What happens when a dog is not a good fit? (purely hypothetical, we adore the Violet monster)
Tara made a post in the AKC recognition thread that piqued my curiosity and I thought that it was most appropriate to start a new thread.
Tara had said that "the Kai that I mentioned on Petfinder were returned Kai, breeders known. I have a friend with a Shiba and her cousin got a Kai last year from a shelter in NY, breeder known and verified when contacted."
I don't mean to frame the question in a provocative manner, but are these breeders whose kai have ended up on petfinder "reputable" breeders? I have to admit that it surprised me to read your post. It is my understanding that the vast majority (or perhaps the totality) of reputable breeders always mandate first right of refusal in a contract. The clause is in there precisely so that the dogs that they care about will not be abandoned or placed in a shelter if the home was not a good fit. I know that enforcing these contracts is not the simplest thing in the world but one would hope that strict contracts would dissuade those who haven't thought long and hard about why they want a particular dog and how that dog would fit into their lifestyle. For instance, our contract not only stipulates first right of refusal should the puppy not be a good fit with us, but we are obligated to inform our breeder and provide our updated address whenever we move. There are probably other clauses that I'm forgetting, but I know that he checks in with us on a regular basis (even though we already bombard him with random photos of Violet on what seems like a weekly basis).
I'd be particularly curious to hear from breeders (perhaps my notions about first right of refusal being common are mistaken) regarding the possibility of one of their dogs being abandoned or placed at a shelter. On an older thread someone mentioned that their brother, who was a breeder had that happen with one of his dogs and how it was a good breeder's worst nightmare. What does a breeder do when they find one of their dogs in that situation? What measures do people take against this? I know that there are a lot of people on this forum who work in rescue, are breeders, or both. I'd like to hear peoples' stories, if you wouldn't mind.
Tara had said that "the Kai that I mentioned on Petfinder were returned Kai, breeders known. I have a friend with a Shiba and her cousin got a Kai last year from a shelter in NY, breeder known and verified when contacted."
I don't mean to frame the question in a provocative manner, but are these breeders whose kai have ended up on petfinder "reputable" breeders? I have to admit that it surprised me to read your post. It is my understanding that the vast majority (or perhaps the totality) of reputable breeders always mandate first right of refusal in a contract. The clause is in there precisely so that the dogs that they care about will not be abandoned or placed in a shelter if the home was not a good fit. I know that enforcing these contracts is not the simplest thing in the world but one would hope that strict contracts would dissuade those who haven't thought long and hard about why they want a particular dog and how that dog would fit into their lifestyle. For instance, our contract not only stipulates first right of refusal should the puppy not be a good fit with us, but we are obligated to inform our breeder and provide our updated address whenever we move. There are probably other clauses that I'm forgetting, but I know that he checks in with us on a regular basis (even though we already bombard him with random photos of Violet on what seems like a weekly basis).
I'd be particularly curious to hear from breeders (perhaps my notions about first right of refusal being common are mistaken) regarding the possibility of one of their dogs being abandoned or placed at a shelter. On an older thread someone mentioned that their brother, who was a breeder had that happen with one of his dogs and how it was a good breeder's worst nightmare. What does a breeder do when they find one of their dogs in that situation? What measures do people take against this? I know that there are a lot of people on this forum who work in rescue, are breeders, or both. I'd like to hear peoples' stories, if you wouldn't mind.
Comments
Second, I believe that one of the [ many ] things that makes a reputable breeder is that they thoroughly screen their puppy-buyers. Has the potential owner done their research? Can their home accommodate a puppy? Does everyone in the family want this puppy or just the one person? Does the potential owner work 60 hours a week? Do they have the time & resources & dedication to take care of a puppy? These are the type of questions I would expect ANY reputable breeder to ask me, rather than just sell a puppy to the first person that shows up.
Most reputable breeders also put into their contracts that if, at any time, the owner no longer desires the dog, the dog is to be returned to the breeder. [ Some say the dog MUST be returned to the breeder, others say the pup can be re-homed to a friend / family member, however, I dont believe ANY reputable breeder would allow a pup to go to a shelter, rather than to them ]
Now...here's the crux. People lie. Period. They just do. Some will lie to get a pup & never speak to the breeder again. Some would rather give the pup up to a shelter than go through the trouble [ & $ ] of sending the pup back to the breeder. & some simply forget the pup can go back to the breeder. Sometimes pups escape from their home & end up in shelters. Sometimes a person experiences a huge crisis & the dog sort of gets "left behind" amongst all the commotion.
So herein lies the problem...are the breeders not asking the right questions? Are they not screening potential owners thoroughly enough? Or are these pups ending up in shelters just the result of a lazy / careless owner? Are they in shelters due to extraneous circumstances?
I'm very curious as well. ~
Shit happens. People die, their dogs get left behind. Dogs get lost [ or stolen ].
The question or rather, the point I'm trying to make is...how many of these dogs are in shelters because of the source [ breeders ] the new owners, or just because life happens? ~
Putting that fact aside, I've noticed that the focus on the source of dogs in shelters, is on pet shops and back yard breeders. While I believe that these are the source of an overwhelming majority of the dogs in shelters, I did wonder what happened with reputable breeders and if this was something that was seen more than occasionally, or something that people worry about.
I found the other thread (it's on the shiba forum) that was a quick story of a shiba from a breeder that had been abandoned.
http://www.shibainuforum.org/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=4883&page=1#Item_3
I also have a morbid curiosity as to the number of pets that are now in shelters due to current economic circumstances. Several weeks ago the NY Times did a story about pet owners, now jobless and homeless, who were trying to keep their pets. The article itself touched on those who refused to be parted from their pets, and those who did give up their pets (though not without a huge amount of guilt and regret). The comments section was depressing, as always, given the number of people who berated those that refused to be separated from their pets, saying that their refusal to abandon pets when the going got tough demonstrated a dearth of common sense that would explain their current dire financial straits. There was a lot of advocacy of abandonment.
I guess I should answer....I would say that the Kai breeder is reputable. Things happen, and in this case the woman who purchased the puppy, who was older, met a man who did not like the wild Kai and brought him to the shelter. I think he was 3 at the time. Judge if you will....people give up dogs when they marry someone who doesn't like them. The breeder was horrified when she got the phone call asking if she had bred him. She contacted the previous owner, got the story, and that's all I know. He is happy on a farm now with a family who loves him. I mentioned that story because he has been verified to be a 100% Kai on the other thread. Oh man is he beautiful too! I'm trying to get them on the forum.
I think you have a good question though....There are many instances where responsible dog owners get a dog and it just doesn't work out. Maybe that dog doesn't get along with existing dogs, was sold to them with health issues, etc. What does an owner do when faced with the really difficult decision to put their dog up for adoption?
Thankfully, I have never had to make this decision but at times owners do and sometimes it is really because it is in the best interest of the animal.
The more important is the approach to this. Again, we can only hope that our puppy buyers will make the right decisions for that dog. Sure, there's a puppy application to fill out and perhaps even an "interview"...but ultimately after that it's up to that puppy's new family to make things work. Most breeders like to keep in contact with everyone to see how their pups are thriving within their families.
Me, personally, I try to be the best owner that I can be for my dogs. Right now, I can practically deal with almost any dog and still be able keep him/her and if I can't, I will seek help so that I will be able to meet my dogs' needs. For example, I can deal with a "child-aggressive" dog no problem in my current situation. However, should I have kids in the future...well then...obviously...I will no longer be a suitable home for a "child-aggressive" dog - that's just asking for trouble - it's not safe for the children and it's not safe for the dog.
One just needs to be realistic about their situation and their dogs. Ideally, you want to do what's best for your dog firstmost. If you're what's best for your dog, then GREAT! However, if your dog would do better in another home...please do not do your dog a dis-service by keeping him or her.