This Question Has Been Nagging at Me.
 

Ok I have been a member here for a while and have wanted to ask this since I first joined. I have been reading the breeder referel section and it came to my mind again. First let me say I am all for buying from reputable breeders and doing all we can to shut down puppy mills, but my question is....aren't there show breeders who also keep their dogs in Kennels? I know when we were younger and had poms for our babies we bought them from a wonderful lady who raised and showed her dogs and she had a Kennel. Albeit a very nice airconditioned, and heated one with seperate area's for each of her 4 dams and sires. Each had their own doggie doors with large covered runs etc. The place was emaculate. That all being said don't some Show breeders also have kennels and are considered respectable? I know Anita loved her dogs and was very proud of her lines and they were absolutely beautiful well behaved puppies.

Some do keep their dogs in kennels & cages with only breaks during the day & I personally would not buy from a breeder that keeps their dogs caged most of the time as it is inhumane to me.

Oh I don't mean caged. Where we bought ours from each dog had a 10x10 seperate area and as I mentioned before their own runs.

I used a cage for housebreaking or when I had to leave him too Tibbe's first year but I am talking about the breeders who keep their dogs in kennels or cages 24/7 except for breaks to exercise & out a hour or two in the evenings. I don't think that is a quality life for a dog.

I completely agree with you about that.

Not right for the dogs.

Louise

I think it takes a lot more then just being a show breeder to be a good breeder. I would never buy a pup from someone who didn't raise the pups in the house as well as many other things.

:thumbup: I have to agree with this. I think measuring a good breeder sometimes is a case by case thing. You can get a show breeder who has her dogs kenneled for hours, I wouldn't buy from her. You could also get a BYB who has 20+ dogs living in her home, but her home is in a bad condition. I wouldn't buy from her either.. I try to judge a breeder on their individual merit instead of painting everyone with the same brush

Yes, there are many people who show their dogs that keep them in kennels. Many of these people are big time into breeding and have several dams and sires that they keep separated in kennels. Personally, I don't care for that type of thing. I think a dog is a very social animal that should be allowed to live a good life with a loving family. Obviously others think of them more as a business. There are show breeders that keep their dogs in excellent condition in kennels and are considered respectable breeders.

A puppy mill is a filthy disgusting operation where dogs live out their lives in small filthy cages and never see the light of day or even get out for exercise. The people who run these places will place any pet quality dog with any other pet quality dog in order to produce puppies. They care nothing about the genetic defects they are producing in the puppies or the horrible physical condition they are in when they take them away from their mother's at 5 to 6 weeks of age.

When my kids were young my husband and I traveled several hundred miles to another state to purchase a Yellow Lab from a well respected show/breeder who was well known for both the conformation and the wonderful personalities of her dogs. I had no idea until we got there just how big of an operation she had. Their dogs were truly beautiful and they had a huge facility. They must have had at least 10 labs in the house plus I have no idea how many in kennels. She had 4 litters of Labs! I could hardly believe my eyes! The woman was well organized though. She knew exactly which puppy was from which parents and what quality they were. We ended up buying a gorgeous little yellow boy that grew up to be the love of our family for many years.

I would never buy a small dog from an operation that big though. Breeders that are trying to establish a line and are breeding for a specific type do need to have several males and females to accomplish their goal. Some have partners so they don't have to house that many dogs. Some people just don't want to share their line and things get out of hand.

Did those Labs spend the most of their day in the kennels at that breeder's facility?

I bought from a backyard breeder...I didn't know at the time, so dont jump on me please. She had 10 dogs, including two puppies and her home was immaculate. The dogs were never caged/crated, they had full run of the house. She loved all her babies....would i buy from her again ..no, not knowing what i now know. She does no heatlth testing and they are not registered. Thankfully the two I got from her are healthy so far, so i Lucked out. She and I still keep in touch, she likes to hear that the pups are still healthy, but she had no idea of the genetics in her lines, and that is how i wound up with a teapot.
Dont get me wrong I love both babies to death, but had i known then what i know now, she would never have gotten a dime from me.

I would have to agree with some of the comments posted. My personnel preference is for in home raised puppies, and in home kept adult dogs. You can create runs and separate exercise areas for the males and females; no problem. But for many breeds of dogs (not all by the way), they belong in the house, where they will end up living the rest of the life with their future owners.

And as others have said, I would take the show breeder who had "kennels" on a case by case basis.

Personally I hate to see any dog kenneled outside although I understand that some would be quite messy inside. My dad when we were young raised plot coon dogs for hunting and no matter how clean he kept them they had an odor I wouldnt want in my home lol.

I think keeping a dog, whatever its size or breed, in a kennel as its living quarters is inhumane, however wonderful the puppies produced from the breeders or however much they bettered the breed. I left many a fine operation when I saw they had so many dogs they couldn't keep them in the home or, for larger dogs, out in the back yard a lot, though still living the life of a valued family member spending a lot of time inside with its people. Why have so many dogs they can't run & play out in the yard or house like a real family pet should? Having more dogs than you can handle as pets seems less like the dog is a pet & more a commodity - a means to an end.

I think probably some of the dogs did stay in kennels a good deal of the time. They had large exercise areas and many of her dogs lived in the house with her and her husband. The puppies were in the basement of the house that was fully equipped to care for them. I had never seen so many dogs in one place. They had a large amount of property and a huge house but people who raise dogs have to kennel them in order to keep them from mating. It is the sad nature of the business. I don't think I would ever buy from a place like that again.!
It upsets me that it is some of the AKC show/breeders that are stopping legislation to control and contain puppy mills because they are afraid of the legislation effecting them also. I can certainly understand why after visiting that place. The dogs were all well kept but there were just too many of them!