The Future of Purebred Dogs

Writing this in June of 2011, one cannot help but wonder at the future of purebred dogs.

Animal rights activists tell us we should all be getting our dogs from the shelters and we should not care what the dogs look like, their history or their behavior. They tell us we cannot 'own' dogs; we can only be their guardians. They castigate breeders for continuing to breed dogs. They wear Klu Kux Klan outfits to the Westminster Show in New York to prove that breeders, as 'racial purists' should be compared the KKK. Cities like Los Angeles pass laws to tell breeders which dogs they can breed and when they can breed.

The plight of the dogs in the shelters is sad indeed. Those dogs are not there because there is an overpopulation problem; those dogs are there because the relationship they once had with a human failed. And the failure was undoubtedly on the part of the dog owner. Since 80% of the dogs in California shelters are simply lost, we have a large group of people who are clearly not microchipping and licensing their dogs. If they did those two things, they would get their dogs back. But they don't.

Here at Sunbeam we are very fortunate. We can pick and choose the people with whom we share our dogs. If you have been through the website you know that we tell you to consider the dogs in Golden rescue - but of course, those are typically purebred dogs. So far we have been successful in partnering with people who truly care about their dogs.

Your requirements for a dog depend on who you are, your lifestyle and your family situation. There are many people who can take a shelter dog and provide a great home and those people should do that. But there are also people who need some assurance, especially about temperament either for themselves or for their children. And so sometimes shelter dogs do not fit the bill. It is the contention of the animal rights people that is there were no purebred dogs available, everyone would be forced to take a shelter dog.

Bill and I think there are other ways to resolve the shelter dog issues. And we hope that in our lifetime we will not see the loss of the important breeding programs of many responsible breeders in this country. Our dogs have given us enormous pleasure over the years, we hope future generations will be able to experience the delight of owning a Golden Retriever.

In the meantime we would urge you to support your local shelters rather than groups such as HSUS and ASPCA. Those groups use their funding to lobby in Sacramento and Washington, they do not spend money saving animals lives. And whatever kind of dog you decide to get, let's not forget the dogs who are not as fortunate as your next dog.