Pep Talk For Dog Breeders

[shortstep]

In Defense Of Dog Breeders - How Animal Rights Has Twisted Our Language

By John Yates

American Sporting Dog Alliance

You're a dog breeder!!!!!

In today's world, that is a very loaded statement. It's more like an accusation.

"I told the television news reporter that I breed dogs," a friend from Dallas told me recently. "He looked at me like he thought I was a harlot."

Dog owners have allowed the animal rights movement to redefine our language in order to paint everything we do in the worst possible light. If we say that we breed dogs, the looks we get ask us if we own a "puppy mill" or if we are a "backyard breeder." If we reply that we are a "hobby breeder," someone immediately asks how we can consider living creatures a hobby. Some of us try the word "fancier." We fool no one. The most pathetic response to the question is when we call ourselves "responsible breeders." Responsible to whom? Who defines "responsible" and "irresponsible?" Some bureaucrat? A politician? Animal rights cretins who say there is no such thing as a responsible breeder? Animal rights fanatics would rather kill all animals than see someone love them. In fact, that's their plan. If we say we are not breeders, it makes us "pet hoarders." We are tarred as mentally ill people in need of psychotherapy. The entire language about dog ownership has been hijacked by the rhetoric of the animal rights movement. The worst part is that we have allowed it to happen. We are too fearful and wimpy to stand up for ourselves. We keep searching for inoffensive euphemisms to describe what we do, so that we don't open ourselves up to attack. By doing that, however, we have engineered our own demise.

The animal rights movement will not go away. Its agenda is to destroy our right to own or raise animals. Animal rights groups have declared war on all animal ownership, and they won't stop until they either win or we finally have the courage to stand up and defeat them. They have not taken that kind of power over us. We have given it away. We have surrendered our beliefs to the enemy. We apologize for what we do. We make weak excuses for things like animal shelter euthanasia, accidental matings, dog fighting and dangerous dogs. We take at least part of the responsibility for these problems onto our own shoulders, when in truth we have no responsibility at all for creating them. None whatsoever!

I am sick and tired of watching dog owners constantly apologize and grovel, and allowing themselves to be put on the defensive. Enough! It's time to stop sniveling about who we are and what we do.

Let me state clearly and for the record: I am a dog breeder. I breed dogs. I raise puppies. I like it. I'm very proud of it. If you don't like it, you are free to take a flying leap. I don't care what you think of me or what I do. I raise two or three litters of English setter puppies a year. I wish I could raise more puppies, but can't figure out how to do it without driving myself into bankruptcy. My dogs work for a living, just like I do. They have to be good at their jobs, just like I do. If they aren't good at their jobs, I don't keep them and I certainly don't breed them. They are hunting dogs, and they have to be able to perform to a very demanding standard of excellence to be worthy of breeding. They have to meet the exacting standard of championship-quality performance in the toughest competition. They are professional athletes. Most of them don't make the cut. Those dogs make wonderful hunting companions or family members. I have never had a dog spayed or neutered, except for medical reasons, and I don't intend to start now. If a dog is good enough for me to keep, it is good enough to breed. Nor have I ever sold a puppy on a spay/neuter contract. With performance dogs, it takes two or three years to know what you have. There is no way that anyone can know the full potential or worthiness of a young puppy. I hope every puppy that I sell will become a great one that is worthy of being bred.

I do not feel bad (and certainly do not feel guilty) if someone decides to breed a dog from my kennel that I did not choose to keep for myself when it was a puppy. It still will be a very nice dog, and I have worked very hard on my breeding program for 35 years to assure that very high quality genetics will be passed along and concentrated in any dog that I sell. On occasion, I have a puppy that has a serious flaw. I don't sell those puppies, even though they would make many people very happy. I give them away free to good homes, and the definition of a good home is mine because it's my puppy. I own it. You don't. My responsibility is to the puppy. It is not to you, and it's not to some gelatinous glob called "society." I consider myself to be personally responsible for every puppy I raise, from birth until the day it dies. It always has a home in my kennel, if its new owner can't keep it or no longer wants it. That's a contract written in blood between the puppy and me. It's a contract written with a handshake with the puppy's new owner.

I laugh cynically when someone from the Humane Society of the United States or People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals ask if I am a responsible breeder. HSUS and PETA are two of the most vicious, bloodthirsty and dishonest snake pits on Earth. Their moral credibility is a negative number. PETA butchers more than 90-percent of the animals it "rescues" every year, and HSUS supports programs and policies that result in the needless deaths of hundreds of thousands of animals every year. By now, I assume that I have pushed all of the buttons of the animal rights crazies. I can hear them snort and see their pincurls flapping in indignation. It makes my day. Can't you hear them, too? They are calling me an exploiter of animals. They are saying that I ruthlessly cull and manipulate the genetics of my dogs. They saying that I make the exploited poor beasts work for a living and live up to impossible standards. They will say that I do this to feed and gratify my own fat ego. They will say that I sell them for money and exploit them for personal gain. Then, of course, they will say that I use them to viciously hunt innocent wild animals. Terrible, terrible me! My mother should have a son like this! She was such a nice woman. Well, I plead guilty to all of the charges. Know what else? I don't feel guilty, not even a little bit. I do it. I like it. I feel good about it.

Now I will speak in my own defense - as a dog breeder. I happen to love dogs. I love being around them. I love working with them. I love watching a puppy grow up and discover its potential. I love having the privilege of experiencing a truly great dog in its prime. I love sharing supper with my dogs, wrestling with puppies, and sacking out with them on the couch. I lose sleep when they get sick, and work myself unmercifully to care for them. I spend almost all of the money I have on them, and some money that I don't have. My heart breaks when they grow old and die. I have a dozen lifetimes worth of beautiful memories. What do the animal rights freaks have? They have their ideology. They look in the mirror and feel smug and self-righteous, as if God has personally anointed them to protect animals from the likes of me. What they have is nothing at all. Utter sterility. A world devoid of life and love. They can keep it.

My life is filled with love and joy and beauty, and I owe most of it to my dogs. They have helped to keep me sane when sanity was not a given. They have given me courage on the days when all I wanted to do was lie down and quit. They have given me strength to endure on the days when all I wanted to do is run away and hide. I owe them my life.

The animal rights folks are right. I ruthlessly cull and manipulate genetics. To make the cut, my breeding dogs have had to live up to the most exacting possible standards and pass the most strenuous tests. I am very proud of doing that.

The result is that the vast majority of people who buy a puppy from me love it. When I sell a puppy, chances are that it has found a home for the rest of its life. The puppy will have a great chance of leading a wonderful life. I produce puppies that make people happy to own them

and want to keep them. That's my job as a breeder. I have done this through rigorous selection. My puppies today are the result of 35 years of my stubborn insistence about never breeding a dog that does not have a wonderful disposition, perfect conformation, great intelligence, exceptional natural ability, breathtaking style and that mysterious ingredient called genius. Every puppy born in my kennel has six or eight or 10 generations of my own dogs in its pedigree. All of those ancestors possess a high level of each of those desirable traits. I have raised, trained, and grown old with every dog listed in several generations of each puppy's pedigree. Simply put, my puppies today are a lot nicer than my puppies of 35 years ago. Today, there is a much higher percentage of good ones, a much lower percentage of deficient ones, a much higher average of good qualities, and a much higher percentage of true greatness emerging from my kennel today.

That's what it means to be a breeder. Does that feed my ego? Yep. I like having my ego stroked. Don't you? If you don't, you are in very deep trouble as a human being.

But I'll tell you what else it does. It makes for happier dogs. It makes for dogs that lead better lives, find permanent families and homes, and get to experience love in many forms. It also makes for healthier dogs. Generation after generation of perfect functional conformation means that the dogs are less likely to get injured, wear out or develop arthritis. Many generations of selection for vigor, toughness and good health means that they are able to laugh at the extremes of climate, weather and terrain. I also have virtually eliminated genetic health problems from my

strain of dogs. For example, hip dysplasia is the most common genetic problem in English setters, afflicting a reported four-percent of the breed. In the past 20 years, I have had only two questionable hip x-rays, which both would be rated "fair" by the Orthopedic Foundation of America (OFA). The last one was 10 years ago. Yes, I am very proud of being a breeder. I did that.

I am proud, too, that I am producing dogs that are so intelligent that it's scary, so loyal that they can be your complete partner in the field while also possessing the extreme independence needed to do their job well, so loving that you want them with you every second of the day, so bold and brazen that nothing bothers them, and just plain drop-dead gorgeous to boot. They make me smile a lot. I think I make them smile, too.

But, the animal rights whackos say I am doing it for the money. They accuse me of exploiting animals for profit. Yep. Every chance I get. I am very happy when I am able to sell a puppy for cold, hard cash. It makes me feel good. It makes me feel good ecause it shows me that someone appreciates the work I am doing. It makes me feel good because I have earned it, and earned it honestly. My only regret is that I have not made more money as a breeder. With all of the sacrifices I have made and the hard work I have done, I should be rolling in money. Alas, I am not. It has been years since I actually have made money on a litter of puppies. Usually, I lose my shirt. For every puppy I sell, there is another one that I keep to evaluate, and a couple of other ones that I am keeping for two or three years to evaluate for their worthiness to breed. Then there are dogs that are in competition, and that costs bushels of money, not to mention old dogs that are retired and have a home here until they die of old age. Almost a third of the dogs in my kennel are elderly and retired, and it takes a lot of money to care for them. It takes money for dog food, supplies, veterinary bills, kennel licenses, repairs, vehicle use for training and field trials, advertising, internet, phone bills, and four pairs of good boots a year. It takes money. Lots of money. Bundles of money. Oh, Lord, please help me to sell some more puppies!

Besides, what's wrong with making money? It is a rather fundamental American value. Making money is something to be proud of, as long as it's done honestly. Even animal rights bozos have to eat. Someone has to make money to stuff veggies down their gullets, and organic veggies are rather pricey. Most working folks can't afford them.

I also can't help but notice that most animal rights activists over the age of 30 drive pretty fancy cars (we are talking about the Beamer set, folks), live in rather fancy houses and dress very well indeed. I can't help but notice that many of the leaders of animal rights groups have pretty cushy gigs, with high-end six-digit salaries, fancy offices, and all the perks. I guess they are saying that it's ok for them to make money by the truckload, even if making money turns dog breeders into immoral greed bags. There is no one in America who exploits dogs for as much money as the paid leaders of animal rights groups. Their fat salaries depend on having animal issues to exploit. If there were no animals for them to exploit, they would have to get a real job. It's a rather perplexing dual standard, don't you think?

Well, maybe it's not perplexing after all. The only thing perplexing about hypocrisy is that so many people can't see through it.

My next sin is making my dogs work for a living. The animal rights people try to paint a picture of whipping dogs beyond endurance, exploiting them, creating misery and causing unhappiness. The poor, downtrodden, huddled masses. You know the tune. Only problem is, my dogs don't agree. They love to work. They love their jobs. The only time they are sad is when it is not their turn to work. For my dogs, working is sheer joy and passion! They love every second of it.

What animal rights groups live for is creating imaginary victims. Helping victims makes some people feel better about themselves and, of course, it helps them to part with their money so that animal rights leaders can live high on the hog. Oops. I mean high on the carrot. How callous of me. I guess I'm just not a sensitive kind of guy.

Back to the exploited masses of bird dogs. Try an experiment sometime. Read an animal rights essay, and substitute the word "proletariat" for the word "animal." You will find that animal rights philosophy actually is pure and straightforward Marxian doctrine. I guess my dogs are not natural Marxists. They love their jobs. They are excited about their jobs. Their jobs make them very happy. Animal rights people can't seem to grasp that people can feel that way about their work, too. It's how I feel about the very hard work of being a dog breeder. It makes me happy. Another way of putting it is that both my dogs and my own example provide proof that life is not pointless drudgery and exploitation. We provide living proof that joy, beauty and personal fulfillment are possible in life.

I just don't think of those qualities when I think of the animal rights fanatics I have known. They seem a rather sad and sorry lot to me. I'll take my dogs' company any day.

Oh, but the icing on the cake is that I use these poor exploited creatures to hunt innocent birds. How terrible! Hunting, of course, is a subject of its own, and I won't attempt to cover it here. Suffice it to say that opposition to hunting flies in the face of a few million years of human evolution, the entire balance of nature everywhere on Earth, and common sense. I know one thing for certain. The fact that we have healthy populations of most species of wild birds and animals today is only because hunters have cared enough to support strong conservation measures. We have preserved millions of acres of habitat that is vital to the survival of many species, saved more millions of acres of wilderness from development, supported the protection of endangered species everywhere, and put our money where are mouths are.

Animal rights groupies do nothing but blow hot air, when they aren't too busy destroying the land and the animals that live on it to create vast wastelands of industrialized monoculture. I am proud to be a hunter, too.

It's time for every dog owner and breeder to stand up proudly and be counted. Each one of you has done far more to enhance the quality of life of both people and dogs than all of the animal rights activists put together.

So stand up and shout it to the rooftops! Stop crawling around on your bellies and apologizing. Your dogs deserve better from you. You will just have to get a little tougher if you want to live up to your dogs.

What you are doing is right. It's just that simple.

[Christina]

You make many good points however there has to be some kind of organisation for the welfare of animals.

They can't do it themselves.

It does depend on which organisation it is, many are very extreme. The lunatic ones are a problem & somehow do gain support for some weird reason.

I admire the work Animal Liberation in Australia do, especially re the puppy farms & have a link to the Victorian branch on my website, yes I am a registered breeder. Its a state with so many puppy farms & so difficult to get them shut down there.

They do some good work under difficult circumstances.

[shortstep]

You make many good points however there has to be some kind of organisation for the welfare of animals.

They can't do it themselves.

It does depend on which organisation it is, many are very extreme. The lunatic ones are a problem & somehow do gain support for some weird reason.

I admire the work Animal Liberation in Australia do, especially re the puppy farms & have a link to the Victorian branch on my website, yes I am a registered breeder. Its a state with so many puppy farms & so difficult to get them shut down there.

They do some good work under difficult circumstances.

I did not write the above, see authors name at top.

Animal liberation, just the name sends chills up my spine.

Lets see what they say

'Animal Liberation believes all animals have a right to live how they would normally choose without other species intervention.'

Sounds like an offshoot of PETA, maybe PETA was not aggressive enough for them?

Oh look they have a PETA person speaking at one of their meetings.

Date: Tuesday 11th May

We've got a special guest this month, Clare Knight, who will be speaking about her experience completing an internship at both PETA US and PETA Asia Pacific. PETA have fantastic facilities for budding and experienced animal rights activists, so if you have thought about applying to become an intern, or maybe you are about to head over to start the program, Clare will be here to answer all your questions and tell us of her experiences and knowledge gained from completing the program.

Now there is some of that good work that you mentioned! We need all the animal rights activiest we can get educated by PETA.

Oh look, bet this was good, did you go?

Pedigree Dogs Update - Associate Professor Paul McGreevy Monday the 24th of May,

The documentary Pedigree Dogs Exposed was released in 2009 and caused a big stir in both the UK and Australia. It exposed the breed standards set by the UK Kennel Club (which directly influences the Australian National Kennel Club), demanding that show dog breeders create animals with impractical and often inhumane physical characteristics.

Since the documentary's release A. Prof. McGreevy has been continuing his research into the consequences of breeding pedigree dogs, with the ultimate aim of changing breed standards and improving the lives of innumerable animals.

Editied to add,

Here is what they say about where to get a dog.

By selecting from a shelter you will be saving a life and not contributing further to overpopulation by breeders and pet shops. Remember that some breeders keep animals in poor conditions, for example, so-called Puppy Mills.

Yep need to stay away from those bad DOG BREEDERS and not support them if you care about animal rights.

Anyway back on topic, 'Animal Liberation believes all animals have a right to live how they would normally choose without other species intervention.'

So just how would dogs live without other species intervention? In the wild, like how poodles used to live before you came along and made them indentured slaves, producing puppies for mans amusement?

Dogs are man made, poodles only have a normal life with man and that is total intervention of another species.

No thanks. Certainly an organization that wants to see the end of human interaction with animals.

You can kiss your poodles good by if these guys get there way!

Edited September 17, 2010 by shortstep

[Souff]

Thanks for posting that Shortstep.

Good people are being turned away from breeding good dogs.

Good dogs need a future but thanks to the activists that future is in grave danger.

The many mutts continue to be bred in backyards.

None so blind as those that cannot see, somebody once said.

Somebody also once said "You don't know what you have got until it's gone" and that sadly is the future of purebred dogs in this country.

The "gone" will be here all too soon, thanks to governments and short sighted activists who just cannot see the long term damage they are doing.

Souff

[jacobite]

Thanks for the article Shortstep. Finally someone talking sense. Yes we all need to stand up and be counted, otherwise we soon won't have anything to be counted for. As for supporting any organsiation conected to PETA.....YOU HAVE TO BE JOKING.

[shortstep]

Yes..it is time for dog breeders to stand up and be counted!

We need to get vocal and we need to educate the public about dog breeders!

Dog breeders need to call it when we see it!

Dog breeders are not the bad guys!

1. Dog breeders are not criminals.

2. Dog breeders are not puppy mills.

3. Dog breeder's dogs are not ending up in the pound.

4. Dog breeders are not pumping out sick animals will nilly.

5. Dog breeders are not responsible for any of the people creating these above problems.

6. I do not know of any dog breeders that does not support animal welfare.

7. We love our dogs!

But dog breeder confusion abounds everywhere, even amongst dog breeders!

How can dog breeders have been so indoctrinated that they now think that they themselves (as dog breeders) are the bad guys?

For example, the above poster Christina says,

'You make many good points (about dog breeders) however there has to be some kind of organization for the welfare of animals.'

But what does that have to do with dog breeders? Unless she really is saying the dogs need to be protected by welfare organizations from dog breeders like she herself?

She goes on to say,

"It does depend on which organization it is, many are very extreme. The lunatic ones are a problem & somehow do gain support for some weird reason."

Then says she supports Animal Liberation. Which is not an animal welfare group, it is an animal rights group and is viewed as extreme by many.

Their goal as they state it, is to stop "human intervention' of dogs by humans. This is not extreme?

Does she really believe that as a dog breeder, she needs to support an activist group that wants to stop her (as a dog breeder) from breeding dogs?

How does this happen, how does this get so twisted around?

First off, can we look at the difference between animal welfare and animal rights?

Here is something off the web that is pretty simple to understand and can be used to quickly (like a check list) to see where a group belongs.

ANIMAL WELFARE

Animal Welfare, as defined by the American Veterinary Medical Association, is a human responsibility that encompasses all aspects of animal well-being, including proper housing, management, disease prevention and treatment, responsible care, humane handling, and, when necessary, humane euthanasia.

Animal welfare proponents seek to improve the treatment and well-being of animals.

Animal welfare proponents believe that humans can interact with animals in entertainment, industry, sport and recreation, and industry, but that the interaction should include provisions for the proper care and management for all animals involved.

Animal welfare proponents support self-regulation of animal sports, including rodeo, polo, three-day eventing, FFA competitions, horse racing, field trials and endurance riding.

Animal welfare groups utilize scientific evidence to base animal care and handling guidelines.

ANIMAL RIGHTS

Animal Rights is a philosophical view that animals have rights similar or the same as humans. True animal rights proponents believe that humans do not have the right to use animals at all. Animal rights proponents wish to ban all use of animals by humans.

Animal rights proponents support laws and regulations that would prohibit rodeos, horse racing, circuses, hunting, life-saving medical research using animals, raising of livestock for food, petting zoos, marine parks , breeding of purebred pets and any use of animals for industry, entertainment, sport or recreation.

Animal rights proponents believe that violence, misinformation and publicity stunts are valid uses of funding donated to their tax-exempt organizations for the purpose of helping animals.

Arson, vandalism and assault are common tactics used by underground animal rights groups to further the animal rights cause. Groups such as the Animal Liberation Front, which have been classified as terrorist by the FBI, routinely use criminal activities to further their cause.

It is pretty easy to see that a dog breeder,

or any person who wants to go to dog shows and groom poodles to perfection,

not to mention play ball or snuggle up on a cold night with their beloved dog,

and must include every person who believes that humans should be able to own dogs,

CAN NOT be an animal rights activist and CAN NOT believe in animal liberation.

Can dog breeders support Animal Welfare? YES

Dog breeders despise and would never condone puppy mills, breeding carelessly, not using needed health screening, and those who carelessly place their pups in inappropriate homes.

Dog breeders only support the best practice, art and science of breeding happy and healthy dogs, and support the best practice, art and science of rearing happy and healthy puppies.

We have to go back and start at the beginning.

Dog breeders are not the bad guys!

Edited September 18, 2010 by shortstep

[Jed]

After all the animals are liberated, they will all be able to run free - poodles, chihuahuas, mastiffs, salukis, poms, - all running together, free from enslavement by man. They will be happy then, free from their demeaning lives as pets. Free from horrible procedures like nail clipping, hair trimming, tooth cleaning.

Along the railways lines, over the freeways, into the rivers, catching and eating their own food.

Hopefully, evolutiion will provide them with an opposable thumb before they all starve, so they can open tins of dog food.

Shortstep

How can dog breeders have been so indoctrinated that they now think that they themselves (as dog breeders) are the bad guys?

Because they have been being told so for the past 20 years. It is only the toughies and the old fogies like me who can remember what it used to be like. We sit around together at night discussing the demise of the dog breeder and the purebred.

"Breeding only for yourself" is a recent innovation. Once, breeders bred so people other than themselves could have show dogs and pets. They were called Successful Breeders, and they were the ones other breeders learned from. I knew, and can name quite a few of them. Some are legends in their breeds, having produced dogs which are in modern dogs pedigrees, or exported dogs.

Now they would be puppy farmers.

The downhill slide began with "urban myths", and continues. BSL, docking, RSPCA hounding of breeders, media reports and TV programs on the unhealthyness of purebred dogs .... all part of the death knell of purebred dogs.

Everything John Yates and the SDA says is worth reading. Shame more people don't.

Sad eh

Edited September 19, 2010 by Jed

[mita]

I looked up the background of John Yates & his organisation. He clearly describes himself as a hunter and the dogs he's interested in are associated with hunting. That wouldn't be against the law, but he places himself on the right of the dog breeding/culture wars in the USA. With PETA & even more extremes being on the left.

http://www.americansportingdogalliance.org/

If something is to be done to support purebred dog breeders, in Australia, it needs to connect with mainstream sources....like sound research, for starters (which exists) and accurate information being conveyed to the public. Rather than far right or far left paranoia, imported from the USA. There's already been enough trouble caused by UK purebred dog issues being imported, without too much questioning, onto the Australian scene.

By the way, there's an Australian Federal Government policy statement re the welfare of animals, which states at the onset that extreme positions like those seen in the US culture wars, will not be taken on board here.

Edited September 19, 2010 by mita

[shortstep]

I looked up the background of John Yates & his organisation. He clearly describes himself as a hunter and the dogs he's interested in are associated with hunting. That wouldn't be against the law, but he places himself on the right of the dog breeding/culture wars in the USA. With PETA & even more extremes being on the left.

http://www.americansportingdogalliance.org/

If something is to be done to support purebred dog breeders, in Australia, it needs to connect with mainstream sources....like sound research, for starters (which exists) and accurate information being conveyed to the public. Rather than far right or far left paranoia, imported from the USA. There's already been enough trouble caused by UK purebred dog issues being imported, without too much questioning, onto the Australian scene.

By the way, there's an Australian Federal Government policy statement re the welfare of animals, which states at the onset that extreme positions like those seen in the US culture wars, will not be taken on board here.

I nominate you Mita, represent all the ANKC breeders to the left wing loons in Australia. You negotiate a nice spot, somewhere between just to the left of extinction and just to the right of jail time.

There is nothing wrong with hunting dogs, dogs have had that role with humans for thousands upon thousands of years.

Gees even Mr. Academia himself uses his dogs to chase roos around, on second thought I guess that is not really hunting is it.

Edited September 20, 2010 by shortstep

[Miranda]

Shortstep I certainly wouldn't class John Yates as the epitome of a good dog breeder. He actively encouraged buyers to source non-AKC registered dogs and wasn't worried about a bit of crossbreeding between varieties either. At his peak he was breeding a lot more than 2/3 litters a year. You won't find any of his English Setters listed on the OFFA site either.

He bred for performance only and like a lot of field dog breeders he bred a lot of puppies and only kept or sold the best workers, any that don't make the grade are sold off or given away to anyone who'll take them. Field setters are far more likely to turn up in pounds and shelters in the U.S. than bench setters, the vast majority of rescue setters are field type.

John Yates is dead now, but he's definitely not a good example for the point you're trying to make.

[Jed]

Mita, the SDA is well accepted by AKC and ANKC breeders alike.

These are their goals

1. Work to preserve the private ownership of sporting dogs and other domesticated animals, and defend the rights of sporting dog owners.

2. Turn back challenges to actions that would limit, restrict or end the use of sporting dogs for hunting.

3. Fight against restrictions that would eliminate field trials from public lands.

4. Protect kennel owners, dog breeders, professional trainers, and dog handlers from laws, policies and regulations that would drive them out of business

Nothing there which is a problem. I personally don't want to hunt with dogs, but it's accepted in USA, so it's good with me.

Unfortunately, there are very few people worldwide, speaking for breeders and exhibitors - a couple of breeder judges in the USA, a few breeders in the UK, Carmen Battaglia and John Yates,

Not many to weigh up with those who are speaking against purebreeds and breeders.

I predicted BSL and where it would go, I told you all what would happen with docking, so here's what will happen with breeders and dogs,

75% of the Very Best Breeders, who are mostly older, knowledgable and very experienced,will drop the baton. Their place will be taken by SOME inexperienced breeders. Some of those will stay in the fancy only about 3 years.

Numbers of dogs bred will continue to fall,but at a greater rate than previously and currently.

Those breeders who have ceased to breed will buy from their friends .. it's chaper, and in the future, it will be easier than breeding. The best breeders who remain will sell only to their friends and ex fellow breeders. Because they know the dogs will have good homes.

I will be able to source a pup, from people I know. All their orders will come from people they know.

"The publc" will not be able to purchase pups from these people. They will buy from the newly established breeders, and there will be so few pups, the wait will be very long.

And then there will be government sanctioned puppy farms

I have no idea why no one listens - I have been 100% correct so far, and blind Freddy can see I'll be correct this time too

Edited September 20, 2010 by Jed

[WoofnHoof]

Maybe it is inevitable, for every breeder who does the 'right thing' (assuming we can ever agree what the 'right thing' entails) there are ten or a hundred doing the 'wrong' thing to varying degrees. Since the dog world hasn't been able to effectively weed out the dodgys in however many aeons then it's not surprising that someone else is stepping in to do it.

ETA and since those stepping in to 'fix' it don't understand the issues well enough they will bugger it up and chaos ensues.

Edited September 20, 2010 by WoofnHoof

[shortstep]

And then there will be government sanctioned puppy farms

I have no idea why no one listens - I have been 100% correct so far, and blind Freddy can see I'll be correct this time too

Yes, they may well end up the only place the average person can get a dog.

It would get even more interesting if the governement eventually moves to take over the puppy mills and operate them.

[shortstep]

Shortstep I certainly wouldn't class John Yates as the epitome of a good dog breeder. He actively encouraged buyers to source non-AKC registered dogs and wasn't worried about a bit of crossbreeding between varieties either. At his peak he was breeding a lot more than 2/3 litters a year. You won't find any of his English Setters listed on the OFFA site either.

He bred for performance only and like a lot of field dog breeders he bred a lot of puppies and only kept or sold the best workers, any that don't make the grade are sold off or given away to anyone who'll take them. Field setters are far more likely to turn up in pounds and shelters in the U.S. than bench setters, the vast majority of rescue setters are field type.

John Yates is dead now, but he's definitely not a good example for the point you're trying to make.

You know on the last episode of Life with Dogs the other evening, they showed the sheepdogs.

That handler is unquestionably one of the all time great sheepdog trialers, trainers and breeders of all time.

Known world wide, a leading winner of the most prestigious trials, repeating these wins over an over again with different dogs over many many years, proving that he can produce the dogs that have what it takes.

What this man knows about breeding, training and trialing is incredible. It is an honor (I wish I could experience) to watch him work dogs and take in any words of wisdom he might throw your way..LOL.

No KC dogs there either, none are registered in the kennel club of the UK, they are all purebreds and registered.

Yes he would give away dogs (to be pets) that are not up to the task.

The quality of his dogs is unquestionable and that is likely part of the reason why.

It is funny how people can devalue some things, just because it is outside of their area of knowledge.

Edited September 20, 2010 by shortstep