 Barked: Tue Nov 13, '12 6:36pm PST |
 | |  | | For the record, yes, I absolutely believe you can get a good working prospect from a shelter or rescue situation... in fact, all those dogs listed prior who were pulls make me incredibly happy, and hopeful that there are still people out there fighting the good fight for these dogs, and people who can see the potential of a GREAT dog even in a bad situation.
My statement about the military dogs before was more to make a point- I don't know where they came from of course, but I do know the US military pays a pretty penny to import dogs from all over Europe who are capable of the work, and obviously those dogs come from breeders.
I am actually a huge advocate for rescuing working prospects- I think there is so much untapped potential there for many, and I believe given the chance many shelter dogs would be wonderful for most sorts of work.
But here's the thing, too- I think many dogs who are picked up in these situations, rescues who turn up to be phenomenal working prospects, don't speak anything negative against breeder dogs.
And that all goes back to what Tiller has been saying. DISPOSABLITY of dogs is the issue here, not necessarily where they come from (baring puppy mill situations, which of course are horrid and contribute to this problem). I personally believe many WELL BRED dogs wind up in shelters all too often, and that is such an oddity and a shame. Now obviously the breeders of these dogs haven't entirely done their part in screening the people who would do such a thing, but then there really is only so much one can do in the first place.
I regularly scout the local GSD rescue's site, and am always gobsmacked by some of the dogs who wind up there.
I distinctly recall one female, a couple of years back, who found her way to them... BEAUTIFUL female, VERY clearly from East German/Czech lines and good ones to boot, who had been surrendered because the owner thought the dog had hip dysplasia. The rescue took her, and after spending some time with the dog just couldn't see what this person had... so they had her x-rayed, and low and behold, she had great hips. WHAT a tragedy, that someone could be so stupid as to not even have the dog x-rayed before dumping her off, but what a perfect example of this vicious system of disposing of dogs who just aren't up to snuff.
It breaks my heart daily, some of these dogs that turn up. Just recently I found myself hurting over this girl:
http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/24550054
Who is stunning and sweet and DARK, and who screams of that good East German blood, and deserved so much better than what she got... but who will undoubtedly rock the socks off of whoever is lucky enough to get her.
Or this boy:
http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/23812701?rvp=1
Who fortunately was just recently adopted, but who I rallied for to anyone who would listen... because LOOK at him. This is dog I would want, gorgeous and dark and type-y, likely also from East/Czech lines, and clearly at one point loved by someone... all the groundwork laid, a FABULOUS dog, no doubt from good lines, who also found himself in a bum situation.
And so many more. It hurts sometimes to even count how many... but what hurts more is the thought that such GOOD dogs wind up in the hands of such oblivious people. WELL BRED dogs, who while maybe had breeders who were less than strict when choosing their buyers, which IS part of the problem, likely come from dogs who somewhere down the line WERE bred by people who were doing it right, as those pedigrees are coveted, and those dogs didn't get to be what they are because people didn't care.Edited by author Tue Nov 13, '12 6:38pm PST
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There is one in the area here too 
Again, that is not to say there are not awesome dogs in shelters and rescues, or that there are not any R/S doing a great job. But articles like this sure aren't doing them any favors.
