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Originally Posted by I<3MyBabies  So, now my thinking is -- well, then something needs to be done to change the "boss" before we can ever expect to see change in the "workers", or however you want to phrase that, :-).
So, perhaps in giving our support to the good, responsible breeders (if they do exist, which IMHO, they do--but I will keep doing research) we should be supporting those trying to change the standards and laws through organizations, such as the ACBA. Maybe, more effort needs to be put into trying to -- yeah, in some way support those few responsible breeders by supporting their, and our, ethics and standards.
Maybe if the whole Cavy community pulls together, and we all take a stand for what we so strongly believe, we can make some changes--so that someday, the responsible breeders which you now call idyllic, will be standard according to the ACBA. Sure, it sounds impossible. And I'm sure that much has been done on this front. But, I suppose our work isn't done. |
You still need to get out of your kumbaya mode, stop promoting and espousing that of which you really don't know, and get your hands dirty. That's what it takes. The ONLY way to change the ACBA is from the inside. The only way to get on the inside is to become a breeder--
trust me. The only way to become a breeder is to co-opt your current values. And it's not something you can do overnight and the likelihood of that approach is about nil. Don't forget or maybe you don't know, the REAL satisfaction that the vast majority of
cavy enthusiasts enjoy by being a part of that organization is the social angle of being a member of that club. It's about acceptance, satisfaction, winning, points, leadership, ego, etc. It's a socially rewarding hobby to them. To others, especially the leaders, it's also a revenue-generating business and their animals are stock, pure and simple. So, what 'breeder' is going to 'infiltrate' that club and survive socially only to put themselves on the line as a radical? Come on. Also, have you ever attended a show? Do you know geographically where the large clusters of breeders live? I don't want to have to spell it out publicly.
Soooooo, alternatively, the other approach is to jump into breeding, be enough of a leader, mover and shaker to start your own breeding organization and compete with the ACBA. BUT, the ACBA is a wholy-owned sub of the ARBA, which is firmly entrenched and more powerful still. Likelihood of anyone with a strong animal-welfare character going down that path? Nil.