Re: Re: [PyrNet-L] breeding question/showing

["Barb Bowes" <bamb@monmouth.com>]

Terry, as a former breeder I reserved the right to turn away
potential puppy buyers. Most of my puppies were sold on
spay/neuter agreements. If someone did not agree to this they did
not get a puppy. The reason that responsible breeders have
spay/neuter agreements is because of the pet overpopulation
problem in this country. If a breeder subscribes to the theory
that they are responsible for any dog they produce for the length
of that dogs life and the dog is spayed/neutered, when the dog
goes to the Bridge the responsibility stops there. If the dog is
sold intact and left intact in the absence of such a spay/neuter
agreement then that breeder should also be responsible for what
that puppy produces if the person actually breeding the dog does
not assume this responsibility. Unfortunately people lie or their
circumstances change or there is a death in the immediate family
or perhaps a child is born that is highly allergic to dogs. There
are all sorts of reasons why a dog could be re-homed without the
breeder's knowledge or bred without the breeder's knowledge. At
least those representatives of the breed who should not reproduce
for any number of reasons will be spayed/neutered and unable to
do so. As breeders we are stewards of the breed we love. We
should take this responsibility seriously and make sure that any
dogs who are not of breeding quality are spayed/neutered.

As far as dog shows go, yes, politics and money play a big part
in all of it. I've been beaten in the dog show ring by lesser
dogs, lame dogs and poor temperamented dogs. I've seen dogs who
should never have become champions do so. But I've also seen a
lot of dogs that were not of good quality lose until the owners
decided that perhaps spaying/neutering was for the best. Those
people made a responsible choice. We all love our dogs and think
that they are wonderful. This is certainly true as far as it
goes. But when one breeds a litter and is looking at what may
very well be bred and have an impact on the breed in the next
generation, we need look at all the future producer has to offer
not just one or two aspects of the dog. This means looking at the
bad as well as the good.

Barb Bowes
Bo, Molly, Chelsea (Pyrs) & Flopsy (Pyr Shep)
The more people I meet, the more I like my dog!
bamb@monmouth.com