Before you read any further I’d like to say this is an opinion piece for my participation in 31 days to a better blog. I tried to state myself clearly and non-offensively, but I didn’t want to make it too sweet because after all it is an opinion piece. If I offend anyone I apologize.
This is the conversation that took place on Monday (at work) between me and my friend J.
J was very excited, “Oh my God, guess what?”
He didn’t give me a chance to respond before he blurted out, “K and A got a puppy!”
“Really, what kind?” I’m sure my response showed a limited amount of enthusiasm.
“A puggle, he’s sooooo cute.”
“Where did she get him from?”
“A breeder in Massachusetts.”
“Really? A breeder?” I’m sure there was disappointment in my tone.
Ok, I sort of summed up the conversation because I can’t really remember the whole thing.
Then yesterday we had another conversation.
“K might bring the puppy in!”
“Really, when?” I asked, this time there was excitement in my voice, I mean who doesn’t want the opportunity for those sweet little puppy kisses. 🙂
“Well, first you have to promise that you won’t say anything to her about where she got the puppy from, she’s sick of hearing people tell her she should have rescued.”
(I guess I’ve been on my soap box before.)
“I would never do that!” I exclaimed and went on to explain, “I don’t have a problem with RESPONSIBLE breeders, it’s the people who run puppy mills, that have many dogs that they constantly breed that I have issue with.”
Some of my best blogging buddies have bred or purchased dogs from breeders, that doesn’t mean I look down or judge them. Certain dogs are bred for a purpose, to fulfill a need such as hunting dogs like the 2BrownDawgs. The 2BrownDawgs were procured from RESPONSIBLE breeders. How do I know the breeder is responsible, because the breeder has maintained a relationship with the 2BrownDawgs owners. They actually care about those puppies and the homes the puppies go to.
On the flip side both of my sisters unknowingly purchased dogs from puppy mills.
My first sister wanted a JackRat (a cross between a Jack Russell and a Rat Terrier) she found a breeder in North Carolina and when she got there she realized it was a puppy mill. 🙁 Poor little Bandit he had never walked outside of his crate.
My other sister got a dog from *shudder* Missouri, she said “Oh she’s not a puppy mill, she says she’s not.” But when you look at the website and see the variations of designer dogs up there, well you know that she is. The dog was sent by air and was so freaked out in the crate that he vomited on himself (which could have been air sickness) and he is now terrified of crates.
When she took him to the vet neither of his testicles had dropped, and he had a growth on his lip. Her vet said, “Call her up and tell her she shouldn’t breed his parents anymore.”
See the difference?
Do I want more dogs to be rescued? Of course I do. I see so many dogs with such potential being abandoned and discarded and it breaks my heart, but I also realize the value in breeding certain dogs to fulfill certain needs.
So when K finally brings little Pugsly in, I won’t say anything to her about where she bought her dog from, but what I will say is, “REALLY, with a face that cute, you couldn’t come up with a more original name than Pugsly?”
Very nicely done Jodi. Thats the great thing about opinions, we all have them but the trick is using tact when expressing them and you did just that with this post.
I have very stong opinions about designer dogs and puppy mills but I won’t go there 🙂
Thank you Misty, I was so worried about offending you because that certainly was not my intent!
It’s sad what people will do to make money, isn’t it?
When I first started a blog six years ago Puggles were THE fad breed that everyone wanted. No one who breeds them can be called a responsible breeder. They are just trying to make money by selling to a market of idiots who know nothing about dogs except that these dogs are just incredibly cute, which they are.
I wrote 10 reasons not to buy a Puggle:
“It was so cute, I just had to have one.”
“No one else has one.”
“Everyone is buying one,” etc.
And I got so many emails from people wanting to know where they could buy a Puggle.I always suggested the animal shelter.
I’m not against breeders either, just ones out to make money by duping the buyers.
I remembering hearing about Puggles, but I can’t remember how long ago it was. They intrigued me because Beagles are my second love behind Labs, but I’m typically not drawn to Pugs.
Thanks for sharing your list Jan, congratulations on blogging for so long!
This is a good post Jodi, balanced and thoughtful. I think the difference is between the love of dogs and the exploitation of dogs for money. No responsible person would condone the latter.
You are so right Bassas, no one should exploit another whether it be human or animal.
He is a cute doggle. 🙂
I have a better story for you. My SIL and her kids wanted a dog, (this was several years ago when Storm was a puppy). They didn’t want any dog, but a teacup dog. They looked around and found a “breeder” who had several different “designer” dogs, some teacup. Since we were visiting them, they asked us to come along and quiz the “breeder”, because “we know what to ask”. When we got there, all of the puppies (different mixed breeds) were in the garage in a big sort of tile pen area with a drain. No blankets, no toys. I wanted to cry, they looked so scared and sad.
We were told to check them out and pick one out. I asked about health clearances and was told, “oh we are selling mixed breeds and they can’t inherit health problems”. Really? Did you take biology in school? Basic genetics says different. I asked about the pups parents. They were in another state and most of the puppies came from there. OK puppy broker!
They also had crates and leashes there to purchase. I guess the people who came for these dogs did not even have the presence of mind to get supplies ahead of time. Well it was one stop shopping.
I suggested they pass on the puppy and if they really wanted one of these mixes to check out rescue because there were lots of fine mixes there. Of course my suggestion fell on deaf ears and they forked out the $1500 for a mutt from a puppy mill. The seller even sent home dewormer because the dog was so young it hadn’t been fully wormed yet.
Now I am not against breeders that do health checks and may mix dogs in a responsible way (this is how all breeds are started). But this place was not that. Oh and teacup dog grew slightly bigger than teacup size. Oh really? Well when you mix you can’t predict things like size and temperament, among other things.
Anyway, your post was well done. Thank you so much for being so positive about Thunder and Storm’s breeders. They really put a lot of thought and care into the breeding decisions they make and where they place their pups, even checking references if necessary. They are not afraid to tell a potential puppy buyer, no I will not sell you a pup.
That is a terribly sad story. And you distinctly pointed out the line between being a responsible breeder and a puppy mill/broker.
You are very welcome for the positiveness of Thunder and Storm’s breeder, I have to tell you the truth, before I started this blog and got to know you and your awesome dogs, as well a host of other awesome people, I was really feeling like no-one should be breeding. “Don’t breed or buy while shelter dogs die” was my motto.
I am happy to say you have educated me and helped me see the difference. A true and responsible breeder should check references and make sure the puppies are going to good people, the other thing I’ve learned is that a good breeder will take the dog back for any reason at any time.
So I guess I need to say thank you, for teaching me and being patient with me while I learned. 🙂
Thank you Jodi that was very nice of you to say. 🙂
I try to do what I can to help shelter dogs, even though I know that we are not really suited to own one.
Well said Jodi. You wrote a very well put opinion piece. Well thought and tactfully written. : )
Thank you!
I TRULY DO understand you feelings on this… butt one thingy to remember is.. even a puppy from a MILL deserves a loving home.. it is NOT the puppy’s fault. If they aren’t gotten into a home EARLY.. they just suffer there LONGER. It is that old Catch 22 thingy.
Great post. I definitely could see how easily a mixed/designer breed breeder could turn out to be a puppy mill. Gwynn falls into that category, but I am pretty darned sure that his breeder is not a puppy mill. We met mum and dad, and heard a bit about both parent’s ancestors, their temperament, and the temperament of other pups of the same mix. The thing that concerned me was that they hadn’t found a home for Gwynn or his sister at 6 months (when we got Gwynn), but, unlike puppy mills, they weren’t dropping older dogs off at the shelter when they passed the ‘d’awwww, so cute’ phase.
I cringe when I meet people with new pups that they found on craigslist… even if it isn’t a mill dog, it is unlikely that they’re doing all they can do to ensure the puppies are healthy , genetically and physically.
Well written and I completely agree. I think we can all agree that puppy mills are bad news. One issue I don’t think gets discussed enough though is that, even with responsible breeders, we are experiencing more and more genetic health issues in pure bred dogs and I think we as a society really need to examine what’s important – engineering these dogs to achieve a “standard” or a healthy pet. At some point, we have to change our thoughts on breeding for the better of the canine species. At least I hope we do.
The thing is responsible breeders strive for healthy dogs. With genetic testing becoming more and more common place, it is usually the breeders who offer up their dogs and contribute to the scientists researching genetic diseases in dogs. With genetic tests, breeders are allowed to breed away from genetic problems. They pay the money and do the tests in an effort to produce a healthy dog. In addition, many many breeders have offered up their dogs’ dna for a cancer study that the researchers hope will some day translate to help research of human cancer.
A standard includes proper movement and temperament as well as breed characteristics. To say that mixed breeds do not have genetic health problems I think oversimplifies because I know many with health and temperament issues. Indeed many times when I hear or read about a dog bite or dog attack, more often than not the dog involved is a mix. I would never suggest that we should think of doing away with mixes. That would be an oversimplification as well. 🙂
First, Pugsly? How adorable is that puppy!!?! You touched a bit of a tender spot, I had been asking Mike to agree to ADOPT a little or big sista for Molly from a shelter. That’s why I have -for 2 years, been posting shelter dogs from [reasonably close] Springfield, MA Thomas J. O’Connor Animal Control and Adoption Center on my Save A Dog app on Facebook. I got him very close to agreeing to adopt a local older [small] dog but at the 11th hour he was just too protective of Molly, who was scared of the other dog. Anyway, not that I’m not thrilled by the Shih-Tzu puppy he ended up surprising me with! I just felt bad that we didn’t help a needy shelter dog and we will never be more than a 2-dog home. [If I had my way we’d have a home with a big fenced yard [and some privacy!] and room for at least 3 dogs… we can dream! CT Lottery you’re calling my name!
Hahahaha! I couldn’t agree more. Pugsly? Seriously? She couldn’t be more original than that? For shame. 😉
Cosigned 100%.
Great post! Always a difficult topic for sure. I will be honest our last 3 have been rescues but I have been considering a Labrador from a breeder for my next lab. I have done a lot of research on the breeder (3yrs worth and followed three of her litters) and know she is reputable so if I go that route I feel comfortable I am not supporting a byb or puppy mill.
All that said, I mentioned this to my best friend. The concerns I had faced with Sophie and her unknown background/bad immune system as a puppy and how I may consider a reputable breeder in the future. I explained how the breeder did all the tests, competed in multiple venues and was overall pretty wonderful.
She apparently only heard going through a breeder because next thing I know she says she took my advice and bought her puggle through a breeder. I was speechless and tried to explain what I meant but the deed was done and I had to stop getting up on my soapbox because the puppy was already with them. Frustrating to say the least. But they do love him and treat him well. I hope some of what I said has sunk in should they decide to get another dog in the future
Nice post Jodi! It’s so hard to not so anything in these situations. I’m glad I’m not working in a vet hospital anymore because I don’t have to hear about the designer dogs or the the purebred dog they got from the Amish everyday.
@2browndawgs- I love the whole mixed breeds have no genetic issues. Quite a few years ago, a local paper did a story on jugs (jack russell + pugs) and one of the pet stores they interviewed said something about how they only have all the good qualities of both breeds. It made me livid! Genetics just don’t work that way! If it did I’d look like Jennifer Aniston or Kate Middleton.
I like your post. I don’t have a beef with responsible breeders either. I think the reality is that we have GOT to get together and fight this puppy mill industry that has LOTS of money and has effectively hammered a wedge in the community of those who love animals.
Happy holidays to your family!