| Why not to Breed Your Dog. |
| Do you like to feel responsible for contributing to the millions of dogs already in shelters? Even if you find homes for all of the puppies your dog may have, what about the puppies those puppies will have? And the puppies those puppies will have? Are you willing to take all responsibliy when ANY of your dogs offspring run into trouble (abusive owners, genitic dieseases, abandoned, ect.) You can believe that nothing like that will ever happen to "your puppies" but facts are it happens all the time! Just because the puppies are no longer living with you doesn't mean that you are not responsible for everything that happens to them!!! Do you like knowing that you are increasing her chances of an early death!! Simply spaying your dog lessens her chances of a Pyometra (potentially fatal infection), mammary and uterine cancers, and side effects of std's. Having a litter is very tough on your dogs body, especailly when you breed without the correct food and supplements. Wonderful excuses that I hear time and time again. "I'll only let her have one litter" Sure and of those ten puppies your dog has, 5 will be female, those 5 will have about 50 puppies. 25 of those females + 5 original females =300 puppies. That is what ONE LITTER will equal in about a year or two. Are you prepared to take responsibliy for all of those dogs? The solution to pet overpopulation is easy, don't breed!(unless responsible breeder) 11 million dogs and cats are KILLED every year because of those "one time" litters. Bitches are not improved by having puppies. They may undergo temporary temperament changes, but once the puppies are gone, she'll be back to her old self. Nor is it somehow good for her physically. In fact, you will put her at risk of mammary cancer and pyometra. There is absolutely nothing wrong with spaying a bitch without her having a litter. "It will be good for the kids!" (miricle of birth) Sure, every kids loves to get up in the middle of the night and watch a bloody puppy born while the mother eats the rest of the bloody mess that shoots out after the puppy. (And that is if nothing goes wrong!) If something goes wrong, the kids will be lucky enough to watch A: the mother try to bite you when you try to help her when a puppy is stuck, B: the mother try to eat her puppies, C: the mother give birth to dead malformed puppies, D: the mother die as she hemorages to death during the birth. "We can make some money" You can't make money by breeding dogs if you do it correctly. Extra food, time, vet visits, and shots; tend to eat up any money you would make from the puppies. Of course you don't have to do everything right, you can just HOPE things will go perfectly with out the correct precautions. (have fun watching the puppies or mother die) Total costs roughly (based on litter size of 5 pups): $1518.00 "She is such a great pet, everyone will want one of her puppies" Sure, everyone wants a puppy, but not everyone wants a full grown dog. I have met some great dogs with great personalitis, but why subject such a great pet to the stress and risk of having a litter? Your dog might be a great pet, but do you know of every single genitic problem that arrises in that breed. (if your dog isn't purebred and you are even thinking of breeding her click here) 1 out of 4 purebred dogs (as stated by the AKC) has a major genitic health defect. Have fun knowing that you my be inflicting years of pain from gentic defects and diesease to the puppies from your dog. "But my dog is registered!" Well, yes, but that doesn't mean a whole lot. A registered dog, be it AKC, UKC, CKC, etc., simply means that it's parents (and their parents) are also registered with the same registry. This confers no merit in of itself, it simply means that the dog's parentage is known. Most registries do not make any assertions of quality in the dogs they register (except for some limited breed-only registrations, but these are uncommon). They do not restrict the breeding of their dogs and hence there is no guarantee that a registered dog is a good specimen of its breed. "None of her puppies will end up in shelters, I won't really be contributing to the number of homeless animals" Who will make sure that they won't? Are you willing to check on each and every one of your puppies and any puppies that those will have? Even in a perfect world, where none of your puppies end up in shelters, your puppies are taking potiential homes away from those homeless animals. You are filling up homes with your puppies, that otherwise could go and adopt a homeless dog. Final line: Don't breed just because you have a dog. It is the most irresponsible thing you could do. |
| More information on breeding dogs |
| To experience the full breeding expiriance Click here |
| Before you even consider breeding your dog I DARE YOU to visit a shelter. Those sad faces on the other side of the cage , are there because of BREEDING. Whether purebred or mutts, they came into this cruel world becuase of one persons choice to let their dog have just one litter. I DARE YOU to spend time with one shelter dog, and then stay to watch that dog killed because of lack of homes |
| By: Katie Barrett |
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| This doesn't apply to you because you have a male dog? |
| THINK AGAIN |
| QUICK CHECKLIST TO QUALIFY FOR A STUD DOG Has your male been evaluated in the show ring by qualified judges against top competition? Has he been OFA certified clear of hip and elbow dysplasia? Have his eyes been checked by a veterinary opthalmologist, who certified him clear of PRA and other hereditary eye defects? Has he been tested clear of brucellosis? Is he of the proper temperament? If you can answer yes to all of the above questions and you are one of the lucky few to own an outstanding dog, are you ready and qualified to handle a stud dog? Breeding doesn't always happen 1-2-3. Do you have the necessary facilities to board a bitch in season to keep her safely in and the neighbor dogs out? Are you prepared to board a problem bitch or a bitch that the owner just doesn't want around while she is in season because it is too much of a hassle? Are you prepared to spend sleepless nights with your boarding bitch in season barking and your male pacing and howling? Are you prepared to handle the problem bitch that doesn't want to be bred and tries to tear your dog to shreds? Are you qualified to evaluate pedigrees and judge if your dog's five-generation pedigree will complement the bitch's? After all, it's your dog's name and reputation you're passing on to that litter. Are you qualified to advise the bitch owner on whelping and puppy care? If your dog is bred to a bitch belonging to a novice owner, that owner is going to expect you to have all the answers. Do you have a ready market for offspring of your stud dog to help the bitch owner place the litter? (This is usually achieved by showing your dog and having him become well known. A lot of time and money must be put into your dog if you want to get anything back.) Have you seen many bitches in season at all, and can you tell when it is best to breed the bitch? Are you prepared for the change in your male's temperament? Breeding will be the only thing on his mind.. His not eating, pacing and constant whining will not be easy to cope with. Living with a stud dog means a lot of peeing on everything, and the smell that comes with it! |
| Money Issue |
| * 130 or more hours per litter Breeders of quality dogs state they spend well over 130 hours of labor in raising an average litter. This is over two hours per day, every day. This estimate only covers the time directly spent with the pups. There are also chores such as washing the whelping box bedding that this estimate does not consider. *Be prepared for days off of work and sleepless nights.The bitch cannot be left alone while whelping and only for short periods for the first few days after birth. Even after delivery the new mother will need care and feeding, puppies need daily checking, weighing, socialization, grooming, and feeding six times per day after they reach the age of three weeks. Further, the whelping box will need lots of cleaning; laundry will have to be done to keep sheets and towels clean and handy. The pups' food will have to be made in a blender and all utensils washed for the next feeding. Still more hours are spent doing paperwork, pedigrees and interviewing buyers. If you have abnormal conditions, such as sick pups or a bitch who can't or won't care of her offspring, count on double time. Socialization of the pups isn't just theme they spend with each other. It is important for the pups to have human interaction and be exposed to a wide variety of situations and sounds at an early age. If you can't provide the time, you will either have dead pups or poor ones that are bad tempered, antisocial, dirty and/or sickly. |
| Pre-Breeding test costs: $200 - $400 Pre-Breeding tests, Hips, elbows, ears, eyes, heart tests add up. The list of pre-breeding tests may be long depending on the breed you have, make sure you KNOW EXACTLY what genetic health problems plague your breed and do ALL the necessary tests. Are you producing a litter of puppies that is destined to live in pain for their whole life? Are you producing a litter of puppies that will have to be destroyed before they are two years old because of genetic problems passed on from your bitch and stud? How happy will that make the puppy buyers (most likely family and friends)? How would it make you feel to see your puppy paralyzed in the rear legs due to extreme displaysia? OFA certification costs for each dog, not including the x-rays, is $100.00. GET IT DONE!!!! (See what happens with no testing) Stud fees $750 Stud Fee: $500.00 is the minimum you can expect to pay for a stud fee from a proven stud dog. You are planning to get the best stud possible, aren't you? After all, a few titles in the family tree will help sell the puppies. Oh - you have a friend who is willing to accept the pick of the litter since his/her dog is untitled. OK, you just lost $400.00 from one of the pups to sell. Also, don't forget the cost of shipping your bitch to the stud dog, or the associated costs with driving back and forth every day while trying to get a sucessful mating! Shipping costs can run into the $250 range, including a health certificate (required by Airlines). Whelping Supplies $200.00 : Heat lamps, whelping box (keep those puppies warm and close to mom!), miscellaneous supplies : Vet Care $880 Prenatal care and vet visits for your pregnant bitch can cost from $200 to $400 dollars, more if there is a high risk pregnancy. You do love your dog enough to insure that the pregnancy is not going to kill her, don't you? Supplemental vitamins and extra food will be required during the pregnancy and while nursing. Delivery costs can also add up. Do you know how to help the bitch open the birthing sack and cut the umbilical cord? Do you know how to suction the lungs of a newborn puppy that is drowning in its own fluids? Do you know how to extricate a pup that is stuck in the birth canal? How about if the puppy is born breach and your bitch is literally screaming in pain? Hmmm - better have a vet on call for help. Since births invariably come at night, be prepared to wake your vet up. This is going to cost you at least $500.00. Puppies are here! They also have an extra toenail up on their leg (called a dewclaw) that looks really easy to tear off accidentally. Well, call your vet again to remove the dewclaws. This will cost you again, at least $10 per puppy - let's say $30-80.00 total. Don't forget the two vacation days from work you will need to insure that the bitch doesn't accidentally smother her helpless puppies. AKC litter registration will also cost you $18.00 If your litter is not registered, forget about selling them for $300 - you will be lucky to get $150-$200. This is a cost of $18.00. Feeding puppies $50 The puppies will need to start getting fed before they leave the dam. They will also need gruel consisting of rice cereal, baby meat, and supplemental milk powder (at $25 per can!). The cost of puppy food must be factored in for a few hungry mouths over a few weeks. Total cost about $100.00. Add in $$ to keep the whelping box at a constant 80 - 90 degrees with heat lamps and heater pads - say an additional $50 minimum. Total costs roughly (based on litter size of 5 pups): $1518.00 |
| Other things to Consider. |
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| Here is a group of puppies that have one week to find a home or will be killed. This is the result of one litter that could have been prevented. |
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| A family was looking for a puppy. The puppy on the right is named Regie and he has a week to find a home, and the family was about to go to the shelter, but look! Their neighbor down the street has a puppy for sale, so they buy that one instead. They never visit the shelter, they never meet Regie, and Regie DIES! This is how you kill dogs by breeding more! |
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