27/11/2024
This past Sunday I had a moment in public that reminded me of something very important. Something we tend to forget.
Kiwi had gone with me to a dog friendly store after her puppy class. She was tired but happy, relaxed, quiet, and being a good girl. As we walked around people stopped and asked to greet her and we talked about her & the breed. One person remarked how they didn't even realize a dog was in the store that's how well behaved she was. Another remarked at how sweet & social she was. I had people that I got to enlighten about the AKC's Foundation Stock Service and more. All this reminded me of this one thing:
It's not just a pet - it's an ambassador.
When you acquire a dog - whether it's from a rescue or a breeder realize - that from that point on it is now an ambassador. It's an ambassador for its breed (or mix of breeds); it's an ambassador for that particular rescue or breeder; and it's an ambassador for that community (rescued, purebred, hounds, herding breeds, etc). Everyone that meets your pet is going to form an opinion that may influence how they think of that breed/group/etc. This includes your vet, groomer, a judge, neighbors, family, friends, and even strangers you meet in public or that see them on social media. That single experience can effect a person's life.
For example, you're walking your dog and they go bananas barking at someone walking their dog. They now have a negative experience and may say "yeah there's X kind of dog in my neighborhood and their crazy - I'll never get one of those kind of dogs."
That's a lot of pressure when you sit down and think about it. It's enough to cause your stomach to flip with anxiety. For rare breeds it's even worse. In a given month a person could meet several poodle mixes, labs, German shepherds, etc., and all that gives them a more rounded perspective. The weight of responsibility is more "spread out." However, for a rare breed, that one individual dog may be the ONLY one that person ever meets and their entire perspective is now based on that one interaction.
So when we ask "do you understand the responsibilities that comes with owning a rare breed," it's because even if you never breed, show, do sports, or become active on social media, your dog and you have a hefty responsibility to be a good ambassador - to make sure that one interaction puts the breed in the right light. That means putting in the training work, the grooming, socialization, etc. For rare breeds are you willing to chat and answer questions? Being an ambassador also means acknowledging faults, and that means being honest that sometimes one kind a dog isn't right for certain people or homes.
So think carefully when you acquire a pet, because they're never "just" a pet.
