Dear Friends,

I know some of you really love dogs. When my dogs had health problems, I asked for advice, and you kindly gave me suggestions that probably saved their lives. So now I am asking you to help save some other dogs—the homeless ones. I know many of you are involved in breed rescue already, and that is wonderful. But please, for the sake of the dogs you love so much, do more. Breed rescue groups constantly turn away purebreds because of lack of foster homes, and these dogs end up at the animal shelter. Although purebreds are adopted in larger numbers than mixed breeds, many are still put to death. Elderly dogs and dogs with even minor health problems are particularly at risk.

I’d like to give you a few statistics to think about. I only recently learned them myself, so I wouldn’t be surprised if you were unfamiliar with them. You may have thought that show breeders don’t contribute all that many dogs to the population. Actually, according to a study by a respected university researcher, Gary Patronek, show breeders contribute about 1.8 million puppies to the U.S. dog population each year. He estimates that that is about 29% of all the new dogs born in the U.S., a much larger percentage than I had thought. You may also have thought that the dog overpopulation problem is so overwhelming that nothing you could do would have any effect. That’s not true. First of all, thanks in part to aggressive spay/neuter campaigns over the past two decades, the number of dogs killed in shelters has dropped from about 7 million to

3-4 million per year. While 3-4 million dogs is still a large number, the number of homes available is much larger. Estimates of the number of households in which dogs are present range from 35 million to 58 million, and most of those have more than one dog. If more of these people would get their next dog from the shelter, there would be plenty of homes for these currently homeless dogs.

I know that you don’t spay and neuter your healthiest dogs because you consider other breeders, and not yourselves, responsible for the surplus dog situation. It’s true that 42% of new puppies are mixed breeds unintentionally born because their human guardians did not spay or neuter. Another 21% come from the backyard breeders that you frequently complain about. And 7-8% come from commercial breeders, many of which are filthy and cruel puppy mills that contribute the sickliest dogs to the population. So why am I addressing you? Because of all these groups, you care the most about dogs. You are not into dog breeding to make a buck. I don’t need to explain to you why dogs are great. You already know.

Many of you, when asked for your expert opinion, caution people to get dogs only from a "responsible" breeder. I understand what you mean by that term because I have researched it. You mean that you test your dogs’ health for genetic defects and attempt to breed only healthy dogs. You provide AKC or other registration papers. You guarantee in writing the health of the puppies. You are selective about who you sell puppies to. You will take back a dog and try to find him a new home if the buyer can’t keep him. But can you honestly say that none of the puppies you sell, and none of the puppies that those dogs have (when people disregard your advice to spay and neuter), have ever ended up unwanted? It’s nice that you offer to take back dogs that you’ve sold, but so do rescue groups and shelters, and no one can truly guarantee that a dog with problems won’t be killed when other alternatives have been exhausted.

You also have to understand that most people have absolutely no idea what you mean by "responsible" breeder, even though they may have heard the term. They go to the want ads, the pet store, the friend of a friend whose dog had puppies, thinking they have found "responsible" breeders because every breeder in the world says he is responsible. Even pet shops who get dogs from puppy mills offer AKC papers and may offer to take a puppy back, but they count on people falling in love with their sickly puppies and keeping them instead. In a recent study, the Massachusetts SPCA found the 39% of people who have dogs in their homes didn’t even know there is such a thing as dog overpopulation. The fact that there are many dogs who desperately need homes should have been the first thing someone told them about when they first started to consider getting a dog, rather than "go to a responsible breeder." And when these people DO find out that there are homeless dogs at the local shelter, but experts like you tell them the BEST thing to do is go to a "responsible" breeder instead, that immediately and directly implies that there is something seriously wrong with all the dogs at the shelter. After all, you are advising people to let these dogs DIE rather than to give them a home. So maybe these dogs are mutts or they came from backyard breeders and aren’t perfect specimens of the breed. Do they deserve to die because of that? Most people want dogs for love and companionship, and mixed breeds are every bit as loving as purebreds.

I have often heard that show breeders breed dogs in order to improve the breed. You breed the very healthiest purebreds you can, but you are aware that reducing genetic diversity can, and usually does, cause genetic health problems. I know you want the breed you love to continue to exist and don’t want to leave this in the hands of second-rate breeders, but first things first. The second-rate breeders are motivated by money and won’t stop no matter what you do, but you, as an expert, could steer people away from them and toward shelters and purebred rescue groups. Dogs dying at the shelter and elsewhere need help, and they need it now. They like being with other dogs, but they don’t care about the continuation of a breed. And as a side note, you might try to persuade those among you who have their dogs’ ears cropped or tails docked or who breed dogs prone to major health problems that they should stop immediately. These people are not responsible; they are hurting their own dogs for purely selfish reasons. Maybe you can talk some sense into them.

Many people call the dogs in shelters unwanted. It’s not true. I want them. Shelter workers who have to kill them want them. Rescue groups want them. All over the country, there are caring people who want these dogs, even the old and sick, even those who have behavioral problems because they were abused, poorly trained, or just born that way. We cry. We get angry at people like you for bringing more dogs into the world when others are dying. We help all the dogs we can, but our homes are full. Why don’t you help us? We should be on the same side. But most of all, you are in such a wonderful position to help dogs. Your homes are set up to house larger numbers of dogs than most people’s homes. You’re expert trainers and could successfully retrain many dogs that other people can’t, and you could also teach others so that they don’t give up their dogs for easily solved behavioral problems. You feed your dogs the very highest quality food you can, and you could bring many sickly dogs back to glistening good health through proper diet alone. You know when to take a dog to the vet. You know about dog overpopulation and could educate others about it. Your reward would be in having dogs that love you devotedly and in knowing that without your intervention, they would have been killed.

Although, actually, when I talk about dogs being killed at the shelter, that doesn’t really do justice to what these dogs are going through. Sometimes a painless death in the hands of a caring worker is the only kindness a dog has ever known. Some have spent their lives in pain, fear, and confusion, at the mercy of violent people who scream or beat them for reasons they can’t possibly understand. Some were strays, going hungry, dodging cars, trying to find shelter. I think about them when my dogs and I are inside my cozy house during a blizzard or a thunderstorm. Some of these dogs spent their entire lives tied to a tree. Some were treated well for a while, and then something happened to the person who loved them. I know shelters are depressing places, not a place you like to visit and not something you like to think about as you bring healthy, happy little puppies into the world and proudly show them off. But dogs are very resilient. A few days out of the shelter and in a loving home, and most dogs will adjust very well. They deserve a chance for happiness. If it doesn’t work out, the shelter will always take them back and wouldn’t blame you for it. If experts like you can’t help a particular dog, no one can.

You can rescue only purebreds if you like; there are plenty that need you. But I think you’re missing out if you don’t explore the joys of mixed breeds. If, for example, you love Golden Retrievers, try a Golden Retriever mix. They are as beautiful, loving, and enthusiastic as any pure Golden. Dogs are dogs, and if you love them, you’ll find the traits you are looking for in many different breeds.

There is the problem of show rules that limit you to purebreds. Why be a slave to tradition, and a short tradition at that? Make your own rules. Organize dog shows where uniqueness rather than conformity is celebrated. Don’t let the AKC tell you what to do. Dogs of any variety love to please people and learn commands. No one is asking you to give up any fun activities that you and your dogs enjoy. No one is asking you to give up being around dogs, thinking about dogs, talking about dogs. I understand that way of life, because I find it hard to hold a conversation without bringing up the subject of dogs. We’re all dog people. We should work together.

The surplus dog crisis isn’t a lost cause. There are not really "so many dogs and not enough homes." There are just a lot of people getting their dogs from someplace other than shelters and rescue groups. You can play a crucial part in solving this problem, if you’re willing to. Please participate more in breed rescue, and help the dogs that are already here, needing you, rather than bringing new ones into the world. It’s really not that difficult.

Sincerely,

A Dog Lover