Another Example of How Breeders Don't Think

[Res Judicata]

And so I have this job I loathe at a daycare I hate working with a woman I can't stand. Really that's beside the point, but she's a breeder of King Charles Spaniels who just had her first litter and thought she was going to make all this money off the puppies. She forgot about expenses, time and effort.

Buying 2 papered breeding dogs -- $1300

Vet care for a pregnant dog -- she kept complaining it was "above $500."

Three days off of work around the dog's due date just in case things went wrong -- maybe she took personal time and did not lose pay, but she is now behind on the observations and progress reports she has to get done by the end of the week.

Dog food -- "She's eating like a horse now, I don't understand why she's got such an appetite. I can't afford all this special dog food on my salary." She lactating, you idiot!

Puppy care -- "And now the vet tells me I got to get them all wormed." Well, duh.

Perceived wrong gender of puppies -- "I have five male puppies and only one female. You can't sell the males for as much; nobody pays that much for males unless they're champion stock."

Mistakes in papers -- One dog's AKC, the other's some other kennel club I don't remember the name of off hand. Apparently the pups can only be registered under this lesser known/thought of club and she can't get as much for them.

Gee, you little get rich quick scheme just did not work out, did it? God, I can't wait to get away from this person. Thank goodness I only have a few weeks left at this job.

[wickedrodent]

Goodness, I know exactly how you feel...

I am under 18 and My mom decided to breed two of our dogs, I really wanted to slap her... I have rescued 4 dogs, and she had already gone and "bought" two dogs.. That alone Ticked me off... but then she decided to breed them.

Now don't get me wrong.. she took care of them, and still is... but the fact of the matter was that she "KNEW" how many dogs there were in shelters and wouldn't take my advice or the advise of anyone else.. With all that said and done, we were lucky that the mother (Fifi) only had three puppies (now almost 3 months old), and yes, they are adorable... but it still really ticks me off... I really hate not being able to do anything about it.

[Res Judicata]

Me, too. These cute little puppies, and I can't do a thing to help them. I can't make sure they have good care and go to good homes, and I can't stand thinking about how there are six dogs out there who might not get homes because these puppies get them first. Not that I have an ill will towards these puppies, it is not their fault, but still that is six more dogs who need homes.

[wickedrodent]

Ya, thats exactly how I feel, We are ending up keeping two of the puppies, and the Third is going to a friend of my moms. Sadly,

I still find myself looking at the puppies, and not petting them or playing with them because of my moms actions. I know that it wasnt in any way they dogs fault, but I still can't help it. I wish people would just learn already that there are enough animals out there, and if they just looked hard enough, they could find exactly what they were looking for.

Two days ago, (Sunday) My mom and Cousin and I were on our way to the gas station when we saw puppies being sold on the side of the road, we stopped and looked, and descovered it was a shelter with about 25 puppies for adoption. While we were there, three puppies got adopted.

That just goes to show you that the reason most people buy from petstores or breeders is because they are too lazy to look around for animals needing homes. They take the easy way without even thinking about it.

[fashion victim]

Originally Posted by Res Judicata

And so I have this job I loathe at a daycare I hate working with a woman I can't stand. Really that's beside the point, but she's a breeder of King Charles Spaniels who just had her first litter and thought she was going to make all this money off the puppies. She forgot about expenses, time and effort.

Buying 2 papered breeding dogs -- $1300

Vet care for a pregnant dog -- she kept complaining it was "above $500."

Three days off of work around the dog's due date just in case things went wrong -- maybe she took personal time and did not lose pay, but she is now behind on the observations and progress reports she has to get done by the end of the week.

Dog food -- "She's eating like a horse now, I don't understand why she's got such an appetite. I can't afford all this special dog food on my salary." She lactating, you idiot!

Puppy care -- "And now the vet tells me I got to get them all wormed." Well, duh.

Perceived wrong gender of puppies -- "I have five male puppies and only one female. You can't sell the males for as much; nobody pays that much for males unless they're champion stock."

Mistakes in papers -- One dog's AKC, the other's some other kennel club I don't remember the name of off hand. Apparently the pups can only be registered under this lesser known/thought of club and she can't get as much for them.

Gee, you little get rich quick scheme just did not work out, did it? God, I can't wait to get away from this person. Thank goodness I only have a few weeks left at this job.

From all I read about Chihuahuas a book mentioned that it's unethical to charge more for a female than for a male just because females reproduce. There's also people who sell the runt of the litter as a true miniature. It's crazy how people think they can make money by breeding a single pair of dogs. Maybe in the long run they'd make a bit more, but only if the pups have Champion Bloodlines and sell for more than 2,000 dollars each (Like some English Bulldog breeders here, which is completely absurd because I know in the U.S. they sell those puppies for about 200 dollars in some places. In here the cheapest I've found out is $800 and that's without registration papers). Imagine if the dog had birth complications! Then it would've been even more expensive and to top it off the dog could die and there goes the money she spent in buying her.

[diane]

Thing is when you buy form a breeder and get papers your puppy may not always be breed "standards". I have purchased a chihuahua but he does not meet any standards He weighs over 10 lbs but his size is around a pug and his body is built like a french bulldog with the length of a weiner dog. I didn't buy him for his breed or the breed look. I know I should of went to a shelter. Then the second time around I did look for a shelter dog. But my husband wanted a puppy english springer spaniel. Well he looked healthy but was riddled with parasites and has some very severe allergies.

[VoodooJoint]

Originally Posted by diane

He weighs over 10 lbs but his size is around a pug and his body is built like a french bulldog with the length of a weiner dog. I didn't buy him for his breed or the breed look. I know I should of went to a shelter. Then the second time around I did look for a shelter dog. But my husband wanted a puppy english springer spaniel. Well he looked healthy but was riddled with parasites and has some very severe allergies.

Sigh...so you supported breeders that breed substandard, sick and genetically unsound animals all because you just HAD TO have purebred (which they probably aren't anyway)

Because you bought the breeders will keep breeding and the animals will suffer.

Please never do this again.

[PiggieMom]

I honestly don't understand how anyone looking for a dog can visit a shelter and not walk away with one.

Maybe it's just me. Every time I go and visit with the dogs and cats at our county shelter I'm personally touched. They are a very high kill shelter, being the only one in the county, understaffed and under budgeted. I try to help out when I can, but I really wish I had more time.

The side effect of it being a high kill shelter is that the animals that are there are the most friendly, sweet and loving creaters I have ever come across. There is a old mutt there that has made a home out of the lobby. The only reason he's been around for so long is because one of the volunteers fosters him, bring him in when she volunteers to meet with folks looking to adopt, and pays for all his vet treatments. He is such a sweet heart though. He has these huge eyes, they just melt my heart. Let me see if I can find a picture of him. Shoot petfinder seems to be down. I'll check again later.

[zambonigirl]

The thing is, that you can find breed rescues everywhere. People think that they want X breed, and then find that they can't manage it, whether personality (as with poodles and chihuahuas and various terriers) or energy (border collies, JR terriers, large dogs), mess (large dogs), etc., the breed rescues come in and take the dogs, train them, and find suitable owners for them. I can't really think of a reason for the average person to get papers for their purebred dogs, or even for the average person to insist upon a purebred dog in the first place. Is it really that much of a status symbol?

[Res Judicata]

My parents got their current dog from a rescue. She's a cocker spaniel who spent most of her life living in a barn with the rest of the previous owner's breeding stock. Apparently she was shown a bit, too. What a mess that dog was. She was never properly socialized, and as a result spent the first six months skittish as hell around my parents. Still is around anyone but them. She was three years old and never housebroken. They have had her about two years now and to this day she never "asks" to go outside; they have to take her out on a schedule or she'll hold it until she finally just can't anymore. They love her and there's a great bond there. That poor dog really needed a good home. And Diane, she's a papered purebred. Breeders are throwing them away all the time if that's what you want. Lola was kicked to the curb because the breeder that had her decided that she really did not need so many cockers anymore, and could not find buyers for the pups; they were just too expensive to keep.

The questions I would like to be able to ask this woman who bred/owned Lola before hand is:
a) She is as scared as a guinea pig most of the time when around strange people and situations. Is this a trait you really want to be breeding in dogs?
b) If you have too many dogs and are having problems selling them, isn't this an indication that there's an overpopulation and/or you are such a poor breeder nobody wants your puppies?
c) Why are you keeping dogs at all if you cannot be bothered to give them a better life than confinement in a converted barn and little human contact?

Shoot. Forgot. Unethical to sell a female for more than a male> A lot of breeders do not seem to care about ethics, from what I have noticed around here. I will see ads in the paper for purebred whatevers where the males will be $100 to $150 cheaper than the females. Free market. If people will pay more for a purebred female, than breeders are going to charge that.

[fashion victim]

Originally Posted by zambonigirl

The thing is, that you can find breed rescues everywhere. People think that they want X breed, and then find that they can't manage it, whether personality (as with poodles and chihuahuas and various terriers) or energy (border collies, JR terriers, large dogs), mess (large dogs), etc., the breed rescues come in and take the dogs, train them, and find suitable owners for them. I can't really think of a reason for the average person to get papers for their purebred dogs, or even for the average person to insist upon a purebred dog in the first place. Is it really that much of a status symbol?

Exactly. My friend celebrated her birthday a few weeks ago. She wanted a dog. She loved my Chihuahua because she's very sweet and sociable with everyone. The thing she didn't know is how hyperactive the little bugger is all day long, how she barks and whines and is so spoiled rotten that she'll snap if she doesn't get her way. Well, after promising that she'd get one from a shelter she went ahead and bought a Chihuahua from a breeder who was selling puppies under a bridge (no permits, no papers).

The same day she took the dog home the dog has been coughing nonstop and she had to pay more than $200 for medicines and vet. The pup hadn't even been dewormed and was pooping worms. The dog is very stuck up and doesn't like to play or pay attention to anyone and sleeps all day. She also doesn't get along with strangers, so she can't take her out in her purse for fear of a lawsuit if the dog decides to bite someone. I know pretty soon she will regret having bought the dog, and her mother is very strict and doesn't like animals too much, so when the dog starts breaking things and pooping inside the house and barking incessantly then there will be trouble.

Her mother has gotten rid of dogs before, a Beagle and a German Shepherd, that the same mother had bought and then got tired of. I am very mad with my friend, but yesterday we had a long talk because her other dog, a dachshund, was run over by her mother when she was backing up because they kept her outside because she was old and stank a little. That's so cruel, abandoning such a small, old dog to the elements! She was 12 yrs old, imagine. She was developing cataracts and her eyes were always crusted.

It's not fair for the animal. When it's no longer cute and starts to stink and have health problems outside it goes. It's set aside and they get a new one until it gets old or annoying and the same thing happens all over again.

The papers are only good to ensure that the dog is pure and so that its offspring can be sold for more later on when it breeds. However, in my case, mom only let me stay with a Chihuahua because I have other small animals and a bigger dog like a Shih-Tzu could more easily hurt them, while mine only weights a bit less than 5 pounds and the rabbits I've fostered could easily weight more than that if I would've stayed with them.

Originally Posted by diane

Thing is when you buy form a breeder and get papers your puppy may not always be breed "standards". I have purchased a chihuahua but he does not meet any standards He weighs over 10 lbs but his size is around a pug and his body is built like a french bulldog with the length of a weiner dog. I didn't buy him for his breed or the breed look. I know I should of went to a shelter. Then the second time around I did look for a shelter dog. But my husband wanted a puppy english springer spaniel. Well he looked healthy but was riddled with parasites and has some very severe allergies.

I honestly think you were taken advantage of. Maybe the dog looks like a Chihuahua but it can not be a Chihuahua because of its characteristics. Perhaps one of its parents was a Chihuahua but the other one wasn't and yet the breeder sold it as a Chihuahua to you. I know someone who does this. His dog is a Chihuahua MIX and he constantly breeds her with other "Chihuahuas" and sells the puppies for more than $150, claiming they're Chihuahuas too. The people who buy these then do the same thing because they don't know a thing about breed characteristics and think that just because the pups look like Chihuahuas and somewhere in their blood is a real Chihuahua then it must be an authentic one.

When I took my pup to the place (he works where my grandparents are staying) one of the nurses told me that she had a Chihuahua she bought from that guy but it didn't look like mine, because hers weighted 12 pounds even if it was very skinny and was exactly like you described yours is, long like a dachshund and tall, almost up to her knees.

[kavykrazy]

Breeders are going to produce what people are going to buy. Dogs don't even have to be purebreds anymore. Sometimes these "designer dogs" even sell for more than a purebred.

[Res Judicata]

Said breeder/co-worker can't find the papers on her female dog, and the kennel club doesn't have any record of the dog being registered. She's all worried now that she's "going to have to unload unpapered puppies." Cry me a river. What galled me is she actually asked me today if I knew anything about getting her dog registered. Heck, I don't know a thing about papered dogs. I don't know if it's something you do once, or have to keep up, how you go about it, not a thing. To avoid a confrontation I simply said that I had no idea how to go about registering a papered dog, instead of laughing in her face like I really wanted to do.