Venting

[TheBajan]

I just need to vent for a minute.

First of all, you need to know that I breed and show dogs as a hobby. I'm not sure what kind of image that conj-ours up but I'm not a big breeder with a ton of dogs locked up in cages all day. I have 3 adult Pomeranians and they live in my house as my pets. Along with 3 cats and 3 Rhodesian Ridgebacks. Maybe that sounds like a zoo but it works for us. None of my dogs are kenneled and they never will be. They are my pets.

My purpose in breeding is two-fold. First and foremost, I enjoy dogs, dog competitions, and the people who participate in them. I breed because I am constantly striving to create a better quality dog. Health and conformation to the breed standard are my top priorities when I decide to breed one of my girls. Second, I breed dogs because of the buyers. The people I meet who buy my puppies often times become lifelong friends. It simply feels good to know I'm doing something that brings someone else so much happiness.

There are down sides to dog breeding.... It's heart-breaking. If you breed long enough you will lose a puppy from time to time and it doesn't get any easier no matter how long you've been doing this. It's also expensive. Contrary to popular opinion, we (breeders with integrity) don't make much if anything on are dogs. In fact, in all the time I've been breeding, I've taken a loss ever year. It's always difficult when the time comes to sell an older dog that has been a part of the family for several years but sometimes, for everyone's sake (yes, even the dog) it's the right thing to do. Which brings me to why I'm venting...

I have an 11 month old puppy I'm looking to place. I received a call from someone in Tulsa, OK and after talking to her for about an hour and a half, I was feeling really good about the home she would give to my girl. Then I mentioned I would look into delivery cost as I would be driving her there myself to deliver her. She presumed I would put her on a plane. Once she realized I would actually be coming to her house, her entire story changed. Suddenly she wanted to be "honest with me". It turns out she is a small hobby breeder, much like I am, but with a big difference. She keeps her dogs kenneled and she has no interest in showing... she's simply selling puppies.

I don't want to sound like a snob because I have a very close friend who breeds poms but doesn't go to dog shows. I really don't have a beef with that. However, I won't put my dogs in a situation where they will be locked up, fed, bred and then sold when they have out-lived their usefulness. It erks me that I spent that much time with this person on the phone just to find out that she was snow-balling me the whole time! I do wish I weren't so nieve.

Thanks for listening.

[tobee43]

well, you can call me crazy and put me right on your bus. for 14 years we bred goldens...and for 9 years we bred and showed cats. if you don't show i don't think many should be breed, that's just my thoughts, as when you are attempting to improve a breed that the animals should be out there being shown....just my personal take on it.

i was so OCD on where my animals were placed that after meeting with some people, i would say, sorry, there is no animal here for you to take home. if you're a snob, that i was far worse....as NO ONE was allowed to come into my cattery, if they had been anywhere else. there was a scheduled required "care" class before you were allowed to take home a kitten. usually done in groups as i bred numerous kitties together in class. when we had a kitty mommy that would rather go shopping than care for her babies...the nurseries were full of mommies with babies, however necessarily, not their own. i was an absolute FREAK, i had applications and contracts for both my kitties and puppies. although, i have to tell you that i always tithe 1/2 of the golden liters to the seeing eye clinic. i'm happy to report over 90% made it into the program. i stopped breeding after 14 years for the puppies because one had a bad hip. it was time to stop.

same with the kitties, we were breeding himmies in the "early" days and they were still be bred and bred to get that perfect himmy. now i see they are perfect.i can't tell you how many times we had to do CPR to save a baby, as this was a "man made breed", and it was hard in the early days of the breed, those Siamese hips were not made to deliver Persian babies for the longest time.

we didn't have any more animals until last year when we adopted a kitty scheduled for the gas chambers... he now owns the house and the pool area and is happy and really sweet.

we never made a dime on breeding of animals although some of my kittens when for well over 2k in those days. didn't matter the cost of care, food, etc., was far beyond what we ever made...or lost really. the only grain was a better bred animal.

[sophieanne]

Hi Bajan,

You are the only type of breeder I would ever buy a dog from...someone who really cares about the well being of the dog. I am a golden retrever owner and I was very picky about the breeder. If they don't care about where the dog will live, my background with dogs or the enviornment, etc. I wasn't interested. I say good for you..you have every right to pick and choose who you allow one of your puppies to go to (be as snobbish as you like). It always breaks my heart when a puppy (purchased from a breeder or not) ends up in the wrong hands. Keep doing what you're doing and know you have many many supporters!

[stray]

Bajan, you are not at all naive, she only had you going for a minute. You were planning on checking the home. You saved your dog from that life. We can't save them all, but you did your part here. My only dog was from a small breeder. She had the female and bred her to a champion male from a known breeder. After researching breeds, we decided a Rottweiler was the dog for us. I worked graveyard and DH worked days. I wanted protection and a companion. Given the breed we chose it was important to know the family history for temperament and hip issues. We visited a recommended breeder and were so freaked out by all the dogs in dog runs (?) that we left. Later, my husband surprised me with Sydney for Christmas. That small breeder gave me the best gift of my life. That dog taught me so much (and the landlord never let himself in again...)

Now, we just have a bunch of feral cats that sort of "came to us". I found a home for one social sweet kitten and later found out that they didn't spay her. It still makes me feel horrible.

[TheBajan]

That small breeder gave me the best gift of my life. That dog taught me so much (and the landlord never let himself in again...)

I had a good laugh at this... thank all for the kind words.

The Bajan

[Voyles]

Good for you TheBajan! No animal should be treated that way.

[TBA]

so sorry to hear this. I know it is tough placing dogs. I am super passionate about the breed i fancy, and we hate to hear stories like this.

Glad you made the right decision though. Keep your pets as pets, not as "breeders"

As an aside, do you breed the ridgebacks too? that was one of my first dogs and i love the breed! They are amazing and a bit harder to come by where i am. While i am not currently looking for a new dog, who knows what will happen in the future.

[TheBajan]

so sorry to hear this. I know it is tough placing dogs. I am super passionate about the breed i fancy, and we hate to hear stories like this.

Glad you made the right decision though. Keep your pets as pets, not as "breeders"

As an aside, do you breed the ridgebacks too? that was one of my first dogs and i love the breed! They are amazing and a bit harder to come by where i am. While i am not currently looking for a new dog, who knows what will happen in the future.

They are a wonderful breed... and yes, I do. They are hard to find as they are not a very well known breed. We went to Texas for our first Ridgeback and just fell in love with them.

Best to you,
The Bajan