The War on Dog Owners
Written by Deb on January 18th, 2009Over the last few years, those of us in the U.S. who enjoy owning dogs as well as competing with them and occasionally having a well thought out litter of purebred puppies have come under attack by the animal rights people. The HSUS and PETA are both trying to get mandatory spay/neuter laws passed in every community where they can get a foothold and making it a requirement to have an expensive “breeder’s license” if you choose not to spay/neuter your dog. Because I do show some of my dogs in American Kennel Club conformation shows those dogs cannot be spayed/neutered in order to compete. The rest of my dogs are spayed/neutered. We do not have unwanted litters here, only carefully planned ones about every two to three years when we are hoping to keep something from the litter for ourselves in order to keep our blood line going.
Today I received two different posts that I think are more eloquent than what I could write about the attacks on breeders, dog shows, those of us who show/compete in perfomance events, etc. so I am quoting the one with permission and sending a link to the other for you to read for yourself.
Here is the link to the one and below the quote from the other:
http://endangeredowner.blogspot.com/2009/01/hsus-turn-in-breeder-program.html
Veterinarian speaks out on PETA & Westminister
By Libbye Miller DVM (Permission to crosspost)
“Adorable mixed breeds” get cancer, epilepsy, allergies, heart disease, and orthopedic problems just like purebreds. I see it every day in my veterinary practice but mixed breed dogs aren’t tracked like
the purebreds so they have a reputation as “healthier” that is actually undeserved in many cases.”
It is so sad that a lot of folks, including young veterinarians these days, buy into the “hybrid vigor” baloney. The vet schools have been infiltrated by the Animal Rights Extremists, who are teaching them this junk science in order to push their agenda.
All animals have a certain amount of genetic load, which is to say there is absolutely no animal without some genetic problem of some sort of another. Know anyone who wears glasses? Has allergies? Thyroid
problems? Weak knees? Flat feet? A skin condition? Arthritis? A gap between their front teeth? These are all genetic imperfections.
No human is genetically “clean.” Neither is any individual of any species on earth. So this idea that dogs should not be bred because they might have a genetic problem, and that breeders are somehow “evil”
for breeding them, is ridiculous. Every single individual of every single species has at least a few genetic conditions.
To use PeTA’s logic, all breeding of all kinds (including having human babies) should halt immediately. And to be honest, Ingrid Newkirk (the woman who founded PeTA) does believe exactly that. She thinks that humans should become extinct, along with dogs, cats, etc. This ridiculous scenario is precisely what she would like to see happen.
So folks, if that is what you want…if you agree with Ingrid Newkirk’s whacky views, send your hard earned money to PeTA. They will help to ensure you are not able to own a dog or cat or hamster or any
other pet in the future. They will see to it that you can’t eat meat or fish or eggs or any type of animal-based nutrition. They will work to shut down places like Sea World, the zoos, etc. so you cannot observe
the many wonderful animals on the Earth. Eventually, once they accomplish these things, they may turn their efforts to making it illegal for humans to procreate.
If you don’t agree with their extremist views, wise up and start supporting those who truly do love, care for and enjoy interaction with other species here on our little blue planet.
The fanciers of the breeds, those you see exhibiting their dogs at Westminster and other dog shows, work very hard to eliminate serious genetic conditions. They screen their breeding stock with every
available test. They research pedigrees before breeding into other lines, to check for similar clearances in those animals. They contribute money to research organizations to further the work being
done to track down genetic problems. They contribute blood, cell samples, etc. from their own animals to help with DNA and genome studies. They have made great progress so far, and they continue to
work hard at it.
Are there unethical breeders? Certainly, there are. Just as in any group of humans, you will find the good and the bad. United States VP Elect Joe Biden, for example, managed to find a not so good one when he
got his new German Shepherd puppy. I don’t know who did his research for him, but they obviously didn’t do their homework if they were looking for a responsible breeder. Joe has the right to get his dog
from whomever he wishes, but if he was trying to set an example of purchasing from a responsible hobby breeder he went off the track this time. That’s too bad, but it was his choice.
Unfortunately, breeders like that may be a lot easier to find because of their high volume and high profile. If you are looking for a nice family pet from a breeder who will be there for you forever, you need
to do due diligence. You won’t get that from a pet store. You won’t get that from the guy selling dogs out of his pickup truck in the WalMart parking lot. You won’t get that support from a high-volume breeder,
either. Yes, it takes a little more time and effort to find someone who really cares and does all the work to breed the healthiest, happiest puppies possible and then stands behind those puppies.
This is a living being that will be part of your family, hopefully, for many years. Isn’t it worth a bit of effort to find a breeder who will be there for you and that puppy forever? And guess what? Shows like Westminster are a very valuable resource for finding breeders who do care and who use the best possible
practices, as well as for learning more about the various breeds.
Bravo to USA Network for broadcasting the Westminster Kennel Club show all these years. May they enjoy continued success through the ongoing inclusion of such programs. I will be eagerly watching this year’s
show!”
THANK YOU LIBBYE MILLER, DVM for sharing this post!
Yeah, people get rabid about it I know. There are bad breeders everywhere…look at the unwanted and unloved kids in this world. :p That hardly means everyone should stop.
Anita
This is a really emotional topic for me. The first headline I saw this morning was a plea for donations to help care for 155 dogs rescued from a puppy mill just north of me http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28722895
It didn’t help that I was reading it while my Goldendoodle puppy was giving my hand an enthusiastic bath! There is a huge difference between responsible breeders and puppy mills, I can barely include them in the same sentence! That being said, I do worry about over breeding in certain breeds, particularly Golden Retrievers. I have been a lifelong Golden fan and have owned four but I won’t own another. All four had health problems and poor Fergus had yo wear a huge foam collar 4-5 months out of the year, his allergies were so bad
When it came to needing a service dog, a Goldendoodle was a logical choice: sweet, loyal, smart, hypoallergenic. Ebony has to support my weight to break my falls and is in excellent health. The hybrid vigor is a big selling point for service dogs. It isn’t only vets but service dog trainers that singing the praises of hybrid vigor. It is just my personal experience but I have been impressed.
Maybe Brutus, the goldendoodle puppy has a different idea though. He has never been as jealous of this laptop as he was while I wast typing this!
Bean — Sorry to hear your goldens had health issues. If they were from the same breeder I hope you let them know — I would want to know if I were that breeder. It is very sad to read about yet another puppy mill bust. They did not mention the breeds but I would bet on small mixed breeds rather than large purebreds were what were there.
I’m glad your golden poodle is doing fine and a good working companion for you but in Australia they stopped breeding them for service dogs due to health issues I’ve been told. The lab poodle mixes can have three different coat types, 2 of which are NOT hypoallergenic and we have gotten those into rescue when their owners find out their child is allergic to this dog that was touted as hypoallergenic to them and isn’t.
I have 3 Labs of my breeding currently being trained under harness at a guide dog group here in WI (Occupaws) and this group is very happy with these healthy, good temperamented dogs and is only using purebreds.
As for hybid vigor, it is just a myth. If those who purposely breed two different breeds together are not x-raying hips, elbows, checking eyes, etc. there is as much chance of you getting a golden mix with issues as there is with a purebred golden as the problem genes of the two breeds can double up. Because most breeding those mixes do not check these things they are not in the OFA data base so there is no way of tracking any health issues within a blood line. I refer you to this part of the above post:
“Adorable mixed breeds” get cancer, epilepsy, allergies, heart disease, and orthopedic problems just like purebreds. I see it every day in my veterinary practice but mixed breed dogs aren’t tracked like
the purebreds so they have a reputation as “healthier” that is actually undeserved in many cases.”
“It is so sad that a lot of folks, including young veterinarians these days, buy into the “hybrid vigor” baloney. The vet schools have been infiltrated by the Animal Rights Extremists, who are teaching them this junk science in order to push their agenda.”
As someone who has been active in rescue and teaching dog training for almost 20 years I have seen more than my share of mixes with hip dysplasia, skin issues, seizures and temperament problems.
Our shepherd husky mix had eye and kidney issues. Our current mix puppy (may be pit mixed with hound or lab) came to us with skin issues which we are working on. And then there is the person I know who got a pug mix and bragged to me the dog would never have eye problems, unlike my pugs. The next week the dog was having surgery for “cherry eye” (came from the beagle half of the mix). I have also seen some pug beagle mixes with horrible skin/allergy problems not to mention their extremely hyper termperaments and barking which I could not handle. Hybrid vigor is definitely a myth, used mainly by puppy mills who are promoting their various “designer dog” mixed breeds as that is a good sales pitch for them.
Yes there are good breeders and bad breeders. There are good people and bad people. Making people make moral decisions by making a law does not work. I do not allow my dogs to breed indiscriminately so why should I be punished for other people’s wrongs? I prefer to keep my dogs intacted for health reasons. Another sore subject–the misinformation about how healthy early spaying and neutering is. Why must I loose my freedoms because of other people. This is suppose to be America the land of the free. It is becoming America the land of the whoever has the most money can get their laws passed whether right or wrong.
Thank you Deb for posting this! It is near and dear to many of us who have dogs purebred or mixes.
And yes, it is a myth that mixes are healthier than purebreds. My purebred Labs are wonderfully healthy and happy!
As always, there are good reasons for pushing through laws that become limiting and ultimately bad. Susan said it well: Forcing people to make moral decisions — or even just good ones! — through legislation never works.
Interesting discussion, however. I have often wondered about the type of service dog Bean has. (Besides that, I am curious about many things, this issue now being one of them.)
Deb, I wish you well with your blog…
Thanks everyone for the interesting (and polite) discussion about my post.