Pedigree Dogs Exposed

lightplum- sheltie guy is right. that is what i meant. that if they euthanized tobias because he lacked the show dogs qualities i would missed the joys of him being my pet.aka- my furry little son

 

I watched the move a couple of years ago. Yes, there are issues in some breeds. This is why we have Shelties, yes?

Remember "Rachael's Basic Rule" #1? Breeds who can not walk, breathe, or whelp on their own should not be allowed to be breeds. PDE very much reinforced that for me, even though I took it all with a large grain of salt.

There have been some refutations of the head studies used to demonstrate the changes (i.e. the original portrayed was a very bad specimen, even then), and the use of research that was not complete, etc. And I think it really gave the impression that ALL breeders have these horrible habits. The RR breeder and the GSD judge she interviewed just made me cringe.

 

Me too. I think of all the things on the video that ticked me off the most. If some RR breeder brought me a puppy to euthanize because it didn't have a ridge.. I shrudder to think of the things that would come out of my mouth.

 

I completely agree!

Plus I wanted to mention:
To say that GSD's that are USED for working aren't as superior as the show dogs is just complete BS. Why did most official Organizations switch to Malinois?!? They didn't get enough reliable working stock! If not Mal's then at least to old style German or Czech Border Patrol lines (not that many left, now...) or many started their own breeding program... because show lines are NOT good enough to work all day!

 

Lightplum unfortunately this is not so true. I know some champion show dogs (my Marcus) who came to me in horrible condition. They were only treated like royalty a few days before showing them. They were very well TRAINED, but that was the best of what they got

 

They can't be treated like royalty only a few days before showing them. For a sheltie you have got to stay on top of coat care in order for that coat to lay properly and look the way it has got to look. Can't just give it a brush out the day before the show... or it isn't going to cut it. In the unfortunate case of Marcus. He apparently was under some weirdo, I wish I knew who you got him from... who stopped treating him with any sort of respect because he was finished. No reason to keep showing him unless you want to put BOB's on him. And, possibly wasn't producing good enough to pass on his line. Personally all the show people I know... would never dream of treating there CH dogs that way.

 

That may be true, however I have had 5 dogs that were show dogs with many awards and they really were not taken care of. I can prove this in the babies who were/are here. Constant care was never given to these shelties. They did get their teeth "scaled" frequently, and rarely bathed on a regular basis. Considering these breeders had 20 or more shelties they were "showing", individual attention for every sheltie was never given. The five former showdogs I have had were proof of this. Vet visits for these dogs was rare if ever.

In Marcus' case he produced several offspring who were champion showdogs. When he became obstinate and refused to perform in the ring he was used as a stud until he came to me. I know the breeder she bought him from and she also has several champion showdogs. She was stunned when she all the vet bills I had from Marcus and Rachie (both showdogs). The 2 dogs who came to me from this same lady, were impeccably trained, but that was all. This lady was shut down by the city. I got 6 of her 37 shelties, and of them I have just 2 remaining since they all had insurmountable medical issues, and passed before they were 10. Unfortunately when the dogs failed to place after 5 or six shows I got them because she claimed it was not worth the time or money. I know not all breeders are so complacent, but there are many more out there then some would think

 

That's quite sad. I guess you nasty people even in the dog world of shelties. :sadsmile:

 

Yes, it is horribly sad, which just goes to say that you can't go by titles alone. But I don't think this is anywhere near the norm. Definitely the exception.

I don't know alot about "show politics", but I expect each club does some amount of "member policing". In Marcus' case, this breeder may have slipped through the cracks for a while, but it eventually caught up with her. And she's no longer in business. So all the right things happened, in the end.

What I do believe is the majority of show breeders don't have stables of 37 dogs (that IS borderline puppy mill, even if they have won some championships along the way). Most breeders that I know can devote attention to their hopefuls because they only keep a manageable number. Or they co-own and share responsibility. And those that don't make the cut, go to screened companion pet homes. So people like me, can snap them up! I'll still pay extra dollars for a pup from a show breeder that I know, and who has a good reputation, then from any back yard breeder.

I think if I could not find a pup that way, I would not get one at all. I was close to that, until I finally found Bacca. I did not know the breeder as she was new in the game, but she was being mentored by Laureates, and that was enough for me.