Pet Store Supports Puppy Mills

[Aquattro]

I feel the need to clarify something here. When I say a reputable breeder, I am not sanctioning any CKC or AKC breeder as inclusively being reputable because of said memberships or registrations. A reputable breeder is just that; a breeder with a good reputation for long term successful and ethical breeding. If someone performs this type of breeding in their backyard, fine. You don't need to be a huge commercial kennel, you need to be a thoughtful ethical person with more concern for the fate of your breed and the fate of your pups in particular. You give more concern to these things than you do profit. The good breeders I know do not generally even see profit, they mostly cover expenses of something they love doing.
What we're against is the commercial breeding that puts health/long term quality aside for the sake of making a buck. This is doing the dogs and the owners a disservice and nobody but the breeder ends up winning. I don't care where you breed, it's how you do it. Get vet checks, screen genetic diseases and try your best to not propagte known issues. This is being responsible. If you miss something in screening, be propared to stand behind your sale for the life of the dog.

[fishoholic]

Originally Posted by reef_raf

I feel the need to clarify something here. When I say a reputable breeder, I am not sanctioning any CKC or AKC breeder as inclusively being reputable because of said memberships or registrations. A reputable breeder is just that; a breeder with a good reputation for long term successful and ethical breeding. If someone performs this type of breeding in their backyard, fine. You don't need to be a huge commercial kennel, you need to be a thoughtful ethical person with more concern for the fate of your breed and the fate of your pups in particular. You give more concern to these things than you do profit. The good breeders I know do not generally even see profit, they mostly cover expenses of something they love doing.
What we're against is the commercial breeding that puts health/long term quality aside for the sake of making a buck. This is doing the dogs and the owners a disservice and nobody but the breeder ends up winning. I don't care where you breed, it's how you do it. Get vet checks, screen genetic diseases and try your best to not propagte known issues. This is being responsible. If you miss something in screening, be propared to stand behind your sale for the life of the dog.

Well said.

[fishoholic]

Originally Posted by tencats

if the adoption fee's are a bit high for you, take a look at our vet bills some time! Rescuing animals isn't cheap, they don't all arrive spayed, neutered, vaccinated and in perfect health.

Out of curiosity what are your adoption fees? Scars is $250 for any dog no matter how high their vet bill got. Which btw for some dogs their vet bills total in the thousands of dallars range.

[michika]

I paid $135 for my rescue, more then worth it for a great companion.

[fishoholic]

Originally Posted by tencats

It would be nice if we had our own facilities to adopt them out from, but we do not, and we'd rather spend what money we have on the direct care of the animals.

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