Just about everyone has heard the terms puppy mill and backyard breeder or byb for short. These terms go hand in hand with pet stores. Most people have different definitions for these terms. To me, they are all alike in the long run. The mills and bybs produce a cash crop of puppies - without regard for health, breed standards, or the history behind the bloodlines used in their breeding stock. These people, in turn, then sell their crop to mostly pet stores. The pet stores keep these puppies in cages or kennels. Some are given minimal veterinarian care - some aren't. The vast majority of these puppies have health problems that came from poor breeding, sub-standard living environment, and/or inadequate veterinarian care. Some of them have mental problems that may be traced back to very poor breeding. Some of these puppies are sold with American Kennel Club (AKC) papers, some with Continental Kennel Club (CKC) papers or American Purebred Registry (APR) papers - some puppies with no papers at all. Just because a puppy or dog has papers DOES NOT mean that it is a healthy or quality dog - it DOES NOT mean that this dog should be bred!
So - the mills and the bybs sell their dogs to the pet store and the pet store sells these dogs to the public. The public then buys a dog of unknown origin, unknown parentage, unknown health, unknown temperament, and unknown problems. Oh, the pet store told you that 'their' puppies come from 'responsible' breeders? And that he/she has champion bloodlines? Well, in that case, listen very carefully...THEY LIED TO YOU!
Absolutely, positively, no responsible breeder is going to sell his or her puppies to a pet store. It will never happen. NOT EVER!!! A responsible breeder does not breed for mass consumption. A responsible breeder KNOWS to whom their babies are going. A responsible breeder puts their blood, sweat, tears, money, time, love, respect, and dedication into every single litter. A responsible breeder will sell NON-Show quality dogs with an AKC limited registration and spay/neuter contracts as a deterent to keep money hungry irresponsible BYB's from temptation. They do not put these puppies' very lives at stake by selling them to pet stores. A responsible breeder interviews YOU!
"But the puppies have papers" you say. Well that doesn't mean anything. If they are AKC papers it simply meant this puppy came from two AKC registered parents OF THE SAME BREED. CKC (Continental) or APR (American) papers? All that means is that the puppy was not allowed to be registered with the AKC. It could be because that puppy is not a recognized breed with the AKC or that the parents of the puppy had a limited registration - dogs with this type of registration SHOULD NOT be bred. Or it could mean the puppy is a mix of two or more breeds. Organizations such as the CKC exist so that puppy mills, byb's, and pet stores can sell 'papered' dogs to an uninformed and ignorant public who is unaware of the problem. Some of the so-called 'breeds' (and I use that term loosely!) that are registered with these places are Labradoodles (Lab/Poodle X), Cock-a-Poos (Cocker/Poodle X), Schnoodles (Schnauzer/Poodle X), YorkiePoos (Yorkshire Terrier/Poodle X), and American Mastiff (English Mastiff/Anatolian Shepherd/possibly other mixes as well). In the case of the 'American Mastiff' (or AM for short) the breeder who claimed that she trademarked this name with the CKC for her mix of dogs did not even know what breeds were in her foundation stock - this was by her own admission. This woman e-mailed me and stated that she knew other breeders were using the AM name for their own dogs but that it would take too much time and money for her to stop them - and she had no intention of doing this. This person has absolutely no desire to protect her 'breed' of dog. THIS IS NOT AN EXAMPLE OF A RESPONSIBLE BREEDER!!!
I am sure this will offend some people, but these dogs are no more than expensive mutts. And they are dangerous mutts, as well. Perhaps not physically - but they are detrimental to the specific breeds that they came from. Because these so-called 'breeds' are not recognized by a reputable kennel club, there are no guidelines to follow, no standard to excel to, no breed club to advise, no rescue club to support the unwanted and abused ones. Without these things, without breed clubs to stand behind them, without responsible breeders to support them, without set standards to guide them, without rescue clubs to comb the shelters and pounds for the 'throw away' dogs, no respectable kennel club will accept or recognize these 'new' breeds.
"How is that detrimental?" Glad you asked. In doing a little research I found five breeders of the 'American Mastiff'. Since the only recognizable name here is the Mastiff that is the dog that everyone is going to associate this with. Good. Now you have a picture in your mind. It may surprise you to know that of these five dogs, only two faintly resemble the real Mastiff. The reason for this is simple. THE SAME BREEDS OF DOGS WERE NOT USED! At least five different breeds of dogs were used - bull & terrier breeds (several kinds), Great Danes, Anatolian Shepherd, Neapolitan Mastiff, and Cane Corso's. If you stand these dogs side by side they will not look anything alike - although they all have the name 'American Mastiff'. Confusing, isn't it? Now lets pretend that you have one of these AMs. Let's also pretend that you are a loving and responsible canine guardian. Ok - now read the article below:
07/31/01Dallas Morning NewsAt 7:58 am, 10-year-old Jimmy Smith was playing in his front yard with Charlie, his Labrador. Without any provoking, the boy and his dog were viciously attacked by two American Mastiffs. He is in Parkland Hospital, in critical condition, with multiple wounds to the head, neck, and abdomen. He is not expected to live. Charlie, his Labrador, was taken to the local Veterinary Hospital where he later died. Martha Rowland, a neighbor, says that the American Mastiffs are kept by Terrance Rockwell, a Dallas attorney. The dogs were said to be gentle, laid back, and loved by children. "Their size was always of concern, but the dogs would play in the yard with our kids, so we thought they were OK", neighbor Tony Grimes said. Mr. Rockwell turned the American Mastiffs over to authorities Tuesday afternoon and was not available for comment.
OK...did that headline get you? It was completely false. It didn't happen. But say it did. This article says NOTHING about what kind of AM it is. What if it was a bull/terrier cross? What if it was a Dane cross? Regardless, when you go somewhere and say you have an American Mastiff...people will think it was the same dog as the one that killed the little boy and his Lab. How will you defend that? How will you KNOW FOR SURE that it WASN'T an AM that came from your breeder? You wouldn't know! That is the point - due to there being multiple mixed dogs with identical names it is extremely hard to defend your dog against verbal attack.
BSL (breed specific legislation) is now knocking on our doors. For those of you who don't know what that means it could seriously limit the type - not just breed - of dog you share your home with. That's right - they are now considering not just breeds but also types of dogs. That is due in part to articles like the one above. Some of the reasons BSL came about is directly related to irresponsible breeding practices from the mills, byb's, and the ignorant neighbor that didn't bother to get the family pet spayed or neutered. Just because a dog has papers or is pretty or smart, just because you want a puppy that has Spot or Fifi's bloodlines DOES NOT MEAN HE OR SHE SHOULD BE BRED! Without the puppies that comes from these places the pet stores would not be able to sell the public what can amount to heartbreak in a fur coat.
Responsible breeders AND responsible guardians have got to work together if you don't want to wake up one morning and find that your precious dog has been banned. You don't have to be a dog guardian to help out - you just have to be informed and get the word out. Educate people. These dogs are not choosing to breed - these dogs were chosen for breeding by unscrupulous people, with the only goal being money.
Unfortunately, it is not only the puppy mills or the backyard breeders - it is also the consumers themselves. If people would stop buying from irresponsible breeders and spay or neuter their dogs this problem would be controllable. But people, in their haste to have a dog, don't research the breed, the breeder, or the bloodlines that went into the breed. It is either an impulse buy or it is the "oh, isn't he/she so cute/handsome/pretty." Then some people go by word of mouth. For those wanting to buy a 'purebred' dog, they should do their research. And plenty of it. A good responsible breeder isn't breeding for public consumption; they are breeding to better the bloodline and try to breed out all the specific health problems that have come with all the irresponsible breeding. And organizations like the CKC help to perpetuate the problem by offering a place to market these 'designer' dogs. These types of organizations need to be shut down. They encourage the mills and byb's to stay in business because John Q Public sees a mutt that can be registered.
The steps that need to be taken are many and unfortunately it is going to be the animals that suffer the most until everyone is informed enough to stop buying from petstores, mills, bybs, and individuals who didn't have enough common sense or respect for their animals and allowed them to be bred.
SO, PLEASE, IF YOUR DOG IS NOT A SHOW PROSPECT OR IS NOT OF TRUE BREEDING QUALITY - BE KIND TO YOUR PET. SPAY OR NEUTER THEM. HELP TO BREAK THE CHAIN OF SUFFERING NOW.
