As many of my friends and family know, I like to browse through the postings on the Craigslist pet forum. It's a kind of self-torture, I know, because I see all of these beautiful dogs and cats who need homes and yet I'm not able to provide a home for them (at least not yet!). But the self-torture is also a blessing in disguise of sorts because I've learned so much about pet rescue, healthy food choices (pretty much any food you'll find at a grocery store, like Iams, Purina, etc. are crap and full of fillers, corn, and wheat), and the sad horrors of what happens to unwanted animals at kill shelters when there isn't any more room.

It was that last area that has really turned me against backyard breeding solely for monetary gain or hobby. However, I am NOT against the idea of breeding to BETTER the breed.

The classic example of this is what is happening to the pit bull breed. Before I started hanging around on the Craigslist pet forum, I knew very little about pit bulls other than what I saw or read in the news. And frankly, whatever news involves pit bulls is almost always bad. However, I've now learned that the bully breeds are really lovers rather than fighters. But bad breeding and bad owners have destroyed them and have caused this great public fear.

Today on the pet forum, a new poster appeared. This person is a breeder, but instead of getting attacked and flagged off the boards by the regulars (most of whom work in rescue and at shelters), this person was welcomed because he/she is a REPUTABLE BREEDER (Web site link here). Actually, the person isn't even a breeder yet. He/she owns show-quality American Staffordshire Terriers and Staffordshire Bull Terriers (both breeds are often confused with the American Pit Bull Terrier, but all three are different) and are health-tested, and active in the show ring and in weight-pulling, obedience, agility, and protection work. This person loves his/her dogs and treats them like family members, and exposes them to other animals, people, and children. The dogs are even being trained in therapy, and are taken to local schools to teach the children dog safety and to participate in reading programs for slower readers.

This is an example of a responsible and reputable breeder. This is a person who is fighting to get bully breeds back on the "good dog" list. He/she says, "[B]reeding is not something everyone that has showdogs... need[s] to do. My females are 2 and 3 and still are not bred. MAYBE and just maybe when I MYSELF am ready for another puppy then I might decide to breed. I have 4 that I am showing and sharing my house with right now, and th[e]y all deserve my und[ivided] attention."

And actually, a reputable breeder will know that, if done RIGHT, breeding results in a monetary LOSS to the owner, not a gain. This link goes shows a good example of the differences between a backyard breeder and a reputable breeder (note, though, that this site mentions boxers, so specifics like tail docking [boo] won't apply to all dog breeds).

Anyway, I'm going to get off of my soapbox now, but this subject has become very important to me and I want to spread the word. Oh, and if anyone's curious, the Craigslist pet forum can be found here, and the poster I'm talking about above is ShowDawgs. :)

And like I said earlier, the pet forum is a great place to learn about other things too, like what brand of food is best to feed your pet, medical questions, etc. And a lot of regular posters will put up pictures of their pets. Personally, I want to take Rocky the AmStaff home - his "worried wrinkles" are so adorable!

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