It would be funny if it didn't have such far reaching repercussions for the animals but the cyberworld is just rife with discussions on email lists about what it is that constitutes a responsible breeder. Some of the expectations that supposedly we have of each other ( and that buyers have of us) are
a. that puppies be microchipped or tattooed before leaving
b. that health testing be done on parents and either in a database or proof provided
c. that the ability to keep an entire litter be present before you do the breeding ( this was hammered into my head by my "mentor" in the breed and it is something I have kept)
d. that the parents have some sort of bona fides ( either in beauty or performance, now while this isn't a requirement it is usually a preference)
e. that the puppy be warranteed
Apparently though these things seem to be only important as long as some are discussing other people's dogs or practices. Classic examples
1. the MANY MANY breeders who do not microchip their puppies, this is far further widespread than I would have thought and some of the most supposedly enlightened breeders have placed puppies far and wide without any permanent ID. So what happens if the dog is lost?
2. Breedings are routinely done with no health testing, sometimes the reason given ( and I just LOVE this one ....not) oh the dogs were TOO YOUNG TO HEALTH TEST. EXCUSE ME but CERF registers dogs no matter what age they are. It doesn't take a rocket scientist either to take your dog to a veterinarian or better yet a cardiologist for an auscultation and it costs less than a bag of dogfood to register these results. Come on people give something back to the breed. What is funny is the people some of them highly educated calling some of these backyard crazies and inquiring about these puppies. When asked why "oh I might find something good". Well honestly as if a complete novice could sort through a pedigree (that is assuming the breeder knows anything other than who the parents were) and figure out who was healthy , who died of bloat etc.
3. I actually had someone get all fluffy like a cat's tail on some list when I commented people should be in a position to keep the entire litter before breeding one. Poof, novices came out of the woodwork to tell me I'm wrong about that one. SOrry Charlie Tuna's but that one I am dead right about. If you can't keep them you don't need to breed them.
4. See section 2, as if most rank novices ( and some not so rank)
could sort a pedigree or pick a good puppy
5. What really bowls me over or yanks my shorts are people who quiz quiz quiz you out , all bout the dog or it's parents, etc etc. Then they show up 3 months later with some dog that they found at "Super Elite kennels" that has a bad bite missing a load of teeth and a gay tail, no front, and guess what their contract covers nothing at all IF they actually have a contract. What happened to these enlightened , concerned buyers? Were they only interested in asking questions if the puppy was possibly coming from a real breeder but it's OK to meet none of the responsible criteria if you just had two dogs running in your yard and decided to let them have a litter. I really cannot follow the logic on this one
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