Thursday, September 18, 2008

If you're considering breeding...

Please visit the following link:

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=uqYxvlfxvnk

You can follow the series. It really hits home and shows you what is going on in the world of pedigree dogs. In response to the idea of designers/miniatures, this is a good movie on exactly WHY not to breed. It's kind of heartbreaking, seeing what man has created. And W_T_F is with the eugenics idea?

Thanks to Susan Moore for the link.

I'm very busy, and this is just a quickie. I may post later.

6 comments:

horseys4me said...

That movie thing is amazing...reminds me a lot of horse breeding...for some odd reason ppl think a triple impressive bred horse is normal...ick... and AQHA refuses to stop the breeding of Herda or HYPP deseased horses. Its disgusting and appalling to see the facts up from. People ask me all the time how they find a good breeder and i simply tell them i dont trust myself to pick one bc no matter what the purebred dog you do get will probably have health problems anyway. I guess i was right, just on more breeds then i thought... so sad, us humans really kinds suck! lol

jayjenjo said...

there are some good people out there breeding. First and foremost is to see if the breeder is practicing what their breed clubs preach in terms of health screening. Don't buy a puppy from some one who tells you that 'oh my dogs don't have that so I don't test for it"
No certification, no go.

While there is certainly a lot of bad breeding in the USA, there is also a wider acceptance of health screening and a wider range of tests including genetic marker tests here many other countries.

And the sheer size of the US means that we have in many breeds more genetic variation than other countries as well.

I've been involved with purebred dogs for two decades, show, occasional breeding, active in rescue. I've seen a lot of crap and met some real scum-bags.

I've also met some of the most solid, dedicated and ethical people I have ever known. Believe me, I understand the issues with purebred dogs, but if I go looking for a dog, I find a dedicated show/working breeder who loves the breed, dogs in general and screens and stands behind their stock. Still a far better bet than ignorant BYBs or puppy mill scum breeders, those later two are without doubt the main source of dogs in our rescue and they are far more likely to be suffering from genetic disease and poorly functioning immune systems than dogs coming from hobby breeders avaiing themselves of screening tests and expecting more from their dogs than to be money makers or puppy factories

PapSett said...

I have been involved with dog showing and training since 1982. I have bred exactly *1* litter of Gordon Setters in that time. Loved the puppies dearly but went thru hell with that litter, almost lost my much-loved bitch, health complications like you wouldn't believe. Didn't want to go thru it again.

Fast-forward to 2004. I got my present Gordie bitch, Kharma, from a reputable breeder, from a line I had coveted for many years. I began to have dreams of breeding again. In 2005, I bought my male, Nick, after much researching pegigrees. They were a perfect match for one another. It was my dream to earn an award the Gordon Setter Club of America gives, called Beauty, Brains & Birdsense. To earn it, the dog must get their championship, an obedience title, and a field title. I wanted to BBB both dogs and breed my own champion.

Kharma is pointed toward her championship and has her Junior Hunter tittle. She is almost readt yo go in the obedience ring. Nick is major pointed, has th first leg of his JH. But the more I looked at Kharma, the more flaws I could pick out in her conformationally. And I decided that she is REALLY not what I want to be breeding, so I had her spayed. It was a difficult decision for me, watching my dream die that way, but there are plenty of really GOOD bitches out there.

Now... Nick? He is worthy of being bred, once he finishes. I have had judges comment to me that he has the best front they have ever seen on a Gordon.

So he gets to keep his balls. :-P At least for now.

Flo said...

Followed your link from FHOTD. If you do post latter, may I suggest this poor Pit Bull(dog) that looks less like an athletic Pitbull and more like the lumbering Bulldog?
http://hongkong.craigslist.org/pet/844469556.html

And my family has owned, trained, raised, rescued, and bred Field Dog Stud Book English Setters for about 30 years. In that time we've had three litters, which means out of the dozens of dogs we've had, we thought four we owned were exceptional enough to pass on their genes, and did one outside breeding.

I think the AKC standards are double edged. By breeding for a look, not a skill, or temperament, or health or function, they set themselves up for so many problems.
The Working Collie association, some of the working Border Collie breeders that don't want to AKC register their dogs, and those of us in the FDSB but not the AKC (if you want to dual register so you can do AKC obedience or other breed events, it's an extra $50, but we've never bothered) all seem to find good, functional animals. They may not all look like cookie cutters running around a ring, because in our breed registries a look can change to follow the best health and function without getting crossways of a written standard.

LegendsLiveOn said...

Papsett -

Kudos to you for spaying your bitch - a lot of people would have gone through with it anyways. I hate breeders that overlook flaws... how do they think purebred dogs have gotten as bad as they are today. I'm po\roud of you! :-)

LegendsLiveOn said...

Aaaand my spelling can barely rival two-year-old's today, I'm seeing.