There are many ethical dog breeders who are doing great work at improving dog breeds, but your aunt breeding the family dogs to sell goldendoodle puppies is not one of them.
According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, roughly 6.3 million pets enter U.S. animal shelters nationwide every year.
One of the biggest issues that animal shelters face is an influx of dogs coming in from irresponsible breeders. These breeders are often referred to as “backyard breeders” and prioritize their own monetary gain over the health of the animals they are selling, breed standards, temperament and making sure they are placed in good homes.
An ethical breeders main goal is to ensure the dogs they are selling are as healthy as they can be.
They will often have a waiting list, have both the mother and father of the litter pre-screened for potential health issues, let you meet the puppies on sight where the parents are kept and will screen adopters.
They will also require that the puppies be microchipped and brought back to the breeder if the home doesn’t work out for any reason.
However, backyard breeders don’t have this same moral code and will often tell you their puppies have been checked out by a vet, but ignore proper health screenings, genetic testing and proper medical care.
This increases the likelihood of passing on genetic disorders such as hip dysplasia, a predisposition to cancer and heart conditions.
Backyard breeders also rarely invest time into properly socializing their puppies and as a result they miss out on crucial early life experiences. This results in behavioral issues like reactivity, resource guarding, fearfulness and aggression because they weren’t properly exposed to humans and other animals.
Behavioral issues like this can make a dog a nightmare to handle in a household setting.
There are many dogs who are in need of homes sitting in overcrowded shelters currently, including purebred animals people often buy from breeders.
It is difficult to know what the temperament and health background of both backyard-bred dogs and dogs from animal shelters will be.
A shelter is a much cheaper and ethical alternative to your cousin’s weird friend selling merle pitbulls.
If you have your heart set on one specific breed that you’ve done your research on and you know will fit your lifestyle, an ethical breeder is the way to go.
Any other option, you don’t deserve a dog. Also your goldendoodle is a mutt and no ethical breeder will produce mutts.
Categories: Opinion
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