07/04/2024
Posted by a preservation breeder who is ALSO a Vet!! Here's the real deal, people:
Watching the Westminster coverage, I was struck by many things, but this remained the most prominent:
So many of these amazing breeds have critically low registrations. Just 600 Sussex Spaniels, to name one. Many of these are breeds that make amazing companion dogs, and the public knows nothing about them.
As a veterinarian, I average seeing about 3 "new puppies" per day (these can be existing or new clients, but new puppies to them), sometimes more, sometimes less. I would guess that about 3-4 of these each MONTH is a purebred dog. And maybe ONE is from a preservation breeder. The others are merle or off color "purebreds" or from mills.
The rest? Every sort of doodle you can imagine, or other mixes such as husky/gsd (no idea who is doing this, but please stop), pomsky, shipoo, havapoo, shichon, cavachon, the list goes on and on.
The sad part is that many of these owners are educated, smart people, who just truly don't know. They don't know about the amazing purebred dogs who would fit so much better in their home. They don't know that buying a purebred dog is buying predictability. They don't know about health testing or breed typical traits or breed typical health concerns. They know they want a puppy and they can go online and order one, and be fooled by photos and words. Some even say "when I got there I knew it was a mill, but I couldn't say no at that point."
We need to do better. We need to promote and educate and...go ahead and crucify me for this...breed more dogs. Stop vilifying breeders who actually breed. Because pretty soon, we are all going to be extinct and all that will be left is designer dogs.
When I can talk to someone BEFORE they get their puppy, I can make a difference. I can educate about breeds that may work for them, about health issues, and about finding the right breeder. But as the veterinarian, all I can do is sigh when I see yet another "cockadoodledont" on my schedule and educate after the fact about pet insurance and training and the things we can do to try to help that particular puppy.
I don't have the solution, but I do know that we have to do better.
