Breeders, buyers share responsibility for attitudes toward animals
I am always irked when someone asks me if I was able to "get rid of" any of my puppies, as if the puppies were garbage instead of little lives.
As a responsible breeder, I put a tremendous amount of time, effort and money into producing the best possible puppy in the form of genetic testing, socialization, cleaning, training, screening, the best food, the best veterinary care, the best dogs producing the best puppies. So, no, responsible breeders do not get rid of their puppies. We find responsible, loving, long-term homes for them. We are then compensated for our expenses and effort by selling the puppies to these appropriate homes.
There are many people who are against all breeding because the number of dogs produced annually in this country is far above the number of homes available. This is a fact.
However, as long as there is a market for purebred dogs, there will be people breeding them. Many are out to make easy money by producing puppies from parents not tested for genetic problems, not screened for temperament flaws and not judged as superior by impartial third parties. The results are inferior puppies, genetic disease, temperament flaws immune to training and millions of animals abandoned at shelters because it is easier and cheaper to replace a problem animal than it is to train it or fix its genetic problems, if fixable.
And that is where the phrase, "get rid of" comes from. Many litters of puppies and kittens are the result of mixed breeding, an unplanned breeding or simply a surplus breeding of a type of animal already in abundance. These litters are hard to place in good homes.
The Fort Collins Cat Rescue Spay and Neuter Clinic just announced an incredible milestone.
The clinic preformed its 10,000th surgery. This translates into millions of animal lives in Larimer County that are now saved as a result of never having been born. This is a huge service to the community - financially, emotionally and spatially.
People can turn around the attitude of animals as garbage but only if we are responsible as producers of animals and as purchasers of animals. People need to stop breeding inferior animals and just as importantly people need to stop buying them.
The Fort Collins Cat Rescue Low Cost Spay and Neuter Clinic can be reached at (970) 484-1861 or by going to www. FortCollinsCatRescue.org.
Next week: How to recognize a responsible breeder.
Terry Jester is a nationally recognized companion animal behaviorist. To learn more about companion animal training, visit www.rockymountainrawhide .com. For questions about your own pet, call Jester at (970) 568-7585 or send e-mail to arriniranch@aol.com.
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