what that means to various people. "Breeding for the betterment of the breed" comes to mind, but I know some members who breed to sell puppies. Mind you, I don't feel that breeding to sell puppies is necessarily a bad thing, but the "betterment of the breed" reason goes hand in hand with showing. Someone who never shows is breeding to sell puppies, no? Well, maybe breeding because they love raising puppies, but the puppies still all end up being sold, never shown or used to better the breed.
Is it then OK for someone to breed to sell puppies as long as they belong to YTCA? If they don't belong to YTCA they are automatically given the negative dirty status of BYB, at least on this board.
Anyway, what makes YTCA membership a credential when all it takes to get in is sponsorship of two members. Nothing further is ever required the rest of their life. Of course, a member would be expected to keep their mouth shut about any of the club's practices and beliefs that they object to. Sorry for the rambling, trying not to be specific enough to embarrass anyone in particular.
Years ago an acquaintance YTCA member swore me to secrecy when a surprise brown puppy showed up in her litter. She was mortified that anyone "in the club might find out about this." I don't know what kind of trouble you can get into for producing a brown puppy, but I don't want to be on the inside of a so-called club that would give me any stress over this.
While I think the reaction to the brown puppy was extreme, other things have come up that make me feel I don't want to get entangled in that outfit.
Another example of a "club" policy I find scary is the way one of my friends was treated when a puppy customer filed a complaint about not being refunded her non-refundable deposit when she cancelled her purchase. My friend had her breeder listing suspended while the situation was investigated, which case dragged on for months until the customer sued and lost in small claims court.
Anyway, I think I'm at least as dedicated to good breeding as the best of the YTCA, but will remain a free-thinker, thank you.
