What's upsetting you today?

[footfootfoot]

Originally Posted by Sundae

I seem to remember StaceyV leaving here because of an issue with a dog Nirv sold her.
Just saying.

StacyV left because the dog Nirvana sold her shit on her carpet's soul. Everyone knows that. Try to keep up with the rest of the hikers.

[Nirvana]

Stacey V was the last show newbie I placed a dog with. New people want perfect and they don't seem to want to listen to the advice of those that have experience. Animal sciences was my major. Animal husbandry is my vocation. That does not mean that I am rolling in cash because I occasionally breed animals. I am lucky I get to do what I enjoy and make others happy in that process.

Do these people look happy? They should be, their kid is well adjusted not on drugs and she is working on projects that build her character. This is why I breed animals.

[footfootfoot]

Originally Posted by DanaC

I don't know nuffink 'bout that. But we (the family) have been stung before with breeders. There are some nasty tricks employed by the less reputable ones. Such as over feeding the pups with high protein to encourage fast growth, so that they look like proper nice chunky pups. Tends to lead to serious joint problems from an early age.

One of the worst problems though, actually, with breeders, is that they tend to be breeding pedigree dogs and many breeds have serious health issues. With the best will in the world, some breeds are more problematic than others. Non-pedigree dogs are often a lot healthier.

I knew a breeder who would add very fine sawdust to the oil and it would quiet the sound of tapping valves for a few hundred miles then you realized you were in need of an engine rebuild. Caveat Emptor.

[Griff]

I've never had a positive view of show dogs, since Pete's step-dad used to show the very hideous diseased looking rumey-eyed Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. I'll take my big old farm bred Aussie product of reliable working dogs over the fluffy show version. I do support girls showing cows though.

[DanaC]

Originally Posted by Nirvana

Breed standards can only be interpreted by the person that is reading them. They are not imposed by show dog breeders. It is the individual that can take a standard and use it to breed the extremes of a breed and certainly in the case of my breed Chihuahuas, I and most show breeders would rather die than breed teacups, blues, merles and over done heads, but they are the bread and butter of the back yard breeder.

Painting all with the same brush is never a good idea

Oh I don't paint all with the same brush at all. And it may be that this is more of a UK problem than US. 'Crufts' used to show on the BBC every year, couple of years ago the BBC pulled out, and so have some of the main sponsors, because of the way breed standard expectations were impacting on canine health within competitive show circles.

Now you're right that much of it is about interpretation of breed standards, but it's also the case that a lot of breed standards have had to alter in recent years, most particularly with regards things like tail docking, but also to try and ameliorate some of the extremes in certain breeds.

[Nirvana]

I'll take my big old farm bred Aussie product of reliable working dogs over the fluffy show version.

A well raised dog is a treasure whether its a purebred or a mutt

[Griff]

Word up. Breeds do give you an idea what to expect so you can anticipate a need to chase sheep, foxes, or frisbees.

[Undertoad]

...or to be a couch potato and get enough exercise in the yard chasing a ball, for those of us who are too lazy to properly walk a dog.

[Sundae]

I did say "I seem to remember".
I never saw the dog and have no other information.

I was actually anti-breed until I got my two Singapuras. And that only happened because my nearest shelters would not condone a cat being kept indoors (this has completely changed - some cats need rehoming that have never been outside and will only go to homes where this is understood and accepted) so I had to consider a breeder.

I'd still be wary of buying a breed with known health conditions when so many non-breeds need homing. But given that some cat breeds have real personality traits, I understand it. I've tried to get two people wanting cats to adopt older Singas rather than getting kittens. Didn't work, but I think I made a good enough case to make them think.

Cheers Bri.
Wave back x

[Griff]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

...or to be a couch potato and get enough exercise in the yard chasing a ball, for those of us who are too lazy to properly walk a dog.

There is a dog for every purpose from fucking cancer to chillin on the sofa.

[footfootfoot]

Originally Posted by Sundae

I did say "I seem to remember".
I never saw the dog and have no other information.

It was a jest, a merry jape.

[Griff]

"That's what she said."

[morethanpretty]

1) Nirv doesn't even know what type of dog it was or the root of its health issues.
2) Yes, I overreacted a bit, but I don't feel any need to apologize. Her response was rude and was just a stab to make someone feel worse about a bad situation.
3) Breeders are not rescues. They don't regularly rescue dogs from bad situations and try to give them better homes as a regular job.
4) @Dana, saying shelters exist because people want to be dog owners is like saying orphanages exist because people want to be parents. No, the shelters exist because there are BAD pet owners and breeders. People like me want to rescue dogs, not JUST be a dog owner. An integral part of my owning a dog is knowing that if I had not, it would not be living in such a happy home. This is not the same as just wanting to be a dog owner for the sake of being a dog owner.
5) If Nirv gets to express her opinion that breeders = better than rescue, then I am perfectly within my right to say I believe that breeding is immoral. We have 100s of thousands of animals that are put down or are in shelters every year, and yet breeders, no matter how "good" they are, continue to add to that population simply by adding pets. We need to take care of the domestic animals that don't have good care before we add to the population. I feel its immoral to ignore the pets we have in shelters/rescue organizations in favor of getting an animal from a breeder just because we don't think those in the shelter will not be perfect enough for us.
5) My BIL should have been more cautious about rescuing the dog that he did. All the warning signs were there when he adopted, but I do feel like the rescue lied to him and assured him that those warning signs did not mean what he thought they did. He did make a mistake, but telling someone that in their time of grief does not help, it only twists the knife. That is why Nirvana pissed me off. What she said was simply insensitive to the situation.

[Undertoad]

we'll give you another week to grieve

[Nirvana]

Just to correct a misconception. There are very few purebred dogs in animal shelters. Shelter dogs are not the fault of pedigreed dog breeders. They are the result of irresponsible dog owners. Some shelters import dogs from out of the country to meet the consumer demand in their area. Some shelters in New York import from Russia, some Texas shelters import dogs from Mexico. I know where every dog I ever bred is/was and many breeders have the same ethics.

Ignorance is not always bliss.