Quote:
Originally Posted by gracielove  I know that there are some show/breeders of Yorkies here on YT but maybe not as many as on some other breed forums. I found over the years that some of the serious breeders that have been in the ring for a long time tend to get very hardened. The dogs are no longer pets but their business and that can result in some decisions being made that are more for the business than for the dog, sadly. The bigger the name and operation the more hardened it gets. It's a business not something done just for the breed and the love of it.
I bred my Himalayans on a small scale and kept only one stud. You have to know the right people in the right place to breed to the stud of someone else. I saw some catteries down in the basement of houses that resembled a dungeon. I couldn't do that to a cat for money or fame. There are things that you have to do to be a successful breeder of cats or dogs and win in the ring that are not easy. it's always the animals that pay the price. I guess that is why some of the successful people are also able to separate the business part of it from just loving the breed.
Obviously, with so many great breeds being run into the ground by the fashionable trends there are many ethical issues that need to be addressed. Since showing dogs can be a very fiercely competitive sport that attracts some very strong willed and competitive people I can't see things changing much in the near future. |
Seriously, the breeders I've spoken with feel very strongly about their dogs never being a source of income that they need to rely on. Breeding is a very expensive "hobby" and it should be seen that way, few hobbies allow us to make money off of them, if you’re lucky you might break even. I know that the experienced good breeders are also looking for people to mentor, and they tell me they have to be sure that the person's heart is in the right place, and they are often disappointed for this should never be seen as a money maker. I agree with you that for some it has become a business, but the other good breeders are aware when this happens. They start selling their dogs to anybody and they start studding their dogs to anybody. We have to be careful when we support a breeder that we are really supporting the best breeder we can find.