Making Responsible Choices

Being an adult is about responsibilities.  Having a dog is a big responsibility.  Being the person responsible for a dog will inevitably lead to some very hard choices.  Good owners make the best choices they can for their dogs and their individual situations, no matter how difficult they are.  Sometimes these choices are not something we WANT to have to make, but good owners make the choices they truly believe will provide the best long term outcome for those in their care.

In this way, being a dog owner is much like being a parent: Choices, and the desire to see those in your care happy and healthy.

We make lots of choices that will be judged, sometimes harshly, by others in our society....

We choose to breast feed, or not.
We choose to surgically remove the reproductive organs of our dogs, or not.
We choose to have our sons circumcised, or not.
We choose to train our dogs with electronic collars, or not.
We choose to put our children on medications that alter their behavior, or not.
We choose to remove the dewclaws of our puppies, or not.
We choose to home-school our children, or not.
We choose to end our pets' suffering medically, or not.
We choose the religion our children will be exposed to, or not.
We choose to crop our dogs' ears, or not.
We choose to vaccinate, or not.    
We choose to dock tails, or not.
We choose to have our dog's bark surgically altered, or not.
We choose to feed our dogs a kibbled diet, or not.

Many of these choices will have a lasting impact on the lives of those we make the decision for.  Many of them can be invasive and carry an inerrant risk.  People hold very strong opinions on the "right choice" and most of these choices will not go without the opinions and judgements of others impressed upon us, wanted or not.  All of them are choices we make with the hopes of doing the best for those we are responsible for.

Sometimes we make these choices by determining what will be the easiest for our charges as well as ourselves.  Sometimes our choices come down to our perception of the lesser of two evils.

We may choose to neuter our dogs, despite the health risks that come with doing so (educate yourself on some of those risks here), because we wish to avoid the consequences of an unwanted litter of puppies or the stress caused by dealing with intact dogs in our homes.  

We may choose to circumcise our sons, despite the potential impact to his sexual health, because we wish to avoid hygienic issues.   

We may choose to remove the dewclaws of our puppies, despite the pain it causes them, in order to avoid serious injury by them getting caught and torn in the field.

We may choose to have our dog's bark surgically altered, even though it may cause the dog some pain, because we are genuinely concerned for his safety due to unhappy neighbors disturbed by the noise he makes when he is plays outside.

We make all of these choices because we want the BEST for those we are responsible for, and I VERY STRONGLY support our right to make them.  

I hope, as dog owners, parents, and as responsible adults, we can all choose to have a little open mindedness and understanding... and choose to respect the choices of others, even when we may not agree with them.  After all, we all make the choices we do because we want the best for our charges in our own unique circumstances.  And when we make these choices, I hope we can all keep an open mind to new ideas that may provide us new insight if we are to be presented with the same choices in the future.  There is no shame in changing our minds, but there is nothing to be gained by judging the choices of others.

As breeders, we are put in a unique situation of both being responsible for the life and care of every dog we ever produce as well as understanding that despite the very best efforts and intentions of our buyers there ultimately may be cases where choices we don't like need to be made.  As a buyer I encourage you, first, to VERY carefully read your contract when purchasing a dog and make absolutely sure that you both understand as well as accept the terms within it before you sign it.  When necessary, seek the guidance of your breeder and remember that a good breeder wants nothing more than the dog you purchased from them to be happy and healthy. Please remember that deviation from a contractual agreement without discussion with your breeder is a serious breach of trust and could be highly damaging to your relationship with your breeder (and very well may lead to legal action).  As a breeder, I hope we can all remain open minded and understanding of individual circumstances and find amiable solutions to issues that may arise with our puppies.

Choosing to accept the choices of others, and their right to making them does not mean you must make the same choices.  It simply means accepting their right to the choice and your own right to make a different one if you wish.

Please, I ask you, in your life with dogs - educate yourself to the very best of your ability, seek to understand a reality outside your own, and remain open minded. 

 

Never profess to know the circumstances of another, the only reality you truly know is your own

Choose to respect the right of others to make the choices they make for their unique situation.  Perhaps, one day, you will find yourself in a new situation and you will see things in a different light than you do today.

Be kind to one another.  

Be understanding of realities outside of your own.

Understand that the world of reality is not perfect, and there are very rarely perfect solutions within it.

Comments are allowed on this post, but non-factual arguments or those containing hateful comments of any kind will be deleted by the page owner.

PETA and the HSUS are threatening OUR culture

This is a letter written by a woman named Amy.  Permission to cross post has been granted.

I find it to be very well written and eye opening for those who are unaware of what is going on.

The United States was founded under the assumption of liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all. To that extent, we are a multicultural country. We have racial cultures, we have religious cultures, we have sports cultures, we have work cultures. We tend to be accepting of other cultures. One neighbor can be a sports fan and a Lutheran, another a jazz fan and a Catholic but they still manage to be neighbors and to accept one another’s cultures.

The culture of the dog hobbyist/fancier is not so lucky. The powerful, rich, and mighty Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have decided that our culture our very lifestyle is unacceptable.

In 2009, over 140 pieces of anti-dog and anti-breeder legislation were introduced in 37 states. The language in all of these bills was remarkably similar. It isn’t by coincidence! It’s the huge, deep, lobbying pockets of HSUS and its ilk.
Wayne Pacella, CEO and President of HSUS, has indicated that he has no problem with eliminating domestic animals: “One generation and out. We have no problems with the extinction of domestic animals. They are creations of human selective breeding” (Animal People News, May 1993). HSUS has over $130 million in annual revenue and assets of more than $200 million. Yet less than ½ of one percent of donations goes directly to the hands-on care of animals. Most of the rest of that cash, hard-earned by its donors, goes to six-figure payrolls for staffers, salaries for “social media” personnel who are paid to respond to any and all comments about H$U$, and massive lobbying efforts. In fact, the IRS has been tasked with investigating the 501c3 status of the HSUS based on the tremendous amount of lobbying it performs. Wayne Pacella is an attorney. He is not an animal husbandry expert. He does not even have a pet.

Ingrid Newkirk, President of PETA, has said “I don’t use the word 'pet.' I think it’s speciesist language. I prefer 'companion animal.' For one thing, we would no longer allow breeding. People could not create different breeds. There would be no pet shops. If people had companion animals in their homes, those animals would have to be refugees from the animal shelters and the streets. You would have a protective relationship with them just as you would with an orphaned child. But as the surplus of cats and dogs (artificially engineered by centuries of forced breeding) declined, eventually companion animals would be phased out, and we would return to a more symbiotic relationship enjoyment at a distance. Ms. Newkirk advocates militant action and has been arrested more than 20 times. She is an ardent supporter of the Animal Liberation Front, which is listed by the FBI as a terrorist group.

Who are these people to force their anti-animal, vegan culture on us? Why are we letting this one culture, the culture of those who believe animals should have the same rights as humans, legislate what we do or do not do with the dogs (and other animals) that we own? How can we let them dictate our breeding practices? These two leaders, and most of the staff of their organizations, have no experience in animal husbandry or welfare. Yet they have infiltrated the nation through legislation, the media, and yes, even our grade schools, convincing the public that they have the expertise to determine how many dogs a person should own and who should own them and when to breed them.

None of us likes puppy factories. We know they exist. Yet there are already very adequate animal welfare laws and regulations in place in every state. And while there have been instances in which inspectors have dropped the ball, there is no doubt that the laws do exist and adding another layer of bureaucracy certainly will do nothing to improve the manpower shortage that caused the inspectors to drop the ball! It would be much more practical and economical to simply consistently enforce the already existing animal welfare laws.

All of us believe in animal welfare. We provide food, water, shelter, veterinary care, and love to our animals. But do they really have rights? Having rights also entails having responsibilities. Taking responsibility involves having morals. Humans have the right to go shopping but we do not have the right to steal while doing so. Dogs don’t have that morality. If it’s there, and it’s edible, they’ll try to steal it. Dogs understand “safe” and “dangerous” it may be “safe to lay on the rug and drool while Mom is cooking, but it’s “dangerous” to try to steal food off the table but there is no morality about it. Dogs don’t have an understanding of incest. Dogs don’t go to the ballot box and vote. Humans do.

Alas, our counterculture cannot and will not leave us alone. Sporting badges that look remarkably like police badges, HSUS staff takes part in “raids” on dog owners and breeders. Raids! The very word evokes visions of war. Pirates raid ships. Armies raid other countries. The word “raid” invokes a level of criminality to those being raided even if no charges are filed.

There have been well-publicized cases in which reputable breeders have been “raided” and no findings were made, or charges against them were dropped – yet their dogs were seized and in many cases, adopted out, sterilized, or euthanized before the courts had a chance to make their findings. In one case, not only were the dogs confiscated, but so were the owner’s show win photos, title certificates, ribbons, and other mementos. They were not returned.

This is a war. The HSUS and PETA culture have been gathering steam for years, while our culture the dog culture has stood by with our collective heads in the sand. We have accepted the term “puppy mill” to encompass anyone who breeds more than a litter a year. Shame on us. We are supposed to be the experts on breeding. How does one gain expertise if we bow down to the anti-animal culture that says breeding dogs is bad? Why have we allowed this anti-animal culture to grow to its current, tremendously frightening level?

Most people would not dream of forcing a vegan to eat meat. If a religious cult of any type began lobbying in the same manner as HSUS and PETA, attempting to force its culture down the throats of Americans, the hue and cry raised by citizens would be deafening.

It’s time we stood up to the anti-animal culture. It’s time every one of us, whether owner, breeder, or exhibitor, took part in the legislative process that threatens to overrun our very culture.

If you don’t like Fords, buy a Chevy. If you don’t like meat, don’t eat it. If you don’t like dogs, don’t go to a dog show. But leave me and my dogs alone.

Amy