Monday, February 10, 2014

Facebook is pissing me off

Offensive post #1.

"Shelter Insider" informs on how things work INSIDE the facility and how BREEDERS and SELLERS need to stop doing so while even one animal is being euthanized. *Big emphasis on how hard is your heart if you don't immediately go out and adopt a dog. *sarcasm intended.

I find it offensive to lump *breeders* who live with their breeds and work daily( hourly and lifetimes )to correct the errors of puppy mills in with *sellers*.  Not to mention all the uniformed people who seek out the *better deal for the paperless pup*.  Newsflash folks:  papers on an animal belong to the animal and have no monetary value.  Anyone (in Canada at least) who sells an animal purported to be a 'purebred' without the registration papers is in direct contravention of the Canadian Livestock Act (and the last I heard) is subject to fines at the least.  No punishment for the buyer though... so this goes on all the damn time. 

But that's offtopic here. 

Not every humane society worker is a damn saint and not every animal lover who doesn't take their dog to doggy day care is an abuser of animals.   Nothing is absolute.

I have worked in a shelter, I've shown dogs in conformation as well as agility and I've also had people tell me horror stories about their lovely breed becoming popular and destroyed.   I've stroked the head of my own dog as she was put down (for old age related illness at an already advanced age for her breed) and looked into her eyes as they dimmed and faded. I did the same thing 6 months later with another of our dogs, who was exactly 6 months younger than her and also at an advanced age.  I know how much that hurts, and I'm not saying it's not sad that there are thousands of dogs *thrown away*.  It is.  It just isn't the *breeders (real breeders who actually know the faults and qualities of their breeds) fault.

Attack Disney while you're at it.   Check the facts on the popularity rises (and increase in demand therefore allowing the whole puppy mill industry to thrive) of American cocker spaniels after Lady and the Tramp, and dalmations after 101 Dalmatins (the live version).  

Make a cute cartoon version, cleverly edit regular puppy play (hours and hours of it) into 3 - 5 min scenes, add some sound effects, even some voice overs and voila, you have a ruined breed.

After certain celebs showed interest in certain breeds, *teacup* variations became prevalent.  One of which proclaims herself a "true animal lover whose heart breaks *add tears here* at every animal that is euthanized".  All the while promoting the *selective breeding* so everyone can have a purse puppy JUST LIKE HERS.  The animal is malformed.  A SERIOUS breeder would either cull or at the very least neuter or spay such an animal to STOP PERPETUATING the breeding of smaller *thereby cuter?* versions of an already small sized dog.  These *teacup* versions are 'exactly the same but smaller'  though now fraught with health problems and the accompanying vet bills not to mention the heartache when a dog that could normally be expected to live 10 - 15 years has to be put down to spare them pain at 5 or 6.

Whew...there are going to be other posts that piss me off but this one was just over the top.