21/09/2025
Every so often, I see a question pop up about whether or not placing retired breeding animals is ethical. To people who aren’t breeders, it often looks bad or feels icky... like breeders are just tossing away dogs once they’ve been used to produce puppies. Let me give you a different perspective...
I receive messages and see posts from the owners of my retired show and breeding dogs. While their lives are comfortable with me, they now get to live an incredibly loved and spoiled life, many times as an only dog with a family that adores them. Different isn’t good or bad, it’s just different. They live a different life with their families than they would have with me. They are content, satisfied, and loved with me; they continue to be all of those things, but with their very own people and without having to share those people with a pack of other dogs. And we are VERY picky where we let adults go. Their new families and environments are all geared to their needs not who shows up first.
The day I let one of my retired dogs go to a family is HARD. I cry when I let them go... I look forward to updates on birthdays, “gotcha” days, and out of the blue every few months. I see how they are loved beyond measure, and I am grateful every day that my “retired” dogs have been blessed into the lives of the people that love them just as much as I ever did. I’m glad it could be one of mine that they love.
Quality breeders don’t rehome retired breeding dogs because it’s easy. We do it in spite of how hard it is on us because it’s what’s best for them.
** Copied from a friend **
