In this weeks DOG WORLD 27th August 2009

As Chairman of Forest Dog Rescue based in the Midlands I am aware of an increase in pedigree dogs either picked up as strays and brought to us or dogs offered to us from private homes in varying circumstances. Wearing my other hat as a breeder, exhibitor  and judge of pedigree dogs, it seems to me that 9 out of 10 of the pedigree dogs that come into our rescue are recognisable as a breed but do not fall into the category of a typical specimen. When a dog comes to us and is recognisable as a pedigree I do try and contact the appropriate breed rescue, the problem is so many club rescues are full to the brim already , the numbers have been steadily rising and often a dog stands as much chance of finding a home from local dog charity as it does from a national, overstretched breed rescue.

Dog rescues are trying to deal with the result but where are these dogs coming from?  I have come to the conclusion that many of these dogs have been produced either by puppy farms or by breeders who have little regard for the dog’s future welfare. There are many factors , especially in this belt tightening time , that affect the number of dogs taken into rescue , I would like to focus on the one of those reasons.

Whatever breed you have it is possible to identify a “type” within that breed. With some you can go further and make an educated guess as to it’s lineage. The majority of the pedigree dogs I see in rescue are poor examples of their breed , looking beyond condition and temperament , which may be affected by the shock of environmental change, the conformation is very often of such a poor standard that the animals wellbeing is affected by it. When the dog comes in from a private home the story is often similar. The puppy was bought from an advert in the Exchange and Mart , purchased over the internet or a local advert was followed .Often the pup was bought without any KC registration  or the KC registration has single word names as Sire and Dam , not always indicative of poor breeding  but noteworthy in this context I think, certainly the exchange of money and goods sounds more like buying a bike than a young  life. If the new owner gets into difficulties the seller simply doesn’t want to know.  These are the people the Kennel Club need to reach, they are not interested in going to Crufts each year to hear the message, they just want a dog that looks like the breed they have in mind and most importantly, it’s cheap. If you ask Mr Average in the street “what makes a dog a pedigree animal ?” most believe a piece of paper with it’s supposed lineage is enough , along with the fact that it “looks” like the breed it is advertised as. The galling thing for so many responsible and careful breeders is that the price of a puppy  from irresponsible sources is almost as much as from them! We live in a disposable society where granny dumping is as frequent as dogs thrown onto the streets, life has become less valuable. Without the demand, the supply of poorly bred and raised pedigree type dogs  would not  continue to be a profitable sideline for so many. Only by education of the public can we hope to raise the standards of expectation, people need to know they are getting their moneys worth. Greed is a very powerful tool in trying to get a message across so why don’t the Kennel Club use their considerable resources and net those floating wannabe dog owners. By continuing to appeal to the middle class by exercises such as Discover Dogs and Crufts the message completely goes over the head of the target clients of the puppy mills. If people knew what their money ought to buy they would start to realise that the “bargain of the week” is a well bred and carefully raised puppy where the breeder does offer an ongoing service of responsibility and the puppy farm dog may be cheaper but the cost both financially and emotionally could be devastating.

 As a rescue we have to use shock tactics to make people aware of tragedy on their doorsteps, sadly people become immune to our cries for help We are the ones who pick up the fractured pieces of these dogs lives, we look to the Kennel Club to protect good breeders because they lessen our load and we expect them to deal with the problem of puppy mills and irresponsible breeders. Only by recognising who that target audience are can the KC hope to make any impact, by knowing their habits and by understanding their reasons for purchase. I’d like to call for a think tank to tackle this issue involving breed rescue, local rescue, breeders, judges, the Kennel Club and  exhibitors. If the current trend continues the breeds that you all profess to love so well will be under threat and all that effort and money that has been piled into solving health crisis within those breeds  could be wiped away with a careless and irresponsible mating that slips under the radar and goes on to impact on your breed.

Geraldine Cove-Print