Quote:
Originally Posted by yorkietalkjilly  I know that at least some so-called reputable breeder/dog show people where I live have many of their breeder dogs and show dogs actually use their large kennels as living quarters & not the home setting or back yard for larger dogs. The dogs cannot come & go inside/outside at will or ask to be let in or out because they actually reside in the kennels mostly & are exercised on a schedule & mostly get to spend time with the family a portion of the day, then back to the kennel - except for a favored dog or dogs that are treated differently & basically live with the family as the other mostly-kenneled dogs look on. During show season, travel & all of the preparations & backstage work associated with shows can involve a great deal of crate time. Basically, the dogs I'm speaking about do not live the life of a regular pet as a member of the family until they are retired, and then some go on to other kennel type living. I suspect this situation is not just reserved for the breeders/show dogs of North Texas. It seems the dogs used in this manner are existing mainly to breed to pass along and/or show their fine qualities in the ring. I cannot purchase a puppy or dog from a place like that, knowAing how many of their dogs live much of their lives. |
I would suspect that many of the AKC show breeders use their dogs as a business. Sadly, the bigger and more established a kennel is the more kennels are necessary. A dog that has lived in a kennel most of it's life cannot easily be re-homed. The larger breeds would be very difficult to try to train after being a kennel dog for so long. The idea of using animals for profit or even hobby to the point that they are no longer a loved family member indicates a real hardening of the heart to me. When I used to show my Himalayan cats I met many breeders who did the same type of thing to their cats. They were more concerned about winning than about their animal's emotional welfare. So there are drawbacks in many areas of the breeding of show prospect animals. It is just too easy to collect too many animals after a period of time and then run into problems finding homes for the animals that are no longer part of the breeding program. I'm not saying that it cannot be done properly but it is the nature of a breeding program to eventually be overrun with animals if not handled properly. People with a winning established line want to continue the line and that means some of the animals are not necessary anymore. It requires a business aspect that I could not find acceptable. I'm a pet lover. Can't think of pets as only part of a business. Obviously, there are many people that do though.