Thursday, May 1, 2014

I Love My Purebred Dogs and I'm Not Afraid to Show It




Mom isn't a Facebook person, but felt compelled to post after reading Jen at My Brown Newfies & Me post this morning. As rescue Shelties we are huge supporters of rescuing dogs of all kinds. However, we also support people who get their pets from responsible breeders. There are lots of reasons people choose specific breeds.

Responsible breeding helps maintain healthy breed lines. Knowledgeable breeders work to reduce the instances of genetic challenges each breed faces and to help maintain the positive characteristics and traits of each specific breed.

Mom and Dad did lots of research before settling on Shelties. Mom had grown up with smaller dogs, but for a variety of reasons, Shelties proved to be a good choice for her and Dog Dad. While some fully understand and support their choice, especially when they realize we came from a rescue, others continue to think it is a snobbish attitude to want a purebred dog. We support owners’ right to choose as long as they do it in a responsible fashion. You can support Purebred dogs and be against puppy mills. In fact, we don't know any owners who love purebred dogs and don't understand the harm puppy mills do to purebred breeds through poor breeding.

There has been a huge campaign targeted against purebred owners and it is short sighted and ignorant. There is a way to support and encourage pet adoption from shelters without attacking those who choose a responsible alternative path. Choosing a responsible breeder to bring home your pet is a healthy choice for people who want a specific breed. There is nothing evil or selfish about making a choice that is right for the family.

However, even pet parents who choose breed rescues face critics for choosing purebreds over a mixed breed. These attacks seem even more childish since purebred dogs in rescue need homes, too. Having groups that understand the breed and can target appropriate homes for them seems like an intelligent choice, not a reason to criticize. Yet, Mom has been criticized for choosing breed rescue over visiting the local mixed breed rescues. This just seems to be about control, not really what is in the best interest of dogs.

We believe it is important to unite as dog owners and support all who love dogs without dividing into splinter groups. There is room for all of us the purebreds and the mutts, rescues and those who came from breeders to support and encourage each other. When our families start to splinter and point fingers, it is the dogs who always lose.

We think all dog owners should love their dogs and not be afraid to show it. It is time for the judgment to stop.

16 comments:

  1. BRAVO fur a VERY Insightful and well put together post. THIS is an ISSUE and we think that there are merits to both sides... however there is NO excuse fur putting others down for doing what they BELIEVE IN.
    B R A V O fur putting this up and Telling it like it is...
    in a NON JUDGMENTAL way. YOU get the GOLD STAR an A+ and a 100%. BRAVO B R A V O.

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  2. What a great post! Thank you so much for joining in!

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  3. we agree completely and were quite upset reading about some of the things being said about responsible breeders. In reality - there wouldn't be so many breeds of dogs if it was for breeder looking for specific things. I have had all kinds of dogs, purebred and Heinz variety and every one of them has been unique and wonderful in their own way

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  4. Very well said! I agree 100%! I posted about this as well after seeiing Jen's post:

    http://cardiganshirecorgis.blogspot.com/2014/05/i-love-my-purebred-dogs.html

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  5. We so agree and it is certainly not right that responsible breeders/owners are targeted when we all know the type that need to be named and shamed.
    Have a tremendous Thursday.
    Best wishes Molly

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  6. I think it is a shame that it has become a them or us argument. I posted on Monday about a fundraiser we are headed to on Sunday for a mixed breed rescue. We are bringing extended family because it is a great event and it also allows other shelters and rescues in the area to rent booths to also raise money.

    You can support rescues of all kinds and still make a choice that is right for your family. It shouldn't be a war between dog owners.

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  7. Our pawrents used to have German Shepherd Dogs but with all the health problems they have they prefer the mutts. The rescue we came from specializes in GSD's but include mixes too.

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    1. I think that is what we are promoting, choice. People should be able to have a preference and not be made to feel uncomfortable or pressured about the choice of dog.

      In choosing Shelties, our dog parents are aware of the health challenges and have discussed with our vet what they need to be aware of because of those issues that are breed specific.

      Our community efforts to promote dog adoption shouldn't put dog owners against each other based on their preferences. We should support dogs being in healthy, happy, safe homes.

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  8. Hey, we support purebreds and rescues, Bites is an AKC dude (papers only, cause to to much of a nut to go through training) and ME, well everyone knows I came from a puppy mill from bad prue breeders, so I am the rescue part!

    The Mad Scots

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    1. It's great that your Mom had room for both of you in her heart and home. We think both ways of coming home are great. Your Mom is proof that there is nothing wrong with having a breed preference and pursuing both a responsible breeder and taking on a rescue dog.

      Bailey's foster mom was a Sheltie breeder who bred and showed her dogs. She fostered rescues as a way of giving back. She did such an amazing job getting him ready for his new home. She is an example of a responsible breeder that rarely is discussed when people discuss buying purebred dogs from a breeder.

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  9. Great post and we agree. We love our Labs and while they are rescues, they are pure Labs. A few months ago we wrote about the weight issues we see in the show Labs and a 2nd post about other health issues prevalent in some breeds due to a focus on form over function. We got a huge backlash from pure bred owners saying we were anti-purebred. So not the truth - we love all dogs and have bred dogs ourselves, so that's not the issue. The issue is packing weight on your dog so the have more substance and can win shows rather than keeping them at a healthy weight, or other questionable breeding choices that leave us with German Shepherds that can't run or Pugs that can't breathe. I wish everyone that bred dogs was conscientious about their health first. Unfortunately, they aren't.

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  10. I think there is a great deal of sensitivity over the issue right now. I was at the rescue event I've been posting about and I got a number of snide comments about the fact that our dogs were purebreds. Why do they care? The dogs were homeless, now they aren't. If the focus of the rescue movement is about moving homeless dogs to safe, healthy, happy appropriate homes the status of their parentage shouldn't be an issue. Yet somehow the movement has gotten sidetracked and it ultimately will hurt the rescue movement.

    Most breeds have challenges and most purebred owners I know want responsible breeding to avoid the health issues that can become traits if the breeding is not done responsibly. However, when the constant attacks hit, it can be challenging to have a rational conversation on the issue. When people tell me I should never have a purebred dog, I am just short of evil for having one, I am finding it harder to be patient and listen to the rational arguments about the challenges purebred dogs are facing. I know they are out there and I know my support for responsible breeders is more important now, not less.

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  11. Love, love, love this post! Bravo! We commend you for doing what you felt was best, and think it is awesome that you chose to get purebreds from a purebred rescue. That is your choice, and yours alone-even if you had chosen to get them from a responsible breeder. You should not be belittled or shamed. We agree that it is time for the accusations, shaming, and snobbing to stop! With two purebreds from breeders and one rescued mutt in this household, we see both worlds, and agree that uniting would make the world of difference for the dogs. And like you had mentioned, isn't it really all about the dogs? We support rescue and rescue groups, and we also advocate for responsible breeding. Thanks for sharing this! We will be adding this topic to our blog list and creating an article for our own blog to raise awareness and educate people.

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    1. Thanks for your support. Sadly, this has become a very sensitive issue. It shouldn't divide us. Some where the move to support shelters/rescues has move to attack Purebred owners and that is a big mistake. There is much more that unites us than divides us. United we stand, divided we fall. We should be spending our energies on encouraging shelter/rescues and discussing and encouraging what makes responsible breeders and how does one find and support them if that is the route people choose to take. The attacks solve nothing. It just limits the places people can go to get information about buying a purebred dog from a responsible breeder as more people are afraid to be attacked when they discuss the issue.

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