jla@inuxd.UUCP (Joyce Andrews) (10/23/84)
I agree with the idea of breeding registration, but I doubt that the AKC will ever go along--unless, of course, the cost for registering the breedable animals is so high it makes up for the loss of revenue caused by not registering the masses of purebreds whelped. There are pitfalls--having a "registered" dog could become such a status symbol that non-lovers of animals may own one just to prove they can--but any idea to reduce the pet population by any amount is a step in the right direction (here comes the soap box). I have held offices in two humane societies and have been a Humane Agent for the State of Ohio. With my own hands I have killed hundreds of dogs and cats because they were unwanted and there was no way to care for all of them. It was the hardest thing I have ever done. I know that what I did for them was for the best--I provided a trauma-free slip into oblivion in place of starvation, exposure, injury, and disease. I did not take away their chances to live--society did. Society will never respect the rights of animals as long as this huge surplus exists. Educate society about the responsibilities of neutering and spaying, and we may finally achieve a scarcity of pets that will insure that every dog and cat will have a home. Man has taken a wild animal, domesticated it, bred out its survival instincts and abilities, and made it his companion. It is now his responsibility to protect it.