Shelter Dogs Are Not All Mutts

Raised By Wolves · 01-27-2006, 10:05 AM

It's interesting reading through the threads, hearing people attacked and lectured any time a mixed breed pup is born.

Is the only responsibility in keeping dogs out of shelters, stopping the breeding of mixed breed dogs? I think not.

How many "pet quality" purebreds are produced in the quest for that one perfect show dog? What is the ratio...20 pet quality pups per one show dog? Or is the number even higher?

Since there seem to be a lot of purebred dogs in dog shelters, I believe it's not good breeding, or the lack there of, which determines whether or not a dog will be given up...it's behavior problems.

People with money to burn, can easily puchase an expensive, purebred dog on a whim. Only to give it up later, when they grow tired of it or tired of the behavior problems they themselves have caused by not taking dog ownership seriously.

Are backyard breeders the only "irresponsible" breeders of purebreds?

mrsgrubby · 01-27-2006, 10:18 AM

Hmmmm, this is interesting to ponder RBW, and kinda goes along with an active thread in the breeding forum right now where Shandoggy asked about breeding without showing, and if it was ok.

I think the debate boils down to the fact that there are just too many dogs born in the world. Period.

If we could cut down on the "mutts" it would help alot. In the shelter and rescue I deal with, if a purebred gets turned in, it almost always gets adopted quickly. The other day a mini poodle got turned in at noon, (sorta.....he was turned in earlier in the week but needed assesing first, before he could be adopted). Anyway, I was doing the adoptions that day and got him at noon and readopted him at 5:00. That same day my foster Weim puppy went up at noon and was adopted at 6:00. Non of the other dogs, got adopted.

I find that if we cant' tell the people what breed the dog is, they dont' want it, and many times we have no idea what it is. However if it is pure, or mostly pure they get adopted right away. The only exception is husky's. There are soooo many husky's no one wants them.

So, anyway, if we could stop byb, puppy mills, and people who chain their dogs out/just let them get pregnant, we would be able to handle the number of dogs we get, and with all of our wonderful foster homes, we could rehabilitate the ones with behavior problems, almost making euthanization a thing of the past in our area.,

chocolatecoffee · 01-27-2006, 10:21 AM

Very true, I have a rescued purebred who was in danger of euthanizations. There's just too many dogs without homes, and the problem keeps getting worse and worse.

Quote:

Since there seem to be a lot of purebred dogs in dog shelters, I believe it's not good breeding, or the lack there of, which determines whether or not a dog will be given up...it's behavior problems.

I think that the problem is irresponsible breeders of purebreds and mutts alike. All reputable breeders I know of have a lifetime guarantee on the pup and if, for whatever reason, somebody can't keep that dog, it MUST be returned to them. Therefore, these dogs don't end up in shelters and they take care of the dogs they're responsible for, including the pet quality dogs. Backyard breeders and puppy mills, on the other hand, couldn't care less about what happens to these dogs once the money's in their hands, and I think that this is where all of the dogs in shelters come from.

Dog Tired · 01-27-2006, 10:26 AM

POP! <sound of can of worms opening> LOL

Responsible ownership is also just as important IMO. People who take owning a pet seriously. Just because you can afford it, doesnt mean its the right thing to do. If there were less folks buying from breeders (any breeder) then ideally, there would be less pups. Unfortunatly, I doubt that will ever happen.

I think a lot of people get a dog with the best of intentions...but they dont do the research about the breed. They had a friend who had this great little sheltie...but they never knew how much work it could be .....grooming...training...all that jazz. So when the dog gets to be a year (maybe older, maybe younger) the family starts to re-evaluate the time they really have for this dog. Maybe it goes to another friend..or to the pound. Either way, this is just a never ending cycle.

It will always be an issue....I personally feel that if every owner had their pets spay/neutered.....we would see a large decline in the dogs in the shelters. BYB make their fare share of contributions to the shelter population...dont get me wrong....but I would think that a lot of the dogs in the shelters are products of "oops" breedings, and irresponsible dog owners.

Getting your dog vaccinated for rabies is required by law...wonder if it would ever be possible to 'require' people to have an altered pet, unless otherwise liscenced to show or breed, etc????

Anyhoo, getting off track there!

Crossfire Bulldogs · 01-27-2006, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Are backyard breeders the only "irresponsible" breeders of purebreds?

No, so are the millers. I don't recall anyone ever saying that there weren't pure bred dogs in shelters or ever seeing anyone condone the breeding of a pure bred dog if it wasn't being done for proper reasons.

Obviously not every pup in a litter produced by ethical / responsible breeders will make it to the show ring but those breeders are placing their pet puppies more responsibily than the byb or miller.

Quote:

How many "pet quality" purebreds are produced in the quest for that one perfect show dog? What is the ratio...20 pet quality pups per one show dog? Or is the number even higher?

I think the true question here is not how many dogs are produced but how many are placed in forever homes in comparison to those who end up in shelters or rescues. The responsible / ethical breeders usually have a waiting list of homes where others do not. On the average, the pure bred dog is less likely to end up in a shelter or rescue than those of mixed heritage.

A three-year study of euthanasia risks in a Philadelphia-area animal shelter concluded that adult dogs are most likely to die, purebred dogs are more likely to be reclaimed by owners, and that compilation of such information is necessary for the design of community intervention programs to reduce euthanasia of dogs and cats.

The study examined the records of all incoming dogs at the Chester County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals from May 1990-October 1993. It was conducted by Gary J. Petronek DVM and Larry T. Glickman DVM, faculty at the Department of Veterinary Pathobiology at Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine, and Michael R. Moyer DVM of Bridgewater Veterinary Hospital in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. Petronek was director of the shelter from 1988-92; Moyer was director from 1992-1994.

Major findings

More than 47 percent of the 4582 stray dogs were purebred, but they were reclaimed at a higher rate and with fewer days in the shelter than mixed breed dogs.

More than 67 percent of purebreds were returned to their owners;
41 percent of mixed breeds were reclaimed.

“This suggests that owners of purebred dogs were more aware that their dog was missing, were more concerned with getting their dog back promptly, or that they expended greater effort in attempting to locate their dog,” the authors wrote. “This is consistent with a national survey that indicated length of ownership was related to the initial cost of the animal.”

Purebreds comprised a lower percentage (32.7) of surrendered dogs, and their adoption rate (49.9) was slightly less than the 51.4 percent rate for mixed breeds.

A bit more than 19 percent of the purebred dogs were placed with a breed rescue group.

Among purebreds, older dogs were far more likely to be reclaimed than younger dogs. About 22 percent of puppies less than four months old were returned to owners, along with 55 percent of juvenile dogs (four-11 months); 65 percent of young adults (13-35 months); 71 percent of adults (3-10 years); and 75 percent of aged dogs (10 years or older).

Mixed breed dogs were 1.8 times more likely to be euthanized as purebred dogs, and the risk of euthanasia increased with age for mixed breeds but not purebreds.

Puppies and young adults were more likely to be adopted in both purebreds and mixed breeds.

Numbers of dogs entering the shelter and number of reclaimed dogs and adoption varied by month. More dogs were reclaimed in April, May, August, and October.

The six most common breeds of stray dogs were Labrador Retriever, Golden Retriever, German Shepherd, Beagle, Siberian Husky, and Rottweiler.

More than 18 percent of the dogs adopted out came back, but this shelter offers a high incentive to return any dog that doesn't work out instead of giving it away or taking it to another shelter — they refund all adoption fees except the $10 processing fee.

Quote:

People with money to burn, can easily puchase an expensive, purebred dog on a whim. Only to give it up later, when they grow tired of it or tired of the behavior problems they themselves have caused by not taking dog ownership seriously.

I think the same could be said for someone with a dog of mixed heritage. The bottom line is people aren't taking responsibility for their dogs.

Dog Tired · 01-27-2006, 10:32 AM

Okay...I was a little off there...heres goes better...

POP!! POP!! <bigger can of worms>!!LOL

4 Responses in 7 minutes!

Crossfire Bulldogs · 01-27-2006, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dog Tired

Okay...I was a little off there...heres goes better...

POP!! POP!! <bigger can of worms>!!LOL

4 Responses in 7 minutes!

Hmm, could this be our next hot topic?

Raised By Wolves · 01-27-2006, 10:49 AM

Heh-heh-heh! *rubbing hands together in anticipation of lively discussion*

Are there any statistics as to the actual numbers of any given breed out there? Which breeds are being "overbred"? Which breed is the current "fad"...oh no, don't say "it"... Puggles and Doodly Poos don't count...or do they?

mrsgrubby · 01-27-2006, 10:59 AM

I wish I had stats, but I don't. However I can tell you that probably 50% of the dogs that come into our rescue are either husky mixes or rottweiler mixes.

Now rottweilers are still popular in this area so the rottie mixes get adopted quickly, but the husky mixes do not.

shay05 · 01-27-2006, 11:01 AM

I go to the shelter alot to volunteer and there are alot of everything in the shelters. Mostly labs lab mixes, pitt mixes, and gsds. I've also seen purebred dachshunds, chihuahuas, poodles,boxers, schnauzers and the list can go on and on. I rescued my husky mix (also VERY popular in the shelters), Dottie in October and she is the best dog in the world to me.
www.dogster.com/?254099
Right now I'm fostering a PUREBRED silver schnauzer and her litter. She was pregnant and dumped.
So imo, alot of breeding should be stopped, period. It IS other people's fault that they don't take care of their animals, but for the sake of the innocent I'm willing to pick up the pieces..or as many as I can.

calgal · 01-27-2006, 11:19 AM

Irresponsible breeders, Uninformed owners and those who think dogs are just a commodity that don't have the same feelings as humans.........these are the ones responsible for making up the majority of dogs that are in the streets and in shelters. We have to keep getting the word out in any way we can.

Novel · 01-27-2006, 12:23 PM

No, Shelter dogs are not all mutts, or mixed breed or doodles. There are many purebreds also... as Crossfire helpfully pointed out with facts. However, can we find documentation on how many well-bred dogs are in shelters? If we removed all the mixes, the puppy mill products and the BYB money-makers, how many would be left in the shelters?? Very, very few.... So few, that each and every one would be adopted and there would be a waiting list a mile long. So, lets not blame reputable breeders for the overpopulation of dogs, or even say they contribute to the problem. Lets place the blame where I think it should be, with unethical, irresponsible breeders, of all kinds, and with the uneducated, uninformed, irresponsible buyers who on a whim buy a dog that they simply haven't made a commitment to. Let's work towards solving some of that nightmare, and not jump on the bandwagon of "anyone who breeds is contributing to the euthanasia and over population of pets in the US or elsewhere".

elegy · 01-27-2006, 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raised By Wolves

Are backyard breeders the only "irresponsible" breeders of purebreds?

well, my definition of "backyard breeder" is pretty much a breeder who is irresponsible but not a puppy mill. responsible placement of pups and willingness to take back a dog at any time as well as requiring the dog be returned instead of sold/dumped/whatever is a big part of what makes a responsible breeder in my mind. i don't care if it's a show breeder or a performance breeder or what. responsibility doesn't end with titles on a show dog.

i like the idea of breeders who chip all dogs that they place in homes and have their contact information put on the chips.

i don't know if it's like this everywhere, but around here there are tons of purebred dogs in the shelter. lots and lots of labs, especially. dalmations, beagles, pit bulls, jack russells, german shepherds, more pit bulls. there's a really nice looking viszla listed on petfinder at the moment too. and these are the dogs in the shelters, not rescue. (there is also a lab rescue, a dobe rescue, a shar-pei rescue, and an akita rescue).

i think the number one responsibility is on the shoulders of the people who buy these dogs in the first place, but i think if breeders were held to some sort of standard and accountability, the shelter situation would be a lot better than it is right now.

Novel · 01-27-2006, 12:28 PM

How about legislation is proposed that each and every dog, purebred or mutt, must be chipped/registered. When that dog ends up in a shelter, the breeder must either take it back, or pay a fine which would go towards its care until it is adopted.
Real quick there would be an end to unaltered dogs, BYB's and mills!

mrsgrubby · 01-27-2006, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Novel

How about legislation is proposed that each and every dog, purebred or mutt, must be chipped/registered. When that dog ends up in a shelter, the breeder must either take it back, or pay a fine which would go towards its care until it is adopted.
Real quick there would be an end to unaltered dogs, BYB's and mills!

Novel, in my area people would just kill the puppies or dump them. The answering machine at our rescue said we were full and not taking dogs, and we got several messages from people saying that they were going to put them in a bag and dump them in Lake Michigan if we didn't change our minds and take them

01-27-2006, 10:05 AM	#1 (permalink)
Raised By Wolves Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 1,523 Rep Power: 123	Shelter Dogs Are Not All Mutts It's interesting reading through the threads, hearing people attacked and lectured any time a mixed breed pup is born. Is the only responsibility in keeping dogs out of shelters, stopping the breeding of mixed breed dogs? I think not. How many "pet quality" purebreds are produced in the quest for that one perfect show dog? What is the ratio...20 pet quality pups per one show dog? Or is the number even higher? Since there seem to be a lot of purebred dogs in dog shelters, I believe it's not good breeding, or the lack there of, which determines whether or not a dog will be given up...it's behavior problems. People with money to burn, can easily puchase an expensive, purebred dog on a whim. Only to give it up later, when they grow tired of it or tired of the behavior problems they themselves have caused by not taking dog ownership seriously. Are backyard breeders the only "irresponsible" breeders of purebreds?
	__________________ "There's a fine line between fishing, and just standing on the bank, looking confused."

01-27-2006, 10:18 AM	#2 (permalink)
mrsgrubby Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Michigan Posts: 2,476 Rep Power: 140	Hmmmm, this is interesting to ponder RBW, and kinda goes along with an active thread in the breeding forum right now where Shandoggy asked about breeding without showing, and if it was ok. I think the debate boils down to the fact that there are just too many dogs born in the world. Period. If we could cut down on the "mutts" it would help alot. In the shelter and rescue I deal with, if a purebred gets turned in, it almost always gets adopted quickly. The other day a mini poodle got turned in at noon, (sorta.....he was turned in earlier in the week but needed assesing first, before he could be adopted). Anyway, I was doing the adoptions that day and got him at noon and readopted him at 5:00. That same day my foster Weim puppy went up at noon and was adopted at 6:00. Non of the other dogs, got adopted. I find that if we cant' tell the people what breed the dog is, they dont' want it, and many times we have no idea what it is. However if it is pure, or mostly pure they get adopted right away. The only exception is husky's. There are soooo many husky's no one wants them. So, anyway, if we could stop byb, puppy mills, and people who chain their dogs out/just let them get pregnant, we would be able to handle the number of dogs we get, and with all of our wonderful foster homes, we could rehabilitate the ones with behavior problems, almost making euthanization a thing of the past in our area.,
	Last edited by mrsgrubby : 01-27-2006 at 10:32 AM. Reason: spelling

01-27-2006, 10:49 AM	#8 (permalink)
Raised By Wolves Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 1,523 Rep Power: 123	Heh-heh-heh! rubbing hands together in anticipation of lively discussion Are there any statistics as to the actual numbers of any given breed out there? Which breeds are being "overbred"? Which breed is the current "fad"...oh no, don't say "it"... Puggles and Doodly Poos don't count...or do they?
	__________________ "There's a fine line between fishing, and just standing on the bank, looking confused."

01-27-2006, 11:01 AM	#10 (permalink)
shay05 barks n purrs go 2gether Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Ft. Hood, TX Posts: 98 Rep Power: 53	I go to the shelter alot to volunteer and there are alot of everything in the shelters. Mostly labs lab mixes, pitt mixes, and gsds. I've also seen purebred dachshunds, chihuahuas, poodles,boxers, schnauzers and the list can go on and on. I rescued my husky mix (also VERY popular in the shelters), Dottie in October and she is the best dog in the world to me. www.dogster.com/?254099 Right now I'm fostering a PUREBRED silver schnauzer and her litter. She was pregnant and dumped. So imo, alot of breeding should be stopped, period. It IS other people's fault that they don't take care of their animals, but for the sake of the innocent I'm willing to pick up the pieces..or as many as I can.
	Last edited by shay05 : 01-27-2006 at 11:03 AM. Reason: spelling

01-27-2006, 10:26 AM	#4 (permalink)
Dog Tired housebroken&leash_trained Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Kentucky Posts: 176 Rep Power: 0	POP! <sound of can of worms opening> LOL Responsible ownership is also just as important IMO. People who take owning a pet seriously. Just because you can afford it, doesnt mean its the right thing to do. If there were less folks buying from breeders (any breeder) then ideally, there would be less pups. Unfortunatly, I doubt that will ever happen. I think a lot of people get a dog with the best of intentions...but they dont do the research about the breed. They had a friend who had this great little sheltie...but they never knew how much work it could be .....grooming...training...all that jazz. So when the dog gets to be a year (maybe older, maybe younger) the family starts to re-evaluate the time they really have for this dog. Maybe it goes to another friend..or to the pound. Either way, this is just a never ending cycle. It will always be an issue....I personally feel that if every owner had their pets spay/neutered.....we would see a large decline in the dogs in the shelters. BYB make their fare share of contributions to the shelter population...dont get me wrong....but I would think that a lot of the dogs in the shelters are products of "oops" breedings, and irresponsible dog owners. Getting your dog vaccinated for rabies is required by law...wonder if it would ever be possible to 'require' people to have an altered pet, unless otherwise liscenced to show or breed, etc???? Anyhoo, getting off track there!

01-27-2006, 10:32 AM	#6 (permalink)
Dog Tired housebroken&leash_trained Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Kentucky Posts: 176 Rep Power: 0	Okay...I was a little off there...heres goes better... POP!! POP!! <bigger can of worms>!!LOL 4 Responses in 7 minutes!

01-27-2006, 10:59 AM	#9 (permalink)
mrsgrubby Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Michigan Posts: 2,476 Rep Power: 140	I wish I had stats, but I don't. However I can tell you that probably 50% of the dogs that come into our rescue are either husky mixes or rottweiler mixes. Now rottweilers are still popular in this area so the rottie mixes get adopted quickly, but the husky mixes do not.

01-27-2006, 11:19 AM	#11 (permalink)
calgal My Yorkster kids! Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: central ca. coast Posts: 6,586 Rep Power: 221	Irresponsible breeders, Uninformed owners and those who think dogs are just a commodity that don't have the same feelings as humans.........these are the ones responsible for making up the majority of dogs that are in the streets and in shelters. We have to keep getting the word out in any way we can.

01-27-2006, 12:23 PM	#12 (permalink)
Novel Boxer Mom Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Madison, WI Posts: 4,852 Blog Entries: 1 Rep Power: 213	No, Shelter dogs are not all mutts, or mixed breed or doodles. There are many purebreds also... as Crossfire helpfully pointed out with facts. However, can we find documentation on how many well-bred dogs are in shelters? If we removed all the mixes, the puppy mill products and the BYB money-makers, how many would be left in the shelters?? Very, very few.... So few, that each and every one would be adopted and there would be a waiting list a mile long. So, lets not blame reputable breeders for the overpopulation of dogs, or even say they contribute to the problem. Lets place the blame where I think it should be, with unethical, irresponsible breeders, of all kinds, and with the uneducated, uninformed, irresponsible buyers who on a whim buy a dog that they simply haven't made a commitment to. Let's work towards solving some of that nightmare, and not jump on the bandwagon of "anyone who breeds is contributing to the euthanasia and over population of pets in the US or elsewhere".

01-27-2006, 12:28 PM	#14 (permalink)
Novel Boxer Mom Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Madison, WI Posts: 4,852 Blog Entries: 1 Rep Power: 213	How about legislation is proposed that each and every dog, purebred or mutt, must be chipped/registered. When that dog ends up in a shelter, the breeder must either take it back, or pay a fine which would go towards its care until it is adopted. Real quick there would be an end to unaltered dogs, BYB's and mills!