breeding...

just wondering about peoples thoughts on breeding, me and a few friends have been thinking of a solution whilst in the pub but havent really come up with any fool proof answers-we are all staffy owners and aware of the problem..

my own take on it was pritty laxa daisy open minded until i did my first rescue transport around a year ago...previous to that i didnt really have an opinion on breeding i have always owned a staffy and have previously breed from my dog{always owned a male} i like to think ive seen and done it all as far as staffies go, as a youngster i used to think it was great watching my dog swinging from a tree branch in the local park with the older people tutting but now im older i seem to have become the tutter...lol
anyhow back on the subject i have been transporting staffies from rescue to new home maybe once every few months, in honestly i thought it would make me feel good to help but everytime i come back i feel sad/miserable and depressed....the worst thing is there is a sadness in these dogs eyes which is something ive never seen in my own dogs-hard to explain unless youve seen it..so now i know the facts and figures regarding rescue dogs-ive seen where and how they live and ive seen the lucky ones get a new home....my eyes have been very much opened...of course i dont know the answer but there must be one...?....i suppose the breeding subject has been discussed many times but i think if everyone who was looking for a puppy or thinking of breeding new the facts they would think twice?...through talking to friends people assume its only staffy x that end up in rescue but i can tell you its not....i suppose most on here are aware of the problem but it carnt hurt to let those that dont know....

I don't know where you live in the world ,but here in Australia the amount of healthy puppies and dogs put to sleep ( purebreds and crosses ) for no other reason that there are not enough homes for them all, is a disgrace!

Obviously some people HAVE to breed dogs otherwise none of us would have our beloved pets, but for my way of thinking, every dog should be a wanted dog. Too many people breed willy nilly and just presume they will be able to flog their puppies off.. and make some money to boot!!

When I look at my 2, all happy. well fed, safe and warm, my heart breaks for all the dogs out there, just like my 2 who have no one to love and look after them...

I have no problem with anyone breeding a litter as long as.........

* Both dogs are good examples of the breed & will be able to better the breed in their pups,
* They have all necessary health tests done,
* The bitch is over 2 years old & the dog is over 18 months old,
* The dog is chosen with the greatest care so that any faults in either dog will hopefully be corrected in the pups,
* Potential good homes are in place before the mating.

If you can't ensure any of the above - don't breed!

Caryll wrote:I have no problem with anyone breeding a litter as long as.........

* Both dogs are good examples of the breed & will be able to better the breed in their pups,
* They have all necessary health tests done,
* The bitch is over 2 years old & the dog is over 18 months old,
* The dog is chosen with the greatest care so that any faults in either dog will hopefully be corrected in the pups,
* Potential good homes are in place before the mating.

If you can't ensure any of the above - don't breed!

Totally agree 100%
I love my girls and the staff breed more than anything else, but I know I couldn't possibly supply all the above and as my girls are desexed I know I don't have to worry. It still saddens me that there are so many people out there who don't think about all the consequences of breeding (inc both acute & longer term) and mate their very young dogs to produce a litter because someone suggested they had a "good looking bitch" or "you could make heaps of money from your boy". Breeding has so many more dog responsibilities than just "owning" (term used loosely), loving and caring for your dog on a day to day basis.

caryll sadly youre wrong, this would have been my take on things a year ago or so...the truth is different....kc health tested etc doesnt exclude dogs from rescue anymore...we are now talking 350 staffs and staff x pts per week and i can tell you they are not x that i have seen....

caryll is right if people follow basic rule then there wouldn't be 100s of staffy in rescue centres.

Carylls last point would mean they don't end up in kennels

Caryll wrote:I have no problem with anyone breeding a litter as long as.........

* Both dogs are good examples of the breed & will be able to better the breed in their pups,
* They have all necessary health tests done,
* The bitch is over 2 years old & the dog is over 18 months old,
* The dog is chosen with the greatest care so that any faults in either dog will hopefully be corrected in the pups,
* Potential good homes are in place before the mating.

If you can't ensure any of the above - don't breed!

I agree!!
Ive had both rescued and from breeder .. more of mine have been rescues and my last 2 are bred no faults with any of my dogs .. i do HATE how many are in kennels and homeless.

I also agree with what Caryll wrote, it's a crying shame all these staffies in kennels through no fault of their own.

I agree with caryll its these back street breeders that have caused the problem who are just after making a bit of cash and not thinking about the dog breaks my heart to think so many staffies are put to sleep but people need to draw the line somewhere with breeding and leave it to the proper breeders

ozbod1 wrote:caryll sadly youre wrong, this would have been my take on things a year ago or so...the truth is different....kc health tested etc doesnt exclude dogs from rescue anymore...we are now talking 350 staffs and staff x pts per week and i can tell you they are not x that i have seen....

But you've taken just one point out of everything I said. If there's just one of those points that you can't fulfill, then you don't breed!

You can't stop breeding entirely or you'll have an extinct breed. None of us want Staffs to die out, do we? But responsible breeders do everything I've said, and more! If there was a foolproof way of stopping irresponsible breeders completely, I'd back it to the hilt! But you have to let responsible breeders continue the breed.

my mistake i read youre post to quickly, that was going to be my next point, if say there was a short term agreement for everyone to slow down on breeding, the decent breeders out there would likely play there part but the people only in it for the £££s would carry on regardless making the problem worse if anything...i think new owners need to play there part too-it seems quite common for dogs to be given up when they dont turn out exactly how the owner wants....its not all doom and gloom tho, i took a 2 year old male to a new owner{pritty much perfect example} he was very nervous timid even but the new owner keeps me upto date with him and it seems hes back to a normal staffy with a home for life...

Caryll wrote:I have no problem with anyone breeding a litter as long as.........

* Both dogs are good examples of the breed & will be able to better the breed in their pups,
* They have all necessary health tests done,
* The bitch is over 2 years old & the dog is over 18 months old,
* The dog is chosen with the greatest care so that any faults in either dog will hopefully be corrected in the pups,
* Potential good homes are in place before the mating.

If you can't ensure any of the above - don't breed!

I absolutely agree with Caryll, I have got my Poppy from a rescue centre and there was plenty of Staffys and Rotties looking for a loving home. Most of them were used for fighting, or their owners were boys who couldn't look after them properly and just wanted to look 'big' infront his mates. It's disgusting. It's becoming more common that people are getting dogs from kennels because it's heartbreaking to see how many dogs there is that need love, care and affection.

ozbod1 wrote:my mistake i read youre post to quickly, that was going to be my next point, if say there was a short term agreement for everyone to slow down on breeding, the decent breeders out there would likely play there part but the people only in it for the £££s would carry on regardless making the problem worse if anything...i think new owners need to play there part too-it seems quite common for dogs to be given up when they dont turn out exactly how the owner wants....its not all doom and gloom tho, i took a 2 year old male to a new owner{pritty much perfect example} he was very nervous timid even but the new owner keeps me upto date with him and it seems hes back to a normal staffy with a home for life...

Exactly. If you stop the decent breeders, then the bad ones will breed more to meet the extra demand.

I think that every good breeder should take the time to sit down with a prospective owner & go through every pitfall that owning that particular breed (or any other, for that matter) may lead to. When I decided to get an EBT, I phoned 3 top breeders. Each of them had me on the phone for at least 45 minutes telling me what to expect, and more importantly, telling me what they expected from me! By the time Dempsey arrived I was under no illusions at all as to what I was letting myself in for!

Licensing is possibly one way forward, but the back yard breeders will 'forget' to get a license, or will claim ignorance of the law & the litters will still be bred.