Is dog breeding cruel?
By Lucy
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I think there may be some breeders who are irresponsible and that would be cruel to the animals to breed them with bad temperaments and have them end up in the shelters to be put to sleep. Some people want dogs which they know for sure what they will look like and temperament wise they need a specific type, like for police or rescue work or just for a family pet. I prefer mutts and mixes myself, but have pure breeds also. They are all the same to me; little souls who need love and care.
All puppy mills are cruel and most pet stores buy their dogs from puppy mills not to mention all the other animals they carry. Robyn
It is cruel if the dog is being bred only to make money, without regard for where the pups will go, who will take care of them, etc. It is cruel if dogs are allowed to breed indiscriminately, having pups all the time that the owners don't want, and dumping them 'in the country, where surely someone will take care of them'---leaving them to starve slowly, get run over by cars, or shot by people. It is cruel if they are bred and the pups are constantly locked up in cages, with little exercise or human interaction.
There are many decent dog breeders out there. There are many decent regular people out there as well, with 'mutts', that take care to ensure the dogs only have puppies that will have good homes.
If someone thinks dog breeding is cruel, the best thing to do is only get dogs from shelters, and make sure all pets are spayed, neutered.
Breeding a dog is only done by reputable breeders for the betterment of the breed. Dog shows are regularly held in most countries, sponsored and sanctioned by the National Kennel Clubs. Here in the US The American Kennel Club has shows in all 50 states and Specialty clubs also hold shows for their respective breeds.
Breeders and owners show their dogs hoping to prove that their dog is as close to the written standard (definition) of the breed as possible and that their dog can contribute something to better the breed. Their puppies that don't turn out as well as expected are normally sold as "pet quality" and the new owners are required by contract with the breeder to spay or newter the puppy.
I strongly believe in the AKC and what they are trying to do. I feel strongly that all puppy mills should be shut down as well as "backyard breeders".
If you are thinking of breeding your dog because you think it "would have such cute puppies", PLEASE DON'T. If you are thinking of breeding your dog because someone said "I'd like to have a dog just like that", PLEASE DON'T. If you want to breed your dog because you think it would improve the breed, then go to an AKC Sanctioned dog show, learn how to show dogs, and let your dog prove that he/she will improve it's breed.
There are already so many dogs and cats in the world that will be euthanized this year, and breeding your dog just to make money, or whatever the reason, just does not make sense. Please get your dog spayed or neutered an enjoy it's companionship. Pat T in NV
Patom makes some very good points and I agree whole-heartedly with her on all her points except one.
She said all puppy mills should be shut down. I AGREE! I wish the owners and operators of these puppy mills would be sent to jail for animal cruelty. I wish the laws and the punishments for animal cruelty would be a lot stronger.
There is a reason why I don't believe that obtaining pet-quality dogs should be left to getting a "throw-off" from a show quality litter. Anyone who has ever tried to find a specific breed simply to have as a pet, or as I prefer to consider it---a part of the family, and has ever checked with the show dog breeders about their pet quality puppies, knows what I mean.
So yes, I believe back yard breeders should be allowed to continue, but with regulations. However, I belleve there should be a section of everty police department that is trained in these regulations and responsible for regular checks on these breeders---both back yard and show. I do agree tho that after the sale, the new owners should be required to have the puppy spayed or neutered when it comes of age. This would quickly cut down on strays running loose.
Let's not leave the cats out of this tho. I feel that these same restrictions should be applied to cat breeders too.
All in all I believe that all pet ownership should be better governed (this new animal section of the police departments could handle this). Pet owners (not just breeders, but ALL pet owners of ALL types of pets) should have regular unscheduled visits from the animal police, checking the area where the pets live, and the quality of life that the animals live in.
In many areas (the county I live in Robeson County, NC for one). The animal control people believe that "adequate shelter" includes simply having a tree over where the dog is tethered.
Here are some examples of what the animal control here has called "adequate".
1. One neighbor had a large bird dog. It was kept on a chain in the back yard. Once a week the man of the house would bring a 50# bag of food out and dump it on the ground. If it rained, or got full of bugs or ants, Oh well. He got a bucket of water once a week. If it got dumped "well then he shouldn't have been dumb enough to dump it" is what he said. The same thing would be said when he got tangled up in the high thick weeds or trees. The weeds in it's yard were so high you couldn't see him except to see the weeds move. Animal control said, it had food (on the ground), water (bucket was dumped over when they came), and shelter (only the trees) so it was ok.
2. Another neighbor had a dog (that one has since died and now they have another that is living in identical circumstances) that they kept in the back yard in a small fenced area. These dogs are German shepherd sized dogs living in fenced areas no bigger than 8 or 10 ft square. The weeds are so thick and tall that the dog doesn't have room to walk around. The people will go on vacation leaving the dog in the back yard with no one to care for it. The only shelter is has is the trees. Animal control says this is ok.
In both these situations, these dogs are NEVER paid attention to. NEVER said a kind word to, or petted, played with, anything. They were cute when they were puppies and when they grew some and got "not so cute" this is what the rest of their lives was like.
So I believe that the animal control officers should also be held accountable for the quality of their jobs. I'm not saying that right, so I hope everyone understands what I mean. But if the people assigned to be animal control officers, or animal police, were properly trained and their judgments checked up on it would help a lot. As it is right now, those of us who want to report abuse have no where to turn, because through experience we have learned that it does us no good. I have even had the animal control threaten ME (and I do try very hard to provide my pets with well and happy homes and lives) and say they were going to haul ME off to jail for reporting the abuse of the animals around me!
Sorry for going on and on but Lucysplash hit on a sore spot!
Happy Spring everyone!
OK yes this is a sore spot for me too. I have a wonderful dog that is full of personality and she is so sweet and pretty. She is also a mutt. The dog before her was a mutt and all of the same wonderfulness. I got my first dog for free from the newspaper. I got my current dog at the humane society. I like to think I saved both of these dogs and gave them a good home.
Breeding in and of itself from a professional breeder is not harmful to the female mother. But I feel it is harmful to society at large to see these PERFECT dogs that can be bought at upwards of $500 and then get them home and that dog is NOT PERFECT. Those purebred dogs end up in the pound too just like my mutts.
Puppy mills are not breeding for the good of the animal they are breeding for the love of money so I don't even count them as breeders.
There are so many wonderful dogs that can be found at the pound, spca, or even breed rescue organizations there should be no reason for someone to breed another dog just because you might think they are cute etc.
To me, IF the breeder is taking the health of mama-dog and her babies into consideration even before breeding takes place, and considering the futures of the babies via already having committed and responsible buyers for the pups, then it is not cruel. Some show dog participants also breed, and their pups always seem to be cared for and healthy; the cost is likely so high as to prevent abusive buyers from buying a pup then abusing it.
However, I think puppy mills, where dogs are neglected, inbred, and sold to just about anyone is wrong and cruel. If this were a perfect world, there would be few breeders, with stringent care rules, so all the mutts and mistreated pooches born through cruel breeding practices or lack of prevention could have a chance at a home. I love certain breeds as much as the next person, but realistically all pooches have the same potential depending how they are treated, and while a mutt may never win a dog show, they can be prettied up, well trained, and loved, just like a purebred. In summary, I think cruelty prevention in breeding is completely tied to being responsible for one's actions.
Just had to add my 2 cents. It makes me crazy when someone wants to justify their dog having pups with "they all have/got homes". For every pup (or kitty) that is placed, is one less spot for a fur baby in need of a home that now resides in a shelter. I live in FL and am a huge animal lover! In the next county, over a 10 year period, 130,000 (yes, that's one hundred and thirty thousand!) were euthanized due to over population! That's just one county of 67 in our state. And what about the rest of our county? More of the same I'm sure. This must stop! Please spay & neuter all pets! And, open your home to as many as you can properly care for. Do something, anything, to stop this madness! Donate $ or time to a shelter. Or just spread the word! We all need to do the RIGHT thing for these furry souls. =^.^=
My daughter was wanting a cat and I did not want to have one killed because I bought from a pet store and I liked the idea of fostering a mommy cat and seeing her kitties. I did this because I would not even think of getting a normal cat and letting it get pregnant. So if you want to teach about birth and life and such, please foster pregnant cats from the shelter. Some will allow this. This saves lives, and pet store cats are sometimes from overcrowded and unscrupulous breeders that don't care about their stock.
There is really no reason to allow a cat to breed unless you are showing and selling kittens. Still there are sooo many wonderful cats having to be killed everyday, why not adopt? They really are so much better than the average pet store animal and you are really saving a life or a litter. Robyn
Yes! Because there are thousands of dogs in shelters without homes. There are too many dogs, don't bring more into this world.
Mom to a Shelter Dog
Marcie
I wouldn't rush to call dog breeding cruel. We bred an older dog years ago to have a puppy from a beloved family pet's blood line and as fate would have it he was hit by a car while the female was pregnate with the puppies. So in some cases it could be in the same classification as having children vs adoption. As a side note though: the best dogs we have ever had has been mixed with 2 breeds known to be good family pets. I say that as in parenting as long as the person is willing to take care/find homes for their offsprings/puppies have as many as you can take care of.
All you have to do is visit a kill shelter for one hour and you'll have your answer. Millions of dogs die every year for lack of homes and lack of space in shelters and rescues. Please don't be a part of the problem, be part of the solution. Always ADOPT or foster!
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