<http://www.animalsheltering.org/resource_library/magazine_articles/mar_apr_2003/work_with_breeders.html>
>
> Charles Schober
> As heartwarming as this image is to the general public, the sight of
> purebred puppies still makes Stephanie Shain's blood pressure rise.
But she
> now recognizes that the people who breed dogs like these aren't
necessarily
> the enemy; RESPONSIBLE BREEDERS CAN BE CRITICAL ALLIES IN THE FIGHT
AGAINST
> PUPPY MILLS AND OTHER INHUMANE OPERATIONS.(caps mine)
>
> Work with Breeders? What, Are You Crazy?
> By Stephanie Shain
>
>
> Well, maybe not, says a former shelter employee who now works on
federal
> legislation to make life better for dogs in commercial breeding
facilities.
> Reputable breeders can help educate pet owners about responsible
care, and,
> just as importantly, they can be a great ally in the fight against
puppy
> mills, pet stores, and backyard breeders.
>
> I admit it, I have a breed bias. That is, I am biased against all
breeds. It's
> not something I'm proud of, and I'm trying to be less judgmental,
but it's a
> struggle. My heart lies firmly with the mixed-breed dog (the only
exception
> being the Lhasa apso, and that's thanks to a friend's cranky
old-lady Lhasa
> who had such a sassy attitude even I couldn't resist adoring her).
It's not
> because of the dogs themselves; it's just the knowledge that they were
> purposefully brought into this world. I see a purebred dog coming
towards me
> and I feel my blood pressure rise. And a purebred puppy? Forget
it-it's a
> small miracle if I can keep myself from launching into a "where'd
you get
> that dog?" accusatory speech.
>
> Occasionally when I do inquire as to the dog's origins (with as much
> diplomacy as I can muster), the response from the person behind the
pooch is
> refreshing-"Oh, I got him from the shelter/breed rescue"-and I am
instantly
> ashamed and thrilled. I find myself gushing at these strangers about
how
> wonderful they are for adopting, and then I allow myself to fall all
over
> their furry pal with the usual mutterings of a crazy animal person.
Perhaps
> I'm showing my age (and I'm not that old), but when I worked in a
shelter we
> almost never had a purebred dog come through our doors. And if we
did it was
> usually the pair of Samoyeds whose electric fence had once again
proven no
> match for their desire for mud baths. Times have changed since then;
these
> days, about one out of every four dogs in shelters nationwide is a
purebred.
>
> I know why I suffer from a predilection for the unpedigreed; it's
because of
> my years in that shelter watching wonderful mixed-breed dogs waiting
for
> homes that too often didn't come. My thoughts were something like:
"Damn
> those people who buy dogs, damn those who get them from their
neighbor or
> cousin or whomever, damn every single person who doesn't come to a
shelter
> for their next dog, cat, rabbit, or goldfish. They are all part of the
> problem." Pity the poor family who proudly walked their golden
retriever,
> their German shorthaired pointer, or their darling little corgi in
the park.
> Dirty looks and comments about overpopulation were all they'd get
from me.
> And breeders? Heaven help them if I found out what they were doing!
> (Thirteen years ago I was thrilled to find a bumper sticker for my
car that
> read "Dog Breeders Are Pimps.";)
>
> So why am I telling you all of this? Because I want you to
understand my
> feelings on the subject and to know that I understand the shock some
of you
> will feel when you read what I'm about to suggest: I think it's time to
> start working with breeders.
>
> Now that you've picked yourselves up off the floor ... let me try to
> explain. I don't advocate breeding animals. With the millions who
lose their
> lives or who languish on the streets or on backyard chains, how
could I? But
> I've learned to be more realistic, and I've learned that not
everyone thinks
> like I do. I've come to accept that for some people, no matter what
I say or
> do, no matter how many pictures I show of great dogs in the shelter,
they
> just aren't going to adopt. Not that I'll ever stop trying to
persuade them
> to see things my way, of course, but perhaps I can try to meet them
> somewhere in the middle and try and find ways they can help me help
animals.
>
> Keeping Them Out of Pet Stores
> Here's a typical call we get at The HSUS: "I'm looking for a Norwegian
> elkhound (or Akita or cocker spaniel, etc.), and I know I'm not
supposed to
> go to the pet store. Can you tell me where to buy one?"
> As we all know, too often people want a certain breed of dog based
on looks,
> or on one positive experience they had with the breed, or on-my
personal
> favorite-a movie. And we know that most people want a dog mainly for
> friendship. So at The HSUS, we start by discussing with them the many
> benefits of mixed-breed dogs. Then we get them thinking about the
type of
> dog they are looking for (e.g., a high-energy dog to go running
with, or a
> more sedate dog to lounge on the couch with), and we give them the
number
> and address of their local shelter. While we remind them to look for
desired
> characteristics in individual mixed-breed dogs rather than just a
specific
> breed, we're always sure to mention that they'll likely find
purebreds at
> the shelter, too.
>
> We've found that sometimes we can help callers realize they really
don't
> need a purebred dog. For those who still think they do-and who have not
> found their dream dog after checking in with local shelter staff-we
> recommend a purebred rescue/placement group. I've found these groups
to be
> wonderful-even for people who have their heart set on a young
puppy-because
> they seem to be able to "get away with" more than we often can in a
shelter.
> People seem to see these groups as private breed experts and not as
a public
> service that "owes" an animal to everyone who walks in the door, so the
> groups command respect-and generally do a terrific job of either
helping
> people see that 1) they really don't want this breed of dog or 2) they
> really don't want a young puppy.
>
> Do more people go to shelters now than ten years ago? Absolutely.
Are there
> more purebred dogs in the U.S. now than ever before-and are their
numbers
> rising? Yes. While we've persuaded more people to visit their
shelter, we
> haven't persuaded enough of them to stop getting purebred dogs. It's
naive
> to think that we, as people who care about and work to help animals,
can
> simply continue to say "you don't need that kind of dog"-and expect
people
> to listen every single time.
>
> So, if a family is interested only in getting an eight-week-old
Norwegian
> elkhound come hell or high water-and has already tried to find a
homeless
> one to adopt-I would like them to at least buy that puppy from
someone who
> keeps their dogs as part of the family, who is well-versed in the
physical
> challenges and psychological needs of the breed, and who may breed a
dog
> once every other year. Turning my back at that point and providing no
> guidance whatsoever only pushes them toward a pet store, or to some
website
> that looks great but may be masking a horrible puppy mill, or to the
> newspaper where they will easily find columns and columns of dogs
available
> for purchase from backyard breeders who may only know that "the
parents have
> papers" and who will happily sell them a dog no questions asked.
(Plus, they
> think they've done the right thing-they didn't go to a pet store,
right?)
>
> The Story of Mim the Breeder
>
> There are people out there who are going to buy a purebred puppy no
matter
> what we say. And we'd rather help those people identify a reputable
breeder
> than leave them to their own devices to find the progeny of two pet
store
> dogs kept by backyard breeders and accompanied by "registry" papers-or
> worse. To that end, The HSUS has put together criteria that will
help people
> identify the characteristics of a "reputable breeder." It wasn't an
easy
> decision, but we think it's the right thing to do. After all, truly
> reputable and caring breeders can not only help educate pet owners
about
> responsible pet care; they can and should be one of our greatest
allies.
> Which brings me to Mim.
> I'll never forget her-her name was Miriam, but everyone called her
Mim, and
> she was a bichon breeder. She was a client at the veterinary hospital I
> worked for. She was amazing. If I had wanted a dog from her she
probably
> would not have sold me one. My life was busy: I was single, and I had a
> human kid, two jobs, and a houseful of animals already. Mim's
standards were
> high, and every puppy she sold went with the understanding that she
had a
> right and an expectation to be involved in that dog's life forever.
She was
> one of a very few breeders I didn't loathe-partially because she was
a tough
> lady and would tell it like it was no matter who you were or how
important
> you thought you were. But she wasn't perfect in my eyes; she was,
after all,
> a breeder. Even so, as I think of her now, I know that I'd send someone
> intent on getting a bichon puppy to her in a heartbeat. A referral
to Mim
> would keep the person out of the pet stores, which are happy to fill
the
> demand for dogs of the bichon persuasion. And I know that Mim would
tell it
> to them straight-and probably send most of them on their way without
a puppy
> but with the understanding that they'd be just as happy with the
nice little
> two-year-old poodle mix from the shelter.
>
> But breeders like Mim are needed for more than a referral you can
feel good
> about. Good breeders will work with shelters to increase license
fees for
> unaltered dogs, they'll help staff and volunteers tell people at the
local
> fair that breeding dogs is not a money-maker and that it's more work
than
> they could ever imagine, and they'll donate to animal protection
> organizations because they believe in the work we do. But we can't
harness
> their energy if we don't talk to them (or if we call them "pimps,"
as I have
> since learned).
>
> Making a Powerful Friend
> I worked hard on federal legislation last year that would have
closed down
> the worst of the puppy mills and that tried to make life just a bit
better
> for the poor dogs who spend their lives in cages serving as puppy
factories.
> That legislation was killed largely by small breeders who were lied
to by
> some large breeding advocacy groups. Unaware of the real story-that
we were
> trying only to make life better for dogs in commercial breeding
> facilities-they were frightened by the scare tactics and wrote me
letters
> that were full of inaccuracies. And no matter what I said, no matter
how
> many times I explained to them that they were not the ones being
targeted by
> the legislation, and no matter how many copies of the actual
language I sent
> them, they still didn't believe me. I had no credibility with them;
I was
> the enemy, even though I had talked to breeders when we crafted the
> legislation. I had talked to Mim and others who'd said "any half-decent
> breeder would support this," "you should do more," "it's too weak,"
"get rid
> of those puppy mills." But Mim and the others knew and trusted me,
and in
> hindsight I realized that was something I needed with more breeders.
If I
> had worked on building those relationships years before, I would
have been
> able to get the correct information out. But I didn't, and I
couldn't, and
> the animals suffered for it.
>
> We may differ on some things, but a good breeder loves her dogs, and we
> should use that love to work together. So if you haven't already,
reach out,
> meet some breeders in your community, call the local dog clubs. Tell
them
> what you're thinking, and see if they're interested in talking. And
then
> maybe, just maybe, the next time you can't persuade someone to get
her dog
> from you, you'll at least keep her from supporting pet stores, puppy
mills,
> and backyard breeders who don't know a thing about dogs. And you'll
have
> made a powerful friend along the way.
> Stephanie Shain is the director of outreach for The HSUS's Companion
Animals
> section.
>