Responsible Breeders

How do Responsible Breeders Love Their Dogs?

• Responsible breeders care deeply about the health and well-being of every dog they own and every puppy their kennel brings into the world.

• Responsible breeders have dogs that are valued members of their household, who live in the home and do life with the family.

• Responsible breeders provide quality nutrition, clean water, timely access to the outdoors, preventative medicine and vaccines, veterinary care, daily exercise, sanitary nesting material, and constant love and affection.

• Responsible breeders ensure all their dogs are fully health tested, as recommended by the Parent Club of the breed(s) they represent.

• Responsible breeders are active members who participate in kennel clubs and events and who network within the community of other responsible breeders.

• Responsible breeders will train their dogs to be well mannered and work with them to earn a Championship Title to ensure proper conformation to the breed standard.

• Responsible breeders socialize their dogs and their puppies prior to placing them in forever homes.

• Responsible breeders work tirelessly - to the best of their ability - to place the right dog with the right owner, who has the physical facilities and financial ability to properly care for their new dog, and who will love and care for him as a valued member of the family.

• Responsible breeders will provide the new owner with a pedigree, complete veterinarian examination and immunization records, educational materials, and lifelong support to new puppy owners as well as extend multiple ways for the buyer and breeder to stay in contact.

• Responsible breeders will take back any dog they bred if the dog’s family decides they can no longer properly care for the dog.

• Responsible breeders only breed when they have the time to ensure the health and safety of the litter and the time to ensure their puppies go to the best homes possible.

• Responsible breeders will never sell their puppies to pet stores, wholesalers, commercial dealers, raffles, auctions, giveaways or prizes - and will never abandon their dogs to an animal shelter.

• Responsible breeders will Breed To Improve, will honor the work of the responsible breeders on whose shoulders they stand, and will only place potential breeding stock with families committed to breeding responsibly.

Responsible Breeders vs. Animal Shelter Adoption

While adopting a dog from an animal shelter sounds like a noble venture at first, there is a dark reality to consider. Adopting dogs from most animal shelters inadvertently supports puppy mills and backyard breeders. This reality comes from the fact that puppy mills mass produce dogs like cash crops, without caring for dogs’ health, well-being, or socialization and without working to place dogs in responsible homes.

These are the dogs that end up filling animal shelters. While no one wants to see any animal in a shelter, animal shelter adoption enables puppy mills and backyard breeders. Likewise, pet shops often get their dogs from puppy mills and backyard breeders. The best option to consider is working with a responsible breeder who knows the breed inside and out and whose work in placing a puppy with a potential new owner begins years before the puppy is born.

Purebred vs. Mixed-Breed Dogs

Dogs have been selectively bred for thousands of years to perform various functions useful to Mankind and our own survival. The Dog’s adaptability is the primary reason it is such a successful species. Dogs have made themselves useful in countless ways to humans so we kept feeding them, providing shelter for them, and, yes, breeding them. Because of this special relationship, dogs have enjoyed the benefit of being Man’s Best Friend.

While many dogs still perform their historical function, many others do not. Still yet, many breeds have found new ‘employment’ in the medical field and the security field. But the job of COMPANION will never end.

Some dog breeds that have existed for hundreds or thousands of years are at risk of extinction. In addition to preservation, below are four reasons to consider a purebred dog over a mixed-breed:

(1) Predictability

There’s a lot to be said for surprises, but not when it comes to the dog we bring into our lives to be a pet and family member. Expectations are more easily met when one is able to predict the expected size, general temperament, grooming needs, and activity level of a future companion, and a purebred dog offers this predictability by virtue of its breed.

(2) Health

Ethical breeders health test not only the dogs they use for breeding, but also subsequent puppies, thereby increasing the odds that the puppies they place in new homes will have long, healthy lives. While specific genetic disorders are known to exist in certain breeds, dedicated breeders monitor their dogs with every intention of eliminating the disease by eliminating afflicted dogs or carriers from their breeding program.

(3) Community

Breeders invested in their respective breeds carefully screen prospective homes to ensure that their puppy is placed with owners for whom the breed is the right fit. Many breeders stay in touch with new puppy owners to provide care and grooming instructions when needed, and most want to be notified of significant life events that will impact a dog they bred whatever its age at the time.

Buying from a responsible breeder means that the puppy comes with access to a community of fellow breed owners delighted to find each other and share the delights and challenges of owning their breed. Often, deep friendships are formed through purebred dogs, and this can be a great comfort to the elderly, the lonely, young families, and singles.

(4) Legacy

Though it probably should be the last reason to buy a purebred dog, there is something to be said for helping preserve a species at a time when several dog breeds are at risk of vanishing in our lifetime. A few breeds have registration numbers so low that it puts in doubt their survival into future generations. Helping preserve a breed through ownership is a legacy.