A (Designer) Dog’s Life

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Back in Amish country, there's less anticipation over the first canine, and more agitation over the regulatory threats. "All this will be gone," says Edwin, a 34-year-old Mennonite farmer in Lancaster County (who declined to give his last name). He's pointing to a row of elevated wire cages and a chain-link pen, where he breeds mini-pinschers, Labs and a half-dozen other breeds. "I built a business since being a little boy and they're going to take it away," says Edwin, who sells his dogs for $350 apiece. For people who truly consider the four-legged creatures sitting in his cages to be man's best friend, the advent of a kinder, gentler way of breeding puppies can't arrive soon enough.

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Posted By: PrinceOfSpace @ 11/11/2009 11:55:14 PM

Gee whiz, what a bunch of whining. "Oh boo hoo, we can't treat living animals like dirt anymore. We're going to be required to give them a bare minimum of care."
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Posted By: boredwell @ 10/05/2009 5:49:15 AM

My parents were "kitchen" breeders. It was their passion. Not a business enterprise. They did it for love of the breed-chocolate labs-and rarely sold them preferring to match prospective owners with just the right puppy. Their success was in developing mutually beneficial and reciprocal partnerships between animal and human. It's sad to know that these mill owners have no integrity given their callousness and inhumane treatment of sentient creatures as disposable consumer products. Though there are new laws in place it takes official oversight and inspections to force compliance. Unless complaints are registered with the authorities it seems these mills will continue to flourish in the absence of vigorous and regular policing.
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Posted By: Staggslaw @ 07/19/2009 10:06:46 AM

We have three delightful, by though no means perfect, dogs, one of which is a rescue dog. After searching a number of breeders and agencies each time, each dog ultimately chose us, a nose in a pocket, a belly presented for rubbing, unbridled excitement, as others stayed shy. I would never buy a dog online, for the simple reason you can't tell the circumstances in which the dog was bred and cared for. Go to a shelter, or go to a breeder. Though you may not be able to see everything that's going on at a breeder, you can tell if the pups have been well cared for, and you generally meet the mother, and sometimes the father, if you ask. Blaming shelters for the sins of abandoning owners, or imposing restrictions or fees on their ability to rescue pets, would just hinder their ability to do their work. Investigate breeders, punish people for abandoning pets to the wild when they're caught, educate and encourage the public to make sure they are obtaining their pets from wholesome sources, and against purchasing pets they won't provide for through thick and thin, but don't paint with such a broad brush as to vilify and hinder good breeders, and the shelters seeking to rescue and find homes for as many as they can.