When I was about 10 years old my family decided to get a Poodle. It was really our first experience buying a purebred dog although a breeder had given us a Boxer a few years earlier. Like many people we assumed that if a dog was AKC registered we were getting a good dog. Well, he was a good dog. No major health issues, nice personality but he was not a prime example of a poodle. We loved him anyway. He was a great pet. I think most people buy a purebred dog with little knowledge about what goes into producing these dogs. As I have stated there are all kinds out there. Just because someone shows dogs it does not mean they are "bettering" the breed. Showing dogs is majorly political and trendy. If you want to win you have to be breeding according to the trend and not necessarily the standard. That is why you see so many changes in breeds over the decades. Too many people have had their hearts and pocketbooks broken because of the purchase of a dog with health problems. A pet store pup is very likely to have issues but purchasing from a "show" breeder can also be problematic. We all love our pets no matter how far from the breed standard they may end up. Buying a purebred animal is just not as simple as most people think and by the time they find that out many times it is too late. Most people buy a purebred because they want a certain look and personality type. When they get something all together different they end up wondering why. It's so easy to fall in love with that innocent little puppy looking up at you with the sweet puppy dog eyes not knowing the heartache and pain it may cost you down the line. You may not be concerned about your dog being close to the breed standard but please be concerned about the breed it's self. Supporting puppy mills or unethical breeders guaranties that more dogs and people will suffer in some way.
I consider a puppy mill breeder unethical. I also consider any person who puts two dogs together to mate without regard to the genetic defects in the background of those dogs unethical. There are many other items that I could add to the list but that is a starting point.
The puppies that are taken from puppy mills that are shut down are taken care of and get good homes if at all possible. We don't need to worry about them getting homes. We don't need to keep buying them in order to give them a home. Yes, they need homes but let the humane society and rescue agencies help them. Don't continue to financially support the people who promote the suffering of these animals. |