Comments on: If only people knew what good breeders do

By: Mary Mary

Mary Mary — Sat, 22 May 2010 20:34:28 +0000

Then there’s this gem from today’s paper:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg.....947-62.stm

http://www.help-sebastian.org/vetstuff.html

How does a buyer protect herself from buying a dog who needs two new hips a year later?

I am pretty sure I know who the breeder of this poor dog is, and that breeder’s website goes on and on about champions and health testing and imported dogs, etc.

By: Gina Spadafori

Gina Spadafori — Sat, 22 May 2010 18:44:27 +0000

Thanks, Linda.

In truth, though, you can’t judge a puppy by price. Puppy mill retail outlets often charge more than a reputable, ethical breeder of the same breed, and the difference in price has no bearing on the care, health screening, socialization, etc. “Trendy” breeds also cost more, for no discernible reason.

Some “rare” breeds cost more because they’re in demand, but not always. Puppies from the best breeders of flat-coated retrievers generally cost a little less than their equivalent in Labrador ranks, and that’s because the demand for flat-coats isn’t high. (And that’s good, because these dogs are extremely high energy and don’t ever really much grow up.)

So, I tell people that price should never count for anything because really, it doesn’t. It’s all those other factors you need to pay attention to.

By: LindaR

LindaR — Sat, 22 May 2010 18:14:43 +0000

Gina, that sound you hear is me standing and clapping because of the manner you decide when to breed, what to breed, and then how to raise the pups.
I decided not to breed. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to continue to have healthy, athletic, sound, calm companion Labrador Retrievers; it doesn’t mean I don’t want to contribute to the breeding and raising, and training and competing and showing and teaching others that those qualities are not mutually exclusive in a Lab.
So, I wrote a new breed book for both “serious fanciers” and for first-timers and for those who think they might want a Lab.
This is serious business, giving your life over to any dog; for those who decide to maintain a breed’s health and traits, I think you all are marvelous.
So, the cost of Lab puppies? You get what you pay for, unfortunately. Sure, you could find a $200 pup without any health guarantees, whose sire and dam were never appropriately screened for genetic diseases. A pup that was never socialized. And then the first month you will likely spend several hundreds of dollars in vet bills, then if you’re like too many, you will take him to a shelter.
But if you screen your breeder, and allow the breeder to screen you, and are willing to pay more money upfront, you will likely not have to deal with a devastating injury or preventable disease in that pup.
Our Labs all came from terrific breeders, and ranged in cost from $500 to $1500 (yes, inflation does matter, even in the purebred dog world). I’m waiting for my next Lab to be whelped (crossing paws for a safe delivery TODAY and for a comfortable time for the dam), and will pay somewhere between those two figures.
Long story short, this planned pup (and all his littermates) have homes waiting, and lifetimes planned for companionship, for conformation, for competitions, with plenty of time in there for being regular old dogs.
Oh, and my local breed club runs a very active Lab rescue program. We find, foster, rehabilitate, and rehome these wonderful dogs who didn’t have the advantages of the well-planned-for pups. We care about the well-being of all of our breed.
Sorry, I could go on, but I’ll stop here. Many thanks, Gina and Christie, for your incredible contributions to the well being of all companion animals.
Linda Rehkopf

By: Tara Choules of Dog Training Ireladn

Tara Choules of Dog Training Ireladn — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 10:18:35 +0000

What a wonderful post. With your permission I am cross posting for all to read, printing this for anyone who is thinking of getting a puppy and sending to all I know.

Thanks for writing this. You should be so very proud.

Tara

By: Gina Spadafori

Gina Spadafori — Thu, 28 May 2009 19:37:45 +0000

Remember that pet store with the $6,500 "teacup" puppies? One of the owners just filed for bankruptcy. Per the HSUS: "One of the owners of the Florida based pet store, Wizard of Claws, filed for Ch. 7 Bankruptcy yesterday after the Broward County Circuit Court issued a ruling this week refusing to dismiss several defendants from the major class action lawsuit. The suit, filed in 2007, accuses Wizard of Claws, its owners, and its affiliates of defrauding customers by misrepresenting the origin of puppies, and by selling puppy mill dogs who suffer from severe health problems and genetic defects." Oh gosh, what a darn shame! (Here's the paperwork).

By: PB

PB — Wed, 27 May 2009 09:03:53 +0000

JenniferJ-agreed! Even my daughters ages 7 and 11 are forever telling people they don’t even know, who tell them they have a tea cup “there is no such thing as tea cup in your breed.” I guess it is rude and bit know it all-y, but at the same time, nice to know they caught a clue.Of course some brreds do come tea cup, but they know which ones.

By: Annette

Annette — Mon, 25 May 2009 12:49:42 +0000

you get the same thing in the rabbit world. People want tiny rabbits…but think not of the price to the animals to get them that way.

By: Anne T

Anne T — Mon, 25 May 2009 10:21:29 +0000

These “women” and I use that noun very reluctantly, have never gotten over playing with dolls and miniature accessories. It’s not a child substitute thing, it’s a childhood/Peter Pan syndrome, IMHO.
Where’s that barf bag that I needed at Gina’s mere mention of WizardofClaws? I need it again.

By: 3FabulousFelines

3FabulousFelines — Mon, 25 May 2009 08:21:33 +0000

Last year, I took some visiting relatives to the mall, where we encountered our first Obnoxious Woman with a Dog in a Purse.

This lady was shopping with her mother, and kept pointing at everything and begging for it- “Ohhh, MOMMY, I want this!” “Mommy, LOOK! Please?” She was decked out entirely in trendy, color-coordinated pink stuff- including a pair of pink Victoria’s Secret sweatpants that had “PINK” embroidered across the butt… or what little of said butt they happened to be covering. Bleach-blonde hair, one too many trips to the tanning salon. Everything about her demeanor/behavior just screamed Paris Hilton. At first glance, from behind, I was convinced she was a teenager. Then, she turned around. This woman was not a day younger than FORTY. Yeesh.

I bent over to get a better look at one of the sale racks, and her Burberry bag started whimpering. Inside the bag was a teacup maltese. She’d picked the bag out FIRST (because it was on sale and soooooo cute she couldn’t resist) and THEN looked for a cute puppy to stuff inside it, she explained.

I felt very sorry for that dog. I’m hoping I’m wrong, but I have a sneaking suspicion that when the bag goes out of style, so too will the cute puppy.

By: H. Houlahan

H. Houlahan — Mon, 25 May 2009 07:19:06 +0000

I dunno why people want hamster-sized (but not hamster-priced) dogs.

Why do pierogi-fed chickas in Pittsburgh wear belly shirts and tourniquet-style hip-huggers? Because Britney does? (Do they not know what the term “muffin top” now denotes?)

I was in a store one day when one of these bubbleheads grabbed a dog handbag and screeched to her friend “I WANT A DOG THAT WILL FIT INTO THIS!”

In much the same way that my niece desperately wants the PINK iPod and THIS glitter nail polish.

The tiny dog is presented relentlessly as a consumer item and fashion accessory.

Quick, can you tell me one temperament trait of Paris Hilton’s purse dog? One trick it knows?

Not a dog at all. An accessory.