I bought my rottweiler from what many might concider a backyard breeder 9 years ago. I bought her after looking at many that were CKC registered and not at all great dogs imo. (Super long docked tails, Dewclaws not done, skittish and not very confident parents just to name a couple of things.) This wasn't what I expected from breeders who are registering dogs with the CKC. My dog is now 9 years old and is in excellent health. The vet allway's comments on how great of shape she's in for an old gal.

I'd buy the right dog from a backyard breeder any day of the week.

Cats and dogs and all animals really deserve to be treated well. I think for anyone's value set to truly be meaningful you can't apply said values discriminately. At this point in my life I choose to not have a dog in my life, and yet I have cats, but I would be bothered equally by bad treatment of dogs as I would of cats. And yet, I put up with derogatory comments from friends (and family members, for that matter) who consider themselves "dog lovers" but think nothing about joking about killing cats or something. That sort of thing truly disgusts me..

It's okay Tony, we all eventually progress from cats to dogs....:lol:

Gary, it's not about that. I had backyard puppies many years ago. It drove me nuts to make sure they went to the right homes etc.

Just so you know there are places, usually large pet stores or doggy daycares (like Tailz) that will let you hold adoption days for free at their centers. With enough volunteers you can usually adopt out a few dogs through one of these events. Also ask your local news station if your organization can do a segment showcasing the animals for you have up for adoption. In Edmonton Global lets scars showcase a couple of dogs every Sat. morning towards the end of their news broadcast. It's great publicity and it's free :biggrin:

I think the idea is to try to insure that the person/store selling the dog isn't just selling it make money, but that they are also honestly looking for a good home for the dog as well. I should also note that no matter where the dog/cat comes from once they are in this world they deserve to be treated humanly and given every chance possible for a good life. Also I can't stress enough please spay and neuter your pets!

Please.

Selling is the key word right?

I know what you're saying Deb, but I allway's hear people putting so much stock into the greatness of CKC and AKC registration. I grew up spending my weekends with my dad at the GSD club here in Calgary and seen some of the crapiest dogs known to man be sold for huge bucks because of their bloodline and papers. I've also seen some very well known breeders and trainers destroy great dogs for simple flaws in apperance. Also, so many of these dogs from so many great breeders are not the same calliber of dogs we seen in the past.(As recently as the late 70's)

I myself will avoid buying from breeders and petstores in the future and will seek out only non-registered dogs. I think the well known breeders are in it for the money to be had just as much as the next buisness. Many backyard breeders hope to recover what it's costed them on vet care and such and are happy when their puppies find a great home.

Just my opinion though. :biggrin:

Selling or adopting out either way you can usually tell who's just trying to make a quick buck by how much they charge. Scars charges $250 which includes up to date shoots/vet check, microchip, and spay/neuter. I also believe Taliz and Dogspaw give discounts to animals from rescue organizations.