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Date Posted: 20:23:29 10/12/03 Sun
Author: Cheryl, aka Filamom
Subject: Re: Culling...
In reply to: Dan G. 's message, "Branching off of a question on the USBA board on culling ethics." on 07:38:32 10/12/03 Sun

Dan G,
I was actually not going to respond to this one, but after thinking about it felt that maybe it is best to share. It is not a “warm-fuzzy” topic…but it is an important one. I am very sorry if this gets to be long winded.

“Breeding” ideally is the practice of animal husbandry for the purpose of producing offspring of better overall quality than the previous generation.
Reputable breeders should not be breeding to solely provide “pets” for the general public.
They should be breeding to improve upon their foundation stock, breeding for the best examples possible, and work towards benefiting the breed in general.

First and Foremost, a breeder should be breeding for their own program. There should be more reason for producing pups than simply to supply the masses and financial gain. This “supply and demand” thinking will be the breeds’ downfall. It is this thinking, that prompts crappy unethical breeders to produce to meet demand….and not simply the numbers either. They will breed for ”you want it bigger? You got it!” “You want it meaner? Sure!”. Altering for the publics desires in order to keep their numbers. Water ‘em down…bulk ‘em up…Produce ‘em faster….whatever. This is not a fast food drive thru, and Boerboels (or any breed) are not made to order in 30 seconds or less!!!!!!!!
Breeders need to adhere to a program and follow standards in order to preserve the breed for all the wonderful traits they possess, and work towards eliminating the problems.

Breeders generally work to produce future generations for their existing programs. They will pair up dogs based on their strengths and weaknesses in an attempt to create offspring of better quality than their parents. This “second” generation is assessed by the breeder and hopefully a few remain as potential breeding stock.
The reason “pets” are produced is several reasons. Not all pups are suitable for the breeders program, space restrictions (can’t keep em ALL!) and financial reasons.(bills, kennel expenses, vets). Those not chosen to remain in the program ideally will make wonderful pets if healthy and sound.

Now that being said…let’s address the issue of culling.
Part of my job is working with behavioral problems in dogs. I can tell you first hand that there are a good number of pups that should never be placed at all…..but are.
That very shy timid little pup in the corner which refuses to make eye contact, or the extremely confident and independent “take you or leave you” little pup with way too much attitude at 9 weeks may be cute then…but signals BIG PROBLEMS later. On very rare occasions these pups can be rehabilitated/placed in an appropriate home…but RARE is the key word. Genetic temperament is hard wired.

With pups such as this, the breeder responsibly should weigh the risks. I can tell you that the majority of pups such as this should not be placed. The risk is too great and will likely result in someone getting seriously hurt and/or the dog eventually being euthanized. This is one of the reasons so many pets die each year.
If more breeders would educate themselves and step up to the plate to cull fearful/overly aggressive pups, we would have much fewer injuries/dog bites/maulings to deal with.

Now imagine that an uneducated “newbie” breeder places that cute timid little pup with a family. This family has 2 little girls ages 4 and 6, adorable little angels. In 2 years the breeder gets a phone call that the dog ended up a fear biter and has been put down…and their 4 year old daughter is in the hospital with 11 stitches in her face, waiting for the plastic surgeon…scarred for life and now terrified of dogs. How bad does the breeder feel now for “giving that pup a second chance”???

So this is where we begin…breeders should be educated enough to be able to temperament test pups and be better able to place appropriate pups in appropriate homes.

Unhealthy pups and unstable pups should be humanely euthanized.
It IS a necessary evil. It saves heartbreak, and injury…or a life of shuffling from one home to the next. The truth is that sometimes doing the “responsible” thing is the hardest thing to do…but it is the right thing to do.

It happens, even with healthy, sound parents, there are pups which should not be placed. The sad thing is most times it is ignored, or even worse it is felt that even the weak of body/mind deserve a chance. These pups are given the “opportunity” either knowingly or by ignorance of the breeder to be placed as “pets”.
These “pets” may leave for a home without being de-sexed and then there is the potential for this same fearful or overly aggressive pup to later produce its own litter of pups. Chances are even greater that MORE of that litter may be unsound, and again placed in homes. So this one potential fear biting pup just multiplied by 8, and all of them the responsibility of the original breeder.

In looking at the choice of whether to cull a pup due to poor health or poor temperament, a breeder is not doing anyone any favors by placing the pup rather than euthanizing. It is the cold truth. Not a favor to the pup and not a favor to a future owner. Given the choice, would you prefer a healthy stable pup with the potential to live a long, healthy life…or would you rather the sick, weak, unstable pup??

Cheryl

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