Before you buy that puppy read this, but beware it isn't pleasant.

[duffysmom]

What happens to dogs in shelters (http://akitarescue.rescuegroups.org/info/display?PageID=3247)

[CFrance]

[QUOTE=duffysmom;807151]What happens to dogs in shelters (http://akitarescue.rescuegroups.org/info/display?PageID=3247)[/QUOTEI]

I signed an agreement with both my goldens' breeders that if for any reason I had to give the dog up, I would turn him back to the breeder instead of giving him away, selling him, or putting him in a pound/shelter/rescue group.

I was happy to sign this because it assures me that if I can no longer care for our current dog, he has a home with his breeder.

We have had both rescue dogs (2) and purebreds (2). Our breeders vetted us thoroughly. The trick is to find a responsible breeder. I do believe that responsible breeding is good for the animal kingdom.

[duffysmom]

CFrance I purchased my avatar Duffy 15 years ago from one of the best breeders of maltese in the country. Her dogs are beautiful and show dogs.
In my ignorance, I flew to Jupiter Fl (I lived in NY) payed $1,200 (remember that was 15 years ago). When I took him to the Vet I found out that Duffy had sarcoptic mites (mange) and a serious overbite.
When he was one year old he was diagnosed with inoperable liver shunts and not too long after that he had to have most of his teeth extracted. This breeder's dogs are bred to be small with baby doll faces, unfortunately it is at the expense of their health.
She is still listed as one of the top breeders of Maltese with Westminster winners. Breeding dogs is a big business. The newest money makers are cavashons, a cross between cavaliers and bishons. My next dog will be a rescue.

[gustavo]

CFrance I purchased my avatar Duffy 15 years ago from one of the best breeders of maltese in the country. Her dogs are beautiful and show dogs.
In my ignorance, I flew to Jupiter Fl (I lived in NY) payed $1,200 (remember that was 15 years ago). When I took him to the Vet I found out that Duffy had sarcoptic mites (mange) and a serious overbite.
When he was one year old he was diagnosed with inoperable liver shunts and not too long after that he had to have most of his teeth extracted. This breeder's dogs are bred to be small with baby doll faces, unfortunately it is at the expense of their health.
She is still listed as one of the top breeders of Maltese with Westminster winners. Breeding dogs is a big business. The newest money makers are cavashons, a cross between cavaliers and bishons. My next dog will be a rescue.


The reason they are top breeders is that they keep the "best" dogs and sell the rest as pets. The pets typically do not meet the breed standard, for one reason or another (overbite, etc.). If you do want one that could make it in the show circuit, you will pay much more than the going pet rate.

My dog is pure bred but misses the mark on breed standard issues like front feet alignment and possibly teeth. That being said, I wouldn't trade him for a best of breed champion.

[CFrance]

CFrance I purchased my avatar Duffy 15 years ago from one of the best breeders of maltese in the country. Her dogs are beautiful and show dogs.
In my ignorance, I flew to Jupiter Fl (I lived in NY) payed $1,200 (remember that was 15 years ago). When I took him to the Vet I found out that Duffy had sarcoptic mites (mange) and a serious overbite.
When he was one year old he was diagnosed with inoperable liver shunts and not too long after that he had to have most of his teeth extracted. This breeder's dogs are bred to be small with baby doll faces, unfortunately it is at the expense of their health.
She is still listed as one of the top breeders of Maltese with Westminster winners. Breeding dogs is a big business. The newest money makers are cavashons, a cross between cavaliers and bishons. My next dog will be a rescue.

I understand, Duffysmom. There is endless debate over the issue. Here's my story...

We had/have two very healthy goldens certified for heart, hips, eyes, and something else I can't recall. They were not bred for show; they were bred for family pets. That was a big issue with me when searching for a breeder--no show dogs. Both parents were present,as well.

Our two rescue dogs were a different issue. One, a german shepherd mix, we had to find a home for, as when our 13-month-old would touch a certain spot on his back, he would turn around and take David's head in his mouth. Not bite, but it wasn't something we would take chances on. A lovely lady with no children and a long history of shepherd ownership took him.

The second one was apparently so abused he had feeding issues and biting issues, and issues with men. (We were not told, and that may be different nowadays than it was in the late '80s). He had a Dr. Jekyl/Mr. Hyde syndrome. He could be sweet and loving, then turn on you. He bit me once, hard, my husband three times, and would nip at whoever was trying to feed him. When he started backing our children into a corner over his possession of their toys, that was it. We were living in NJ at the time, and our vet said we could be sued if we gave away a biting dog. We had no choice but to put him down. It was very traumatic for the whole family, and I swore to never go through that again.

We then switched to goldens because of their temperament, and learned to get a dog from a puppy so we can train it ourselves. For our family, that's the only dog we would consider.

I know lots of people who have wonderful rescue dogs, so I am not advocating against rescuing a dog at all. I am just saying that there are responsible breeders out there, and the story you posted seemed to be against breeding, which I am not.

I hope you will find a great rescue. I remember how hard it was for you when you lost Duffy. Dogs and prospective owners are matched much better nowadays by rescues and shelters. We are just thrice bitten and twice shy.

[CFrance]

The reason they are top breeders is that they keep the "best" dogs and sell the rest as pets. The pets typically do not meet the breed standard, for one reason or another (overbite, etc.). If you do want one that could make it in the show circuit, you will pay much more than the going pet rate.

My dog is pure bred but misses the mark on breed standard issues like front feet alignment and possibly teeth. That being said, I wouldn't trade him for a best of breed champion.

Which is exactly why I don't go for a show dog breeder. Their dogs frequently have the stuffing bred out of them, and problems can occur.

[GMIJFI]

We bought a standard poodle from a "reputable" breeder. In the contract, it was written that if any genetic effect occurred, we could return her. She was a loyal, loving dog and a member of the family. However, at two years, she developed sebaceous adenitis and Addison's disease. The first is a cosmetic skin problem. However, Addison's disease, if not kept in control is deadly and the medicines to control it are EXPENSIVE. Long story short, she lived to be 14 and I never want to add up how much we spent over the years. IMHO, purebred dogs are just too inbred these days which brings out all the recessive, disease prone traits. You are much better off going with a mixed breed dog

[gomoho]

Have a Standard Poodle and an Australian Shepherd. If I do it again - can't imagine living without a dog, but would love the freedom of not having a dog - I will definitely go for a rescue from a reputable rescue group. They take these dogs in and completely vet them so they can be matched with the right people.

Purebreds are not as healthy or hearty as most mutts, but they sure are cute!!!

[lovsthosebigdogs]

I totally understand what EVERYONE is saying about having difficulty with breeders and what goes on with rescue groups. I have fostered for rescue and have had rescue dogs myself from breed rescue. I also have shown dogs (have my dogs and picture in a "How to Raise and Train a ..." dog breed book from when I showed dogs) and am currently on the board of directors of a breed club, however I do not breed dogs. I have gotten several dogs from show breeders and they have been healthy, well adjusted dogs, living long, healthy lives and although not show dogs due to cosmetic faults they were/are not dogs that have physical issues that caused me to pay for a wing on my vet's hospital. I also lost a 20 month old pure bred dog we got from breed rescue to a sudden heart problem (DCM) and, let me tell you, that ripped my heart out. Would I buy from a breeder again? Yes, but I would be careful who I bought from and I would make sure I knew what tests were done before I contracted for that puppy. And all good breeders SHOULD take their puppies back as a condition of sale. Would I take a rescue dog even after the tragedy we lived through? Yes, but I would try to make sure to the best of my ability that it was healthy before I gave it my heart. Bottom line, things can happen with any animal. I personally like the breed I chose because of the personality and I am not willing at this time in my life to change breeds so I do the best I can to work within the parameters of that breed but I still try to get a healthy dog. I also trust the breeders I know that are trying to work on improving the breed. Not all breeders are doing that, but I know a lot of them that are. Just because you show a dog or register it with AKC doesn't mean that you are a reputable breeder. AKC is merely a registry, like registering your car doesn't mean it is in great shape. The Dept of Motor Vehicles will register a clunker. As with anything else, it's still buyer beware. Unfortunately, it's lives we are dealing with and I love my dogs as much as you all do and I hurt as much as you do when there is a problem with one of my dogs. It's just not as black and white as it looks sometimes, but you can't paint all show breeders with the same brush.

[CFrance]

You must research the breed, and you must research the breeder. Talk to your vet. Talk to your groomer. We've had two healthy purebreds. We had three healthy purebred Siamese cats, whose breeders can be known for too much inbreeding. Do your due diligence. Each registered purebred has a traceable AKC number and a family tree with AKC numbers. My vet helped me research the line of our goldens through these numbers, plus their health ratings and those of their ancestors. I wanted a dog I would not have to be leery of around strangers or kids or other pets. My research brought us to the golden breed.

Like I said originally, the debate over this will rage on and on. Some breeders will be subtly disreputable, breeding for show points. Some shelters will misrepresent the temperament or issues of a rescue dog. Our friends rescued a keeshond mix who had been running around the streets of Battle Creek for a couple of years. The dog bit people at the shelter, and yet they allowed him to be rescued by our friends. This dog was totally uncontrollable, despite four weeks with a dog trainer/psychologist. It continued to bite and destroy their house, but when they went back to the shelter owner, she said if they turned him back to them, they would euthanize him. That's a heckuva burden to put on two dog lovers trying to do the right thing.

Anecdotes exist on both sides. Pluses and minuses on each side. I would not label acquiring either purebreds or rescues as something not to do. I believe it's a personal decision.