Tuesday, March 2, 2010

SC Pitbull Breeder FAIL

The differences between what constitutes a responsible dog breeder and an irresponsible one are often the subject of debate among dog people. One pretty reliable sign that ur doin it rong as a breeder is if you rent a U-Haul to load up with your breeding stock and drive them to a kill shelter:
Twenty-two dogs were dropped off at the Greenville County Animal Shelter in a U-Haul truck. The shelter manager says its because the puppies were the wrong color.
[...]
[Shelter manager Shelly] Simmons said the owners were trying to breed "blue" pitt bulls because they sell for higher prices. Instead, they got 17 puppies in every color except blue.
Greenville Co Animal Care Services is hoping to find homes for all the dogs but the shelter they work with, Greenville Humane Society, refuses to adopt out Pitbulls and rescues are full.

There is a video at the link of a bunch of puppies who look too young to be separated from their dams. The article states:
Six pitt bull puppies are available now, as are the adults. The cost is $60. Shots, micro-chips and spay or neutering are included. Interested adopters can call Greenville County Animal Care Services at [864]467-3950 or email animalcareservices@greenvillecounty.org.
Contrary to popular belief, blue Pitbulls are not rare or worth paying extra money for simply by virtue of their coat color. For more info, see the "Myths" page on this Pitbull site:
There is, unfortunately, a faction of breeders (all unscrupulous), that are
attempting to cash in on the current fad of blue and red nosed dogs.
These people produce poor quality animals with no thought to health
and temperament, their biggest selling point being coat color. Breeders
of this type many times charge jacked up prices for their puppies,
justifying the high price tag by claiming their dogs are of a "rare" or
"special" color. The unsuspecting buyer is duped into believing their
animal is extraordinary simply because he happens to have an "odd"
colored nose. Breeders of this ilk are especially dubious because not only
are they producing bad stock, but they lure their customers in by making
false claims.
And in the case of at least one breeder in Greenville Co, they are not only lying to customers to try and get more money, they are lying to their dogs. Because as any good breeder will tell you, we make promises to our dogs that we will do our very best to ensure they have long and happy lives, even if they are not in our care, and that we will protect them from ever being dumped at a kill shelter.

3 comments:

Pai said...

Looking up coat color inheritance of dogs was too hard for this idiot, apparently. That info has been around for ages, it's not rocket science.

pibble said...

They're dogs, not shoes. Ugh.

Jen (SLC) said...

Ugh. This makes me sick. I adopted a coveted blue nose pup this summer. He and his two sisters were all born blind and dumped at a shelter at 5 weeks old. I love him dearly, but I know there are so many more pups like him who won't ever find homes.