Jill wrote:
>
> I do not support hobby or show breeding of animals, and I don't buy
> anything from pet stores that sell live animals regardless of the condition
> of the store.
Okay, I was gonna keep out of this, and I'm sure I'm gonna wish I had, but....
!!!
I am not against breeding (obviously). At least not breeding RESPONSIBLY. No
matter how many animals are sitting in shelters every day, there is still a
need for responsible breeding. Take dogs for example--there are plenty of them
available in shelters all over the country. And yet I still think we need
good, responsible hobby (show) dog breeders in this country. Why? Because they
are the ones preserving breed type, and without that, pretty soon there will
be no breeds. I'm sure any of you who own dogs, like particular breeds for
certain reasons, because they fit your lifestyle. personally if the only
choice I had was to own a large, GSD, doberman, or pitbull mix--I would never
own another dog again. I like dogs, but I couldn't live with just ANY dog. I
prefer my dogs small, quiet, and hairy. Nothing large enough to kill me if it
had a bad day ;) Now the only dog i have DID come from a shelter because all I
was looking for was a lovable ball of fur--and I got it--but some people can't
afford to do that. What if you have small children and don't want to get a dog
with an uncertain background? The shelter people thought my dog was an
angel--but he bites, and growls (we're training him out of this). If we'd had
small children and he did this--he'd have found himself back in the shelter
ASAP. luckily we do not so we can afford to work with him. But not everyone
has that option--they need a stable, well-bred, carefully socialized dog. ANd
why shouldn't they be able to get it??
Back to my original point... if there were no breeders, if all show/hobby
breeders of dogs were to quit, then 20 years down the road I would be unable
to find a little dog fitting my lifestyle and preferences. RESPONSIBLE
breeders never allow their dogs to end up in shelters anyway--they sell on
contracts with the first right of refusal--and thus they're not part of the
problem. Puppymills and "back yard breeders" however are a completely
different story--they're not responsible, and do NOTHING as far as preserving
breed "type" goes. Now we could DEFINITELY do without THEM.
To make this gerbil related--gerbils are a little different. We have no
breeds, so to speak, to maintain. However still not everyone is going to want
an animal from an uncertain background, wih little or no socialization when
young. I have met some great gerbils, and some NASTY ones. I've never had one
from a hobby breeder that fit the nasty description. I do encourage people to
go to a shelter if they just want four legs, a tail, and a lot of love--and
are willing to take their chances--but I do not think the fact that SOME
unfortunate gerbils (mostly from pet stores, not good breeders) find their way
into shelters should stop ALL breeding. now if you're not careful placing your
pups or just sell them to pet stores, then you are just part of the problem.
But that doesn't mean everybody is.
ANd in the words of Forrest Gump, "that is all I've got to say about that."
Elizabeth
