Does anyone else disagree with this to an extent?

[SA DA KA]

This is a difficult subject. Emotionally, I agree with you. My first husky was purchased from a BYB because I didn't know better. He deserved the wonderful life I was able to give him and I wouldn't change our 15 plus years together for the world. But I was one of the lucky ones by taking that chance. Many BYB and "accidental" litters are from huskies who haven't had eyes and hips checked. These pups often end up with very painful hip displasia and cataracts (along with other disease) and lead a life which realistically isn't a quality life. It also doesn't improve the breed, obviously, and doesn't provide healthy pups to anyone but the lucky. (Not to mention the heartwrenching experiences of those who own and love them go through.) I cannot imagine how it would be to lose a pup to such illnesses and disease - though I know many on the forum who have and it continues to break my heart.

Additionally, the conditions of many pet stores are attrocious. They sell to whomever has the money. They don't care if they can provide proper health care for the husky (or any other breed for that matter). BYB's and such pet stores are in it for the money only. Often pet stores purchase from puppy mills. Have you seen the conditions of these mills? Absolutely appauling! By purchasing from a pet store, you are encouraging more breeding in this manner. Have you seen what having litter after litter does to a bitch? Do you know what these 'breeders' do with a bitch who can no longer provide them with puppies? Do you know what happens to the pups who don't get sold?

It matters not what our emotions tell us (and yes - each of those puppies deserves to have a life such as you've provided, or I provided for my Bo). By making those purchases, the encouragement provided to the 'breeder' (and I use that term loosely!) to put out more and more pups only provides a bit of hell for those pups/bitches/studs that must live in that manner.

I respectfully disagree as I've learned what happens behind the scenes.

@Austinville, we want to thank you for taking the time for writing a wonder article and statement you provided our sentiments are the same! We have stories of local BYB's and rescues my parents friends have made with Pugs who are blind from where urine was dripping down the cages into they eyes of the pups below. We could go on and on but need to stop for it tears up our hearts knowing this. Thank you.

Husky Lovers in Vermont

Edited May 6, 2012 by SA DA KA

[mydiamond]

To be honest I can't quite understand how anyone can end up with an 'accidental breeding'.....I mean' date=' how many of us on here have male and female, both intact, and manage to NOT have pups?? I know I was one of them that managed to keep mine apart and watched with an eagle eye when Tikka was in season. I can't really believe that all of these 'accidents' are just that.......[/quote']

since you have a male and female both intact, you must have known how creative and strong-willed a male can be when a female in heat is present. Some people aren't prepared for their creativity and ended with an accidental litter. Some others are prepared, but their dog outsmarted them (I know someone here who tells a story about a person who crates his dogs to prevent mating but STILL ended up with an accidental litter) there are just too many X Factors that can lead to an accidental breeding so that reason may be excused. However, I would be very very careful when I'm dealing with a person who says "this is an accidental litter" in their ad =\ too many bad people use that reason to make them look like good people so unless the pups are free to good home, I agree that we should stay away from all those "accidental breeding" ads =\

[Tikaani'smum]

since you have a male and female both intact, you must have known how creative and strong-willed a male can be when a female in heat is present. Some people aren't prepared for their creativity and ended with an accidental litter. Some others are prepared, but their dog outsmarted them (I know someone here who tells a story about a person who crates his dogs to prevent mating but STILL ended up with an accidental litter) there are just too many X Factors that can lead to an accidental breeding so that reason may be excused. However, I would be very very careful when I'm dealing with a person who says "this is an accidental litter" in their ad =\ too many bad people use that reason to make them look like good people so unless the pups are free to good home, I agree that we should stay away from all those "accidental breeding" ads =\

I agree with what you're saying, that yes, they can be difficult to control when they have that female in their sights, but I still believe I have a valid point when I say that there are plenty of us on here with intact male and females that have not had the opportunity to mate. I can possibly understand the odd one, but with all the advertisements of pups from accidental breeding in the UK, I cannot believe that they are all they say they are, and I personally feel that if you have a male and female that isn't spayed/neutered, and you are not a reputable breeder, then you have a duty to try to keep them apart/supervise when the female is in season until you have the opportunity to spay/neuter

[Katers91]

Until I found this forum I thought BYB's were the norm. You either went BYB or to a registered breeder. I don't think it's fair to put registered breeders above BYB but that's just from my experience. My family have had 5 amazing dogs from home litters, no health problems at all and the 2 of those we lost lived to grand old ages. We've had 2 pedigree dogs which my Parents' chose over BYBs due to their breed. Their parents and grandparents all had sterling health checks as did the puppies. We lost Roxie at 4 years old due to kidney failure and my Sisters chihuahua Charlie has had a thousand problems from a young age.

My Boyfriends Mum is a breeder and went mental over us getting Ryder from a family who ended up with a litter for the same reasons people have stated on here but I can't bring myself to think that way. Will probably get e-rocks thrown at me for this but there is a line of right and wrong with BYB and Ryder came from a lovely home. We did turn down 2 litters before him from BYBs who had far too many litters, so it isn't like we're totally ignorant. The only negative of where we got Ryder from, and proof the litter wasn't expected, was while they did a great job they were clearly out of their depth. Which is why we took him early as we (with our vets backing) knew we could cope, and the family could focus more on the other pups. Who, as far as I'm aware, all went to great homes as I do send the family Ryder updates but like I said, that's just me, and I don't promote BYBs. Or registered ones. If you're in the right position, always rescue. Sadly we weren't!

[sharloid]

LOL I don't think we can compare humans having babies to humans indiscriminately breeding dogs. There really is no comparison.

And regardless of whether all puppies in pet stores come from BYBers and puppy farms, to me it doesn't matter - no reputable breeder would ever sell their puppies to pet stores. End of story.

I'm not saying I agree with selling puppies to pet shops etc, but I think there is a difference between someone breeding for profit, and someone breeding their pet, or keeping an accidental litter and making sure they go to good homes.

[Bec]

I'm not saying I agree with selling puppies to pet shops etc, but I think there is a difference between someone breeding for profit, and someone breeding their pet, or keeping an accidental litter and making sure they go to good homes.

Sure there may be a difference in that they could potentially care more for their pets than a puppy farmer, but I am yet to meet a BYBer I would buy a dog from.

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

Until I found this forum I thought BYB's were the norm. You either went BYB or to a registered breeder. I don't think it's fair to put registered breeders above BYB but that's just from my experience. My family have had 5 amazing dogs from home litters, no health problems at all and the 2 of those we lost lived to grand old ages. We've had 2 pedigree dogs which my Parents' chose over BYBs due to their breed. Their parents and grandparents all had sterling health checks as did the puppies. We lost Roxie at 4 years old due to kidney failure and my Sisters chihuahua Charlie has had a thousand problems from a young age.

My Boyfriends Mum is a breeder and went mental over us getting Ryder from a family who ended up with a litter for the same reasons people have stated on here but I can't bring myself to think that way. Will probably get e-rocks thrown at me for this but there is a line of right and wrong with BYB and Ryder came from a lovely home. We did turn down 2 litters before him from BYBs who had far too many litters, so it isn't like we're totally ignorant. The only negative of where we got Ryder from, and proof the litter wasn't expected, was while they did a great job they were clearly out of their depth. Which is why we took him early as we (with our vets backing) knew we could cope, and the family could focus more on the other pups. Who, as far as I'm aware, all went to great homes as I do send the family Ryder updates but like I said, that's just me, and I don't promote BYBs. Or registered ones. If you're in the right position, always rescue. Sadly we weren't!

see i wouldnt call a home breeder a BYB , to me bybs are breeders who have several dogs and are churning out litters left right and center and dont give a stuff about health testing and are just looking to make money , my blaze came from a breeder who bred his pet dogs in the home , but he only had 2 bitches , and he was a good breeder his dogs are health tested kc reg etc he had one male he neutered because of an undecended testicle , where as i doubt very much a byb would give a stuff n would breed anyway , a byb breeders dogs imo are there just to be bred from , and thats the kind of breeder i wouldnt go to , Skylas breeder was also a 'pet' breeder but only had one litter , again parents kc reg etc

hope this makes sense

[Katers91]

see i wouldnt call a home breeder a BYB

Ahh, I just thought BYB meant anyone who breeds dogs from home. Then you have the line of "good" ones who have pets they have the odd litter with then "bad" ones who have dogs souly for breeding. It's only the home pets we've brought puppies from I tend to get my wires crossed with terms though!

[SA DA KA]

[MENTION=53]Austinville[/MENTION] / Becky we wanted to like your quote, but of coarse it wouldn't let us so our like to this quote is by replying.

And just for the record, my second husky came from a reputable breeder.....I learned how I can help the situation. Though I didn't rescue, I didn't contribute a second time to the problem.

[Bec]

To me BYBer means unregistered breeder.

[northbreeze]

It's a 'can of worms' this topic really...Personally I would recommend researching the Breed really really well and then researching Breeders, talk to people who own the Breed themselves and then make a choice, here in the U.K. (Northern Ireland) to be precise there are just so many Sibes needing homes at the minute, we've taken in 7 Sibes over the past 2 years or so and it just never ends, in the past week we've been asked to help re-home 4 more, Sibes have had 'bad press' in Ireland over the last few weeks which doesn't help matters and through no fault of their own, I don't think you can stop people Breeding dogs unfortunately and everyone has their own reasons for doing it, the saddest of these being the people who only see £/$ signs as they really don't seem to care about the health or welfare of the puppies they Breed...a reputable Breeder will ALWAYS take back a puppy/dog they've Bred, even after 10 years if needs be and if all Breeders did this then maybe we wouldn't have all the Sibes coming into rescue or needing homes at the minute...

[Ravenwolf]

I understand what the OP is saying. I mean, people have babies everyday. People don't have health checks, and they don't aim to better the breed.

Haha! I think there are LOTS of people who shouldn't breed, either!

Seriously, it's not the same thing though. For one, humans don't have massive litters, and for another unwanted children (typically) aren't killed. If they aren't adopted, they are kept by a government "rescue" until they are mature enough to fend for themselves and then turned loose on the world. We don't do that with dogs.

With humans, too, there is the social expectation that if you have a child - accident or not - you better take care for it. Not so with dogs - a litter is something to be gotten rid of as soon as possible, and few people blame a person for not wanting to keep 6 dogs.

People also don't turn a profit on adopting out their offspring.

I'm not saying I agree with selling puppies to pet shops etc, but I think there is a difference between someone breeding for profit, and someone breeding their pet, or keeping an accidental litter and making sure they go to good homes.

I agree, there is a difference between the first and the last, but as far as I'm concerned, a litter is only an accident once. If they owner doesn't learn from it and neuter their pets afterward, they didn't learn their lesson and are clearly as irresponsible as the rest - maybe worse, because it becomes willful ignorance, not just deliberate stupidity.

As for pet breeding, I don't believe that just because someone loves their pet that makes them suitable for breeding. I've had lots of great dogs over the years, but just because they were great doesn't mean their offspring would be great companions - or better companions than another dog. Maybe I'm just too callous, but I think it's just irresponsibility cloaked in dewy sentiment. I've had 2 horses in my life that at one point or another I desperately wanted to breed. In retrospect, it's a damned good thing I didn't. As good as they were, there were better sires and dams out there than either of them. And really, I don't expect my best friend's child (or sister) to be as good a friend or have the same personality as my friend - it's silly to project that on a dog. I can't fathom why a person would pick one pup out of their pet's litter to become the beloved replacement to the exclusion of the others, and why that pup would magically be a better replacement than a different dog.

LOL, whew! Sorry, rant over!

Edited May 7, 2012 by Ravenwolf

[Removed #5]

if no one bought from a dodgy breeder they wouldn't keep breeding

and if we were really lucky, they wouldn't breed any more dogs either!!

So after my wise comment, I'd like to say I appreciate this forum for the type of messaging that this thread displays. It's an emotionally rough topic being discussed, with plenty of divergent opinions but there were no flames, simply stating opinion / facts in a manner that shows just how great a group of people Husk-Owners are.

Edited May 7, 2012 by Al Jones

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

Ahh, I just thought BYB meant anyone who breeds dogs from home. Then you have the line of "good" ones who have pets they have the odd litter with then "bad" ones who have dogs souly for breeding. It's only the home pets we've brought puppies from I tend to get my wires crossed with terms though!

yeh its confusing but the way i see it is a byb is a breeder who has several dogs and churns out puppies every season , n tend to have ALOT of dogs , dogs mainly kept in garden , dirty looking dogs etc , generally ones who dont look very well looked after , Blazes breeder had 5 dogs , 2 female sibes a female gsd and 2 male huskies , but one of his males were neutered , the gsd is just his pet/guard dog who he doesnt breed from and then the others are pets who he has had a couple of litters from (one a year) all his dogs are health tested / hip , eye scored etc and kc reg , he now no longer breeds due to the rescue situation

[Kech]

Living in an area considered as the Puppy Mill capital of the world (quebec, Canada), I totally understand everyone's opinion concerning this subject, but I didn't want to spend $700-upward for a Husky used for showing, racing, or breeding. I received mine through an accidental litter and have no regrets. I was able to view where the litter stayed, chose my pup based on temperament / behavior / submissiveness (is this a word?), and was able to take the pup to the vet for a full checkup before committing to it for a fraction of what it would have cost me at a breeder. I think its ridiculous the amount of money a breeder wants for a pup. It's utterly absurd to believe that some legitimate breeders don't breed for the money. C'mon people, don't be so naive...

[Storm Angel n Auroras Mum]

My storm is a crossbreed, therefore from a byb.

She wasnt that bad but not great either, he was weaned on bread and milk!!!

and angel, well shes a rescue but someone at crufts did tell me from her picture she looked like she was from a working line, didnt say which.

I am on a waiting list for my third and final pack member.

I almost bought one from someone and she was a lovely pup, but apparently not great stock and a heavy breeder.

So with a heavy heart I didnt get her and yes I do worry what will happen to her.

[Jay]

Living in an area considered as the Puppy Mill capital of the world (quebec, Canada), I totally understand everyone's opinion concerning this subject, but I didn't want to spend $700-upward for a Husky used for showing, racing, or breeding. I received mine through an accidental litter and have no regrets. I was able to view where the litter stayed, chose my pup based on temperament / behavior / submissiveness (is this a word?), and was able to take the pup to the vet for a full checkup before committing to it for a fraction of what it would have cost me at a breeder. I think its ridiculous the amount of money a breeder wants for a pup. It's utterly absurd to believe that some legitimate breeders don't breed for the money. C'mon people, don't be so naive...

I thought the same thing. I don’t support puppy mills, and before I knew better I got mine at a petstore. After I did that I research and was pretty horrified. Now that I am looking for another one I am researching different breeders. Some of them are charging way too much, upwards of 8-900 bucks for a puppy with a champion bloodline. I have found a couple though that are charging more like 4-500, which is better. I paid 900 for mine at the petstore, which was the cheapest in the area. Other petstores charge 1000-1200 for husky puppies.

Anyway, it is simple economics in regards to puppy mills. If they all shut down tomorrow you can forget spending 500 bucks for ANY puppy, that cost WAY more than that since the supply would be cut down considerably. If they regulated puppy mills more strictly, you can count on many of them shutting down, so the supply would decrease a lot as well. Personally I think there needs to be a happy medium. I don’t like the idea of puppy mills AT ALL, but realistically that is not likely to happen.

[Ravenwolf]

Anyway, it is simple economics in regards to puppy mills. If they all shut down tomorrow you can forget spending 500 bucks for ANY puppy, that cost WAY more than that since the supply would be cut down considerably. If they regulated puppy mills more strictly, you can count on many of them shutting down, so the supply would decrease a lot as well. Personally I think there needs to be a happy medium. I don’t like the idea of puppy mills AT ALL, but realistically that is not likely to happen.

It's not just simple economics, though. Supply and demand is not the issue, perception is. There are thousands more dogs than there are homes for them. If you want a dog for free, you could probably get one today. It just wouldn't necessarily be the "ideal" breed you wanted (hell, my purebred, racing stock husky was "free to a good home"). It comes down to timing and people wanting or believing they have to get a shiny new puppy instead of a slightly older dog. Or - like a well-advertised car or the latest clothing fashion - they just have to have this certain type of dog.

I've heard all the excuses - they want to raise the pup with their family because that will make them the ideal pet, they don't want to deal with traumatized rescue dogs (though in reality not all shelter dogs were neglected/abused/abandoned), or they insist that they want a pup whose history they know so they don't have any mystery health issues - all the while buying from a breeding pair with no known history or buying designer mutts with unknown physical stresses due to the conformation crapshoot the pups come from.

And it is the abuse that goes along with commercial puppy mills that is the major problem, and one that should be severely addressed. High density living conditions, the inability to pay for - or simple unwillingness to spend profit on - adequate health care and routine vaccinations, repeated and excessive breeding of bitches until they are completely broken and wore out, then abandoned/destroyed/sent to a shelter, or sometimes even just left to die a miserable death in their pen. The dogs are purely commodities, to be boxed up and shipped to market like bananas. And if a few get damaged or killed in transit, oh well, cost of business.

If people had less BYB and puppy mill dogs to choose from, I bet there would be a hell of a lot less dogs in shelters. I strongly believe we need breeding regulations in place; not necessarily insisting that only purebreds and registered dogs can breed, but that anyone caught breeding/selling pups from parents who have not had acceptable health checks and who do not keep the dogs in suitable conditions be subject to seizure and heavy fines. There should be a clearly defined minimum age that puppies can be taken from their mothers. How many litters per year per bitch is acceptable. Etc, etc, etc. Right now, we have nothing. Puppy mills are shut down only when the abuse is utterly horrific. At the very least, accidental/unapproved litters should not be allowed to be charged for. You'd probably see a lot less "accidents" and on-a-whim litters that way if the owner has to foot all the bills with no recompense!

[Jay]

It's not just simple economics, though. Supply and demand is not the issue, perception is. There are thousands more dogs than there are homes for them. If you want a dog for free, you could probably get one today. It just wouldn't necessarily be the "ideal" breed you wanted (hell, my purebred, racing stock husky was "free to a good home"). It comes down to timing and people wanting or believing they have to get a shiny new puppy instead of a slightly older dog. Or - like a well-advertised car or the latest clothing fashion - they just have to have this certain type of dog.

I've heard all the excuses - they want to raise the pup with their family because that will make them the ideal pet, they don't want to deal with traumatized rescue dogs (though in reality not all shelter dogs were neglected/abused/abandoned), or they insist that they want a pup whose history they know so they don't have any mystery health issues - all the while buying from a breeding pair with no known history or buying designer mutts with unknown physical stresses due to the conformation crapshoot the pups come from.

And it is the abuse that goes along with commercial puppy mills that is the major problem, and one that should be severely addressed. High density living conditions, the inability to pay for - or simple unwillingness to spend profit on - adequate health care and routine vaccinations, repeated and excessive breeding of bitches until they are completely broken and wore out, then abandoned/destroyed/sent to a shelter, or sometimes even just left to die a miserable death in their pen. The dogs are purely commodities, to be boxed up and shipped to market like bananas. And if a few get damaged or killed in transit, oh well, cost of business.

If people had less BYB and puppy mill dogs to choose from, I bet there would be a hell of a lot less dogs in shelters. I strongly believe we need breeding regulations in place; not necessarily insisting that only purebreds and registered dogs can breed, but that anyone caught breeding/selling pups from parents who have not had acceptable health checks and who do not keep the dogs in suitable conditions be subject to seizure and heavy fines. There should be a clearly defined minimum age that puppies can be taken from their mothers. How many litters per year per bitch is acceptable. Etc, etc, etc. Right now, we have nothing. Puppy mills are shut down only when the abuse is utterly horrific. At the very least, accidental/unapproved litters should not be allowed to be charged for. You'd probably see a lot less "accidents" and on-a-whim litters that way if the owner has to foot all the bills with no recompense!

I am in no way advocating for puppy mills, in fact after researching the subject was pretty disgusted by the living conditions of the animals, and especially since they already plan for puppies to die in transit. I agree that there should be stricter regulations for breeders to adhere to. I was only considering what would happen if the whole industry shut down, and I still believe that if they did shut down that prices from breeders would indeed increase. Would I rather pay a higher price and not have puppy mills? Absolutely.

On the topic of rescue dogs…I think that it is great for someone that is able to do that, however I don’t think that getting a rescue dog is for everyone. I don’t believe it is just an excuse when people say that they want to raise the pup, or they don’t want to deal with traumatized rescue dogs, or they don’t want mystery health issues. I think those are valid concerns, and it may not be for everyone. If you do your homework you can get a puppy that has a good background. I realize that not every rescue dog has issues; however you are taking that chance when you get one. Think about why the dog is at the shelter, perhaps the dog was aggressive, or the owners neglected it, or it was taken away.

I have a friend that works for the county, and he sees it all of the time, where people are hoarding animals and they are living in deplorable conditions. One lady had 75 dogs alive (over 30 dead ones) in her home, they were feeding on the carcasses and had all kinds of health problems and many of them had to be put down because they were too aggressive. The others were taken to the shelter. This is the chance you take, and while I think a shelter dog can make a wonderful pet, and you are making a better life for that dog, there are still chances you take on the history of that animal.

Don’t get me wrong, I completely support rescuing animals, and if my situation were different I would consider it. I just don’t think it is for everyone.

[Removed #3]

we got anarchy of a byb also helped rehome her parents as they wanted rid after 2 litters 1 after the other they dint seem botherd about the dogs just the cash:banghead:

[LittleLuka]

i do agree with the points made that some of the "valid breeders" charge you an arm and a leg. They may have great bloodlines but let's get real, they are making money off of the dog. I love Luka and can't imagine my life without him now but there is just no way i would've paid 1000 dollars or more for him. When it was finally the right time for me to purchase my husky i searched everywhere and many dogs were well over a thousand dollars. That is insane. I understand breeders want to make sure they have picked good owners who will provide for and take care of their dog but they could be slightly more affordable. Luka was 650 and the breeders still wanted to make sure we were the right choice for their puppy. We met with them before Luka was even born and then again when he was born. There is also a clause in our contract that if for ANY reason we wish to get rid of him (like that's EVER going to happen haha) that we will return him to them.

I feel like if you want to help an animal, rescuing is the way to go, not providing a puppy mill with money.

[Ravenwolf]

On the topic of rescue dogs…I think that it is great for someone that is able to do that, however I don’t think that getting a rescue dog is for everyone. I don’t believe it is just an excuse when people say that they want to raise the pup, or they don’t want to deal with traumatized rescue dogs, or they don’t want mystery health issues. I think those are valid concerns, and it may not be for everyone. If you do your homework you can get a puppy that has a good background. I realize that not every rescue dog has issues; however you are taking that chance when you get one. Think about why the dog is at the shelter, perhaps the dog was aggressive, or the owners neglected it, or it was taken away.

Those are the magic words - if you do your homework. It's ignorant to claim you don't want uncertain issues from a rescue dog, but then you buy a pup from my precious Flopsy whom I mated to the dog down the street because he happened to be (we're pretty sure) the same breed. It's just as much a game of Russian roulette as a rescue, because I probably didn't know that Fido down the street has hip dysplasia, or that his father and 2 siblings had diabetes. Unless a person does do the research and ensures that their breeder has done all the necessary tests and preferably knows their dogs' history going back a few generations, they can talk all day long about their concerns over a rescue and all their doing is blowing smoke in their own face.

I have a friend that works for the county, and he sees it all of the time, where people are hoarding animals and they are living in deplorable conditions. One lady had 75 dogs alive (over 30 dead ones) in her home, they were feeding on the carcasses and had all kinds of health problems and many of them had to be put down because they were too aggressive. The others were taken to the shelter. This is the chance you take, and while I think a shelter dog can make a wonderful pet, and you are making a better life for that dog, there are still chances you take on the history of that animal.

I still disagree that any shelter dog is going to more of an issue than a raised dog. So, so, so many people get puppies when they are unprepared for the job, and they end up with an adult dog with a myriad of issues of their own creation. They usually just blame it on the dog anyway. If those same people had gotten an adult, established dog they might have been just fine.

Every shelter I've ever been to has trained staff to evaluate dog behaviour. They identify problems with dogs, and dogs with too many issues are usually euthanized. They work with the ones they can, employ foster families, and at most places all dogs have to pass a behaviour test before adoption is even an option.

They also usually list right on the dogs cage what age group of children they're good with, if they're good with cats/other critters, if they're good with other dogs. They list energy levels, exercise needs, obedience level and known issues. They state if the dog is suitable for a first-time owner or and experienced home only. They come fully vaccinated with a clean bill of health (unless otherwise indicated) and are already desexed. It's not a perfect system, but it goes a long way. I have NEVER known a person to get a dog from any shelter or humane society and been completely blown away by issues the dog had. But in a case where the dog is just too much for a person, the shelter will always accept them back. You can't say the same of most classifieds "breeders" out there. Your dog, your problem.

Don’t get me wrong, I completely support rescuing animals, and if my situation were different I would consider it. I just don’t think it is for everyone.

And I'm not saying that it's inappropriate to ever buy a dog from a breeder, but I AM saying that people need to acknowledge their reason for buying from a breeder and not put blinders on to justify their purchase from a less-than-savoury or ignorant BYB. You want to buy a puppy because you just have to have a purebred, or simply a puppy to raise? Fine. There's nothing wrong with that. Call a spade a spade. But people need to do the research and find legit, respectable breeders to support if they want to truly fulfill their excuses about wanting to ensure healthy genetics. They need to be knowledgeable about the breed they buy and realistic about how well that breed will fit into their lifestyle, or they will end up contributing to the shelter problem themselves. They need to learn, seek support and attend classes on raising a puppy or they will find themselves raising a dog with the very behavioural issues they sought to avoid from a shelter dog.

[Austinville]

I don't think we're looking at the entire picture, to be honest. Yes, to get a puppy from a reputable breeder can be very expensive - for many reasons, including the pre-pregnancy testing, the risks they are taking with their bitch, the fact that they (for the most part) will take a dog back at any point in it's life, the time, vet bills, etc. they've put into the dam and sire (if they own both). And to be quite honest, if they are getting quite a bit for a pup, part of it could simply be one way of 'weeding' out those who may not have the funds to provide a proper home.

Another thing to remember is that not all pups from reputable breeders are show/race quality. 100 percent quality just isn't a reality. There will always be pet/companion quality.

And, of course, there's always rescue. Even show quality/racing quality dogs are retired and need to have homes.

[Austinville]

+1 [MENTION=5937]Ravenwolf[/MENTION]

(The "like" button is missing below your post - on my screen anyway)

[LittleLuka]

I think rescuing a dog is a wonderful, magical experience that i one day hope to explore. I would love for Luka to have a friend one day and i would like to adopt a husky to fulfill that need. However, rescuing isn't for everyone. I completely agree that shelters and rescue groups screen each individual dog before they are even adoptable but it still is a risk allowing a full grown dog into your home. (exp. when you already own a pet) True, the rescue group/shelter will generally be able to tell you if they get along with other dogs but what if you bring him or her home and they don't get along with your pet? What then? Send him on his way packing or risk your pet's safety? That really is my only genuine concern. I know they do home visits beforehand. (well at least the rescue groups around where i live do) but it still bothers me.

And as for weeding out potential owners due to money? seriously? I'm 22 and can fully afford to take care of Luka but just because i don't want to fork out 1,000 dollars or more doesn't mean that i'm not an acceptable owner. It doesn't mean I can't afford it, I just think it is completely insane to pay that much for a dog that i will 1. never show 2. never breed 3. simply want for companionship

I'm sorry but i will politely have to disagree with that statement.

Edited May 8, 2012 by LittleLuka
home not own*