Shiba Inu Directory

Comments

• CrimsonO2

  January 2009 edited January 2009

  This tool, if used wisely, can be very helpful. However, one has to weigh in that potential for abuse. Can you think of scenarios where this database could harm a reputable breeder? How do the volunteer data entry people police it? Who do they believe in the case of conflicts?
  
  I automatically am thinking of eBay's "seller/buyer feedback" and its pros and cons as an analogy for this database.
  
  Jesse
• ljowen123

  January 2009 edited November -1

  To be honest, I don't know. The info sent out via the regional club was pretty much what was on the National site. I would think documentation will be the end all. I'm thinking of a particular breeder who would not benefit from the directory and another that would. I'll inquire a bit more.
• dlroberts

  January 2009 edited November -1

  Please do LJ. I'd happy air ALL of Lucy's dirty laundry if it hurt her breeder.
  
  I do agree with Jesse though, the potential for abuse is great.
• tsukitsune

  January 2009 edited November -1

  I would hope that those involved in breed welfare, rescue, showing, etc., take this database seriously, it could be a great tool! And like ebay, the breeders could probably address any reports, etc, that they feel are inaccurate if they want to and the Shiba Club board could moderate I hope.
  
  Since Lucy's breeder is listed on the shiba club website, I think this is an amazing opportunity to show people that their list isn't the bible of good US shiba breeders, that even then they need a more scrutinizing review.
• Sangmort

  January 2009 edited November -1

  Sorry guys, I don't see how this could be a BAD thing UNLESS someone intentionally posted some wrong info. Can you guys explain how a record of health could hurt a reputable breeder?
  
  I think a reputable breeder, who will always have one or two dogs with genetic illnesses, should not have 7 or 10 or 20.
  
  Maybe I'm misunderstanding?
  
  
  
  I'd love to see something like this for Shikoku & Kai as well. [ more so Kai, as there are more of them ] ~
• CrimsonO2

  January 2009 edited November -1

  Here's an example.
  
  Let's say an internet savvy person buys a dog from a reputable breeder. However, at the first sign of ill health, instead of privately working through it with the breeder, the new owner decides to post online at this directory that the dog they got from the reputable breeder had health issues. Now, a reputable breeder would've obviously tried to take the dog back, exchange it, refund it, anything to make sure that an unhealthy dog does not make it out of the breeder's kennel and that the owner is satisfied. However, if a person should feel slighted, feel cheated and have an axe to grind, or feel like they need to do their civil service to inform John Q. Public that this reputable breeder gave them an unhealthy dog (believe me owners like that are out there) and put it in the Shiba Inu database, what recourse does a reputable breeder have?
  
  That one negative comment that the breeder has no power to retract is out there for the world to see and does more harm than good. It is this scenario that I think would make most breeders not bother with the directory.
  
  Jesse
• Sangmort

  January 2009 edited November -1

  Ahhhh, I see. Thanks for the explanation Jesse! ~
• lindsayt

  January 2009 edited November -1

  I see that my breeder has not contributed to the start up costs of this database, publicly anyway. I don't know if she supports it but I will ask her what she thinks next time we meet. She keeps extensive records of her dogs and her reputation stands on it's own. She, like many more reputable breeders, may find this database unecessary as they have built a good rep already and have a large knowledgable client base that refers the new owners to them.
  
  I personally think this would be very helpful for people to do research. I would love this sort of tool because I don't have decades of personal experience with breeding to draw from. Best case, this will help reduce the amount of indiscriminant and thoughtless breeding that occurs within shibas now. Worst case, people will use this database as a guide to do their own back yard breeding or as a way to slander other breeders by posting medical info about a sick dog (they happen, even the best breeders have dogs that die young and suddenly-it's not on purpose). It would be cool to have a better way to follow up on our dogs' pedigrees in detail.
• JessicaRabbit

  January 2009 edited January 2009

  If it is simply a record of shibas and their health than Jesse your example would not be a concern. A reputable breeder would need to acknowledge a dog from their program had say-LP. As I understand it, it is a directory not a forum. So people couldn't make digs at each other.
• ljowen123

  January 2009 edited November -1

  It's not supposed to be a forum. One thing it would do is give you the geneaology (if the breeder loads it) for free instead of paying for it on the AKC site if if wasn't provided to you. As I get updates, I'll let you know.
• tsukitsune

  January 2009 edited November -1

  Thanks LJ! I'm interested in knowing how this works, too!
• Nekopan

  January 2009 edited November -1

  I agree with Jessica. I would also think that it would have to include what type of contract the dog was sold on, be it spay/neuter or breeding, and if the dog was altered, so a person looking at the directory would know if that dog was allowed to contribute to the breed.
• JessicaRabbit

  January 2009 edited November -1

  That is a valid point Kyla
• ljowen123

  January 2009 edited November -1

  Good point, Kyla - I'll submit that to the club if you don't mind.
• Nekopan

  January 2009 edited November -1

  No problem.
• dlroberts

  January 2009 edited November -1

  Well, I think Jesse made a good point, but not the complete point. The bigger issue is that the people most likely to contribute to the database are those with dogs in poor health. So the picture it will paint is not accurate because the data will be incomplete. If a breeder produces 20 puppies a year and 2 of them show up in the database that's probably not a red flag. But if a breeder produces 4 puppies a year and 2 of them show up in the database then it probably is. Knowing what dogs have health issues will be most beneficial if we also know what dogs don't have health issues.
  
  Further, unless the entries in the database are verified with actual medical records, then the potential for abuse is still there.