What is your opinion of the practice of breeding pedigreed dogs and cats for sale?

I 100% agree with you.

I also 100% agree with you.

It doesn’t matter how well she treats her cats: every kitten she sells supports a market that leaves so many other cats in shelters or in neglectful situations.

If she keeps breeding the same two cats, she will devalue both them and their offspring.

It is better for both her and the cats if she breeds them at most twice. Then she should spay or neuter them. The cats will be healthier, and the kittens will have more value because they are a ‘limited’ edition.

the keyword you mentioned is “unwanted”. Breeding certain pedigrees fills the demand of those who “want” a particular animal. And as you mentioned, she has an order going for the purebreed.

There is nothing wrong with being a professional licensed breeder. Unfortunately there are many who breed to make a quick buck, with no knowledge of the profession. My state, Missouri, holds the honor of being #1 in the nation for illegal puppy mills. A month doesn’t go by without a newscast showing another mill getting busted. The conditions are awful. The animals suffer, and the public is feeding the madness because the pets come cheap. There are little to no credentials required to sell animals to reputable name brand pet stores. Absolutely no credentials required to place an ad in the paper or to sell on Craigslist. The unscrupulous breeders often claim the animal has all required vaccinations, but they are found diseased later, and very expensive vet bills are waiting. Many of these animals are then abandoned because healing them is too expensive, and the customer has no recourse to pursue returning it to the breeder. Buyer beware.

Meanwhile, the animal shelters require every adoption to have the proper shots, and this adds to the cost of adoption. I don’t know if it’s a state requirement or not, but the shelters are at a disadvantage compared to unscrupulous breeders.

It just sucks.

Awful and creates genetically weaker animals that suffer.

I will not buy a purebred cat or dog with so many unwanted animals being destroyed every day. I feel they should have licenses for breeders – to make sure they comply to some standards re vet care etc. Part of the proceeds could go to all the underfunded shelters.

For what it’s worth, I agree too.
Even wanting a pureblood überkitty while the lesser untercats have to be put to death in the ponds, that’s horrible. It’s racist, in fact, in one of the worst ways imaginable. Choosing who gets a warm home and who gets killed, solely on the basis of their genes.
And in this case I think the fact that we’re not talking about humans doesn’t do all that much to abate how wrong it is.

There are rare cases where breeding sometimes might be necessary. A person with allergies might need a purebreed Sphinx cat, or something like that. Cases like that are rare though. Unless someone is handicapped, who are they to demand what traits their pet has?

Generally, the breeding of cats and dogs is a selfish endeavor. And especially so, if it is done for profit (which it usually is).

These are the same types of people who cut the ends of the ears & tails off of baby dogs to make them look tougher or otherwise more purebred traditional. They put no thought into their wants. They just do it because its been accepted for generations by civilization, so that makes it okay for them. No need to second guess anything, they just want to breed and get money

There are thousands of cats and dogs killed every day in animal “shelters” due to overpopulation.

Meanwhile, you have the rich, egostical people (or not-so-rich, but not-so-wise-with-the-money poor people) who think they want a purebred dog or cat.

Why? Because they want certain “traits”? Don’t mutts and alley cats often have similar good traits as their purebred relatives, but with even more health?

And if breeding for “traits” is so good, perhaps we should pick and choose which children to breed for their “traits”, kinda like Hitler wanted?

Breeders should be the ones forced to do the killings at animal shelters, since that is the end result of their actions.

Both my cat and dog came right off the street. I found them stray myself and took them in. Yes, it costs $200 or more to get them neutered/spayed, and all the shots, but they are the most loyal friends in the long run.

Clamp down on the unlicensed breeders and watch the unwanted animal population disappear quickly after. Especially if the health care for them could be made less expensive.

@RealEyesRealizeRealLies , I agree with you,except I think not only are unlicensed breeders selfish, destructive, and harmful, but so are licensed breeders, generally.

I can’t comment on that. I just don’t know enough to generalize them all into one group. But at least the licensed breeders usually have specialties that fulfill particular market demands, and they also should be healthier animals that are born into much more human conditions. The mills that get busted in Missouri are just a bunch of unprotected cages in open fields. No shelter from the elements and dozens of animals sharing a small space. No individual feeding. Many times there are dead animals right along side the barely living ones. But hey, we’re #1 in Meth Labs too. I think it’s a mindset of the uneducated people trying to figure a way to make as much money as possible while doing the least amount of real work.

It just stinks.

I didn’t know that you could breed cats with dogs.

Fine with me. She’s selling ‘em, not turning them loose in the wild and not setting up a mill. Long as her paperwork is in order.
Maybe you should be taking issue with people who abandon animals, or who go to the breeder instead of the animal shelter.

@Nullo GA…

Breeding like that, only for just selfish wants sure isn’t good. If it is for significant scientific purposes, or like promoting a rare species’ developement then that’s another story. local ecosystems could be thrown even more out of balance, with people just breeding like crazy. Plus animals shouldn’t be treated as just “comodities” or toys for us almighty humans to use at will

Aside from breeding animals for money as being a bad thing, purebred breeding leads to all kinds of problems with the breed. Teacup anything isn’t natural and the animal suffers for this. If it’s not skin problems, it’s hip problems, or teeth problems. The further away you get from a wolf (where dogs come from) the more problems you’ll have.

It is unfortunate that there are not laws like there are in Great Britain that prohibit “backyard breeding” and allow only licensed breeders.

I have no issue with responsible healthy breeding of animals but I have great issue with the fact there are so many stray/unwanted animals available. I say to go ahead and breed once there is no surplus.

We do that to other domesticated animals, but, when it involves cats or dogs, it’s suddenly immoral. I’m not saying we should be able to treat animals poorly (e.g., if we’re going to do puppy mills, those puppies better be treated well), but can someone tell me what the ethical/moral difference between breeding cows, chickens, etc for profit versus breeding dogs/cats for profit?

I understand the “too many strays in shelters” argument, but it doesn’t address the fundamental ethics question: whether it’s OK to breed animals for profit. So long as we continue to treat animals as a commodity, the strays in shelters argument addresses a question of economic waste and not one of ethics. At best, it addresses a different kind of ethical question as opposed to the one that everyone seems to be dealing with.

Or I could be wrong. It’s what I think anyway.

Another example of mankind, in it’s total awesomeness, manipulating nature for it’s own ends.

Sure, animals probably enjoy sex as much as humans, but it must be awful thinking that’s all you’re good for. So, I agree with you.

I’ve had only alley cats, one for 20 years, and all were wonderful members of the family. Breeding in a limited way could be ok, if the breeder is licensed and operates with very high standards of care for the animals, but not there shouldn’t be such a market for “purebreds”—when so many animals (including purebreds) are in shelters or worse are euthanized. Same for horses, too much breeding and too many unwanted horses out there but then again that could be another whole thread for fluther.

I disagree with the practice. A lot.

I totally agree. Not only is it selfish on her part, it’s also partly the the fault of the people who adopt these cats (if there’s no demand then it wouldn’t happen). Not only is it selfish for reasons of overpopulation, but it’s also biologically wrong since it discourages genetic diversity (inbreeding) and causes potentially devastating birth defects. People need to find better ways of making money because using animals for selfish reasons is not cool.

@bobloblaw It’s cause we like to eatz chikenz an beefz…0.0 lol but in that case, we should be treating the livestock in a humane manner, and we should use it as necessity of nature being sure to stay within the circle of life…if you know what I mean

@Draconess25
No pet psychic am I, but I do have a dog. And after observing her these many years, I find myself doubting that she has the processing power for such existential questions. This is a creature that enjoys sticking her head out of the car window as much as we do our great novels.

@Nullo But I like sticking my head out the window! And I caught my Pomeranina reading once.

My Aunt breeds Flatoated Retrievers as working dogs, to show and have as pets. She will tell you that, after all the bills that go out to raise healthy pups before they go to their new homes, there isn’t much profit to be made and so anyone doing it for the sole purpose of making money is in for a shock if they are raising the newborns (and looking after mum) in the way that they should be.

I am not 100% against breeding and there are certain breeds that I would never pruchase from a breeder. However, there are also certain breeds that I would only purchase from a breeder so that I know it’s background.

There is a huge difference between being a good breeder and being a back yard breeder. A good breeder does not do so for the profit but to better the breed. Over the 30 years she has been breeding her Retrievers my Aunt has managed to stamp out certain health problems that were once in the line so that more and more healthy dogs are around. People that breed without getting the proper health checks done one their animals beforehand anger me.

I can understand why some people do not wish to get a dog from a shelter. My mum is one of those people. She used to be extremely afraid of dogs and the only dogs she felt comfortable with were those that she knew from pups. Because of this, she was happier getting a dog from a breeder she trusted because she not only knew the dog from a young age but she also knew the parents of said pup.

Personally I choose to both rescue dogs and buy from trusted breeders. I currently have one of each (rescue and from a breeder).

@Fyrius Great answer.

@Kraigmo “A person with allergies might need a purebreed Sphinx cat.” I get your point, and I agree with everything else you said, but no one “needs” a cat. Sometimes it seems to me that people operate under the impression that we have a “right” to own pets, like we have a right to fresh air, or the opportunity for employment. This is a dangerous notion, and incorrect. Owning pets is a privilege, plain and simple.

@RealEyesRealizeRealLies “I don’t know enough [breeders] to generalize them all into one group” This has nothing to do with generalizations. This isn’t about who breeders are, personally: it’s about what they do, i.e. breed pets. It’s the pet breeding, in and of itself – aside from any personal or circumstantial details – that people are saying is selfish, harmful, destructive, short-sighted, etc.

@Nullo “Maybe you should be taking issue with people who abandon animals…” Can’t we take issue with both? ”...or [people] who go to the breeder instead of the animal shelter.” That doesn’t make much sense to me. It takes 2 to tango. Why would I take issue with the customer of a service, but not the provider?

@Leanne1986 “There is a huge difference between being a good breeder and being a back yard breeder.” I don’t think so. Of course, it’s better the animals are treated properly, but that goes without saying. Above and beyond that, I think there’s a problem with breeding in the face of overpopulation, period.

@nicobanks That is your opinion and I don’t completely disagree with you. Yes, there is a problem with overpopulation. However, as I said in my post above, my opinion on breeding isn’t black or white like yours obviously is. I have seen benefits in certain breeds due to more selective breeding and because of this, I don’t completely disagree with it. I do, however, feel that there should be more control over who can legally breed dogs. Puppy mills and backyard breeding should be illegal in my opinion. Breeders should need a lisence to breed their animals and that lisence should not be easy to get or keep.

@Leanne1986 “Breeders should need a lisence to breed their animals and that lisence should not be easy to get or keep.” I agree with you there, that’s for sure.

@nicobanks
Because there’s nothing wrong with breeding. Furthermore, dog breeders are subject to market forces like any other supplier; the more pet-seekers that you can send to the shelters, the fewer breeders will be able to stay open.

Quick thought: what about those people who refrain from fixing their dogs for ethical/philosophical reasons? And they have two of the same breed, then the dogs have puppies…
Hey, guess what? You’re breeding Golden Retrievers!

@Nullo They’re the people that I have a problem with. If you’re not a reputable dog breeder who has researched breed lines, health, etc then get your animals fixed.

@Nullo Your “because” doesn’t really answer either of my questions. Think of it logically: If I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the service (pet breeding), why would I take issue with the customers at all? On the other hand, if I do take issue with the customers, why wouldn’t I also take issue with the providers? It makes no logical sense to take issue with the customer of a service, and not with the provider. It’s the service I have a problem with: of course I’ll take issue with both parties involved!

Anyway, to respond to what you last wrote:

Market forces!? /scoffs. Don’t try and tell me the market is natural! What do you think ads are for – purely informative? Breeders, by the act of breeding, sustain the market for thoroughbred pets and feed the interests of that market. Why do people care that they get a purebred pug, and not a small mutt from the shelter? Natural forces? Chance? Of course not. We’re manipulated to give a shit about purebreds, meanwhile mutts in shelters waste away. Yes, it is very difficult to get a pug at a shelter – they’re snatched up pretty quickly. Why does that mean it’s okay to put in an order for an unborn one when other dogs are sitting around waiting in shelters, and sometimes being killed because they’ve been there too long?

“Hey, guess what? You’re breeding Golden Retrievers!” Yes, of course you are, which is why I’m just as adamant about fixing your pets as I am about not using breeders. I don’t care about the hows and whys: I am against breeding pets.

Not fixing your pets for ethical/philosophical reasons? What reasons are those!?

@nicobanks Just out of curiosity, how do you feel about people that have babies biologically rather than adopt? There are so, so many orphans in the world that, surely, having a baby naturally equals one less home that an orphan could have?! This is not a dig at your opinion because, like I said, I don’t completely disagree with you but I am curious as to where you stand on this issue. Is a dog in a shelter any different to a child in an orphanage?

@Leanne1986 Although a part of me does think more of us should be adopting instead of having children, and more of us should be having less children, considering the strain our population is putting on the earth’s resources; I generally cede to the apparent fact that reproduction is an evolutionary and instinctive drive and therefore we do and should have the right to reproduce – that to interfere with this right would have dire psychological (emotional, physical) consequences upon us, like a kind of violence. At least, I cede this is a valid argument – I’m not sure how much I agree with it. On the other hand, there is no parallel argument for pet breeding. We, as humans, do not have an evolutionary drive to breed pets. There’s no corresponding right for pet breeding, as there is for self-breeding. And, while some may say we are enacting the very violence upon our pets, when we fix them, that I was alluding to previously in terms of human breeding, I think that pets have been so far taken out of their natural element – they’re domesticated, for Christ’s sake, genetically altered – that their evolutionary drives are no longer in the picture. If we wanted these animals the justice and beauty of wildlife, we should never have domesticated them. Now these animals are dependent upon us – they are not wild animals, and they are not subject to “wild” forces. They are dependent on us, and it is up to us to give them the best life we can, and allowing them to be overpopulated is NOT the best we can do.

@nicobanks Fair enough. Thank you for answering.

@Leanne1986 My pleasure :)