Responsible Breeder or Rescue
Both Choices Have Advantages and A Common Goal
The Problem
Put quite simply, there are too many dogs in shelters in need of rescue. We are a club of dog lovers and those sad faces break our hearts. Some of these dogs are in shelters because they wandered off, were born on the street or belonged to owners in situations that prevented them from keeping the dogs. The vast majority dogs in shelters are there because they have health or behavior issues their original owners couldn't handle.
The Simple Solution That Isn't
It seems like we should be able to round up enough people to adopt these dogs. Shelters offer great deals on adoption fees, including spay/neuter, shots and worming. What if the dog has a serious health problem that is not obvious? The ongoing veterinarian bills, medications and general heartbreak could be enormous. What if the dog has a behavior problem that doesn't show up until after you get home? It proceeds to eat your couch or bite the neighbor's kids. Then you are saddled with a dog you can't enjoy.
Due to the high frequency of these problems in shelter dogs, you are taking a big chance. That doesn't mean you can't find a good dog from the shelter. Lots of people have adopted nice dogs. You have to ask yourself if you want to take that kind of chance with a dog you will live with for the next 10-15 years.
Due to the high frequency of these problems in shelter dogs, you are taking a big chance. That doesn't mean you can't find a good dog from the shelter. Lots of people have adopted nice dogs. You have to ask yourself if you want to take that kind of chance with a dog you will live with for the next 10-15 years.
What Responsible Breeders Are Doing About Shelter Dogs
The objective of responsible breeders is to avoid situations that would result in their dogs going into shelters. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
An important factor in a dog's health is what it inherits from its ancestors. Responsible breeders do a lot of research and testing of dogs before they breed them with the goal of not breeding to lines with a history of health problems. This involves studying numerous generations of ancestors through their pedigrees. The same is true for behavior.
Health and temperament are also affected by what the breeder does with the puppies in the first 8 weeks of their lives. Responsible breeders take great care to socialize and obtain the proper healthcare for their puppies. This greatly reduces your chances of getting a puppy that will later develop problems. The responsible breeder will guide you through a process of selecting the right puppy for your personality and lifestyle to make sure the two of you are a good match.
Finally, the responsible breeder will provide a written guarantee on the puppy's health and temperament. You will be required to have the dog spayed or neutered so there are no accidental breedings (another source of shelter dogs). The responsible breeder will be emphatic that you return the puppy if there is any kind of problem. This prevents their puppies from being unwanted and ending up in shelters.
An important factor in a dog's health is what it inherits from its ancestors. Responsible breeders do a lot of research and testing of dogs before they breed them with the goal of not breeding to lines with a history of health problems. This involves studying numerous generations of ancestors through their pedigrees. The same is true for behavior.
Health and temperament are also affected by what the breeder does with the puppies in the first 8 weeks of their lives. Responsible breeders take great care to socialize and obtain the proper healthcare for their puppies. This greatly reduces your chances of getting a puppy that will later develop problems. The responsible breeder will guide you through a process of selecting the right puppy for your personality and lifestyle to make sure the two of you are a good match.
Finally, the responsible breeder will provide a written guarantee on the puppy's health and temperament. You will be required to have the dog spayed or neutered so there are no accidental breedings (another source of shelter dogs). The responsible breeder will be emphatic that you return the puppy if there is any kind of problem. This prevents their puppies from being unwanted and ending up in shelters.
Your Choices
You can pick up a dog from a shelter, give it a loving home and hope you don't run into problems. Or you can support a responsible breeder who is trying to prevent dogs from ending up in a shelter and have a dog that is much more likely to be happy, healthy and enjoyable for many years to come.
Our Choices
Our club is active in rescuing Cocker Spaniels, even if they are not one of ours. We screen our club members to make sure we are acting as responsible breeders should. We support training and activities for Cocker owners and their dogs to maximize their mutual enjoyment. We love dogs and are committed to helping reduce the number of dogs that end up in shelters.
This is our club's Code of Ethics.
This article describes what to look for in a responsible breeder.
This is our club's Code of Ethics.
This article describes what to look for in a responsible breeder.