Why
are Champion Lines important to me? |
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FACT: None of
these assumptions are necessarily true. Even if you are seeking 'just a
pet' the pedigree IS important! Here's an example situation: You buy a puppy from a breeder who
knows nothing about the pedigree behind your dog. Your dogs gets very
sick, but neither you or your breeder know anything about the health or
longevity of the dogs in your puppys pedigree, therefore, they have no
idea about why your puppy may be ill, or have hip/joint problems, or has a
heritable disease. When you buy a puppy from a
knowledgeable breeder who knows about the dogs in his/her pedigrees, they
can often tell you about how long the dogs in the pedigree lived, what
health ailments they may have had (and therefore, most breeders avoid dogs
with known health problems!) and, if the dogs were health tested for
common breed problems. Often, show breeders can tell you about dogs as far
back as 5+ generations, and if they do not know about a certain dog, the
dogs in Champion lines are well known to many other breeders. In some
cases, these breeders have been breeding so long that the breeder who bred
a dog who appears 4-5 generations back in a pedigree, may STILL be active
in breeding, and can share information on dogs from generations back!
While SOME pet breeders may be familiar with many of the dogs in their
pedigrees, these breeders are the exception, not the rule. MYTH: Show
breeders are worried about sales competition. Show breeders usually only breed
when they are keeping a puppy to show. These breeders breed with the
intention of improving the breed, and without the thought of profit. They
breed to improve upon the dogs they own, and to make the next generation
even better than the last. Seldom do show breeders make a true profit on a
litter... when you consider the money put into a breeding/litter, you
realize that its not easy to profit on a litter when no corners are cut.
When you add up the costs of stud fees, health testing, premium foods, and
other necessary costs when raising a litter, you can see that breeders are
not worried about competition from pet breeders. Many times, so-called
"Back-Yard Breeders" cut corners on costs, starting with the
stud fee. Many pet litters are sired by the neighors dog, or the male the
breeder owns therefore making the stud fee a small, or nonexistent cost.
Secondly, rarely do BYB's feed premium foods, and often, they leave the
puppies nursing on the dam longer than is advised, therefore cutting back
on feeding costs. FACT: Breeders
who breed for profit are the only ones who are concerned about 'sales
competition' and money. MYTH: Show
breeders always 'look down' on pet lines. While this may seem true, its not
necessarily the case. Show breeders are often VERY proud of the lines they
own, and the dogs they breed, and often, there is a genuine advantage to
buying/owning lines with known, and proven parentage behind them. There
are benefits in health, temperament, conformation, and behavior. Most
often, show lines are predictable in appearance, temperament, and the dog definitely
can be more likely to have fewer health problems if the parents were
health tested. Pet breeders often view breeders voicing these benefits as
'looking down' on pet lines. In all honesty, I have never had a person
show me a dog with all pet breeding behind it that is even close to the
quality of conformation that pet quality dogs from show lines often
exhibit. The benefits run far deeper than just the 'Champion' names on a
piece of paper. The majority
of Boxers shown in books and magazines are from show lines, and often
people do not understand when they purchase a puppy from a newspaper ad or
pet shop why the puppy does not look like the dogs in the books. Show
breeders usually look down on the questionable breeding practices often
seen in breeders who only breed for pet quality dogs, not necessarily the
lines themselves. So, even if you 'only want a pet'
understand what 'Champion Lines' are, and why a reputable Hobby Breeder is
most likely the best source for a Boxer Puppy. However, you must be sure
to research ANY breeder, because there are good and bad breeders in all
situations! Read the article, "What is a breeder?" and do some
research to find out what makes a breeder a reputable one. Why shouldn't I
buy from a pet store? Many
people consider the local pet store to be the FIRST place they look for
their new puppy when in reality, a pet store should NEVER be considered
for your new companion!!! These people who claim to love dogs, and sell
them to the public are supporting a CRUEL and HORRIBLE industry! Pet stores buy their puppies
from Puppy Mills, or USDA Breeders. A puppy mill is a place where dogs are
MASS-PRODUCED with no concern for health, temperament or appearance. Puppy
mills usually produce many breeds of dogs, they do NOT keep them as pets,
these dogs are kept in cages PERMANENTLY and bred EVERY season, EVERY year
until they can no longer produce more puppies. When
they are longer useful to the puppymiller - that is, when they can
no longer produce puppies, they are often killed, or disposed of
otherwise. The dogs are not even treated well when they are alive and
producing...they are kept in tiny cages with wire floors (so urine and
feces simply drop through- no cleaning!) they have NO human interaction,
unless you count the few seconds that the puppymillers are taking to drop
food into the cage interaction. Most of these dogs have never seen the
inside of a house, of felt grass beneath their feet - they are slaves,
kept alive only for their owners to make a profit, and when their usefulness
has worn out, they are disposed of.
The
poor puppies bred by these so-called breeders, are often whisked away from
their mothers at an age that is much too young for the pups to be
separated, but, these people and your local pet store are not concerned
about what's best for the puppy, they are concerned about getting a
saleable product into the stores when it is at its most marketable. Young
puppies sell. Older puppies do not. I personally know of a friend who
for one day worked at a pet store. You'll soon understand why this job was
immediately left! She started on the day the puppies were being shipped in
by truck... when it came time to unload the pups, half of the shipment was
dead. The store owner and person driving the shipment simply unloaded the
dead puppies into the dumpster, and the store owner joked about this was
why the puppies were delivered on Garbage day. Sadly, when I related this
story online, I got many emails from other ex-pet store employees telling
me similar, and even worse tales. Many pet stores will deny buying
pups from puppy mills. They state "Our pups come from private
breeders" Not true. Or, if it is, these are pitiful breeders. What
kind of REPUTABLE breeder would allow a store to take an entire litter of
pups, and sell them with NO screening of buyers, NO contracts protecting
the puppy, NO interviews??? Pet stores do nothing to ensure that the home
is appropriate for the puppy, they have NO care, or concern that the dogs
they sell are going into happy homes where the dog will be treated well.
The pet stores ONLY concern is that you pay in cash, or that your check
doesn't bounce. FACT: Once you
leave the pet store, they could CARE LESS about you, or the dog you
purchased, and they offer NO support to the buyer once they leave the
store. I know of MANY local pet stores
who claim to buy only from "private breeders". I did the
research, and EVERY one who told me 'private breeders only' ACTUALLY
purchased from USDA breeders, and known puppy mills. If the puppy was bred
out of state, 99.9% chance its a puppy mill dog. Please take the time to visit
http://www.nopuppymills.com and see photos and read stories of dogs
rescued from these horrible places. While you may be tempted to buy a
puppy to give it a better life - do not. You are only padding the puppy
millers wallets, and giving them a reason to keep breeding. When people
stop buying, the puppy mills will go out of business, and the pet stores
will quit selling these puppies. Tell your local pet stores who
sell dogs and cats that you will NOT buy anything as long as they sell
puppies and kittens! Instead, buy from Petsmart, and discount stores who
DO NOT sell puppies and kittens, but instead promote adoption. Spread the
word - DON'T BUY PET STORE ANIMALS! |
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