There was a programme a couple of years ago ‘Pedigree Dogs Exposed’ which looked at lots of the things that can be bad in pedigree dog breeding. Lots of people were outraged at what they saw and you’d like to think it had made a difference. I’m not talking about the dog breeding side of it, I’m talking about people’s expectations.
There are some very good breeders of pedigree dogs. Our breed in this country and across most of Europe and America is looked after to the highest standards to ensure our health and welfare and make sure that we are happy dogs who are well socialised. However, we still have a lot of people who when told they will have a long wait for a puppy say it is ‘crazy’ and start looking for short cuts. Of course there are possible short cuts, but they are exactly the bad breeding practices that the general public is so quick to want to complain about. They can’t have it both ways. Since our breed was first recognised about 100 years ago, there have only been about 25,000 of us altogether… ever. Compare that with Labradors of which there are about 200,000 puppies registered in this country alone every year.
When you start to think about it, it is no surprise that finding a good puppy takes time. A breeding dog is only allowed to have four litters under the Kennel Club’s rules, to protect the health of the dog, but that means there is a limit to the number of puppies they can produce. Our Mistress is doing everything she can to find puppies from other countries to come to the UK, but there are not many of us breeding anywhere. It is frustrating that people always want a puppy immediately and that they don’t take more time to think of all the important considerations. We really are doing our best, but you have to remember that we are very special and we are not a production line!
Alfie’s Diary – the Book is available at Amazon UK –https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00583ZGSA
You can find short stories to read at www.alfiedog.com
Alan said “Here endeth the lesson!”
Roooo my humans were really lucky to get me quickly as someone on the puppy waiting list had pulled out. But hey – I’m glad there are no Entlebuchers in puppy mills, it takes a lot of loving to produce a good Entle pup and you can’t rush the process *waggy tail*