Why do owners who retire their show dog rehome them???

So, wait, let me get this straight.

There was a neopolitan mastiff surrendered to the shelter I volunteer for. Adopting from there or from the mastiff rescue we eventually contacted to pull him is okay. But if these morons who did the surrendering had done the right thing, the thing they most likely signed a legal contract to do, and returned the dog to his breeder when they were unable to keep him (a couple was getting married, they both had dogs, they decided there were too many and one had to go, and it was the biggest and drooliest of course) and that breeder then rehomed the returned dog...that's bad? I'm confused. Same dog. Same circumstances: an older dog who was no longer wanted in his original home. Just different people handling the rehoming.

My family's first dog was a rehome from a breeder. She was 5, and had had a few litters She was the calmest, sweetest dog I have ever had. No behavior problems. She was the first dog to die in my life...it broke my heart. []

how is this practice any different than JQP taking their boring old dog to the shelter after they get a fun new puppy? 

ORIGINAL: DPU

I do take issue with what owners do with their dogs after they have served their purpose. 

 
I can not say anymore other than I am in total disbelief here on rehoming.  I have always stayed out of Repy breeders vs Unrepy breeders discussion.  I look at them as just one group.  And that is just my opinion.

Given the screening (not) most shelters do? Umm...lots. That and the 3 day deadline. Just a bit different.

principle is the same-- discard the dog after you "use it up" to make room for a puppy. I'm with DPU on this one.

See Liesje? LOL...

I have always stayed out of Repy breeders vs Unrepy breeders discussion. I look at them as just one group.

Well, that does explain a lot.

certainly there are legit reasons for rehoming dogs-- if you can't meet the dog's needs no matter how hard you try is an excellent reason. But most of these breeder rehomes are just cause the breeder wants to make room and time for a dog they can show or breed.

discard the dog after you "use it up" to make room for a puppy.

But how can we know that this is always the case?  I'm sure it happens most often, but there are other reasons why dogs are rehomed.  Reputable breeders will take back their dogs from people who have an issue with them or don't want them anymore, and thus would rehome them.  To me that's a LOT different than rehoming your own dog.

ORIGINAL: mudpuppy

principle is the same-- discard the dog after you "use it up" to make room for a puppy.

 
I can understand and appreciate your viewpoint.  I disagree, to a large extent based upon people that I know within my breed group.
 
The owner of Xerxes sire passed away suddenly, with a full kennel of some retired dogs and some up and comers.  So care of the dogs was given to two of her closest friends.  One now has 12 dogs the other has 8.  Both are actively involved in showing and have somewhat limited resources in comparison to other big kennels.  Both have taken over her breeder rescues as well.  At one point between the two of them they had 24 or 25 dogs.
 
So, rehoming those dogs is wrong? 
 
A life of being shuffled in and out of the yard, in and out of the crate, is preferable than to rehome those same dogs into a family situation, where the dog would actually be able to relax?
 
JMO, but I'd rather see the retired champions and breeder rescues get new homes, and the hope for a better, more fulfilling life.

ORIGINAL: Liesje

I have always stayed out of Repy breeders vs Unrepy breeders discussion. I look at them as just one group.

Well, that does explain a lot.

As well as everyone should!  IMO.  They are the source of puppies to JQP.  Except for some vague govt standards that rules all, the group is splintered into levels incremented by the degrees of responsibility.  Balderdash!  The entire group contributes to the plight of the shelter dog, directly and indirectly. 

Without getting too involved in this debate, I think there *is* a difference between show & breeding dogs that need rehoming for the things that come up in life (accidents, deaths, etc) and a breeder who shows/breeds his or her own dogs and then rehomes the dogs when they get old so that the breeder can keep up with the latest batch of younger dogs.

I understand that life in a kennel is not great for a dog, but I have to wonder about people who are breeding and showing huge numbers of dogs .... For what purpose?  Surely not the best interests of the dogs, who don't care if they have CH next to their names. 

Liesje, none of my concerns have anything at all to do with your situation, or for dogs who would clearly benefit from a quiet home or being an only dog.  I'm only thinking about those who intentionally keep a rotating stock of "useful" dogs and get rid of them when the dogs are no longer useful.  Yes, far better for the dog to be rehomed than ignored, but in my naive little world I'd like to see dogs in forever homes - whether they are show dogs or street rescues. 

The owner of Xerxes sire passed away suddenly, with a full kennel of some retired dogs and some up and comers. So care of the dogs was given to two of her closest friends. One now has 12 dogs the other has 8. Both are actively involved in showing and have somewhat limited resources in comparison to other big kennels. Both have taken over her breeder rescues as well. At one point between the two of them they had 24 or 25 dogs.

So, rehoming those dogs is wrong?

A life of being shuffled in and out of the yard, in and out of the crate, is preferable than to rehome those same dogs into a family situation, where the dog would actually be able to relax?

 
A death resulting in dogs whose needs are not being met is not the usual situation triggering a breeder rehome, though. 

I think this is another of those fallacies that folks who are really anti-breeder use to make any breeder be a non-responsible breeder in their eyes. (For example "A reputable breeder always has all their puppies spoken for before the litter is every born" AND "A reputable breeder always matches puppy exactly to owners"- without having a massive waiting list, the two can't both be true. In my experience, reputable breeders have a waiting list to cover between half and three quarters of their litter made up of pet and show people, but frequently there ARE pups unspoken for- the key is, those puppies stay with the breeder as long as it takes to find equally good homes- usually through breed club referrals. Perhaps the breeder had more pet-quality or show quality pupps than anticipated, or a litter of all one sex, a litter that produced more drivey, intense puppies than anticipated that would be better in performance (not just pet) homes, or vice versa.) Either a breeder is dismissed as having 'too many dogs!' (And I hear folks say too many is anything more than 3-4 even!) or they're a horrible person for rehoming showdogs after their careers end. They have too many dogs, or they have too few and are 'lacking in experience'.

To me, the key thing about a responsible breeder is that they breed AND PLACE dogs responsibly. Whether that's an 8 week old pet-quality puppy or a 8 year old stud dog retiring after a long specials career (whose sons have matured and exceeded him as show dogs and as producers) and is going to a home where he'll be a cherished couch potato, the responsible breeder places dogs into homes where they are cherished and taken very good care of, FOR THEIR WHOLE LIVES- whether that's 15 years, or five. It's loving not just their individual dogs, but loving the whole breed.

I've placed two showdogs who didn't live up to my expectations. Jester's sire began displaying dog aggressive tendencies and I neutered Jester to ensure that he didn't develop the same problem, which he was showing hints of. I didn't feel that he ought to contribute to the breed as a sire. A family friend happened to be looking for a companion, and I was looking, slowly, for a home for Jester. Jester LOATHES obedience and has no desire to do agility. He's a couch potato. Instead of a home where he sits at home with a pet sitter on weekends, he has a home where he gets to go to antique shows every weekend. I spayed and placed Summer- who would have been my foundation bitch- because I felt that despite her positive attributes (lovely conformation, unflappable temperament), a single trait about her temperament that is widespread in the breed (lack of biddability) drove me nuts, and I didn't want to perpetuate it. There's enough stubbornly independent Cardigans. If I was going to breed them, I wanted to breed dogs that wanted to work with people- and wanted to work! Summer is a very beloved family pet in a family who couldn't get approved by rescue because of their autistic son's behaviors. He's not at all dangerous to anyone, but if you don't know them, he's offputting- and Cardi rescue is in the fortunate position of having more homes available than dogs needing placements.


One thing I think pet people just don't GET sometimes is that responsible breeders are not just responsible for their individual dogs. Responsible breeders are responsible for the whole future of the breed.