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Date Posted: 07:38:32 10/12/03 Sun
Author: Dan G.
Subject: Branching off of a question on the USBA board on culling ethics.

To the breeders out there, don't take this the wrong way. I'm strictly playing devils advocate here. I have my own views on this, but nothing is black and white and I often do the Rush Limbaugh routine and debate myself back and forth and guess what? Even if I lose the debate, I always win!!!! :) So I thought I would present this debate and see what other thoughts are put out there.

Lets just say that culling is a practice that is part of any ethical breeders program for obvious reasons.

But is it truly a necessary evil?

Afterall, what is the reason that you have to cull in the first place? Because you're producing companion animals for the public. So lets get to the core of the matter and address the main issue.

Why do people choose to breed pets?

Typical answer would be: To give other people the opportunity to share a life with the offspring of a dog (or breed) as great or as unique as theirs is?

I used to believe that this was true to a certain extent until I met a guy from Ohio who picks up animals from shelters to train them for police work. He has been successful and his dogs are impressive. No titles, awards, beauty pageants or pedigrees behind them and they still do the work just fine. So as far as unique and "great" pets, there are plenty of them in shelters already.

I think that the problem is that most breeders do not want to admit to is that they produce pups because it provides extra income along with doing something that they thoroughly enjoy. A hobby that makes any money is a great one and the key word is "income". As soon as they start taking money for a pup, it is a BUSINESS. Whether it is a good one or a bad one is irrelevant, it is still a BUSINESS. The BS about breaking even. Why not call it what it is? YOUR hobby cost alot of money and the only way to finance YOUR hobby (personal enjoyment) is to turn it into a BUSINESS. Nothing wrong with being in business, but lets not ignore that business and ethical issues don't go well together and THIS is where problems really stem from. Here are some examples to support my belief.

The people that come on these boards to discuss and learn more and sling mud while they're at it :) are the exception, not the rule, therefore they can not be used as the example of a typical owner. If all owners put this much time and effort into their dogs then we wouldn't have a yearly rate of 5-9 million pets euthanized each year. 25% percent of euthanized dogs are purebreds which people paid for (at least a certain amount of them). Many of the dogs that are not euthanized or turned into shelters still live a very poor quality lifestyle.

The argument that many "ethical" breeders have used to circumvent this problem of irresponsible owners is.

1) After the dog leaves their place they don't have any control over the owner, so they can't do anything about it.

An easy way to wash your hands of responsibility and ignoring the outcome of their breeding that you brought to this world. But it is a response that would be logical if it came from a BUSINESS owner.

2) They screen their customers thoroughly and they will make sure the pup goes to a good home.

On the surface it seems like a good solution but it is actually more wishful thinking and an overestimation of ones ability to distinguish a "good home" from a "bad home" in one phone meeting or a series of questions. It takes anywhere from six months to a year to adopt a child, not to mention the massive screenings, applications, attorneys, judges, visits, etc. I have kids of my own and i personally feel that a dog is like a 2-3 year old child that never grows up, but it only takes a phone call and a couple of questions to get a dog shipped to you. And even the most ethical breeder if put under a situation where they run into financial trouble will loosen their discretion and be more willing to let go of a pup to a person that the breeder may have otherwise not considered.

3) They will charge alot of money for their pups for several reasons and one being to keep the pup out of the hands of people who cannot afford to raise it properly.

Pure BS but a good excuse to increase your ROI (return on investment) and ease any feelings of guilt that you may have on it.

4) They will only breed a limited amount of litters and only when they get enough people on a waiting list.

That seems to go along with #2, wishful thinking. How many reliable and qualified pet owners are willing to be put on a list and wait until this magnificent pairing is put together, so that they can then be told which pup will be given to them rather than they being the ones to choose the pup?

For all of you breeders that want to make a point to the contrary. Prove me wrong and send me one of your pic of litters and then don't charge me for it. Hey, I'm not a bad businessman either LOL :)

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