Whatever your motives for wanting a litter of puppies I sincerely hope that you really want to be a "responsible breeder", someone who has the love of dogs at heart. This page is intended to help you think about what it takes to become that caring and responsible breeder. It isn't as obvious as you might think.
So what is the big deal about breeding purebreds?
You put two compatible dogs alone together in a room, lower the lights, put a romantic CD on the stereo and voila, two months later you’ve got yourself a litter of purebreds—and the rest is gravy, right? Not quite. Simply breeding dogs takes considerable space, time, and capital. Things in the birth process can go wrong very quickly. Even if everything goes right with the birth, the mother, may not feed them which means that you will be up every couple of hours around the clock feeding the babies and stimulating their bowel movements, making sure they are warm, etc. It is a tremendous amount of work. Once the pups are ready to leave the whelping box and begin exploring their world, you will mop up more puddles than you ever thought possible! At a certain point, they will have to be weaned off of either their mom's milk or the milk replacer. Both mom and her babies will need check-ups and the babies will need to begin their series of vaccines. Now, comes the hardest part of all. You've spent 8 - 12 weeks bonding with both the mom and the pups but, the day comes when it's time to say good-bye.
So, to all of you who think you are going to make money off of the pups that you breed, excuse me while I treat myself to a good laugh. When you factor in the cost of prenatal care for mom, the potential emergency costs for the birth if things don't go right, the vaccines etc., trust me; if you even break even, it will be a miracle. By the way , this world is very short on miracles.... Consistently breeding mentally and physically sound purebreds, on the other hand, is a labor of love that involves all of the above and a whole lot more. If you really love dogs then you need to consult with an expert on the many responsibilities, rules, and regulations dog breeding entails before you take the leap.If you are looking for a dog and want one from an ethical breeder the first step is to decide what qualities make a breeder "ethical". Ultimately this is something only you can decide, but it helps to know what the possibilities are. And let me make this very clear: Just because someone has a reputation for winning lots of shows, and having beautiful winning dogs does not make them a responsible breeder. A responsible breeder is judged by their care and concern for their dogs and dogs in general as demonstrated by their breeding decisions. So first explore the qualities of a responsible breeder. Think about what your goal in getting the dog is. Some have a goal of to get a wonderful dog that you can share your life with. If that is your only goal, then go to the shelter. If you don't need a carefully bred dog, save a life, but don't encourage poor breeding. There is no reason to support the kind of breeder that is producing the same dogs that get into the shelter.
If you want or need a well bred dog. I have no problem with that. My point is that if you are going to support the breeding of dogs, perhaps the only breeder that deserves your support is the one that knows how to produce something obviously better than a shelter dog. If you want something better than a shelter dog you will need to do your homework. All the dogs in the shelter came from breeders. What kind of breeders did they come from? Virtually all came from people who didn't know, or didn't care, to learn how to do the best for dogs. There is only one person you can control. That is yourself. You can make an effort to avoid supporting the breeders who create the dogs dying in the shelters if you decide it is important. If you encourage careless breeding by rewarding the careless breeder then you aren't doing what is in your power to reduce shelter deaths. Yes, sometimes it IS hard to find the ethical breeder. But by insisting on it you will be encouraging that as the "way it should be" and doing what is in your power for the welfare of dogs. When breeders learn that they will have no market unless they meet certain standards they will meet those standards. What kind of standards will you set for breeders you want to encourage and support?
The responsible breeder takes steps to protect the dog from becoming a shelter statistic!
For those of you who have the time and the love in your heart, I urge you to sign up as a foster parent at your local shelter. You will be a part of saving so many lives and will experience the joy of raising pups or nursing a sick or injured dog back to health. There is no better feeling than watching a dog that you've nursed and cared for, wagging his/her tail as they leave for their forever home!!!
DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU!!!!!!!
Her story....
Sheeva is a 2 year old Central Asian Ovcharka - she came to us from Washington State. Unfortunately Sheeva has been through a great deal, she arrived here very thin, and very depressed. She was seized by Animal Control along with another CAO who sadly was killed by the shelter. They were unwilling to listen to the breed requirements and special needs, and killed Sheeva's friend, despite the fact that we were not only willing to take him, but drive there and get him ourselves. Luckily Sheeva passed through their testing and was not murdered along with her pal. She is quickly recovering, though she is currently still overcoming an illness. She is putting on weight, and her spirits perk up daily, her health has improved greatly as well. Sheeva is not quite ready for a new home, she has at least another month or so of recovery ahead of her, but we are actively looking for that special home to help Sheeva overcome her past and look forward to a new future.
Sheeva - CAO is up-to-date with routine shots and spayed/neutered.
Please help Sheeva and give her loving, caring home!
Contact Info
- Email Northern Lights Guardian Rescue
Pictures source: http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=13477574
www.aziat.borda.ru
His Story....
Meet Sultan, a super striking 2 year old Central Asian Ovtcharka. He is gorgeous and very lovable. He is already neutered, vaccinated, microchipped, and housebroken. He would prefer a home without cats. He would also like a home with big dog experience. Sultan is absolutely gorgeous, especially with his silly cropped ears. Now, he has this little furry tuffs! Sultan is a fantastic dog who is so excited for his forever home.
We require an adoption application, donation, and home visit.
Please contact Tara from AHAS at mastiffmojo@msn.com or 484.220.0418. Thank you.
Sultan is up-to-date with routine shots, house trained and spayed/neutered.
Contact Info
Source:http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=14004241
This is is just couple of 324,207 adoptable pets living with shelters or rescue groups and posted on Petfinder!
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