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Should you breed your dog or cat? Do you have a good reason for breeding?
I just got home from work a short time ago and I have to admit to being a bit upset. Normally, I would wait a bit rather than posting something while I was angry but this needs to be said. So, here it goes.
Should This Dog Breeding Occur?
I treated a puppy in my veterinary practice this morning for parvovirus. The young man who owns the puppy was upset, understandably. Unfortunately, most of his frustration seemed to stem from the fact that treating the puppy was costing him money. That’s bad enough but that’s not what this post is about.
On leaving the office, this young man informed one of our other staff members that he planned on making his money back, assuming his puppy survived, by breeding her. That statement is what upset me. For dog’s sake, that has to be one of the worst reasons to breed your dog that I’ve ever heard!
This puppy was herself the product of a “backyard breeding” which should never have taken place, in my opinion. Even her whelping date is unknown. According to the “breeder”, this puppy is about 17 days old. Through examining her, I would estimate her to be at least eight weeks old. Certainly, she is well over 17 days. Just as certainly, a responsible breeder would have accurate records of their dog’s whelping date.
There is also the fact that this puppy has had no veterinary care previous to this – no examinations, no dewormings, no vaccinations, no fecal checks. Another mark of an irresponsible breeder.
The fact of the matter is that this puppy’s breeder is quite obviously irresponsible. The truly unfortunate part is that this puppy may pay for this breeder’s irresponsibility with her life. And if she does survive, her puppies will likely face the same ignorance.
Is Breeding a Dog or Cat Ever Justified?
I know my viewpoint on this subject will be controversial. If you disagree, that’s fine. You’re entitled to your opinion. And truthfully, I totally understand and am sympathetic to all of the arguments offered by the “other side”. In fact, many of the people that I admire and call my friends will disagree with me.
I do support the breeding of purebred dogs by responsible breeders. I’m not prepared to lose some of the wonderful breeds we have in the world today and, without planned breedings, this will be the result.
However, the term “responsible breeder” does not apply to the puppy mills that practice abhorrent husbandry and cruelty or the “backyard breeder” who breeds their dog solely for the purpose of producing puppies or kittens to sell for money. It also does not include the well-meaning but misguided pet owner that breeds their dog or cat so their kids can see the “miracle of life”. Nor does it include those people who breed their pet because the pet has such a “wonderful temperament” that the pet owner just has to have one of her puppies.
None of these people have any business breeding a dog or cat. My apologies if this offends any of you but life is tough. It’s even tougher if you’re an unwanted pet who faces death simply because there isn’t a home for you. The fact is that there are too many homeless pets to support reckless breeding practices like these.
What Is a Responsible Breeder?
First of all, if you really have to ask this question, you probably are not a responsible breeder. If you don’t already know the ins and outs of breeding and are not intimately familiar with the specifics of your chosen breed, its bloodlines, and its faults and qualities, you are not ready to breed any dog or cat. If you don’t know how long your dog or cat will carry her babies, what to do when the time of delivery arrives or how to care for the new arrivals after they are born, you have a lot of learning to do before you’re ready to think seriously about breeding.
A responsible breeder breeds animals with the intent to improve the breed. This means carefully choosing your breeding stock. Just because a dog or cat is a wonderful family pet does not mean that he or she is a good candidate for breeding. A responsible breeder knows and understands this. She (or he) spends hours pouring through pedigrees and other information searching for not only good breeding stock but the perfect match for that animal.
Simply breeding a male and a female animal of the same breed is not responsible breeding. Each breeding must be carefully researched and planned. Breeding stock should be screened prior to breeding for known genetic defects. Individual breedings should be planned so that both animals complement each other in the hopes of producing puppies or kittens whose health and conformation surpass those of their parents.
Beyond that, once the breeding has occurred, the outcome must be evaluated. Breeders must be able to critically evaluate not only their breeding animals but the puppies and kittens that are a result of these breedings. They must be prepared financially to perform necessary testing and screening on the offspring as well as the breeding animals. Breeding animals that produce offspring with undesirable characteristics or genetic defects should not continue to be bred.
Responsible breeders also take responsibility for the puppies and kittens that are the result of their breeding programs for their entire lives. These breeders take every precaution to make sure that their animals do not end up in pounds and rescue facilities, including taking these animals back into their own homes if necessary.
For more information about responsible breeding practices, please listen to the interview featured in the post Dog Breeding: What You Need to Know About Breeding and Breeders.
Okay, I know you’re dying to share your thoughts. So fire away by leaving a comment below. Feel free to share opposing ideas. I promise not to bite. All I ask is that everybody keep the conversation civil.
Photo Courtesy of agingdragqueen/Flickr.com
About Lorie Huston, DVM
Lorie Huston is a veterinarian, pet health and pet care expert, professional writer, blogger, social media and blogging consultant, and SEO strategist.
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{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow, that is the most ridiculous reason for wanting to breed a dog I have ever heard also!
Yeah, I just couldn’t get over the callousness. Still can’t.
I intellectually completely agree with you. I too get so irritated when people are breeding animals who don’t know ANYTHING about it. They ask questions on message boards that are so basic that I can’t help but want to yell at them. Especially when the animals are still babies themselves.
And while I can understand and respect responsible breeders (by your definition) it does get to me that these “pure bred” animals are the cause and reason for back yard breeding. There is not enough information out there as to WHY responsible breeders go through everything they do, so people don’t understand the difference between puppy mill puppies and a responsible source. I know too many people who think any mating is just fine and just don’t get what can and often does go wrong. They are so removed from the negatives and just see the cute puppy that they keep supporting the system.
I agree with you, Connie. That’s why education is so crucial. It’s not a lot different than the puppy mill/pet shop issue. So many people don’t realize that the cute puppy in the pet store window more than likely came from a puppy mill. And, though everyone agrees that puppy mills are bad things, they’ll still rush to the pet store to buy that puppy. We need to educate people about this whole field, from what it takes to be a responsible breeder to where and how to find one. We also need to educate them about the benefits of adopting rather than buying. Not everyone wants or needs a purebred. We have a lot of work to do and we certainly have our work cut out for us but it needs to be done.
No, that dog breeding should not occur. But since it is a young male that owns her, she’ll probably wind up in a shelter before she is bred
Seriously, people like that must be such a treat your you to work with.
I have no problem with “responsible” dog breeders producing puppies through careful, planned breedings. That’s how I got Dexter & Jersey!!
I suppose you’re probably right, Karen. Some of these people do tend to lose interest quickly. Can’t help worrying about the puppy.
That just turns my stomach. What’s worse is knowing there are so many people who have the same kind of callous approach with their pets. Is it ignorance? Selfishness? Just plain heartlessness? I can’t comprehend it. It worries me though that so many people really don’t realize any of this. And the problems that are the result….poor puppy.
I really can’t comprehend it either, Kim. The most frustrating part is that it’s the animal that suffers.
The subject of dog breeding scares me ever since I have known the truth as to why people must breed: to benefit the breed. If not, it’s all worthless.
Whenever I look at my Siberian Husky puppy and imagine him fathering a litter, I shiver, because now I have a bunch of lives to be responsible for (one slip and the lives can die!) I shiver even worse when I picture myself selling the puppies to people who I barely know, then have him father another litter, and have the whole cycle start again.
That young man is going to “earn a profit”, definitely, if he doesn’t spend money on vet checks, health and temperament testing, and have the puppy earn titles in championships and shows and is able to sell the litter to uneducated buyers.
Poor dogs, sometimes there’s a good and bad side to having to depend so much on humans. The good thing is, true dog lovers will care for them, bad thing is, irresponsible people like that young man will destroy them.