I am all for positive adoption ads. I have lamented the use of the “DIES TOMORROW!!!!!!!!” approach many times. It turns me off. It overwhelms me. It makes me feel sad and helpless. But as TV commercials go, I never thought the Pedigree adoption ads narrated by David Duchovny were depressing. Apparently many viewers of the Westminster Kennel Club dogs show on TV did and as such, the show has gone with a different sponsor this year:
“The feedback we got from our primary audience was that they were seeing commercials that made them want to turn the channel,” Westminster spokesman and longtime TV host David Frei said Thursday.
[…]
He added: “Our show is a celebration of dogs. We’re not promoting purebreds at the expense of non-purebreds. We celebrate all dogs,” he said. “When we’re seeing puppies behind bars, it takes away from that. Not just because it’s sad, but it’s not our message.”
Have you seen the Pedigree shelter dog commercials? If so, where do you think they rank of the scale of revoltingness? I’m thinking the people who have to turn away from the Pedigree ads must feel obligated to commit suicide when they see the ASPCA’s parade of shivering one-eyed pets. But that’s just me.
They are a hell of a lot better than the lame ass hokey Pet Project commercials, by the Ad Council. Just saying.
I wouldn’t feed Purina….I get it and donate it to the local shelter or inner city rescue groups.
I think the “primary audience” was David Frei.
Who doesn’t want to see any goggies who aren’t attached to someone in evening clothes by a string. They harsh his buzz.
As I have mentioned many times, the pain porn from HSUS and ASPCA put my teevee in mortal danger every time they come on.
The Pedigree ads, from a company whose product I would not willingly feed my chickens, are teh awesome. There’s an ad man who has, against all odds, bought his way into heaven with that campaign.
ha yeah, if nothing else, the ads encourage people to adopt a shelter dog so they won’t have to eat Pedigree at the pound.
I laughed out load at this one.. I cringe when i see people with 50 pound bags of the stuff at the grocery store..Purina is the new sponsor.. i think they will be great.. well balanced on all fronts and they make some pretty good product too. and they have the new Purina Center.. for all sorts of animal activities..dog shows, rally-o, obedience, tracking, nose work, and they have a bar there too!!! LOL
Lately it seems that dog people are offended by every ad that has a dog in it. Petting stray Pit Bulls, racing Greyhounds, an Inuit in an igloo with a dog team, a German Shepherd with a deadly secret offering a bribe.
I thought the pedigree commercials were cute. They actually said stuff like “don’t pity me, adopt me!” and stuff. I bet there was a lot more politics in this situation than just “the commercials are too sad!”
I hate those ASPCA and HSUS ones. They make me rage.
that’s how I see it…I loved the ads.
No one I knows feeds Pedigree but I do watch Westminster. The idea that “shleter dogs” need another ad during a show that promotes the pedigreed.. or better the “purpose bred” dog seems overboard to me.. Much like the PETA crap that says. don’t breed or buy when shelter dogs die or moaning HSUS ads that beg for “just 419.00 per month”.
This show celebrates the good breeders.. and not just show dogs .. there are awards for all sorts of dogs at Westminster.
and I agree with Jan.. there is a “doggoder” behind every tree peeing on someones fun or hobby.
I hope Westminster ads show happy healthy dogs, showing, working and being service dogs..
Have you seen a lot of what happens to a lot of show dogs when they aren’t useful anymore? I think pedigree is just trying to get the word out about the shelter dogs plight. Most people don’t even think of the dogs in shelters. They drop them off ,out of site out of mind. I think the public needs to stop looking threw rose color glasses and see true reality of what is happening to our animals and the really terrible system we have in place for them.As Breeders i think of them the same way I do about puppy mills what i think is not good or nice but I will not put you threw that. You have a imagination .
yes i do know what happens to “show dogs” when they retire from the ring/.. in fact i have several right here on my couch..most breeders I know would keep all of their retired show dogs but the animal rights groups keep pushing for more “pet limits” so that people are restricted from caring for more that just a couple of dogs.. so instead they find them loving homes with friends
Not the ones in our breed….no couches for them. Many quietly disappear….
oh sorry $19.00 per month.. they have not gotten to 419 per month (yet).. LOL
“When we’re seeing puppies behind bars, it takes away from that. Not just because it’s sad, but it’s not our message.”
The most ridiculous statement I have seen in a long time. It is not the message? Really? If that is not the message then why are the shelters overflowing with purebred puppies 3 month after Christmas or 1 day before summer vacation?
I didn’t get what he was saying there at all which is partly why I included it in the post. We celebrate all dogs but not puppies behind bars?
I always liked the Pedigree commercial, it is the reality. But in the end, it is all about the money. The Westminster Kennel Club clearly is there to support Breeders and the pictures of dogs behind bars doesn’t fit in to that message.
Thank you, Alice in LALA Land. I agree. Pedigree is lowering itself to the likes of PeTA and HSUS with ads like those, and putting them on during Westminster is completely inappropriate. Westminster is a celebration of purebred dogs. While ads promoting shelter adoption may be fine in the right place, they go against what AKC stands for, which is the sport of purebred dogs. And whoever said sheltered are full of purebred dogs needs to do some research. Most dogs in shelters are adult, mixed breed, already sterilized dogs, dumped because of behavioral problems. I’m tired of hearing how we, responsible dog owners, are supposed to rescue the cast-offs of these people. Why does nobody ever ever confront these so-called owners who get rid of dogs because they’re too old, or don’t match the furniture? Yes, there are other reasons for relinquishing a dog too, but when 70-80% are there for behavioral problems, I think that needs to be addressed. Oh, and by the way, there is no pet overpopulation crisi in this country. Just the opposite. Dogs are being transported across country to fill empty shelters, and being imported by the thousands from China, Romania and the like. Eventually, if responsible American breeders (like those at Westminster) are shut down, all we’ll have to choose from is the strays off the streets of some third world country. is that what you want for your children and grandchildren? It is not the job of purebred dog owners to rescue the dogs in shelters. And no, I’m not a breeder, never bred a litter in my life, but I love, support and am fighting for the very existence of purebred dogs. Pedigree’s ad was an insult to the show they were sponsoring and I’m THRILLED that they got dumped. David Frei is NOT alone, by any means!
I have one purebred Chinese Crested from a responsible show breeder, and I’m about to acquire a second.
And I’m absolutely mystified as to how the very positive Pedigree shelter dog ads are an “insult” to me, my dogs, or their breeder. Yes, even when they’re shown during AKC dog shows.
Remember that AKC makes a big thing, during the broadcasts of these shows, of being, “not just champion dogs, but the dogs’ champion.” All the serious breeders I know do rescue, too. My dogs’ breeder, in addition to her Chinese Cresteds, has a rescue Lab/bluetick coonhound mix.
Shelter dogs are not lesser life forms. And most dogs are in shelters, not for dog-related reasons (the behavior issues you pound on), but for human reasons: death, job loss, foreclosure, landlord issues, objections or allergies of family members.
And Thank you thank you to you too, Kelty! I think some people are mixing up some of the ads. The most offensive are the ASPCA and HSUS ads, and they should never have been shown during that broadcast in the first place. Good thing they are not making an appearance anymore. Being in advertising, I know that cuteness and cleverness can get in the way of the message – think Super Bowl ads. The old Pedigree ads were very clever, but they hadn’t been revamped for several years, maybe some new dogs at the most. But same ol’ same ol’, basically. The thing that always drove me crazy was that the ads didn’t feature purebred dogs at all, only cute mixed breeds, and yes, some were behind bars. If there had been a majority of purebreds, I don’t think they would have gotten into so much trouble, but frankly, the focus on rescue seemed so apologetic, as if the purebred dog enthusiasts in the audience were somehow causing dogs to end up in shelters. They just seemed so preachy, a huge guilt trip. After so many years of being hammered with the attitude that “go ahead and celebrate these ‘fancy’ dogs, while ‘real’ dogs suffer. This got tiresome over the years, and gave official sanction to those ridiculous “Don’t buy while shelter dogs die” slogans. Which is a topic for a whole new blog.
In general, what you said, Welty, about shelters being unable to keep cages filled and donations flowing in is true in many parts of the country. The big wealthy shelters where I live, untaxed, free labor, free advertising through the media, all face a severe shortage of adoptable dogs. This is not uncommon, and across the country, the statistics prove that there is already a higher demand for ‘rescue’ than supply. Those Pedigree ads just aren’t quite so relevant anymore, especially when you consider the audience of Westminster. People already give, donate, get dogs from shelters, creating more demand only brings problems.
Does anyone see the irony in the old ads, with the word “Pedigree” tied in with all those mixed breed dogs? I have always thought that the ads tried too hard to be ‘fair’ to shelter dogs, considering their brand name . . .
So, how exactly is “purebred dogs” a sport?
Endlessly and uselessly debated. But if there is anything to take away it is this – technique in showing dogs is actually quite athletic, much more so than bowling, less so than tennis. But it’s more about tradition. “Sporting” people started the showing of dogs. Dog shows aren’t the only venue either, there is the traditional hunting field, and more recently obedience, agility, tracking, rally, all quite serious sports.
Just spend a day following a handler around a big show like the old benched ones – there is one in Chicago, acres of space – and you will see how physical it is, how much endurance and grace is required, and as long as the term ‘sportsmanlike behavior’ applies, so does the term.
showing dogs is a sport.. Websters definition:
sport
noun
1
a : a source of diversion : recreation :
Some of you are amazing. I’m not sure how you breathe with your nose so far up in the clouds. Or elsewhere for that matter. I for one am an animal lover. I have owned pure bred dogs and shelter dogs. My pure breds where loyal companions as were the shelter dogs. Pedigree should be commended for their concern for animals. I hate they lost their sponsorship, however I wouldn’t want to be associated with those people anyway. I have always enjoyed the Westminster Dog Show but now they have confirmed my suspicions. It’s seems to be about fashion and money. Very sad!
I agree Terry…
Terry:
did you see my posts about the Canine Health Foundation and all of the good that they do for ALL dogs
http://www.akcchf.org?
did you see where Westminster KC donated all of the money made by selling posters to the CHF for research and development ?
Did you see where Angel On A Leash is raising money at Westminster to train therapy dogs and hospital dogs.
Do you know that awards at Westminster also go to police dogs, service dogs and SAR dogs?
Do you know that the AKC sponsors college scholarships for junior handlers in the sport?
nah.. didn’t think so.. but you do now
because Peters statement is not true. Shelters are not “overflowing with pure bred puppies ” at any time..breed rescues take most of the “purebreds ( no papers) out of shelters.. and most of those “rescuers” are also breeders.. and please no.. well you cause the problem yadayada
The message is celebrating dog ownership.. of any type.. service dogs.. police dogs .. agility dogs.. and yes “show dogs” Westminster celebrates the bond between dogs and owners.. instead of saying how “horrible ” people are like PETA and the HSUS do..
as for dogs in shelters.. even the ASPCA say 20% of dogs relinquished to shelters are ALREADY “shelter dogs” and are “returns”.
I think what David is saying.. and he is a very nice man .. is that there is a time and place for everything.. most dogs DO NOT live behind bars.. most live in great homes with great families and that is what Westminster celebrates. They are trying to promote dog ownership for the LONG TERM and to prevent dogs in shelters by showing dogs in all sorts of venues.. not just sad ones “behind bars”
Right! I guess I only had a bad dream last week when we found 22 dogs in the morning in front of our door. 18 of them were puppies ranging in age from 4 or 5 days up to 6 weeks. 4 others were adult dogs. Oh, did I mention that they all were Poodles?
Oh geez. Did they at least leave the pups with the dams or did you have to try and sort out who went with who?
They left the newborns with the mother. Here is the story:
http://times-news.com/local/x2053729704/22-puppies-found-at-shelter
And here:
http://www.wusa9.com/news/article/188288/158/18-Poodles-Dumped-At-Animal-Shelter
at “your door” or the door of the shelter. Why would they leave the dogs at you home?
“Malti poos” are not poodles.. but what amazes me is that the person or their friends brought the dogs to the shelter.. the owner has DEMENTIA.. but what does Peter focus on.. the dogs .. where else should they take them? Situations like this are what “shelters ” are for.
I saw the pictures.. none of those were ‘poodles’..but that aside.. this poor person with dementia is being called a “backyard breeder” and worse in these articles.. this person is ILL.. shelters are made for these situations.. so instead of saying gee Glad we could help a person who is ill .. we get ” nasty horrible person dumping dogs on poor shelter”.
and at most “shelters” “poo ” dogs are the first to be sold.
Peter.. did anyone call poodle rescue to elt them know that 22 pure bred poodles were at the shelter? and if so what did they say?
Since you have seen the article you already know that the dogs went to a rescue. Fact is/was, the dogs were dumped over night. The letter about the “ill” person most likely was fake. If you want to surrender 22 dogs to a shelter there are 2 ways to do it, the wrong way and the right way. The right way would be to go to the shelter and talk to the people so that they can prepare everything. It’s not really that difficult.
Out of curiosity, how many times does something like that occur at your shelter?
Roger, fortunately it does not happen very often that somebody is dumping this large amount of dogs. We do have several outside kennels open mostly for Law Enforcement. We also keep food and water hidden outside so that if Law Enforcement is bringing in a animal they can give it food and water.
Our main concern with the puppy story is that person still may have dogs and will continue with the puppy mill.
Peter…we faced a similar situation in the summer of 2009. 33 purebred GWP dogs and mainly puppies (28 of the count above were puppies). All signed over by a backyard breeder caught with this amount of dogs when the city limit was 4. He had 4 intact females and one intact male that had made 28 pups all in a trailer park at one time. We were called in, and started the daunting task of rallying volunteers.
the pups ranged from newborn, 6 weeks, and 3 months. We did lose one to parvo, and with the help of a reputable vet and techs that took the litters in that had been exposed, were able to save them. The cost in the end was $15,000. As the adults were in such horrific condition they were transferred to the University of MO Vet school where Dr. Kerl, DVM headed up the save calling in vet students to detick the adults that were covered with hundreds of ticks on Memorial Day weekend. As we are a Licensed, inspected, 501c3 Animal Care facility, and not breeders…we had been called. My Baldwin’s Mother delivered her pups 10 days after the confiscation. He came to me with half of his litter at 5 weeks of age as his Mother was so high heartworm positive, the vets felt she could not longer care for her pups. I had the older pups to help me, along with community volunteers to teach the pups what the mother could not. They all, and I mean all 33 were of incredibly solid temperament, and have gone on to earn agility and flyball titles, SAR work, and wonderful family companions. We see 20-30% purebreds in shelters here in the Midwest, and no 70-80% have NOT been turned in due to behavioral issues…that I can say from 12 years being in this breed alone…and 8 years before that in all breed rescue.
I loved the Pedigree commercials, I have a lot of friends that are breeders….but with such incredibly beautiful, solid dogs we see daily coming through our doors…there is no need to buy.
Hate the Pedigree ads. Change the channel as fast as possible when the weepy ASPCA/HSUS ads come on.
The ASPCA and HSUS ads are very weepy and manipulative. What’s your objection to the far more positive Pedigree ads?
Just because Peter found 22 dogs in front of his door one morning doesn’t mean it’s happening in front of everyone’s front door, or anyone’s besides his for that matter. Why is it that people think their personal experiences define the state of the rest of the country? Do a little research. I’m not pulling this info out of my behind.
I assume you never worked or volunteered in an animal shelter. it would be a good start for your “research”.
I volunteer with a local rescue group, and a local shelter. Barring the occasional puppy mill bust, purebreds are a rarity in the shelter, and not much more common in the (all-breed) rescue.
Peter, I know “Kelty” personally, and she volunteers a good deal of her time, each and every day, to help ALL dogs by formulating educational dog ownership information for the public and breed ID information for shelter workers. Nevertheless, you don’t need to work extensively in a shelter to understand the dynamcs involved; in fact I’d dare say that those who work extensively in shelter and rescue are too close to the situation to view it objectively. They forget that there are over 170 million owned pets in the US….and the number entering shelters is just a small portion of that number….and many of those entering are not “owned”, they are feral, ownerless cats. The vast majority of owned animals in the US are kept in a humane and responsible manner.
On the other hand, shelters are generally not so humane as they would lead us to believe. If you are a regular reader of this blog, (and Nathan Winograd’s too), you might have noticed that our shelters are prime examples of institutionalized cruelty…far worse ethically than, say, a well-meaning person who is moving and naively believes that the shelter will find a home for his dog. Abuse and neglect are heaped on the animals within the shelter walls, and a goodly portion of the workers regard their fellow man with scorn and derision. Not a whole lot of public education going on there, just a healthy dose of judgement.
Anecdotal experiences are not what should be used to form public policy. One dog attack, one “rescue” from poor conditions, one dog who is lost and picked up by animal control, and suddenly everyone is off to the races with moral condemnation and a holier-than-thou complex. I’m with Alice, isn’t that what shelters are for? Workers who are too burnt out need to step back for a while.
But those of us who DO work in shelters have something else to fall back on- actual STATISTICS of animals being surrendered.
Last year my shelter received about 30,000 pets.
The #1 Reason for Surrender was Moving
#2 was Owner Allergies
#3 was stray pet
‘behavior issues’ doesn’t even show up until #5 or #6. So saying the ‘majority of pets are dumped at shelters due to behavioral problems’ is completely incorrect- a misperception often made by people who don’t actually have access to numbers and stats.
We get a large quantity of purebred dogs- adults and puppies- all the time. in fact, i adopted a purebred french bulldog from my shelter- she was only 12 weeks old (her owner didn’t realize how much work a puppy is). We do no have rescues pulling purebred dogs from us- unless we ask for assistance with a particular dog that has health or behavioral issues we’re not equipped to deal with. The issue we face when receiving purebred dogs with AKC papers is that the AKC does not allow transfer of registration once they’ve been in a shelter- there’s no way to ‘prove’ that it’s the same dog (and they don’t make any money that way).
I have 3 purebred dogs- one from a mill, one from the shelter, and one from a breeder. I love watching Westminster, and i love the pedigree ads. Adoption and Ethical Breeding Practices are not mutually exclusive.
It’s frustrating that the Pedigree ads are an example of adoption/shelter commercials that work and should be CELEBRATED. But instead they are punished- for nothing other than championing all dogs- even those in shelters. (i do not, however, feed Pedigree food)
Anne, your statistic pretty much matches our statistic. About 10% of all incoming dogs have behavior “problems”. About 60% of our dogs are stray dogs and we only have about 20% owner surrender. Moving is the number one reason for owner surrender. Animal Control sometimes will pick up the “vicious and dangerous” dogs but in 90% of this cases the dogs turn out to be wonderful dogs.
As I stated above…20-30% here are purebred dogs. And it does happen….we have purebred wires all over the country, and very few of us. We are doing all we can.
Given that one of the biggest reasons for animals ending up at the shelter is behavior, Pedigree could have run ads promoting dog training to AVOID a dog ending up in the shelter. (which overall, is preferable to rescuing one after it is in the shelter). You don’t run ads during the Superbowl that discuss injuries incurred in playing football, even though it is a known issue. The people who WATCH the dog show are people who want to watch purebred dogs looking pretty in a canine beauty contest. You wouldn’t see ads about used cars during NASCAR but you MIGHT see ones about getting that motor oil. Westminster KC has a right (like any OTHER business) to have ads that are applicable to its venue run during their programs. Pedigree’s ads would do fine on Animal Planet, but no, they really weren’t applicable for the Westminster shows.
BINGO!!! Thanks Peggy. Here is a link to awards being bestowed today as part of the Westminster show: http://purebreddogwriters.org/apdw-honors-arthurs-stonehenge-winners-feb-12th-2012/ Regarding the Haggerty award, to Jeff Schettler – “The Haggerty Award is given to one who has made outstanding contributions in the field by way of, but not limited to, education, training, or taking part in new advances that increase the worth of the canine-human bond.” I know Jeff, he is an exceptional trainer and breeder of specialty working dogs.
Westminster KC Dog Show IS about ALL dogs. The Pedigree company repeatedly ignored requests to make it’s ads more compatible with the WKC mission. That alone made their position very shaky. Personally, I believe Pedigree was trying to overcome their own brand name “pedigree”, attempting to downplay the connotation, be politically correct. Back last June when this change of sponsors was announced, I immediately thought that the decision was a long time coming. Anyone who knows personally the individuals who are lucky enough to be showing this week absolutely knows that these people already work hard and contribute greatly to programs that benefit all dogs, rescue and shelter dogs as well as the future pet for your family.
While you are at it, people, give a shout out to the Canine Health Foundation. The fact is, health research that has benefited ALL dogs is only possible because of the incredible efforts of purebred dog breeders. Shelter dogs, rescue dogs, are all beneficiaries of research that just can’t be done on random populations. If you have a purebred dog, I encourage you to participate in health research, send in cheek swabs, or blood samples to your breed’s parent club program. It is easy to find a parent club on the web.
Some of the comments here are tiresome examples of tunnel vision and reverse discrimination, it’s own kind of bigotry. Another suggestion – while you are writing out a check to your local shelter, I suggest you give a like amount to the AKC PAC http://www.akc.org/governmentrelations/legislation_donations.cfm In case you haven’t noticed, there are quite severe anti-dog-owner laws proliferating across the country, and if you think it is hard to save homeless dogs now, just wait.
getting off topic but really why does every holier than thou “shelter worker’ think that no one else has done what they do? Your assumption is just that..
It is not about what I think or don’t think. It is about reality and reality is that the Westminster Kennel Club wants to exclude shelter dogs from their “We celebrate all dogs” venue because in the end it is all about money.
Excuse me, Peter? If you wonder why someone “dumped” those ‘poo’ pups at the shelter, I would simply look in the mirror. Your attitude screams “burnout”. Apparently you are so jaded that you can’t even read simple words without turning them into something else in your mind. I happen to know David Frei is a very nice man as Alice said, has a big heart, loves dogs. Westminster is about a dog show, a party, that actually DOES celebrate ‘all dogs’, but I doubt that you can grasp that.
I thought animal shelters and shelter workers and volunteers were all about compassion. But apparently not. You remind me of a woman I used to work with, who insisted on giving Christmas gifts directly to the poor families at her church, not anonymously. That way she could judge their housekeeping, and try to figure out if they were cheating on their application forms, then come to work and tell us all about it.
I think you should quit the animal biz, and go to work at a child care center where you can complain about parents who ‘dump’ their kids.
I take it you will not be watching then.. oh well I will watch twice for you and me.
This is not about “Us and them’.. it is about ALL dogs.. it is a dog show. It is fun.. it is great to see all of the dogs.. the ads this year will focus on good dog ownership.. and how to buy a dog and KEEP IT.. how to feed it. love it and have it be a member of your family ( while still being dog)
Breeders are NOT the enemy.. we would not have dogs without them.
By the way Westminster also celebrates service dogs, police dogs and more:
this is an interesting part of the event:
http://www.westminsterkennelclub.org/2012/show/news/pennvet_020612.html
yes it takes money.. does your shelter run on “good will”.. you know I don’t feed Purina.. but after reading these comments.. i may start. THANKS PURINA.. by the way Purina donates thousands of pounds of dog food to shelters..
I don’t really care if you know Mr. Frei or even if you sit on his laps and play with his ears all day. Maybe you need to come out of your pink bubble world every now and then and do an reality check.
Peter….I know what you are saying. Whenever we get an extremely beautiful GWP into rescue, from our shelter affiliates….I post on FB, and have gotten hoards of PM’s saying “that looks like one of my puppies!!!” I say, “Prove it” where is the microchip?
What I see is a lot of competition from some , “oh no….the rescue may take our business! Oh My!” Then I have referrals from wonderful breeders that microchip all of their puppies….and refer to us when a client wants a family dog or does not have the high drive their dogs have been bred to have in the field. And their pups and dogs are not in rescue….
What I would really like to see if profiles of the many wonderful breed-rescues out there. They aren’t known by the general public still. I am at PetSmart every weekend and every weekend not one friggin breed rescue shows up. They could easily be adopting out their rescues but they have to be known by the public!!! And they aren’t at Petco or Pet Supplies Plus or anything in my city. So maybe they should profile these rescues during the Westminster and really hilight adoption instead of paying lip service.
And contrary to what another poster said, breed rescues don’t come running to rescue all of the dogs of their breed that enter the shelter. At least not at the ones around here, and I think I keep a pretty good eye on that. If it’s older than a year or sick or shy or whatever, the breed rescues pass them by. So let’s not deify the breed rescues. They aren’t all that and a bag of chips.
You are correct with pretty much everything. I made the same observations. Breed specific rescues are very picky about the dogs they pickup from a shelter. In most cases they already have an adopter lined up the moment they pickup a dog from a shelter.
really well then tell why we have over 35 dogs in our local breed rescue alone. why should breed rescue be at Petco? breed rescue take the dogs out of the shelters and find homes for them by themselves thereby giving those dogs at Petco a chance for a home..many shelters do not want to give up their “pure breds” because of the demand for them. They actually sell them for more money than “mutts” at many shelters
no one ‘deifies” any rescues . breed rescue is just a way for more dogs to be taken from the shelter and a few more that the shelter does not have to worry about.. however.. i will say.. that when i saw an English Mastiff at my local shelter i offered to call their rescue.. The shelter refused..know why.. they “sold” the
dog for 500 bucks
Peter I did not know there was “right way and a wrong way” to drop off dogs.. maybe because of people with an attitude like yours people are reluctant to actually bring the dogs in
themselves in any case.
Shirley often talks about “blaming the public”.. and that sounds like what is going on here.
Accusations of “faking illness” and not doing it the “right way” are both insulting and pompous. Shelters are there to take dogs.. that is what they are paid for and why our tax dollars support many of them.
and that is a bad thing why? they are BREED rescues.. and how great is that if they have anew owner already lined up.. it is not true of most breed rescues but it would be super if it were. more dogs getting into homes..what’s not to like?
Where did anybody say anything about that breed specific rescues are bad? It was only pointed out that they are more picky than other rescues.
Do you really think it is ok for people just to dump dogs during the night in front of animal shelters like garbage? No, it is not ok besides the fact that it is against the law. It is called abandonment of an animal and Animal Control will fine you for that. Further more, it is to the advantage of the animal if the owner surrenders the animal and gives information like Vet records and information about behavior of the animal to the shelter personal.
Breed rescues vary. A lot of the very common breeds end up in rescue. A high percent are produced by breeders and/or owned by average pet lovers who aren’t dedicated to the breed. Their breed rescues don’t have the resources to handle them all and they have to be selective in what they take on. I’m sure they would love to be able to help every one, but they do what they can.
My breed falls in the middle ranks of popularity. They aren’t little and fluffy so they aren’t usually produced by commercial breeders. The good breeders are a fairly high percent of the people breeding them, and the people who own them have sought them out and, IMO, often have a higher degree of commitment to the breed than the average pet owner. So we have enough resources and dedicated volunteers to help every one of our breed we hear about as well as a fair number of crosses. But we don’t always have adopters lined up and even when we do there is sometimes extensive rehabilitation involved before the dog is ready for adoption.
This isn’t a criticism of the people who own popular breeds or an attempt to pat ourselves on the back – it’s OK to have a pet, love it, take good care of it, but not take on the responsibility for the whole breed. I’m just trying to explain some of the factors involved.
Not this breed rescue…we take dogs specifically that are special needs. Compound fractures of the radius and alna…4,000. later she can jump a 6′ fence…or the extremely old dogs…again on Bear…2800.00 later he is in a home. Or the court cases of abuse, or mill dogs out of SD that take as much as 10 months to introduce to the world. Our dogs are required to be with us for assessment for at least 30 days due to liability and safety to the public…we then can place the dogs matching the home to the dog. We as an organization are known for rehabilitation. We network strongly, do donations to groups that help us when we are full…and we are full frequently. We save whom we can….and network for those we can’t. We fly in many dogs from other states…We do a lot of community events, these are hard to place big sharp German dogs that many people love to meet and become educated about….but do not want or have the opportunity for the one hour off leash runs per day or lifestyle needed to keep these dogs happy. But those that rise to the challenge are hooked for life.
I am sorry about your situation, KerryAnn May, but I think you are over generalizing. Where I live, the purebred rescue volunteers can’t get their hands on their breed UNLESS they are sick, old or injured. Then the rich ‘pet stores’ (shelters?) gladly turn them over. But purebreds are golden, get top dollar, and they simply won’t release them.
Another thing is that breed rescue in popular breeds is a direct reflection of the breed politics, and the groups are fluid, develop factions, attrition due to competition and unpleasantness, divisiveness. Some are independent, some work out of a parent breed club. This creates all kinds of breed groups with all kinds of motivation, rules, politics, hard to nail them down, which is why you don’t see them at pet store adoption events. They face a lot of prejudice, as you might be able to figure out from some of these rather discriminatory commentors here.
Not all parent breed clubs have rescue committees due to lack of funds and personnel. My breed club has an excellent rescue committee, where I volunteer. I don’t need any thanks. We have a very long waiting list, get plenty of funding through our members, don’t need to go to Petsmart or adoption events. We won’t give our dogs to anyone who walks into a pet store, the process takes too long. So don’t overgeneralize about rescue groups, they tend to do what works, quietly, behind the scenes. The good ones all have waiting lists. A friend of mine runs an excellent golder retriever rescue, an extremely popular breed, huge numbers, their vet bills run around $75000 a year. They raise their own funds, operate separately from the breed club itself, so they can call the shots.
There are all kinds of rescue groups for random dogs, I don’t even want to go there, it would be a very long night.
Wasn’t over generalizing; I was stating specific to my locale. Not sure you understand the term generalization.
If you surveyed 10 random Petsmart customers on any given Saturday, I would bet a good chunk of money that 8 out of ten wouldn’t know that there’s a breed specific rescue for just about every breed out there, cats included.
And I think a common complaint among rescues and shelters is the fact that the shelters have to clean up the Mess that the AKC helps perpetuate. As a tax payer I resent that a private corporation that doesn’t pay taxes mind you even though they take in millions upon millions, my taxes clean up the mess they helped create. I have often proposed that we start transports of all the AKC registered dogs that end up at the shelters to AKC headquarters. They couldn’t handle the numbers. Okay, let’s say only the ones that the breed rescues can’t save. They still couldn’t handle the numbers. They wouldn’t know what to do. But I say they created the mess, let them clean it up. Kinda like the BP oil spill. It was their negligence that created that mess. I’ll be damned it’s my tax money that will clean it up.
Our local Pomeranian rescue has taken in Spaniel mixes, dachshund mixes, schipperkes, chihuahuas and others. If they get a call from a clueless shelter worker and drive out to that shelter, they don’t leave without the dog. They have taken dogs with broken limbs and dogs with cancer and dogs that were well over 10 years old. Not all rescues are overly choosy, there is a market out there for the dogs. Then there are the rescues that import from Mexico, Taiwan, Romania, the Caribbean and other distant locales. Why? Because they can place them, that’s why. Local Beagle rescue just imported 41 Beagles….from Spain.
Not sure why shelters and breed rescues are so at odds, we should be working together. I am a shelter worker and like there are progressive, healthy shelters there are also progressive healthy breed rescue(rs). I’ve had good and bad experiences with both. It is frustrating when the shelter gets in a full bred (or purebred) dog and contacts a breed rescue and there is no response, and that happens a fair amount of time. Equally frustrating I’ve heard from rescuers that shelters don’t respond to their offers of help. I don’t resent having to find homes for full bred or pure bred dogs as none of us has a crystal ball. A dog that had a great home for 10 years, may suddenly find itself in need and as one breeder said to me “I do rescue as I hope that if for some reason one of my dogs ends up at a shelter or in need there will be someone like me, who also loves the breed enough to help my dog”.
The Pedigree ads did not offend me as it’s tame compared to the real stories, but I do know a lot of people who can’t stand to watch them. The reality is love them or hate them, they are memorable and DID lead to adoptions.
@KerryAnn: You say WHAT? “And I think a common complaint among rescues and shelters is the fact that the shelters have to clean up the Mess that the AKC helps perpetuate. As a tax payer I resent that a private corporation that doesn’t pay taxes mind you even though they take in millions upon millions, my taxes clean up the mess they helped create. ”
Garbage. You clearly know next to nothing about AKC, what it is, what it does, and what it cannot do. Try this page; http://www.akc.org/mixedbreeds/index.cfm Many of the mixed breed dogs competing are owned by purebred fanciers who also love shelter and rescue dogs. Hopefully this program will grow quickly. If behavior is the main reason dogs end up in shelters – and I believe that is true – wouldn’t it be a good thing if people would be inspired to work with their shelter dogs, be just as proud of their accomplishment as the Westminster show exhibitors are of their dogs? One of my former students in agility and tracking is showing one of her national specialty-winning-earth-dog-titled terriers on Tuesday night. Working dog all the way. Isn’t that worth celebrating? And if Westminster wants ads run during their show that celebrates the very dogs in the ring, is that a bad thing?
Your attitude is quite typical of the type of shelter worker/volunteer who really should take a break for awhile, maybe you would be more effective. I hope this blog can help you – not everyone here is in total agreement on everything, but it is not right to allow ignorance to spread. Here’s another benefit offered by AKC: http://www.akc.org/clubs/rdod/events/
I suggest you re-think that “millions and millions” statement. Yes, there might be millions and millions of dollars connected to AKC, but the big bucks are not exactly making AKC rich by any stretch (their tax returns and financial information is easily available as a non-profit org.). Their sponsored events and programs make us all much richer than we could ever be without them. Not to mention the economic impact of dog shows across the country.
directly from the ASPCA website:
…” About 75 percent of owned pets are neutered.”
(so that leaves many feral cats.. most of which make up the “kill” numbers at “shelters”
“More than 20 percent of people who leave dogs in shelters adopted them from a shelter. (Source: NCPPSP) ”
PLEASE note that last statement 20 percent of shelter dogs are RETURNED to the shelter.. they are not coming from
breeders or even pet stores
@Kerry Ann – what about all those paper registries that sprung up because some commercial breeders did not want AKC inspecting their kennels, and did not want to jump through AKC’s hoops for registering? What do you propose to do with all the purebred dogs that are NOT AKC registered? There are PLENTY of those out there. Where do you want to transport them?
A good story: Rescued Weimaraner to Show at Westminster 2012 http://snipurl.com/224oahy
There is good and bad in everything. I have seen how some show people treat their breeding dogs and it is not nice at all.
Just because a dog is a purebred do NOT necessarily make it a better dog to own as a pet. Warping dogs and cats to fit some image in the mind is not always good for the animals. Many purebred show animals have problems from their altered forms that are taken too far from what nature designed.
yes a great story but this dog was not rescued.. he was purchased. Interesting to see that most people here think pure breds are in some way “warped’ and yet most call for the spay/neuter of any dog.. pure bred or not.. who will bred dogs if only pure breds are “allowed’ as they are in many places.. where will the “mutts” come from if mandatory s/n is passed in many places. you cannot have it both ways.
That dog may have gotten an ownership upgrade, but he was bought, not “rescued.”
His owner is being disingenuous at best.
By getting the dog out of the bad situation he was in, he did upgrade the dog’s situation – the same way that anyone who gets a dog from a bad situation (a barn in Montana) upgrades a dog’s situation. Just because the Weim didn’t go through a 501-C3 rescue middleman (and I give huge props to those middlemen, btw), and having money exchanged between the new owner and a rescue group, doesn’t disqualify him from being called a ‘rescued’ dog.
I totally agree…this is not a rescue. We have state laws and inspectors that go through our records. If I purchased a dog to save it, I would not consider it a rescue.
I dislike the ASPCA or the HSUS ads. Mostly because they are taking donations away from the local shelters that are the ones that do the real work.
Love the Pedigree ads. Shelter dogs are good dogs. Rescued shelter dogs are even better because the rescue works on getting them ready for a home. Maybe those ads make a breeder feel guilty?
I also dislike the AKA and the Westminster dog show. Why, you ask visit
http://pedigreedogsexposed.blogspot.com/
Oh Becky, you poor deluded girl. You’re commenting on the sponsorship post for Westminister then state you dont like Westminister and AKA (think you meant AKC, but guess you spilled the koolaid) to talk about pedigreepetsexposed. Really? do you Honestly think those people posting here, discussing the topic at hand dont have a much deeper understanding of that trash than you do? I would try to educate you but unfortunately, you cannot be educated in regards to pets. See; the problem is that you already know it all about pets, you know all about how they are repressed by their human overlords. The Issue is that you don’t know and probably never experienced a true healthy human-animal bond in your life. Specific breeds of dogs were bred for specific purposes. In case you didn’t notice, dogs can do TONS of different tasks. Dogs came from wolves and yet over selective breeding, some even guard against wolves to watch over flocks. Some help people function, some keep rodents away, Some even put their own lives on the line to apprehend criminals.
That took Breeders to accomplish. I highly doubt some thug running from cops would show much fear over a k-9 police dog that was 25 lbs of mutt. A shepherd on the other hand would take him down in a heartbeat. Now run back to your Yert and ponder everything that Dogs do for and with people. Then remember, if there were no domesticated dogs, your comments on here wouldn’t mean squat so they also empower YOU. You use them as much as anyone else.
The only thing less scary than a 25 pound mutt police dog is whatever wins Westminster this year while claiming to be a “German shepherd.”
Ronin, the rudeness quotient absolutely does not need to be set at 70. You are exemplifying the non-fancy term for a female dog.
The one thing RoninDallas is right about, I did mean the Kennel Club.
It seems this hit a hot button. But to me it appears to be a misunderstood rant. Pedigreed dogs exposed, from my understanding isn’t about keeping canines at the wolf stage, but about not taking unhealthy breed characteristics and continuing to breed those characteristics at the expense of the dog. If judges at dog show reward those extreme characteristics then breeders will continue to breed for them so they can win.
“probably never experienced a true healthy human-animal bond in your life” Seriously?! I’m still wondering how you came up with that. Fortunately I don’t take that personality so I won’t respond further on that.
aka.. hmm ..also known as?
As such thngs go I liked the Pedigree ads “shelter dogs are good dogs” is a great line, I don’t like Pedigree, but thats a different story.
I had to look up the Pedigree ads – it’s been that long since I’ve seen any of them. On the whole, I think they’re pretty good, and while one or two are a bit of a downer, it’s nowhere near the pity porn of the major charities. Still, I would rather see shelter dogs showcased for what they can do *after* they’re adopted, rather than in concrete and wire kennels. Isn’t that how people think about adoption? ‘I’d like a cute little dog who’ll want to cuddle up,’ or ‘I want a dog who’ll go hiking with me’?
That said, I don’t see why showcasing shelter or rescue dogs during the Westminster could possibly be a bad thing. I mean, I’m likely going to a cat show this weekend, and they’ll have mobile adoption booths there, as well as info & collections for several other cat charities. Why not? Cat people will be there, just as dog people will be watching Westminster. Every cat show I’ve been to this has been the case, too, and I’ve never heard anyone whining about how it harshes their mellow.
I am involved in rescue for my breed. I like the Pedigree ads and I think a few airing during Westminster would be fine, but it was inappropriate to have them at every break and sometimes more than one as they did the last few years. Westminster is a celebration of the wonderful variety of well-bred dogs and that is a good thing too. Constantly going back and forth between the dog show and the shelter ads came off as a criticism of anyone who doesn’t get their dog from a shelter. But if every puppy came from the kind of breeders I know there would be very few dogs ending up in shelters. That should be celebrated too.
Burnout doers not even describe Peter.. I feel very sorry for him and those who have to work with him.. He obviously sees everything in a negative light.. meanwhile many shelters do have “night drops’ so that people can leave dogs rather than face up to people with attitudes like Peters..
David Frei does more for dogs AND people than you ever will Peter.
http://www.angelonaleash.org/
David is the head of this organization.. While most of you think people at Westminster are mincing around in evening clothes or “sitting on laps and playing with peoples”ears” see what they are really doing.. raising money ( that filthy stuff) to help DOGS AND PEOPLE .. many of them CHILDREN.. making dogs into therapy dogs, visiting hospitals.. and more.. they are raising money ( more of that filthy stuff) to support research to find cures for canine diseases of ALL dogs. if they wan to mince around in evening clothes so much the better.. for lots of people and animals to boot. I applaud them.. more power to them and I can’t wait to see the show
This is Peter Masloch:
http://times-news.com/local/x191080213/Allegany-animal-advocate-wins-national-recognition
Someone’s drinking the kool-aid.
I also have to wonder, what’s this about money being filthy stuff? I’m fond of money myself, and wish I had a lot more of it. Then again, if I were Queen of the World the animal welfare community would be swimming in it, we’d none of us ever have to worry about another vet bill again, and Syfy would show reruns of ‘Manimal’ every Wednesday afternoon.
Alice, you also need to dial back the bitch. There was no reason for you and chienblanc to attack Peter as if you both had the beginning symptoms of rabies. You may do wonderful work with animals, but your people skills are similar to a high school mean girl
Peter’s skills, with animals and people, are much better than yours, and I know that I would rather deal with him than either of you concerning any animal issue.
here here! Bravo!
I would be very surprised if the leader of the No Kill movement. Nathan Winorgrad would call people who claimed to have dementia “fakes’.. or call leaving 22 dogs at a shelter seeking shelter “dumping” or ever said there was a “right way and a wrong way” for people to give up dogs to a shelter. I have seen him speak many times.. He never blames the public..
Kool -aid.. yup .. have a glass of the old ‘blame the public” juice.. goes down easy..
@alice why don’t you take your pink glasses off for a moment and check out the reality? Here, I will explain it to you in some simple words that even you should be able to comprehend. Let’s assume you run a puppy mill, you find out that some of your dogs are getting sick and you come up with that great idea to dump it all in front of a shelter together with a fake letter. Chances are that I will be pissed and will be coming after you to make sure that you will not be allowed to own another animal for the next 30 years. That has nothing to do with “blaming the public”. if you don’t see that running a puppy mill is wrong then I must assume that something terrible is wrong with you.
I see this as a blessing to the dogs, especially if they are sick. They are coming to you for care and aid.
The word “shelter’ means a refuge or a haven. Is it really a concern how they get to you as long as they do? What is most important here.. the dogs.. or making sure the former owners “not be allowed to own another dog for 30 years”? Or that they bring the dogs in the “right way”?
This person said they were ill. But even if they were not ill isn’t it better that you have the dogs regardless of how you got them? I see nothing that indicates this had any thing to do with a ‘puppy mill”
Punishments for animal cruelty are handled down by the judiciary. They are the persons who make the decisions about who is guilty and who is not and what punishments are meted out, if any.
you call it a “fake letter” and mention “puppy mills’ and insult me regarding my comprehension.
I understand more than simple words thank you but words like “dumping” and you being “pissed off’ and “coming after you” are to me words that say. I hate people..and blame them for making me feel this way.
I will wear my pink glasses.. I prefer them to the dark ones you wear.
sorry Nathan .. Winograd..
“They are the persons who make the decisions about who is guilty and who is not and what punishments are meted out, if any.”
And yet you feel quite at ease making decisions about Peter, assigning guilt to him for things you decide he should do. Peter is one of the good ones in shelters, so stop trying to tell him how to act. He has better house manners than you do.
The Westminster/Pedigree partnership included a drive to collect money for an Animal Rights group, the American Humane Association. At least this was the campaign in 2007, when I originally became intrigued and began to research the issue.
I checked out the American Humane Association website, to see where they stood on issues. The page I referenced has since disappeared, but in 2007, I looked at their website and discovered that:
They support AR agenda legislation in various states.
They advocate for mandatory, pre-pubescent spay-neuter.
They oppose medical research using animals.
They promote various “freedoms” for farm animals.
They oppose commercial, for-profit breeding, slurring this as “puppy mills”, and state that this is inherently cruel.
They support “guardianship” as opposed to “ownership”.
They oppose any and all tail docking, ear cropping, debarking or declawing.
They oppose racing and coursing.
They support mandatory microchipping.
I’m sure there was plenty more, but this was enough for me.
During the Pedigree drive and fundraiser conducted during the Westminster KC show in 2007, there was never any mention iof breed rescue, that is conducted primarily by breeders and breed clubs.
The AHA was surely laughing at us, because they were successful in perpetuating the image of show dogs as the source of shelter intakes. And they did it at the biggest kennel club event of the year! And the dog breeders actually CHEERED for them!
The commercials referred to AKC show dogs as “lucky”….saying shelter dogs
are “not as lucky as the show dogs you see here”. The implication was that these show dogs are the few, the minority, that most dogs end up at shelters. A blatant lie. A very small percentage of dogs end up at animal shelters….check the nationwide numbers, it is around 3-4% and that is an over-estimate because it includes feral cats.
It’s not a result of “luck” that the vast majority of dogs have a good life. It is the result of plenty of hard work, effort and dedication on the part of their owners. Responsible ownership is constantly under attack from AR groups. Good riddance to the Pedigree commercials at Westminster.
Beautifully said, Geneva. It deeply saddens me that there is such a deep divide between the the vast majority of dog lovers and the ‘culture of rescue’. And I do see it as a singular ‘cult-ure’, for many people. I know and love some of these very people. I often work for them, in spite of the fact that they don’t agree with me on this issue, because, it IS all about the dogs, not my personal motivation. Maybe I am not so outwardly despised by these groups because I am not a breeder, but that is a rather shallow distinction.
The Pedigree ads are still excellent, in the right venue. The Westminster KC dog show was always the wrong venue for the message they wanted to convey. And by saying that people tuned out because the ads were ‘downers’, well that is a very unfortunate description of the reaction, leaving giant sized openings for all the knee-jerk responses from the most jaded and divisive ‘rescue’ people.
Wouldn’t it be better for their brand if Pedigree were to celebrate the enormous reduction in shelter killings in the past 15-20 years? That is only one improvement worth a look, but I’m afraid too many people would prefer to keep that quiet, because donations might drop. Geneva’s facts are right, and even more recent statistics state that the percentage of America’s dogs who find their way to a shelter or pound is down from 25% in the ’70s to a phenomenal 2% to 3%, and that also might include cats in some areas. It is believed that the percentage cannot drop much further, due to fluctuations in population and the economy.
If there were any other social problem in our country that had that kind of amazing improvement, it would be front page on the world news stage!
Why is it necessary to hide this good news? Money. Yep, I guess it IS all about money. But what does keep the money rolling in is coming up with more shelter dogs, because of the demand. In my area, there are large, plush shelters, with solar power, huge veterinary clinics and surgical suites, elegantly decorated ‘adoption centers’, training rooms with state of the art flooring and lighting, murals on the walls, retail space, grooming salons, skylights and more volunteers than you can shake a stick at. Lovely, wonderful, welcoming places. (It’s worth mentioning that these are more pet store than shelter, and do not take in any animals. They cherry pick from animal control and import.) The newest one was opened last year, cost SIX MILLION $$ to build. And guess what . . . they didn’t have enough animals to sell to even hold an open house adoption day. So they partner with Petsmart Charities, and bring in regular shipments of puppies from southern states, 50 at a time. It is suggested that, since puppies rarely turn up in rescue, that these shipments are coming from shadowy suppliers who are actually breeding pups specifically for the rescue ‘market’. groan
And you wonder why some of us question the need for Westminster dog show to feature ONLY shelter dogs on their – THEIR – broadcast. It’s their party, and those involved in the WKC are many of the biggest contributors to rescue and shelters in the country. These are the PEOPLE who should be celebrated, not vilified, for the simple reason that they are preventing dogs from finding their way to shelters every day, through education and proper standards for choosing new owners. And by breeding healthy, temperamentally sound dogs. Dog shows are more than beauty contests.
Great comment.
David Frei was making a statement to save face, because Pedigree PULLED their sponsorship, just as they have pulled it from every other dog show they used to support around the country. They’re not doing terribly well financially and people who are serious about dogs don’t feed Pedigree. I didn’t mind the ads– as Shirley points out– they were dignified and effective. But I thought their placement at WKC was off. And Geneva’s point about their partnership with American Humane Association is spot on. I am grateful to Purina for taking over at WKC, even though it will mean less support for smaller shows down the line.
Yes glad to see them go due to the animal rights connection. Thanks for that pertinent information Geneva. Pedigree does still sponsor a few shows.. notably the Golden Gate KC show.. one of the few benched shows left in the nation. Many smaller lesser known foods are now sponsoring like Evangers ( great food) and Royal Canin.. but even so most of the “biggies” are owned by even bigger conglomerates.. Mars, Nestles etc..
They can afford to sponsor but it is not critical to their bottom line.
Thanks to Purina for stepping up to the plate ( bowl?). Can’t wait to see the ads.
I wonder about knocking the quality of Pedigree foods and yet acting as if Purina is so great, when their foods (with the exception of Beyond One) are pretty much just as low quality.
Purina owns Innova now, so they have that food in their line-up.
On the subject of Purina as a pet food company, they are at the bottom of the heap with the worst of the worst IMO. They used to make some acceptable foods (ProPlan being the most recent that comes to mind) but over time, they have replaced ingredients and reformulated products to apparently pad their bottom line while reducing the quality of the foods (including ProPlan). They refuse to answer questions about ingredients, suppliers or anything a mindful consumer might want to know by claiming EVERYTHING is proprietary information. They use unnamed meat sources in some products which could include dogs and cats whose remains are collected from shelters and then ground up into “meat meal”. We have a regular commenter here, Dot, whose ducks were poisoned by Purina feed. To my mind, their foods are largely unusable garbage which is why owners have to feed so much and pick up so much crap in the yard. It’s a shame to see them deteriorate over the years and I wish they’d lift themselves out of the greed gutter and attempt to restore some semblance of integrity.
yup.. Pro Plan was really good there for a bit.. then it all changed. I have fed Innova.. nit enough fat for a nice coat for me. I know you feed lots of “leftovers” meaning food that you cook that you could eat your self.. me too.. I use lots of chicken raw and cooked in the pressure cooker so bones can be fed.. I took some to the neighbors dog that has had surgery .. his owner as ‘afraid’ to feed it to him as all ate was “dog chow’..wonder if it is “Chicken Soup For the Dog Lover” or whatever that stuff is.
It i s expensive to support Westminster so that knocks out the little guy.. but while I never drink “Bud” and prefer a small brewery I still like to watch the super bowl
Well this is a lot to wake up to and try to digest.
Alice, you are out of line with this comment:
alice in LALA land Says:
February 11, 2012 at 12:44 am
_____________________________________
I understand emotions can run high in these discussions and any of us can lose sight of the points we originally intended to make. Individual criticism can be done in a constructive way if you try to keep it focused on the words and actions of a person rather than attacking the person as a human being. It’s a fine line but that’s why I picked one comment to single out – to show as an example of crossing the line.
If anyone participating in the discussion feels he/she can not comment without personal attacks at this time, take a break. Come back later when you can be more objective. Otherwise I will have to give you a break and I really loathe that task.
Spirited disagreement is fine, personal attacks are not.
Yesbiscuit,
Spirited debate is ok. How would you interpret THIS statement?
Peter Masloch Says:
February 11, 2012 at 7:54 am
@alice why don’t you take your pink glasses off for a moment and check out the reality? Let’s assume you run a puppy mill, … Chances are that I will be pissed and will be coming after you to make sure that you will not be allowed to own another animal for the next 30 years.
Hell, that sounds like a Threat even if under the guise of a hypothetical scenario. Unfortunately Peter selected an avatar that would lead a normal person to interpret as Animal (paw up) Rights (fist held up). As a Rescuer of Northern Breed canines, when presented with a large quantity of adults and pups, you do what you need to do to address the problem at hand. You stop playing the blame game as the animals come first and foremost.
For the record, I do not deal with pure breeds any longer But do enjoy watching the WKC shows. I enjoy knowing that the best representations of varying breeds are on display so I get to see what the new standards are supposed to look like, walk like and act like. To know that the message of a sponsor isn’t “buy a pound puppy instead of what you see in the show” makes me feel like the industry is promoting the best of the best and that everyone should have that choice. To have a sponsor that supports anything other than what the show represents screams to the average viewer as ” you can see them but you’re not good enough to own them”
I didn’t interpret that as a threat and I don’t think most readers here would interpret it that way either.
Some people may not understand the underlying issue. Of course we have not released all information to the media. The investigation still is ongoing and currently our main concern is that the person did not drop off all dogs. Knowing in what conditions the dogs were when we found them, we are very concerned about the health of possible other dogs.
I also have to wonder, what’s this about money being filthy stuff?
say one poster.. another mentioned that Westminster is ‘all about the money”.. Many people call anyone who dares to make a profit breeding dogs a “greeder’..and so on.. breeders are supposed to do all of that work “for the love of the breed’.. and frankly most do.. especially at Westminster.. i know a few people ( and dogs that I will be rooting for) that actually do make money from dogs.. they are very nice.. and would not stink up your living room. On the other hand I know many that work at another job ( or two) in order to “feed their habit’ LOL of showing their dogs..they do it because they have FUN.
The ads were not in line with the spirit of the show. I think the new ads will satisfy everyone one because the will celebrate dogs and their bond with humans.
We only have a few days to find out.. would be a good follow up blog.
Francis Battista, Co-Founder of Best Friends Animal Society sure hits the nail on the head:
http://blogs.bestfriends.org/index.php/2012/02/11/westminster-snobs-snub-shelter-dogs/
How much money has BF donated to canine research and development? .How many grants have they given to Universities? How many scholarships to vet schools? The Canine Health Foundation ( a division of the AKC) helps ALL dogs.. not just pure breds.. so the next time your shelter dog needs some sort of treatment to save its life.. you just might be THANKING THE AKC and the CHF
http://www.akcchf.org/
want to know where some of the money made at Westminster goes:
http://www.akcchf.org/news-events/news/chf-named-beneficiary-of.html
it isn’t just bells and whistles..
that was a blog i shared with our 3000 followers…thank you Peter for the Link. It is getting a lot of response.
(BF) http://blogs.bestfriends.org/index.php/2012/02/11/westminster-snobs-snub-shelter-dogs/
GWP person ( I assume that means German Wirehaired Pointer)
did BF help with this:
http://www.akcchf.org/canine-health/genetic-tests/spotlight-on-genetic-tests/hemophilia-b-in-german.html
or this:
http://www.akcchf.org/research/funded-research/0768.html
or this:
http://www.akcchf.org/research/funded-research/0779.html
(probably not as this actually has to to with BREEDING dogs.. something BF’s is against)
People need to wake up and see that it is not just pretty dogs and people running around a ring for a rosette..
To the person who said they don’t see breed rescue coming to get the dogs out of shelters…the last time I tried to do so, I was told to come back at 8:00am because that’s when they were auctioning the dog off to the highest bidder. Not the best home, the highest bidder. How is breed rescue supposed to work with THAT?
Just like the rest of us, by being there at 8 a.m. with the most money.
I betcha there’s a less perfect animal available for cheap or free…and there likely won’t be any bidding wars either.
It’s kinda like Antiques Roadshow…you don’t always get what you pay for, but you can sometimes find a gem when dumpster diving or going to garage sales.
I think the reason that these ads are no longer being run is that good, honest, caring dog breeders and owners are sick and tired of being accused in so many, many venues by “animal rights” fanatics that we are killing a dog in a shelter for every wonderful, well-bred animal we have. At some shows, exhibitors have to run a horrible gauntlet of angry PETA protesters. The AR arguments are so false in so many ways but they do make very good propaganda promoted to unthinking people who do not take the time to look for the truth.
When I spent 4 years opposing AB1634 and SB250 in CA, bills that would have mandated that ALL dogs and cats had to be neutered at an incredibly cruel age (even though statistics showed that bills like those always resulted in MORE not fewer animals being killed in shelters), I was repeated called a “puppy mill” (yeah, 7 liters in 40 years – I think not….) and was spat upon and shoved up against a wall in our State Capitol and had people with hate in their eyes try to follow me home. Behavior like that does not tend to lead to cooperative efforts to stop the killing in shelters and the “animal rights” fanatics have only themselves to blame. Every breeder I know does rescue. I have rescued many, many, many more animals than I have bred and I am typical of breeders who are always vilified as “puppy mills” by the “animal rights” movement.
Look to people who know and love animals to find ways to find homes for homeless animals . Foster animals for your local shelter if you can and , DEFINITELY, send all your donations to local shelters and NOT to HSUS or PETA.
BTW, the AKC is opening up competitive trials to non-pure bred dogs, the mutts we all love.
I want to personally thank you, Geraldine, for doing what you do in the face of such belligerence, rudeness and frightening threats.
All dog lovers should be thanking Geraldine, because while ‘we’ are fighting senseless turf wars, we can easily forget what is happening in all of our state legislatures. The animal rights groups are taking advantage of our divisiveness.
I apologize for responding harshly earlier – it was unnecessary and immature to snap back. Reading Geraldine’s remarks brought back some very unpleasant memories from my own state.
Here’s a question for Peter, GWP lady, KerryAnn – are you or your organizations involved in local politics? Are you a member of your state dog club Federation? Our state federation welcomes all dog people – breeders, trainers, rescue, shelters, individuals – and represents our interests in our legislature. We do have one simple request of members – pay attention! Listen to all sides. Because the fact is that Geraldine’s experiences are not unique.
Divide and conquer is the MO of Cause Marketing. So without our intending to, we have become tools for fund raising by groups who are NOT on our side, no matter what ‘side’ we cling to. I may be ‘pie in the sky’, but there does seem to be more awareness of the threats to our way of life, in great part due to people like Shirley and YesBiscuit!
So. Thank you Shirley and Geraldine and everyone who puts their heart and soul into protecting our rights to own dogs, no matter how you do it.
Am I involved in local politic? Yeah, you can say that: http://times-news.com/local/x191080213/Allegany-animal-advocate-wins-national-recognition
Actually I’m also involved in State politic to introduce CAPA (Companion Animal Protection Act) in Maryland. To be honest, I try to stay away from kennel clubs or any other “dog club”. I’m a No Kill Advocate, I work in an animal shelter that now has a 94% live release rate and I don’t see any advantage for me or my work to belong in a kennel club or any type of dog club.
I don’t really understand what you mean with “groups who are NOT on our side”. What is “your” side?
Well, the fist in Peter’s avatar makes sense, especially since it is clear he hasn’t actually READ my post. First of all, I was only asking a question, and did not deserve such a belligerent and snide response. I am not challenging your resume. I continue to challenge your tone and propensity to attack the messenger rather than accept the fact that there is a positive message that you missed due to your anger. Of course you wouldn’t really want to belong to a “kennel club” . . .
Dog Federations exist in many states.
federation [ˌfɛdəˈreɪʃən]
n
1. the act of federating
2. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) the union of several provinces, states, etc., to form a federal union
3. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) a political unit formed in such a way
4. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) any league, alliance, or confederacy
5. a union of several parties, groups, etc.
6. any association or union for common action
Dog federations exist for the benefit of ALL members. If you want to benefit, or have your views supported, I recommend joining a federation. Our state federation, as I clearly stated earlier, welcomes individuals, shelter and rescue groups. We join together for the benefit of all in raising awareness in our state legislature, and influencing laws that affect us all, no matter what hat we wear.
I will try to explain my position since people don’t seem to understand it. I don’t care about breeds, for me dogs are all equal. I’m against puppy mills like this one:
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/heavenlycreatures/2012/02/large-wholesale-dog-breeding-facility-puppy-mill-approved-for-gorham-ny/
I’m against pet stores selling puppies since those puppies mostly come from backyard breeders or facilities as the one I linked to above. I’m against Breed Specific Legislation and I’m against State mandatory spay/neuter. And of course I’m against killing animals in a shelter for population control. I think that should pretty much sum up my position.
I am on ‘our’ side. The ‘other’ side is any position that interferes with our (the global ‘our’) rights to choose our pets or working dogs based on our needs and desires. The ‘other’ side is basically the Animal Rights movement. This is the exact opposite of Animal Welfare.
Back on topic: the Pedigree brand bowed to pressures that made their ad focus incompatible with the sponsorship of Westminster. It was a good decision on both parts to make a change.
Purina has long been a big supporter of high standards in breeding practices. Their kennel management magazine is excellent.
Can we please stop with the divisiveness between purebred dog lovers and rescue/shelter groups? Almost every dog owner I know just loves dogs, and the key thing, they RESPECT other dog lovers, no matter what faction they might be a part of. In fact, factions will be the death of us. The global ‘us’. There is much more in common than not between the so-called ‘sides’.
I can hardly believe I have to so vigorously defend my rights to choose the best dogs – of any breed or mix or source – for my family, my working dogs (certified SAR dogs for human remains detection and man trailing) or agility/tracking/ obedience dogs. I love all dogs, as does everyone I know in all venues. It would be great if I had the time and space to cruise the shelters and rescue sites for my next working dog, but that’s not realistic. In fact, a dog BREEDER has DONATED my last two SAR dogs to me.
I can’t thank her enough. So pardon me now, while I go to the Westminster/Purina pages to get ready to celebrate my favorite hound breed, which is being judged today on the green carpet. I owe a lot to quality show breeders, and so do the families my dogs have given so much comfort to the past 15 years.
I find that very sad that you “don’t have time” to look at the website from your local animal shelter or rescue group. Just out of curiosity, who do you consider the “animal rights movement”?
Have fun celebrating your green carpet ;-)
I’m sorry, but this is just so insulting I can’t let it go. NO I don’t have ‘time’ to go to my shelter web sites and all the hundreds of rescue pages. I am too busy training my dogs and myself for community service and trying to do some very real, tangible work for dogs through legislation efforts. I also need to work to make a living. Exactly how much time and money do you think it takes to maintain and train two search and rescue dogs, a sixteen-year-old retired sar dog, a team of 10 handlers, a home, a business, training students, an elderly mother, therapy visits, board meetings, and trying to share all the GOOD things happening in the dog world (and fight the anti-animal laws and their negative consequences for rescue). That 16-year-old life-saving buddy of mine on the couch brings me to my community ‘pet limit’, which was proposed and passed secretly in my town by – wait for it – Animal Rights believers. No reason, just ‘because’ some busybody decided it was ‘cruel’ to own ‘x’ number of pets. Next time the dog owners will be ready for them, as pet limit laws are being actually eliminated in various towns across the country.
I would hope that YOU, of all people, would get it, that animal rights is not animal welfare, and regressive laws and regulations like pet limits, BSL, MSN are limiting YOUR effectiveness as a shelter. Good for you, with a 94% adoption rate – how about quitting the attitude and unpleasant judgmental comments here and sharing your success, let the rest of us work for you. If you continue to insult people based on their choice of sources for their pets, you will soon be out of any audience at all.
I promised to celebrate dogs the rest of today.
You stated yourself that you didn’t have time to look at websites from your local animal shelter because you needed to look at the website from WKC/Purina and then watch the show on TV. How exactly is my comment insulting?
Maybe I was unclear? I do not have time to look at rescue pages for my sar dogs. Is that clear enough? I do not have time to take a chance that a dog from a shelter or rescue, one with an unknown genetic/health/temperament background will be able to finish a two year training program and be able to be certified. Do you?
Maybe you could do this (you are probably younger than me, everyone’s younger than me) because you have a shelter that will provide you with an endless supply of dogs to test for working ability, and that will just ‘take back’ a dog that can’t handle the stresses of the job, or tears a cruciate due to weakness created by early S/N, or needs orthopedic surgery, or develops an allergy, or hypothyroid (that early S/N again), or early cataracts, I could go on forever.
Yes, shelter dogs can make great SAR dogs, but time (oh there it is again), money, space and pet limit constraints are common barriers for making that choice. Our team has a former shelter dog who recently certified, but this handler basically got lucky. She has four other shelter dogs at home that could never get that far, no matter how hard this owner worked, and certainly missing persons’ families deserve the best chance for finding their loved one. So far, working dogs from carefully selected breeders, usually purebreds or ‘purpose’ bred dogs, are the best choice for SAR.
Not that it is any of your business, but you could just as easily find me at a demonstration or working a fund raiser as you can find me writing a check to breed rescue and one of my local shelters. Looking at their web sites just to look? nah. too busy.
Your bitterness is clouding your comprehension skills.
The reality is much worse than any tv ad depicts. But I guess unfortunate animals are a “downer” that people don’t wish to witness? Hypocricy at best. Having said that, I wouldn’t feed Pedigree OR Purina to my dogs. Then again, I don’t much care for “dog shows”, whatever kind. If someone is really a dog lover they will not exploit them but give them a happy life. They are trading one thing for another, with no benefit to the dogs.
And your point responding to what I said is????
I don’t much care for dog shows either even though I have had show champions. Dogs that do well in the show ring LOVE what they do which is why they are successful at it. If you think that the majority of show dogs do not have a happy life, you are totally deluding yourself.
And , yes, the reality of unwanted animals being euthanized is horrible. I foster for a cat rescue which pulls cats and kittens out of shelters just before they will be killed and we have found good homes for hundreds of felines. I’d really like to foster and save dogs, too, but I can’t do that because of our local limit laws which were put in place by “animal rights” fanatics who never seem to look at the consequences of their self-righteous actions.
You have the power to stop the killing in animal shelters. Stand up, speak up. http://www.nokilladvocacycenter.org/
David Frei was side-stepping something that was the REAL issue. I don’t know what the real issue was, but it’s NOT what he said! My BS detectors went waaaaaay up when I read his comment, lol.
It’s probably more like there was flack from a lot of the breeders that they want their dogs promoted, purebreds promoted, or whatever.
I did go to the cat show today. There were four booths for rescue organizations there, two of which – the no-kill Sonoma HS/SPCA, and Forgotten Felines, the local organization for ferals – had mobile adoption units with them. Not only was no-one’s nose out of joint over it, several of the exhibitors had handouts available for breed rescues. And the booths seemed to be fairly popular – everyone wanted to see the cats, never mind they were in a great big room with gorgeous, friendly cats everywhere.
Sometimes the Internet reminds me of a big Thanksgiving Day dinner with everyone’s weird, reactionary kin.
I was at that show too.. lots of fun.. I was also at Golden Gate a few weeks back. There were booths all over the place with breed rescue info and many booths that had how to ‘adopt” a dog some with videos and many with scrapbooks depicting successful placements and happy families.
I think what happens is that no one bothers to look beneath the surface.. you see a bunch of dogs on TV and assume that they are all “snobs” or as many think “inbred and unhealthy” or that all of the money is wasted when it could go to XYZ.
I have tried to point out there that there are at least threes sides to every story.
Money is raised for good cause at Westminster.. and frankly at many other shows, the public gets a good look at some interesting dog breeds that they might never get to see. They may have a “rescued” Golden or “poo mix” so they can root for that breed or one that “looks like Fluffy”.. some may want to buy one.. some to “adopt one’.. but the core message is that ALL dogs are great.. the nit picking that i going on here is what makes the people not so great.
There is room at the table for everyone. Interestingly enough even those that are supportive of the Pedigree ads don’t feed it.
Alice, the first time I watched the Westminster television show – the first time it aired, I believe – what struck me was first, there were a lot of fine dogs, but second, the commentary was unadulterated blather. I learned next to nothing *about* the dogs, and in the years since that’s remained pretty much the case; indeed, the commentary has often seemed to deliberately descend into a sort of affected ‘common viewer’ ignorance, that does no-one involved any credit.
So – I know next to nothing about Westminster, the event, in large part because the presentation of the televised event goes out of its way to avoid going any deeper than a slick on the surface of a shallow pond. And myself, I think they do so because they don’t want to address anything that might remotely seem negative.
That the Pedigree commercials are perceived as too negative for the televised event – well. I’ve looked at them again, and by and large they’re well-written, dignified, and I find the message largely positive. And there’s absolutely nothing in them about breeds, one way or another, because it’s not *about* breed, it’s about good dogs who need homes. If that’s negative, I’m Eeyore in a muumuu, and what it’s saying to me about the folks at Westminster is not complimentary.
dear Eeyore in a mu mu.. LOL.. I loved that.. I am watching a rerun of last years Westminster right now.. each dog has a “tidbit’ about it spoken by the announcer. they cannot really go into depth about each breed.. but what has been mentioned at least 10 times already is how to purchase a dog.. SEE A RESPONSIBLE BREEDER.. attend a dog show see the dogs “up close and persona”.. decide what type of dog fits you lifestyle.. look at size, coat, exercise needs etc. This type of study is what keeps animals OUT OF SHELTERS don’t you agree? Wouldn’t it be great if everyone took their advice and actually thought about what is means to get a dog before they actually got one? That is the advice you hear at Westminster. Think before you buy.. Perhaps that is why 20% of dogs in shelters are “returnees” (according to the ASPCA), perhaps the people felt sorry for the dog at the moment.. but later did not know what they were getting into. Advice like what you hear on Westminster applies to all dog purchases, not just the ones you see at Westminster..
They don’t go out of their way to avoid “blathering: but if they talked about each breed in depth I would be fascinated but most people would be asleep. and the program would run for days..
They tout the Am Staff and the Staffie bull as great family pets..
who knows maybe someone will “adopt” one the thousands of wonderful “pit bull” mixes if they see this and then go to the shelter and see a similar dog
wouldn’t that be wonderful?..
Peter: Mr Frei does not get any money from breeders.. in fact he DONATES money to animal causes like Angel On A Leash ( he is a founder.. here is just a small blurb about David:
“With Westminster, David helped to create Angel On A Leash, a
charitable activity supporting therapy dog programs at health care facilities around the country. David is an active volunteer as well, visiting each week with his two Brittanys and his Cavalier at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and the Ronald McDonald House of New York.
He is a member of the Sports Council of the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and does volunteer work with Transfiguration Church and School in New York’s Chinatown.”
and that is just a small portion of his work. It is demeaning to see you speak of him this way. Are you acquainted with him? If you are then you would know David not only celebrates dogs.. he celebrates people as well. Something we would all do well to emulate
Just follow the money. It probably went like this:
Major breeder A and major breeder B went to Mr. Frei and said “Look, we are breeders and you get lots of money from all the breeders. We need to sell those puppies to the people but Pedigree is running advertisement encouraging people to adopt dogs from shelters.” Mr. Frei then said “Yeah, you are right, let’s just dump Pedigree and tell people that we want to celebrate all dogs. It makes totally sense……”.
I’m really surprised and disheartened by the number of people who take offense to the Pedigree shelter dog ads playing during a dog show.
I have always found them to be uplifting and inspiring.
Also, to the people throwing around false accusations that the number one reason a dog ends up in a shelter is because of behavior problems? The number one reason dogs are turned in is due to an upcoming move.
Shelter dogs are no different than the dogs you find in your community. They’re the same dogs you see when you visit family and friends, walk through your neighborhood, or pop into the local pet food store.
It’s disappointing to see the words thrown around here, the accusations and insults.
Thanks for highlighting what the dog fancy world is really all about.
Yes. This.
My little wiener dog is a shelter dog, and he’s a good dog – loving, gentle, funny, a bit of a barker (he’s thought to be dachshund x chihuahua), and so cat-friendly that even some of the neighborhood cats come to say hello when we’re out on walks. All this, despite having been scooped off the streets of a valley town starving, parasite-ridden and sick.
Most of my cats have been shelter or rescue cats too – currently two of the three are ex-ferals. And they’re good cats. Well. Except for jumping on the counter, but even the pampered-all-his-life purebred does that.
The main reason dogs are turned into shelters (not strays, or ‘other’) is absolutely behavior. The percentages depend on the source, and often there are multiple reasons for relinquishing a dog, but I’ll bet that anything lower than 90% is an underestimation. An important distinction is not a ‘reason’, but a fact – 96% of dogs turned in to shelters have ZERO obedience training. There are reported reasons, and real reasons. ‘Moving’ is a handy excuse. Now if you want to be even more accurate, you could say the REAL reason dogs are turned in to shelters is ‘owner mistakes’. People are expected to give a plausible reason at the shelter intake, but how honest do you think people will be when face to face with an often disapproving, possibly openly judgmental person at the door?
Regardless of what some might think, most owners bringing their dog to a shelter are absolutely devastated, and really love their dogs. They are also not fools, or gluttons for punishment, or willing to allow someone to chastise them or make them feel even more sad and guilty than they already do. And these people, who may have not made the best decision in the first place, to get a dog, actually do want the shelter to find their pet a good home, and assume that if they were truthful – the dog ate the leather chair, wasn’t housebroken, barked all day, jumped on Grandma and broke her hip – the shelter would automatically kill the dog. Doesn’t this make a lot of sense to you, at least a little bit? What if the dog bit the mailman, or even an intruder, and your insurance company found out? Of course dishonesty is a bad thing, but after reading any number of the angry, blame filled, self-righteous comments here today, I can’t blame them.
The thing with the Pedigree ads is that they ARE uplifting (mostly), inspiring, positive, and if Pedigree had just agreed to celebrate ALL dogs equally, they could still be a sponsor of Westminster. They refused. Purina is a much better fit. Purina is very much involved in the shelter dog world as well, fyi. I really doubt that there were any viewers who were ‘offended’ by the Purina ads for shelter dogs, but some objected to the implied blame that show dogs and their owners are responsible for homeless dogs, and that is just not true. That implication is offensive and very, very tiresome. And these ads will continue to air, believe me. Tomorrow, on The View, there will be a Pedigree-sponsored Mutt Show, so watch that instead of Westminster.
I’m not sure on which statistic you based your statement that 90% of owner surrendered dogs have behavior problems but I do questioning that statistic. It might be true for some shelter but I doubt that it is true for most shelter. As it was posted here earlier from a person that is working in a shelter and also the shelter I’m working in, we have a different experience with owner surrendered dogs. I don’t think moving is an excuse. Our area, as example, is rural and people mostly move because of jobs.
A lot of dogs are not turned into shelter because of behavioral problems. They are turned in do to eviction, age(to old), Owner hospitalized family won’t keep them, Personal problems, Or they just don’t want to pay a vet bill. Or they can’t make more puppy’s oh and FYI most owners turn in their dog and say they are a stray. I have a shelter dog and she is great. She listens very well and she knows what allowed and what is not allowed.
Oops, typo – I meant to say anything less than 80%, not 90%, sorry.
If it’s “all about money” as some are claiming here, then WKC would not be turning away the big advertising bucks from Pedigree. They stand to make far more money from their advertising sponsors than they do from the exhibitors.
I’m pretty sure Purina – the sponsor WKC swapped Pedigree for – doesn’t write bad checks either.
I like the pedigree commercials. The dogs are
I live with three purebred dogs and a mutt. I love all of them but am not happy where the three purebreds came from. They are puppy mill dogs. The one man couldn’t be bothered with the home checks and other things that came along with him adopting his breed of choice so he bought it at a pet store. The other person has two bernese mountain dogs bought from an amish couple who kept the dogs in chicken coops (no fucking joke).
After the We Goo commercials during super-bowl I said how happy I was they mentioned rescue dogs. She quickly explained to me that she would never get a rescue dog because a black lab who was rescued attacked her last dog. This came out of the mouth of a woman who spent 600 bucks a pup on dogs who are afraid of men, tall people, people with white hair and myself if I’m wearing a hat even though I’ve known them since puppies.
That is the biggest problem with shelter dogs. Peoples misconceptions that these dogs are damaged. Like the pedigree commercials say. Its not the dog fault. So people who feel that shelter dogs are damaged buy these messed up puppy mill dogs instead.
Also my housemate may say her dogs are getting more sociable on their own. The truth is when I have spare time I leash them to myself and make them do things they don’t want to do. Its called desensitizing.
PS
I love real responsible breeders and someday I will own a purebred doberman and we will do all sorts of show stuff and maybe have a litter. Till then and even during then I’ll enjoy my mutt.
Peter you might note that someone else has already tooted your horn by posting the same article you posted about yourself. Your bitter attitude and constant barbs at people you should be working with does the No Kill movement absolutely no good.
If you really follow no kill you would know that Winograd never demeans breeders.. Does not say breeding dogs is a bad thing and always places the “blame; of the failure of shouters squarely where it belongs.. within the walls of the shelters itself. Thanks to Shirley and people like her ( many of whom actually breed dogs) the No Kill movement is working.. even in the shelter where you work.
You ask why you should join a “\dog club”.. well right now we are fighting the repeal of the Hayden Act in CA. That act mandates that shelter must keep dogs and cats a minimum of a certain number of days before they are killed. Who is working to oppose the repeal measure?.. ALL OF US in the dog world and that includes breed clubs and dog federations.. I am not sure if you read Chenis post about ALL dog owners being welcomed into the Federation of Dog Clubs in every state. We do not care where you got your dog.. or what breed or non breed unlike some where who think every dog should be a rescue dog. What we care about is making sure dogs get good homes.and STAY in them. just like you.. only without the “judgement’.
I do wonder if you actually are a no kill advocate because every time I have seen Nathan speak his attitude is very different than what you project here. He does not advocate for laws and legislation.. in fact every time I have seen him.. he has advocated against it, knowing that laws do not solve moral problems.
Ever wonder why so many of “us” post there? Because we follow Shirley who keeps us updated on the dirty underbelly of many many shelters and the groups that support them ( do i really need to mention who they are?)
We write letters, call and email just like you do. ( or at least like i hope you do)
You try to stay away form dog clubs etc. That is a a shame ..some of the best people i have ver met.. and some who do the most work advocating for all dogs are members of obedience clubs, search and rescue groups,anti breed specific legislation groups and yes “show dog’ clubs..
The worls is made up of many types of people.. not all of them bad..
Alice with those rose colored glasses.
What? Nathan Winograd does not advocate for laws and legislation? Check this out:
http://www.nathanwinograd.com/?page_id=166
I stand corrected. Winograd does advocate for some laws.. those are the laws that make sure shelters are inspected and run properly and that they fall under the same guidelines as other animal facilities. The ones that guarantee that the public has full access to shelters and that thy are transparent in their dealing ( much like Shirley does here)
He does not however advocate or push legislation that takes away the rights of people to own and breed dogs.. he does not advocate laws for pet limits or breeding limits. he is no fan of the groups that do that.. HSUS/ASPCA and of course the media darling PETA. Thank you for correcting me.. gave me a chance to explain about what real no kill advocates do.
See, exactly what I do. I never stated anything different ;-)
If I can interject an observation here: I think this is one of those cases where you guys don’t necessarily agree on everything (who does?) but probably have more in common than you have differences. It’s perhaps easier for me to observe that here because I am not involved in a heated discussion where my emotions can impact my judgment more than I realize.
You are right ;-)