Breeders Should...

[_PL_]

I would take ,and have any foster of mine that didn't work out, wether I took it back myself or got it back into care.

I would expect a breeder to do the same, but after years in rescue I see that that doesn't happen.

Room is no excuse, I would pay for kennels if I had too.

Rescues don't take their dogs back either. It's getting common.

We've taken back rescue dogs that we didn't rehome in the first place. For some it's getting like buying from byb anyway.

Nobody ever expects byb or puppy farm breeders to take dogs back but that's ultimately a reflection, the expectation that purebred breeders have their dog's best interest at heart. Which isn't all that bad.

[twodoggies2001]

I believe I am ultimately responsible for any pup I breed and should take it back. If one of my dogs ended up in rescue or the pound I would want that dog back end of story!

My puppy buyers are told I will take their dog back at any stage throughout that dogs life, no questions asked. There is no offer of paying for the dog, but if at the end of the day it was the only way to get the dog back I would do it.

However things can change in a persons life where they cannot take a dog back for whatever reason. In that case they should do everything they can to find that dog an appropriate new home.

Where I can I will help other dogs but I will not put any of my other animals or pet at risk to do so.

I'm not a dog breeder but I do buy my dogs from breeders and I was led to believe that if at any time, I no longer wanted or was unable to keep the dog in question, the first move would be towards the original breeder. This has never happened in my own case and the puppies have lived here well into old age until the day they departed this earth.

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

Not all breeders are equal unfortunately. I've had one breeder in VIC deny that they bred the dog when I had the owner telling me they were the breeder and faxing me the paperwork. It was a rare breed.

If the breeder had said they were not in a position to take their dog back, fair enough but to completely deny having bred the dog was appalling.

I'll never forget a Beagle breeder who I contacted - the owner refused to do it due to being embarrassed. He'd apparently plagued the breeder for months whilst waiting for a dog and then after a litter was born ....

Anyhow the Beagle breeder drove 9 hours to get their dog back, they were truly amazing.

Edited June 18, 2014 by Her Majesty Dogmad

[alpha bet]

I would take ,and have any foster of mine that didn't work out, wether I took it back myself or got it back into care.

I would expect a breeder to do the same, but after years in rescue I see that that doesn't happen.

Room is no excuse, I would pay for kennels if I had too.

This is a very shortsighted view - not all breeders could afford to pay to kennel someone else's dog..... heaven forbid!!!!!!!

Besides the owner of the dog has a responsibility that is probably now greater than could be expected from any breeder. It is too easy in this day and age, for people to want to ignore their responsibilities for anything.... Just consider the excuses we hear (and excuse my sarcasm)

... the problems my kids have at school is not my fault it must be the school !!!!

... no its not that my kid is being a bully its just he has (add your self diagnosed disorder here) !!!!!

... the car accident wasn't my fault... the tree is planted to close to the road !!!!!

... I'm sorry your Honour but I only stole because I have a gambling debt !!!!

[OSoSwift]

Yes I agree the owners do have a big obligation towards they dog they bought and a huge reponsibility in ensuring that dog is well looked after. However as in all walks of life there are oxygen thieves who will not care and just want to get rid of the dog - and to them now problem - as quickly as possible.

I know of a breeder who got on a plane, with cash in hand to pick a dog up from some people who had bought her then didn't want her but wanted their money back. At the end of the day they didn't get their full purchase price back, but when a person was on their doorstep with cash in hand and a dog crate they happily handed the bitch over.

I know not everyone can do that but I appreciate there are people out there who are willing to do whatever they can to make sure a dog of their breeding is safe. And to me that is the ultimate issue. I want to know where my puppies are and I want them safe. I also have not bred lots and won't so I am able to take them back if and when it is required. I have taken otehr breeders dogs of my breed and kept them with me until they could pick them up at no charge to anyone so they would be safe, it's just what I do and what I feel comfortable with.

[Sandra777]

All my pups (and adult rehomes) are sold on the very clear understanding that I will always take the dog back. The fact that 6 years we moved across the ditch would make this difficult admittedly, but I have had one person from NZ contact me about their dog needing to be rehomed and I contacted a long-term breeder friend still in NZ and the problem was solved, so there are always ways.

Prior to moving I had taken two dogs back, one I sold again and gave the previous owner the proceeds (not much less than they had paid).

The other will haunt me forever - and I would have paid ten times what I did to get him out of the situation he was in, even though he ended up getting his wings.

I made them, they're mine forever.

[Mystiqview]

Your last para, Mystiqview, pertains to a rescue group as well as a breeder. People lie about why a dog/other animal is being surrendered, they are embarrassed and instead of having the guts and decency to admit that their circumstances have changed, or they don't like the animal or some other reason, they would rather see an animal suffer being in a pound even with a very strong chance the animal may be euthanised.

I know this all too well. I was an animal management officer. The excuses some people gave when dumping their animals at the pound was amazing. We had drop off boxes out the front for after hours. If they tried to do it during the day they would be charged a surrender fee. So they just came back after hours and put them in the drop off box for free.

We had one cattle pup 12 weeks old bought from PP only a week before. It was nipping the child. (Like hello!!). It was dumped with all the PP paperwork. Cost them $1000 to buy the pup. Free to dump.

[tdierikx]

I'm actually in 2 minds about this particular issue...

On one hand, I feel that those who are selling pups to pet homes should take an interest in those pups' wellbeing - but to blanket statement that breeders should HAVE to actively participate in the rehoming of one of their pups many years after the fact seems a little rich.

It's like giving the purchaser a lifetime "opt out" clause, when the stress in the first place is that when one gets a pup (from anywhere) the onus should be on the fact that they will live for a certain lifespan and it should be the owner's responsibility for their care and upkeep.

Some circumstances may change for any dog owner, and while those circumstances may be unforseeable, they should at least be mentioned for thinking about at the point of purchase - not as some contractual obligation that the breeder should be held responsible for said dog long after it leaves their care. People who purchase a puppy need to plan for any future circumstance change that may make them unable to keep the dog, rather than ringing breeders and/or rescues at the last moment (almost as an afterthought) and saying "dog needs to go NOW"... most circumstances that see a dog needing to be rehomed aren't things that happen overnight after all.

T.

[dogbesotted]

bred one litter of 7 pups. Kept two out of that litter. Have since re-educated and homed many maremmas and have here 6 rescue maremmas who were not rehomable because i was told they were biters.. but in the many years they have lived here there has been not one indication that they would bite..sigh

I strongly feel that when you breed you have responsibility for the pups.. and that start not just with choosing good parents but also good homes and assistance should there be a problem. I do understand that it is not always possible to just take in additional dogs but i get a bit peed off when breeders tell me pompously they they are not responsible for the dogs in rescue .... that it is never dogs of their breeding ( but in my experience they have often sold the dogs that were used to breed the ones that come into rescue. I am ranting and raving I expect but somehow the burden always seems to fall on others

H

[OSoSwift]

I feel the way I do because I owe it to the dogs. That is the bottom line, I owe it to the dogs I bred. If someone believes the way I feel gives the puppy owners an opt out clause then so be it. What happens to my puppies is the most important thing to me.

Edited June 18, 2014 by OSoSwift

[WreckitWhippet]

Not an option in the poll. Taking a dog you have bred back is not always an option but it's what should happen if possible. If not then you should assist in the responsible rehoming of that dog via your enquiries or helping out with money etc.

ETA: I also sell/giveaway with the request that if the dog ever needs assistance the owner can contact me. I rescue and help out with my breed but that's because I want to and have the means to do so.

Edited June 18, 2014 by WreckitWhippet

[cowanbree]

I believe as a breeder the fact that I chose to bring that puppy into the world makes it my responsibility to make sure he has a happy life. Not only will I always take back or make some arrangements for any puppy I bred but my puppies can not be on sold or given away without my agreement and vetting of the new home.

I do my best to pick the prefect home for each puppy but I am not perfect, have had 2 returned. One after 2 weeks and the other as a 9yr old. It was difficult esp in the case of the 9yr old that went from being an only pet to one of a number of dogs but we survived.

[meggie]

Also. So many times - breeders don't know their dog has been rehomed or dumped until well after the fact. That can also play a difficult part in taking back dogs of their breeding.

Very true. My whippet boy came to me via the local dog rescue which his previous caring owners had contacted when trying to rehome him. He had killed some of the neighbour's chooks which obviously doesn't make for good relations, but is otherwise a lovely boy. When I got in touch with his breeder (he came with his papers), she had been not been contacted. I understood from our conversation that she would like to have been told before he was rehomed.

ETA I am glad I contacted her as it gave me more insight into his nature & behaviour.

Edited June 19, 2014 by meggie

[SkySoaringMagpie]

The "embarrassment" factor is the biggest thing that prevents people abiding by that bit in most puppy sales agreements that says that if you can't keep the dog to contact the breeder. It's often not that the breeders are unwilling, but that the owner is unwilling to have a conversation about it, particularly if they have made up their mind that they want to be rid of the dog yesterday and they think the breeder might offer advice about making changes to enable them to keep the dog

I don't know what the way around that is. If you are as non-threatening as possible and assure them up front that if that has to happen it won't be a big deal (which is the path I have successfully taken with rescue) then I wonder if you're not just encouraging that disposal mentality. On the other hand, be in any way demanding about it and a likely route is those drop off cages at the RSPCA or a gumtree ad.

[WreckitWhippet]

I've rescued two with papers. The first I contacted the breeder and she said to me " I've only bred a few litters, I'm not a breeder" and couldn't be arsed to help out, contribute to costs of even care what happened.

The second took me a while to track down the breeder, found him and let him know I had the dog but was already in the process of rehoming to a suitable and loving home, he was more than happy for me to do so but did care what happened, the owner of the sire was also genuinely concerned about the dog, where he went etc and contributed to his vet costs which was lovely.

[mita]

The "embarrassment" factor is the biggest thing that prevents people abiding by that bit in most puppy sales agreements that says that if you can't keep the dog to contact the breeder. It's often not that the breeders are unwilling, but that the owner is unwilling to have a conversation about it, particularly if they have made up their mind that they want to be rid of the dog yesterday and they think the breeder might offer advice about making changes to enable them to keep the dog

I don't know what the way around that is. If you are as non-threatening as possible and assure them up front that if that has to happen it won't be a big deal

Agree, especially re the bolded bit.

Breeder of first tibbie we got (her retired best winner at shows), was actually firm in saying emphatically.... if anything ever changed, I was to return the tib to her. That impressed me enormously how much she cared for her dogs. I thought we were damn lucky to get a tib that was so much valued by her breeder.

[Trisven13]

Being in such a numerically small breed I would always help any Fauve in need BUT there is a financial limit on my ability to help dogs that I didn't breed.

If I bred it I care for its life. I feel the same about dogs I have rescued in my 6 years of rescue and recently had to look at fitting in a dog that we had rescued who had ended up in a pound. Thankfully he went home so it was a moot point but I will ALWAYS do what I can for a dog I have been responsible for.

[OSoSwift]

Yes I have also fostered/rescued other breeds and crosses and they are always told if for any reason you can't keep, call me I will take the dog back.

[mfch]

Both of my dogs are from really good breeders. One came with a clause that said if we ever couldn't keep her for any reason she was to go back to the breeder. The other is from the best breeder I've ever encountered- he came with a clause that said lifetime full money back guarantee if we ever can't keep him, he is ALWAYS to be returned to the breeder with the full purchase price refunded.

Not that I would EVER be separated from my dogs and both breeders only choose suitable buyers, but still, I think that's a really impressive step to take and the height of responsibility. I don't breed dogs but I have bred horses (who do go from owner to owner sometimes, that's just horses) but I sell any of my foals with 'first right to buy back' so if the seller is selling they always contact me first.

[dogbesotted]

I feel the way I do because I owe it to the dogs. That is the bottom line, I owe it to the dogs I bred. If someone believes the way I feel gives the puppy owners an opt out clause then so be it. What happens to my puppies is the most important thing to me.

what I do regarding maremmas is always for the dogs.. which is why from time to time i help out idiots who should rightfully be left to stew in the situation of their own making..but it is their dogs who pay the price

H