12/09/2024
Writen by Michelle Delabre Bjorkman Great Dane breeder):
"To all the Adopt-don't-Shop people;
"Aside from the fact that preserving the breeds that assisted man in creating Civilization is important in an Historical sense. Aside from the fact that dogs bred for certain jobs have certain predictable physical and mental characteristics that not only made them able to do those jobs that assisted man, but still help you decide which dog will suit your lifestyle and allow a happy partnership for the whole of your dog's life. Aside from those things...
"Are you aware of how many millions of dollars and nights of worry have gone into creating the genetic tests identifying many diseases so we can prevent the next generation of suffering? Are you aware of how much of the research we as breeders of dogs have done that is being used in HUMAN medicine? The research dog breeders have done has led to advances in understanding Epilepsy, Addison ' s, Liver Shunt, Histeosarcoma...and so many more. This research has been done because of the dedication and funding by concerned breeders. Breeders who cried as they prepared a still born puppy for shipment to the University doing the research, who sent blood and swabs and pedigrees to every study, who stayed away from Starbucks for months to put every $ saved toward research...
"Why? To preserve these partners in our journey from caves to present in as healthy and long a life as possible. To have predictable dogs to sit with when we have ptsd, swim with us as lifeguards on the beaches, walk or run with us to keep us healthy, search for us when we are lost or buried, hunt in our cities for disease spreading rodents...
"Please stop reviling breeders. Sure there are irresponsible breeders, there are irresponsible people in all walks of life. But doing away with reputable breeders, making it harder and harder for the good ones to breed? That is exactly what the Animal Right people have been trying to get you to do. Why? Because both PETA and HSUS have a stated objective of no companion animals. Successful spay and neuter to them means no more pets in human care. Ingrid Newkirk of PETA believes they are better dead than in "captivity". Think on that.
"You "shop" for a horse, yet there are plenty of adoptable horses in rescue and kill pens. Why is shopping for a dog automatically bad? Maybe, like a horse, you want something specific in the animal you plan to share your life with for the next 15 years. That is smart, and if you choose a breed and carefully shop for a good breeder you are helping to save a breed of dog that is a part of the history of human success.
"Instead of jumping on PETA's wagon of feel good on the way to no captive animals, please consider helping the careful breeders trying to preserve animals living monument to human history...the purebred dog."
