Just a bit of a brag...
Travelled to Lawrence Kansas for Nationals in October this year. Francesca aka Enchante's Dream Come True at Peach Hill came home with a First Place in the 6-9 month sweeps class. She made the cut under James Hamm, but was not placed.
Riddick, aka Enchante's Never Had A Doubt, made the cut in both sweeps and the specialty, but he didn't place either day.
And, Daddy Cody, aka Ch. Affabulls Girl's Best Friend, took 4th Place in the Stud Dog class at the National Specialty, showing off his get Francesca and Zoe, aka Enchante's Good as Gold at Affabulls.
All in all, we had a wonderful time. We met MANY new friends that I look forward to keeping in contact in the days to come.
I just received an email from one of my frenchie friends about legislations that is happening around the country to stop dog breeders from being able to breed. Much of the political backing for this legislation is created by the smear tactics created by PETA and -- sorry to say -- the Humane Society of the United States. As a previous member of PETA and previous volunteer at a local Humane Society shelter, it literally PAINS me to realize how EXTREME the teachings of these organizations are. There is absolutely no middle ground (read common sense) that is allowed in the teachings of these organizations. For this blog entry, I'm going to concentrate on PETA.
I visited their website today after receiving the email from my friend. I was shocked to learn of their TRUE EXTREMISM when it comes to animals. Yes, even after being a member of PETA, I did not realize the true nature of this organization.
First, the mission of PETA is to eradicate the use of animals as anything other than companions. Animals should not be used as food, as test subjects, as breeding stock, as workers, as pets -- they are ALL COMPANION ANIMALS. No animal should be cruelly treated or abused, but according to PETA standards. Personally, I happen to agree with some of these points. I shop for products not tested on animals. We do eat meat in my household, but we make every attempt to shop for free-range chickens and grass-fed beef. I don't wish for any animal to suffer, and while they are alive, I want them to have a quality life and a humane death.
Second, PETA says there is no such thing as a "responsible dog breeder." According to PETA, people breeding purebred dogs are responsible for the death of shelter animals because everytime a purebred dog is purchased from a breeder, a shelter dog does not get a home and is killed. We are also responsible for pet overpopulation because we are not encouraging people to adopt from shelters. They accuse us of only inbreeding and creating health problems in purebred animals. Also, according to PETA, all breeders are in it ONLY for the money. WOW -- those are quite a few all-encompassing accusations made by PETA without any factual evidence sourced in any of this material.
Quite frankly, the accusations of PETA made about me (a "responsible breeder") REALLY PISS ME OFF!! All of the animals in my lifetime except for my frenchies were adopted from a shelter or rescue organization. I chose to enter the sport of dog shows after a lifelong dream of showing dogs, not on a whim. My frenchies were purchased from breeders who cared for the dogs in their homes, as their companions. As for my breeding, I paid A LOT of money to have my animals health tested to ensure they did not pass on any life threatening genetic illnesses or any illnesses that threaten the quality of life. Trust me, I certainly did not make ANY money on this litter.
I've also been accused of selling animals that can be bred, thus enhancing the pet overpopulation problem. EVERY reputable breeder that I know sells pets on a spay/neuter contract, which means the owner does not get the AKC papers until proof of spaying/neutering is provided to the breeder. Without those papers, any litter created cannot be registered to the AKC, which means they can't be sold for enough money to even cover breeding expenses. In addition, as a breeder of show dogs, ALL I HAVE IS MY REPUTATION. If my kennel name, Enchante, is seen on a substandard animal, it hurts MY reputation. Why would I want my name to be out in the show world with a sickly animal? Thus, when getting an animal from a reputable breeder, any legitimate family has to do headstands to bring an intact animal home. It's just as hard to get a frenchie from a reputable breeder as it is to adopt a child -- that's how much we love our animals.
To PETA, there are no exceptions. Everyone who breeds animals is bad. Everyone who eats animals is bad. Everyone who has a pet is bad -- you must have a companion animal. I'm all for educating people about abuses and mistreatment of animals, but let's find a middle ground.
By the way, I did see on their website that they offer information on becoming a vegetarian or a vegan. Apparently, when it comes to their members, they can make an exception. Apparently, when it comes to their members, it's okay to eat the eggs or drink the milk or eat the cheese of animals that are kept in inhumane conditions, it's just not OK for the unenlightened masses...
Once again, I get on my high horse to put my thoughts to paper (well, website). I've found another breeder who breeds purely to produce color which is AGAINST THE BREED STANDARD (blue and chocolate)! I'm not sure what the motivation is for this, but my logical conclusion is: the breeder can offer something (a puppy) that can be touted as "rare and unusual," which roughly translates into "I can charge higher prices if I offer something rare." In this case, the breeder is charging $4,500 - $7,000 depending on sex, and if the purchaser wants breeding rights to the dog.
In this particular breeder's case, they do admit that their color choices are against the breed standard and that their dogs cannot be shown in conformation. They also offer some information about the genetics behind creating a blue They dismiss their choice to go against the standard by diminishing its importance with this statement, "Blue and Chocolate French Bulldogs are not able to be shown in AKC conformation events, because when the breed standard was written over one hundred years ago, the breeders at that time decided that the only acceptable color nose was black."
What this breeder fails to mention is the reasoning behind the standard: if you continue breeding recessives together, you'll only be able to have recessives in the future. For instance, a rottweiler only comes in black and tan because there are no other genetic codes in its DNA. Translation? If you only have genes to produce blue (or chocolate/liver, which is also recessive), you limit your gene pool and eventually only get blue.
In addition, many times there are other problems associated with recessive traits. For instance, the blue doberman is more prone to skin problems. The blue-eyed, white cat is almost always deaf. The white boxer has a higher percentage of deaf dogs as compared to the general population of boxers. In all of these examples, the animals are striking, but their health has been sacrificed purely for their looks. To me, this shows a lack of ethics on the part of the breeders.
As breeders, it is our responsibility to preserve the integrity of the breed, not exploit it for our own purposes. We must do our own due diligence with every breeding and take into account many other things including health, temperament and conformation before EVERY breeding takes place. Above all, we should realize that every animal we breed is a precious living creature, not just a commodity to fill our wallets.
