I just got off the phone from one of the most frustrating conversations I have had in the last year (and I have had many of those).
It goes like this:
Great family of animal lovers contacts me to adopt one of our dogs.
They don’t care about the breed. They just want a dog, any dog who can RESIST the advances of their German Shepherd. They need a playmate, any playmate, for the Precious Boy. The only condition is that the dog needs to be able to resist.. why? because their precious boy is not neutered. The dog is young, and completely dominated by his sexual instincts. Whenever he sees a dog, male or female, he tries to mount him.
So I tell them I will be happy if they adopt a second dog BUT that they have to neuter Precious Boy…
Impossible!.
Why?
Because Precious Boy is the perfect dog, and because their stupid trainer/breeder who shouldnt be allowed to even get anywhere near an animal has told them that if they neuter Precious Boy they will spoil his life, his career ( and of course, his client!).
So the family is torn.. one one hand they want to save the life of an animal, on the other hand they don’t want Precious Boy international career to be spoiled. He has potential!!! He has potential!!!
Potential for what? Are you all stupid? Potential to win a bunch of silly buy xanax bali blue ribbons and a few free sacks of crap commercial food on a competition sponsored by one of the pet food manufacturers? Potential for what? Potential for becoming a breeding machine and produce
puppies to be sold by the breeder to unscrupulous people?
I have access to tens of German shepherds, Dobermans, Goldens, pure breed dogs much purer that Pretty Boy. They are all special. They are all wonderful. They all had ridiculous silly owners who bought them because of their breed, and then got tired.
I predict Pretty Boy is going to have a pretty miserable life. One of this days he will get in a fight, one of his ears will get torn, his career will be over. The trainer/breeder will quickly loose interest in the competition aspect of that tool and he will inmediately ask the family to breed him. They will breed him. Puppies will be produced.
Chances are some will have ok lifes, the rest will be dropped on the streets and/or shelters…
Let’s Adopt currently has some exceptional animals. They are here in this list. Some of them are pure breeds, other not, but they are all amazing dogs. Absolutely amazing animals that wont fall into the hands of idiots because I wont allow it.
Add one more dog into your family. Save a life and become a better person for it.
Contact me: v.larkhill@googlemail.com
Spaying and neutering should be required by law, and breeding should be outlawed. Not everyone will agree with my statement about breeding, but that is what I believe. We have more than enough homeless animals to go around. Until the world no longer has homeless animals, how does it even makes sense to breed? The family you mention should realize that spaying and neutering is part of responsible pet ownership AND it improves (and often increases) the life of the pet. Their lives will be made easier once their dog is neutered because his behavior will stabilize. Why didn't they just adopt 2 dogs from Let's Adopt in the first place? Why did they go to a breeder? The truth is that mutts tend to enjoy better health and fewer breed-specific health problems. They live longer lives, and they make great companions. In Australia, when someone used to ask the breed of small mixed breed dogs, we used to tell them that the dogs were Bitzas (bit of this, bit of that). Most people don't know enough about dog breeds to know that Bitza is not a real breed, so that was usually enough to satisfy their curiosity.
Great comment, Julia.
I’ve been showing dogs since 1977 in obedience, agility, conformation, tracking, sheep herding, etc…. and do resent Viktor’s implication that show dogs are brainless! 🙂 I’ll put my NEUTERED show champion up against any dog in Turkey for sheep herding, frisbee, obedience, etc.
That said, I’ve never bred a litter in my life, and think that breeding should be VERY restricted. I don’t think it should be allowed at all in Turkey, a place with no registry and no competitive events that might justify a particular breed (such as a Jack Russell for earthdog competitions, or a Border Collie for sheep herding).
And there are maybe 5 GSDs in all of Turkey that MIGHT merit breeding, and that because they have passed international tests in temperament and have good hip x-rays and advanced Schutzhund titles. This pet GSD with no training, no proof of any ability, and no tests to proove hip status, etc. should under NO MEANS be bred.
The so-called “purebreds” here are the crappiest of Russian puppy mill rejects, and this GSD is almost certainly one of them. Turkish “purebreds” look nothing like the putative breed, have terrible structure and temperament, bad hips, luxated patellas (knee problems), etc. Even my non-dog-savvy American friends laugh their heads off to see how Turks pay $3000 for a dog that we would not even recognize as a member of it’s supposed breed: like the “terriers” which are a mix of about 4-5 breeds, NONE of which are terriers; or the long-legged dachshunds; or the 10 kg Chihuahuas…
Conversely, most of the Turkish STREET dogs have stellar temperaments and structure. I could take any of them and turn them into successful agility competitors or hospital therapy dogs. For somebody with a “trained eye” for dog structure, they are a LOT more beautiful than the $3000 crap “purebreds” here.
You didn't understand my post.
It is the owners who are brainless…
I agree, spay/neuter ordinances should be far more spread, and breeders should pay high fines or taxes for contributing to the issue of pet overpopulation. If someone wants a pure breed animal, let them have it, but pay the price…a high price. It should be made a luxury item with according taxes.
Viktor is right – their precious boy has a very high chance to end up at the pound some day, because as he grows older in the wrong hands, he will become more dominant and with that – aggressive.
I think just today we've seen prime examples as to why Let's Adopt has adoption rules unlike many others.
To sort out the people who just don't get "IT"…
I couldn't agree more with you both, Viktor and Julia. I go through the same frustrations all the time. The animals were not put here to be our show pieces! Adopting/Spaying/Neutering is a MUST. And HA, HA, Julia about the Bitza! I wonder if it will work on the folks who must have pure bred cats??!!
I live and work in Bodrum,Have 2 breed dogs, siamese cat and a arabian horse which all i all adopted. I am a veterinary assistant , My job is sometimes so frustrating because it is not always possible for you to put in action the best for the animal, because of people like these. Most of the vets are uncapable of spaying the animal before it reaches 6 months old and they dont want to learn how to either. I totally agree that there should be a tax for breeding and a compulsary law for vaccinations, only these week we had 2 Parvo Virus cases due to no vaccinations, 1 was saved and the other puppy sadly wasnt even treated because the owner said it was to much money and the puppy was took away again on the dirty piece of cardboard on which he was brought in on. I try in my own way to educate these people but some just wont listen….
I live and work in Bodrum,Have 2 breed dogs, siamese cat and a arabian horse which all i all adopted. I am a veterinary assistant , My job is sometimes so frustrating because it is not always possible for you to put in action the best for the animal, because of people like these. Most of the vets are uncapable of spaying the animal before it reaches 6 months old and they dont want to learn how to either. I totally agree that there should be a tax for breeding and a compulsary law for vaccinations, only these week we had 2 Parvo Virus cases due to no vaccinations, 1 was saved and the other puppy sadly wasnt even treated because the owner said it was to much money and the puppy was took away again on the dirty piece of cardboard on which he was brought in on. I try in my own way to educate these people but some just wont listen….