Up to 10 million healthy animals are killed in U.S. pounds and shelters

every year. The killing could easily be prevented by spaying and neutering.

Euthanasia is the single largest cause of death for dogs in the U.S. Each
year 27 million of the animals are born. Five to ten million we classify as
"surplus" and kill. That's about one million per month. These numbers do not
include the millions of dead dogs whose bodies we scrape off the streets, or
the hundreds of thousands of abandoned, severely neglected or abused ones
who never make it to our shelters to be counted and killed. The five to ten
million figure represents those we "must" kill because they are unwanted.

Most of these animals are young and healthy; in fact, it is estimated that a
majority are less than one year of age. The problem is simple: we have too
many dogs. Too many for the too few homes available. The solution we have
opted for is to kill the extras. This solution has been considered
acceptable by default, as though there were no other way to control the crisis. And we
spend over $1 billion every year destroying "man's best friend."

Why is this happening in the United States today? The number one biggest
contributor to the problem is the backyard breeder not the puppy mills.

This is a name that has become unpopular and no one wants to admit they are a
backyard breeder. Many people do not even realize they are part of the
problem. This is what I need to address in this post. The only way to stop
the needless killing of dogs is to stop the needless breeding of them.

Every breed of dog recognized by the AKC has a written standard, a blueprint
of what the dog should look like and act like. These standards were written
so that all would know what a quality example of the breed is and strive to
produce dogs that meet or exceed the standard in health, temperament and
appearance. To be sure you are breeding dogs that meet these standards,
your dogs must be judged by people who have a lifetime of experience among the
breed. Do you know the standard of the Pure Breed Dog? Does your dog
meet this standard according to an AKC Judge? If not, your dog is pet
quality. A pet is to be loved, cherished, trained, cared for, spoiled and
bragged about, but it is NEVER to be bred. No matter how cute or sweet the
dog may be, if it is not up to the standard, you have no business breeding
it.

If you have a purebred dog this does not give you the right to breed it.

Most purebred dogs are not breeding quality. If you breed your pet quality
dog, you are a backyard breeder, whether you breed the dog in your
backyard, garage, living room or an expensive hotel room, the term is still backyard
breeder.

If your pet quality dog has AKC papers, that's nice but it doesn't change
anything. You still don't have the right to breed it.

If your pet quality dog cost you $500 be glad you had the money to afford
it. You still have no right to breed it.

Do you think you can make your $500 back if you breed your pet dog or if
your pet dog is a color or size that isn't in the standard but you just know
everyone will want buy a pup if you breed her? Shame on you! Now you are a backyard
breeder with the purpose of breeding pups for bucks.

If the price for a tail dock or an ear crop seem high to you, what are you
going to do when your beloved pet needs an emergency C section. Will you
even be there with her to know if she is in trouble? Would you recognize
trouble before it's too late?

And if you still want to breed your pet dog but need to ask who's supposed
to cut off the tails and ears, ask yourself "What the Hell am I thinking!"

Do you think genetic testing is something they used in the OJ trial but has
nothing to do with your dog breeding career? You are a backyard breeder.

Backyard breeders sell pups that aren't up to the standard of the breed.
They do this for many reasons. None are good enough reasons to contribute
to the killing of dogs. Period.

Backyard breeders will swear all of their pups went to a good home. They
believe this but it's not true. Some may have been lucky enough to go to a
good home but more than half of them will end up dead, in a shelter, alone,
on a cold table with a needle sticking out of their leg. Some of those good
homes will get tired of the dog and they will just give it away to anyone
who is willing to take it. Some of your beloved dog's children will end up
living alone in a backyard, barking all night, cold and neglected until the
owner gets complaints and then that pups will be dead. Some will be starved
and beaten. Some will be bred until they die from it. Some will end up in
rescue and I will have to find space for it in my home and I will have to
show it that not all humans are bad. I will train it, and feed it the
proper food so it can heal. I will take the fleas off of it and I will get rid of
the worms. I will give it the shots it should have had but no one
remembered to give it. I will do these things because the backyard breeder didn't do it
and wouldn't take the dog back when it was 2 years old and full of problems.

I will spay or neuter that pup before I find it a new home so that I will
never have to rescue one of it's pups and so I can be sure it will never end
up in the hands of another backyard breeder looking to make profit from
puppies.

Backyard breeders are not responsible pet owners. They think they love the
dogs but it's not really true because they don't really want to be bothered
with doing all that it takes to breed ethically. They love feeling
important when they say "I breed "Pure Breed dogs"". But breeding pet dogs isn't
something to be proud of. If a shame on our society. It's the reason for
the killing that goes on in shelters. Why do you want to be part of that?

Do you want to be respected? Spay or neuter you pet dog. There's really no
other way. The kind of homes you want for your pet pups don't want to buy
from you. They are looking for responsible, respected breeders who are
doing something for the breed as a whole. Most of those who will come running to
buy your pups are the kind of people I wouldn't give a dog I didn't like to.
They are the ones who will turn your puppy into a shelter when the novelty
wears off. That's a fact.

Want to stop the problem of killing 1 Million dogs a month all over America?

Spay or neuter your pet dog now and tell everyone you know to do the same
and leave the breeding to the people who are doing something to better the
breed.

Want to be a respected breeder? Start by reading this:

http://www.minschnauzer.com/breeding/index.html

Then find someone who lives up to all of it and ask them to be your mentor.

Do your research. Know what you are doing. Have a savings account ready
for all the problems you will encounter. Buy the best dogs you can find for
your breeding program. Do everything your mentor tells you, he/she has the
experience and is not just trying to push you around. Be sure that
everything you do as a breeder meets the standards we have set for
responsible breeders. Or don't breed!

Let's make a difference starting now.

Sunny Arruda
VP, South Bay Purebred Rescue

(reprinted with the authors permission)