Someone asked me on our nightly stroll last night how we happen to find a white Golden Retriever.
I had just read a story on MSNBC called “Buying a Dog? Beware of Breeder.” Since the gentleman asked and I had just finished reading the article, I felt the need to tell him the whole story. (He probably regretted asking me later).
Gibson (the white Golden’s name) was littermates with Benson (our red Golden). When the family chose to take Benson home 7 years ago, Gibson was one of the last two pups left. We felt horrible for leaving him alone. (*Important note: I wanted a shelter dog but the decision was not mine to make.)
The breeder had some serious acreage on his plot with tons of room for the dogs to run around. They had very nice pens, lots of greenery and a big fat sticker and papers that said they were AKC registered. The dogs seemed healthy enough (although you and I both know Goldens are infamously inbred but you can never tell if the breeder lies about it or not) and happy enough.
Benson was a great addition to the family. After he turned 5 months old, we returned to the breeder (without warning) to get Benson’s papers.
What we found was an absolutly horrifying site. The “other” side of the house, the part that wasn’t green and lush, the part with no pens, was filled with trash, overgrown sharp brush (dangerous in the California desert in summertime), old car parts, farm equipment and such. There was no water bowl, no food dish, no nothing.
And then there was Gibson.
He barreled over to us, tail between legs but SO happy to see a human. Gibby was in terrible condition. He was skinny, had bloody feet and was very dirty. (You can really see dirt on a white dog.)
We practically knocked down the door of the place (we had mistakenly happened upon the wrong side of the property) and said we were here to get Benson’s papers, and, oh by the way we are taking this dog and getting your AKC and USDA breeding license revoked.
When we got Gibby home (we impolitely slammed down $500 – more than a fair bargain- on the table and said “we are taking this dog”) and to the vet, turns out he had fleas, ticks, ear mites, and multiple leg and foot punctures from fox tails. Fox tails are these needle-like weeds that are very dangerous to animals in the desert. They enter through the feet and are so thin they can travel in an animal’s blood stream all the way to the heart and puncture it.
We did report the breeder to the AKC AND the USDA, and they both said it’s very hard for them to control every single breeder who displays their name.
You have GOT to be kidding me.
They pretty much just said they would take note of the breeder but they don’t have enough time or resources to get out there.
I personally wanted to stand in front of this jerk’s house and farm and tell every single person who walked up in the next couple months (I assumed the mother was carrying another litter on the “good side” of the property) what this breeder was REALLY about. I would have been arrested though for multiple things and I probably would have wound up in a fist fight with the owners of the place.
The MSNBC story states:
“Just because a breeder has a license from the USDA doesn’t mean much. USDA minimum standards for housing and exercise are bare bones. The agency requirement for cage size…is just six inches taller, wider and longer than the dog inside… The USDA waivers the exercise requirement of 30 minutes per day for at least five days a week if the dog is housed in a cage with twice the floor space.”
The article also says the AKC requirements are less than savory and that all AKC papers certify is that both parents were of the same breed. Who knew?
Read the full article here.
As far as the AKC goes, it actually says right on their website that they don’t “guarantee the quality or health of dogs in its registry.”
Gibson, whose picture I have used multiple times in this blog since he’s so handsome, thankfully has turned out to be the absolute sweetest, most gentle and observant dog I have ever known. He kisses kids gently in the face when we pass them on the street, he smiles at you (literally) when you walk in the door, he purrs (from being brought up around cats), and has the most delicate nature. He does have that blessed Golden personality but there’s a little something special added in because he came from such hard beginnings. (He could use some help in the training department that Big Paw Blog recommends but that’s our fault for spoiling him rotten!)
I’m pretty sure the fault lies in the actual breeder here, but I was surprised to see the outright lack of requirement that the AKC deems. It was after this happened that I learned more about the horrors of some pet breeders and what some of the animals are subjected to. I have since become an even bigger advocate of shelters and rescue pets.
Does anyone else have any history (good or bad) with AKC or AKC registered breeders?
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I have a big old tabby cat, Theodore. He is an outdoor cat but since we moved from California to Cleveland he has to spend his winters indoors. (He is a sissy and does not prefer the cold air).
