Originally Posted by wildcard (Post 2558170)

I do have to say that I have a really hard time understanding how people who have purchased their dogs from breeders can still send $$$ to PETA-- I'm not saying that they have to be opposed PETA but I can't imagine why someone would send their hard earned money to an organization that uses it to produce this like this: PETA.org // PETA's Guide to the ABCs

There are some stances that PETA takes that I agree with but as someone who does breed dogs, I could not support an organization that was apparently so disgusted by me and my "puppy people" to spend money on ads like that.

I guess I have never understood PETA's focus (with regards to companion animals) on people who are breeding animals on purpose. I see very little of anything other than "please spay/neuter" with regards to the people who are really causing problems-- the people that just let their intact dogs wander around and breed at random and the people that get a dog and fail to train it to be a good housepet and then dump it when it isn't cute anymore. The great majority of pets in shelters are mixed breeds who were never intended to be born, and most of them are "teenagers" brought there by owners of individual dogs, not breeders. Many of the dogs in our local shelters are "repeats," animals adopted out as puppies who get to 9 mos old and are eating the furniture or someone is all of a sudden allergic and voila, the dog is back where it came from.

If PETA would focus on encouraging people to be more careful when making a decision to even get a dog in the first place-- any dog-- and encouraging them to take obedience classes once they have the dog, I would be far more sympathetic. I think their aim is off if they really meant to keep dogs out of shelters. I volunteer at our local obedience club by teaching classes to the public, and I am guessing our group has kept far more dogs out of our local shelters than PETA has...

Originally Posted by wildcard (Post 2558112)

This year at the Louisville Cluster there were two dogs that were left in their crates for an excessively long time and had messed their crates and had been left without water. Fellow exhibitors that were in the grooming area saw this and complained to the show committee. The show committee held a hearing that day as required by AKC rules and decided on a suspension and a fine for the owners of the dogs, I can't recall the amounts but they were pretty substantial and definitely not the lowest available under AKC rules.

Show exhibitors as a whole care very much about their dogs and others' dogs and are quite willing to stand up to those people who are not respectful or caring towards their pets. They also have the support of the show-givers and the AKC in doing so.

Originally Posted by wildcard (Post 2558112)

This year at the Louisville Cluster there were two dogs that were left in their crates for an excessively long time and had messed their crates and had been left without water. Fellow exhibitors that were in the grooming area saw this and complained to the show committee. The show committee held a hearing that day as required by AKC rules and decided on a suspension and a fine for the owners of the dogs, I can't recall the amounts but they were pretty substantial and definitely not the lowest available under AKC rules.

Show exhibitors as a whole care very much about their dogs and others' dogs and are quite willing to stand up to those people who are not respectful or caring towards their pets. They also have the support of the show-givers and the AKC in doing so.

Originally Posted by crystalsmom (Post 2558294)

I know this is very true. The wonderful show breeders out there that try to do everything right know what I am talking about and are embarrassed about it as well.