Saturday, March 19, 2011

Irresponsible Breeding

Lately there have been more and more posts on the different Shiba Inu related forums I follow and there seems to be more people looking to stud or wanting to breed  their dogs. Heck, there was even one where a litter was produced from a non-standard shiba that no reputable breeder would have kept in their breeding program.

It just saddens me that people want to breed their dogs because it's cute and fun. There is so much more responsibility needed when bringing dogs into this world. There are so many dogs in shelters because of irresponsible breeding. Many people who breed for fun do not do the genetic testing to make sure their dog is free of any hereditary diseases, or breed dogs with an unwanted temperament.That in itself causes most dogs to go into shelters because some dogs are so fearful and some owners do not want to take the time to train their dog and to socialize them to get passed their fears, which can cause aggression.

If anyone is seriously thinking about becoming a breeder, I suggest you do a lot of research about the breed, the hereditary diseases that are in the breed, and do the proper testing to make sure your dogs are cleared from any of the diseases that make vet bills break the bank. Proper testing is recommended at 2 years of age. Anything before that will be too early to tell.

I just want to also make a note that I will be adding a male pup soon, and yes he will be kept intact. He is not a Shiba Inu, but is a different type of Nihon Ken. He will be kept intact in hopes to improve the bloodlines here in North America and add genetic diversity to his breed. The Shiba Inu does not need anymore genetic diversity as there are many of them in rescues looking for great homes.

10 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. Absolutely agree with you, Julie! We find a LOT of those kind of postings in our local pet forums too. It's just sad. Another thing that irritates me is that people come on forums & ask breeding questions such as, "How do I make the male dog mate with the female dog?" & "How long does the bitch stay pregnant?" & "My cute girl Poodle is looking for a boyfriend/husband. Anybody with a nice male Poodle interested? She is very healthy, well trained & very cute!" NO! The dog is not "very healthy" unless health tests have been done & that he/she is clear of ANY abnormalities that could be passed on to his or her offspring. And "well trained" & "cute looks" are immaterial.

    Breeding is not just about slapping two POS dogs together to produce more POS dogs! Breeding is a complicated thing & it can be risky at times. Complications pop up a lot of times & bitches can die during or after pregnancies. Many owners just don't realize what kind of risk their putting their pet dogs through.

    Leave breeding to the professionals!

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  3. Great post.

    Though I often wonder about these rare breeds trying to flourish in North America... what is being done to protect them from becoming like shibas (over bred, inbred, shelter bound)? I'm sure not every import can be tracked and not every person keeping intact dogs is as responsible as you are, right?

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  4. We really can't rely on every person being responsible and spaying/neutering their dog if they do not plan to help keep them intact for our current breeders who are trying their best to preserve the wonderful NK breeds. It is sad what has happened to the shiba and what is still happening to them.

    Just have to really rely on our breeders to heavily screen their future puppy owners. But then again any person could import if they really wanted to and start a whole BYB. People do suck sometimes and I wish there was more we could do to help educate the public about BYBs, mills, etc. =/

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  5. Mika/Julie... Couldn't agree with you more. I am tempted to leave that forum altogether. It has been very disheartening as the friends that I have made there have been so great and rewarding. Recent posters seem so ignorant and it just makes me so sad to try and educate them... Grr.

    I guess we can only do so much and keep trying to grill it through to the "not so informed"....

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  6. I completely agree with you....and I've also been disheartened by so many posts on the shiba forum, from new people who either want to breed or clearly have no sense of what it is like to get a dog like a Shiba (or sometimes any dog!)

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  7. I agree as well. Irresponsible breeding is characterized by people who operate Puppy Mills or People who breed dogs for cash without a sense of empathy for the dog's welfare. dog boarding cleveland

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  9. Do not adopt or own a dog simply because they are cute and fun. I agree with you, you need to be responsible owner. There is so much more responsibility needed when bringing dogs into this world.

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