ayers@convex.UUCP (08/17/84)
#N:convex:47500002:000:2872
convex!ayers Aug 17 10:46:00 1984
The following appeared on net.wanted:
I'm thinking about getting an afghan (sp ?) puppy, but
I live in southern Ca. and I've never seen one down here
and they're never in the papers or pet stores. Does anyone
know where I can get one, or why I might not want to ?
I like the looks of hounds, so other suggestions would
also be appreciated.
Mike
How to reach me:
via UUCP:
{allegra,cbosgd,hplabs,ihnp4,orstcs,sdcsvax,ucla-s,akgua}!sdcrdcf!mike
via SNAIL MAIL:
Mike Williams
Mail drop 02-B160
System Development Corp.
5151 Camino Ruiz
Camarillo, CA. 93010
via BELL or the ilk:
(805) 987-6811 x4529
/* End of text from convex:net.wanted */
I replied ...Go to a breeder, not a pet store... and have been getting
a lot of "Why's" in the mail. Rather than rewrite to each one, I'm
posting my standard reply here.
********************** More on Pet Shoppes ***************************
**************************************************************************
I'm afraid that I have to look at this from a dog breeder's point of view.
Not only is disease a big problem, but ONLY those dogs not good enough
for showing (known as `pet quality') are dumped (and `dumped' IS the word)
into pet stores. You can get the same quality dog at the same price (often
less) from a breeder who raises and sells both show dogs and pets, and you
can see where the dog came from.
This is MOST important.
Not only is it a good idea to check out the temperment of the dog's parents,
but it is a MUST to see what kind of surroundings the dog and it's parents
`normally' live in. There are breeders who RAISE animals in cages no larger
than the ones you see in the pet stores (shocking, but all-too-often true).
Those animals usually get NO (I repeat, NO) exercise at all. Think about
the mental and physical consequences on a baby--or even on an adult (think
POW)....
On top of that, the pet stores themselves seldom (read `almost never') provide
any stimulating interaction (or exercise) for the animals they sell.
I realize that there ARE exceptions, but given all the above, why take a
chance? And also, why help perpetuate the overall business, when reputable
breeders serve the same function in a much more `humane' (read `caring')
atmosphere...?
[Oops! I think I may have been flaming... :-)]
No, I am not a breeder (my wife is) and yes I'm prejudiced. MOST of the
dog breeders I've met (and that's a lot) are quality people who breed dogs
because they love dogs. If you ever get into breeding, you'll see why
money is not the usual focus. [The only way to make BIG bucks is to assembly
line the dogs (as mentioned above).] But breeding is a way to justify the
time and energy spent on what is basically a selfish, expensive, time consuming
hobby.
[There I go again :-)]
Anything else?
blues, IIhania@rabbit.UUCP (Hania Gajewska) (08/18/84)
Thank you for posting the article about why not to get a puppy from a pet shop on the net. I sent a long reply, in the same vain, to the author of the afghan request. I also offered assistance with locating a breeder in his area, as well as suggesting ways he might go about finding one himself. The main thing to remeber about pet shop pups is the reason they are there: someone is making money on them. Most of the time, no attention is paid to the temperament (or looks) of the parents, and very closely related dogs (such as brother and sister) are often bred together, with predictable results. (I personally know of such cases). The only people I know who bought a puppy from a pet shop (on impulse -- their 15 year old cocker spaniel had just died) have had to put it to sleep, because no trainer or dog shrink could get it to stop biting everyone in sight. Of course, when you buy a puppy from a breeder, you're not guaranteed that it will turn out well, but your chances are far better. If the breeder exhibits dogs at dog shows, then he/she probably bred the litter to produce show quality pups -- beautiful specimens with temperaments to fir their breed. Perhaps the breeder is looking to keep one of the pups him/herself. You can be sure that a lot of thought was given to which dogs to breed, and which lines, looks, and temperaments would go together. The puppies were most likely raised with care, played with and socialized, to produce stable adults. This, of course, is not true for all breeders, but since most of them end up keeping a puppy from a litter (if there is one to their liking), you can be sure that they are breeding dogs they could live with. The pet public profits by having the opportunity to buy those puppies from a litter which didn't quite make the show grade, most often for reasons of no significance to the pet owner. These puppies have the same fine blood lines as the show dogs. I am curious whether the person who posted the afghan article ever got my reply to him, or whether it got lost in net-mail-land. But let me reiterate the offer that I made to him to all you other folks in netland: I would be glad to locate a breeder, any breed, in your area. I may not always succeed, but I am always willing to try. Hania Gajewska P.S. I breed Airedale Terriers. Any other breedres out there?
haapanen@watdcsu.UUCP (Tom Haapanen [DCS]) (08/20/84)
Right on! Breeders can provide better after-sale support, and are
usually more user-friendly, too.
I purchased my Cairn Terrier (*much* better than a Macintosh...) from
a breeder and I am *very* happy with the help she (the breeder) has
given me, as well as the basic training the puppy had received prior
to my purchase.
Incidentally, she (the puppy) was 12 weeks old when I took her home.
The breeder felt that the puppy could cope with the change much better
at that age instead of at 8 or 9 weeks. Anybody care to comment?
(She certainly coped well in our case, even in our somewhat strange
and/or eccentric home...)
Tom Haapanen
{allegra,decvax,ihnp4}!watmath!watdcsu!haapanenkitten@pertec.UUCP (karen hettinger) (08/30/84)
There is also a 'back scenes' to some pet stores...the places that supply them usually aren't what *I* would call breeders - more like puppy factories. The poor females are bred constantly until they become sterile or die, and live in small, above-ground hutches (like rabbits). They are never allowed out of their hutches, no place to run, nothing to do but be bred, eat, sleep, urinate, defecate, and bear puppies. Not all pet shops are supplied by such puppy factories, but when I buy my cocker, I'm not going to support one by buying at a pet store, I'm going directly to a breeder. My sister just recently became the proud mother of a rambuncious cocker puppy named "Corky" (a buff) and she is just thrilled with his personality and dispo- sition. Of course, my mother, who used to be a breeder of show cockers back East, knows a good stop when she sees one! Anyway, I can wait to meet the little guy, unfortunately, he is 450 miles away. Maybe, before he grows up? kitten~ scgvaxd!pertec!kitten