AKC and Humility Lost

Let me preface this blog by saying I do not like to name names and call people out publicly.  However, I do not think the Pure Dog Talk host or Mr Green intended to be offensive.   I don’t think either of them realized the faux pas.  i also think by not naming names it discounts my message.  I hope some people of influence read this and a light bulb turns on. 

This morning I was listening to Pure Dog Talk Episode 218 Legendary Dog Man Peter Green Brings History to life.

This episode was recorded at Santa Barbara and at the very beginning the podcast host introduced Peter Green and commented on how he has won this show.  Peter corrected her and said he had won it twice.  

There are so many things wrong with that interchange.   Where is the sense of humility and gratitude for his success?   Does that not also validate all of us grumbling that it is all about who is on the other end of the leash?

I would like to correct them both.   Peter Green handled a dog and on two occasions won the show.   Dogs win dog shows, not people.

AKC please step up and take notice here.   Judges and pro handlers are mentors and role models whether they like it or not.    Judges and handlers are the experienced front lines in the Fancy.   What they do and say is so important to the interest of new people coming in to the sport.   Breeders and exhibitors are bashed all the time as if it is our fault that new people are scared off.   At another point in the podcast Pete and the host were bantering about something from the past and the host said “see there was drama way back then also”.    As if that justifies the climate of today.    I say breeder and owner handlers are the life blood of the sport.   We should be king not the judges and pro-handlers.   Without us en masse there is no sport.    Start treating us as one very offended customer that keeps being told we are crazy or what we see in front of us is not true. 

I worked on a cutting horse ranch for about 7 years.  The owner of the ranch said to me:  “Never take credit for a win on your horse.”   It was sort of a superstitious statement about staying humble.    I really took this to heart.   If anyone could get a big head it would have to be a trainer who trained and rode a horse to a 200k purse.   I am grateful for every break I have had in my life.   I will never take credit for something my dogs do.   

PS: In cutting horses the pros and non-pros never compete against each other.   

Adopt don’t Shop is its own worst enemy.

First let me say, I think pulling, evaluating and getting new homes for unwanted dogs is a good thing.    I really do not have a problem with moving dogs to areas where there is opportunity.   I feel pure breed clubs should continue pulling their own from shelters and place responsibly.  Breeders should do everything in their power to avoid their dogs becoming part of the system.   I love the power of social media and adoption events to help place mentally sound dogs.  However, I believe the Adopt don't Shop campaign is shooting itself in the foot.  They are operating on quantity not quality.   Their campaign is greater than their ability and knowledge base of individuals to handle proper housing, vetting, evaluating and choosing homes.  This is especially true when the real knowledge base is in the group of people who they despise and want to run out of town. 
 

I saw this often when I was helping in rescue.   I know how to raise pups and pick homes and care for a mom really well.   I had a rescue group turn me down for a litter because I am a compassionate dog lover who also breeds, which is everything they hate.    I have worked with and known some wonderful nonjudgmental rescue groups who do a great job in their community.   I have also seen a lot that made me realize some groups were in over their head.    I have seen the donations roll in.   John Q Public seems to love to throw money at problems.   Money cannot buy everything.    Money does not buy experience.   Rescuing and placing dogs should be a wonderful thing yet more and more fosters and rescuers have burn out and emotional stress.   I remember from working in rescue they tried very hard to place dogs in good homes but anyone who raised their hand to foster was welcome.   They could not afford to turn down any volunteer regardless of their experience and ability.    I saw so many people who felt their love for dogs was enough to take on these projects.    I saw rescue leaders struggling with fosters too emotionally involved to listen and follow instructions.   Rescuers could learn a lot from us breeders.   We have been thru all the trials and tribulations with our dogs and we manage to come out of it smiling.   

I hate bringing up money but I personally think big rescue groups bring in more money per dollar spent than breeders do.  I have to bring it up because the breeder haters wants to throw that in our face all the time.   My last 3 attempts at litters have cost me around $12,000 and resulted in 2 litters, total 5 pups.  That does not even include the health testing, food and other incidentals of rearing those 5 pups.    It also does not include any of the money I have spent to pursue the hobby of showing and performance to prove my dogs have all the ingredients for their breed.   This is not everyone’s story but it is my reality.    Most of the people I know in breeding have similar tales to tell.   Rescue is becoming big profit by some because we know dogs need minimal resources to just be alive.   Where there is money there will be exploitation, just follow the money.   

Today there are more and more stories of unhealthy dogs from abroad being turned loose in communities.   There are stories of people taking dangerous dogs home and tragedy strikes.   The “it’s all in how they are raised” is a dangerous statement that is making rescuers and owners feel like failures.   It is NOT in how they are raised, it is hard wired in their genes.   This is directly harmful to dogs who may now be in rescue storage limbo or worse placed with people who are completely unprepared for the project.   There has been as many stories of rescue groups gone bad as the sad puppy mill stories.    Rescue thinks their shit don’t stink but social media tends to root out a lot of dirty little secrets.   

There is today and always has been plenty of good homes for puppies.   The problem is we are not breeding enough.   We are almost embarrassed to admit to each other, no I am not keeping a pup.   It is not you or you or you who is responsible to provide the pet market with puppies.   But it is our responsibility as a whole to preserve our breed as it is a worthy breed.   If you choose to breed you are a participant in the project.   If the breed has been good to you, you owe it to the breed to give back.  We need to breed proud.   We need to talk about it.    We do not have to knock down each other or rescue to build ourselves up.    We do not even need to mention rescue.    We only need to be proud of our product.     We are not placing unhealthy poor temperament dogs into unsuspecting homes and communities.  Our dogs speak for themselves!  

“Adopt don’t Shop”is going to kill its own movement if they don’t change how they think and the bad press that is coming to a neighborhood near you.    I don’t see them changing.   I see them continuing to collect money from a guilt ridden keyboard public who won’t or can’t volunteer and expecting a steadily increasing stream of volunteers to keep up with the increasing volume in the name of compassion.    I see more and more dogs mismatched to well-meaning homes or ending up in storage at puppy farm type warehouses.       

Promote without exploiting 

Protect with compassion  

Preserve for the future

and do all three with Pride!