pagesguineas Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 Furthering the news I heard on the radio about Crufts being dropped by the BBC, i was wondering what fellow dog lovers out there think? Personally I hate the way that dogs and inbred to create visual perfection, at the expense of health. I'm not sure if that's just me having very strong opinions, backed up by my little dog. Copper was set to be a stunning 'show dog' and was taken to classes every week and was treasured. On a routine inspection he measured 1cm above the maximum breed spec, so was put into a small kennel and effectively left there to rot. We were searching for a little Papillon, as they fit into our lifestyle well and are adorable, so contacted the breeder. She sold us little copper, who was at the time 11 months old. We took him home and found he had a multitude of problems, he was scared of people, scared of dogs, would cower at cars and was not at all socialized. The one thing he could do perfectly was walk to heel, which is the only thing he had been taught in ring classes! He has bad knees (the joint is deteriorating and they pop in and out of the socket) due to his inbreeding. I just feel that, through the action of trying to achieve perfection in a breed, his puppyhood was ruined He is now 5 years old and a happy doggy, he has been rehabilitated, which took forever! He still has issues but I don't feel he will ever get out of those (cowering for buses, he is fine with cars) (not being friendly and trying to avoid new people-until he knows them). I am taking him to a doggie show tomorrow, at the local pet store (cutest dog wins a professional portrait photo) which I think will be nice - but I will stress to add that it is certainly not all pedigree dogs! Good luck my pretty boy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 What a little cutie . I bet he's having a much happier life with you than being primped and preened for shows . I agree with you, I don't have much time for Crufts and I haven't watched it for years. We have a rescue mongrel and he's the nicest dog we could ever have hoped to get . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pagesguineas Posted March 6, 2009 Author Share Posted March 6, 2009 He is gorgeous! And he obviously gets on fabulously with the sheep! It's a shame we couldn't have got a rescue doggy, but there were no teeny doggies there and a big dog wouldn't suit our lifestyle (elderly grandparents babysit while we're at work and college-can't handle a big strong dog). Love little copper all the same though, he's my little star! I just hope he does well tomorrow, I want to be even prouder of my little boy! Also thinking of joining a agility club, should be great fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Couperwife Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 Ive never watched crufts the only real experience I have of it is when my dad used to have to travel past it every day to work and knew that his journey woulr be half an hour longer I dont have a dog, but I think that the extreme breeding to get the "perfect" dog is just silly. whats wrong with a dog being a dog and having fun or maybe ive no idea , i'd take a heinz 57 anyday (but would love a GSD, or a..... ) cathy x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 Great pic ANH, thats one for a caption competition! my OH took one look and asked "is that Riley?" so I think I may be spending too much time on here ) Dog showing. hmmmm. I think there are a lot of very good breeders out there who understand and respect their dogs, there are just some who give them a bad name Having been to Crufts many times I know that lots of breeders are happy to chat about their dogs and are very open about how they operate, they are keen to offer advice too (we have one Omleteer giving up her time today to go and talk about her dog's breed to visitors at Crufts to encourage others for example) When researching breeds I went and spoke to some breeders at Crufts and unless they were actually on their way in to the ring they were happy to wax lyrical on 'their' breed and show you around their dogs and equipment without a hint that they were keen to sell you a puppy. I see similar enthusiasm for our chickens on this forum. Breeders that rely on selling puppies for a living do not (as a rule) want to hand over a problem animal to the buyer, they want the dog to grow up healthy and be a walking advertisement for their breed and the breeder (or am I being naive?) In any showing circle you do get the obsessive ones who take it all too far and abandon their animals when they don't win and arent perfect but I grew up in the competitive world of pony showing and I know that many people do show the same animal for ages having fun wherever they go It is a shame when you see pics on the news of some mad dog breeder with sheds full of filthy animals but I honestly don't believe these are in the majority of dog breeders and just serve to up the hype Everyone will have a horror story and I agree they are appalling I just truly (naively?) believe that this is not the norm. Ok, shoot me down! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chooklady Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 Puppy farmers are the ones that need to be got rid of. It's like everything else it is the minority that make it bad for everyone in many aspects of life. I know someone who has 4 dogs like mine and he shows his dogs, he will be at Crufts tomorrow, his dogs are beautiful and the rest of the time they are getting filthy and doing what normal dogs do etc. Unless people have a lot of dogs it also cannot be that lucrative, if your "Ooops, word censored!" can only have a litter say every other year, perhaps 4 litters with say 8 pups for a big dog it's not exactly going to get you a fantastic lifestyle is it. I do agree that some of the breeding is a bit suspect but, there was a big thing recently about German Shepherds and their back legs and King Charles Spaniels. Personally I liked watching Crufts as I am dog mad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shirl Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 I've been watching Crufts online. If you go to the Kennel Club website you can still watch Best In Show live Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ana's flock Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 I love dogs and I agree about the nastiness of puppy farming or breeding to deformity. I think each and every breeder should aim to have healthy animals first and foremost. What's the point in having a dog with a pedigree as long as your arm if then s/he's going to have an unhappy life or/and die young due to some overbreeding mistake... I like the variety of shapes and characters we get with dogs. It's a matter of finding out about the different breeds and making an informed choice when choosing a pet. Unfortunately some people breed undesirable traits in animals (aggressive fighting dogs that have no longer a place in a society where dogs are mainly people's pets and companions). So on one hand dog shows serve an educational purpose in teaching us about different types of dogs, their history and purpose. On another hand it can get a bit silly and some animals will be neglected and suffer on the hands of over-competitive and unscrupulous people on their search for their particular idea of 'perfection'. I think our animals deserve respect and care and a life as natural as possible... having said that some dogs relish the attention... I didn't get my dog from a business breeder, however I did want a Weimaraner because I had read about their temperament and it was the type of pet I wanted. I did investigate the rescue route but "Ooops, word censored!"ody could tell me about how a grown up dog would react to children plus chickens/cats/other pets... so we went for a pup, and she's relating wonderfully to all members of the household. Wet nose, lively, waggy tail: the real star of my particular 'show'! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronze Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 I'm sure I've ranted on here before about crufts so won't bore you again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shirl Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 Did anyone watch Mary Ray? Isn't she fantastic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aunty e Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 I think there are good and bad breeders/showing owners as there are good and bad examples of most things. I know a couple of us on the forum breed or show cats, and I've met some LOVELY people through it, and some rotters too. I'm waiting to see if my newest cat has show potential - we bought Nero with the idea of showing as well as breeding, but he's grown up very tarnished (brown shading on a silver mau is undesirable) so we won't show him, but it's no big deal to us. If Saffy turns out to have faults or not to have the right personality to handly going to shows, we won't show her either and won't really mind. Although I think Saffy's breeder would like it as she is from the last ever litter from the Mau Supreme champion three years in a row (Anok Fero), and she'd like to see some good offspring go on to win. Madam is a bit nervy though, so unless she settles down a bit, I won't be putting her through shows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bellekatz Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 I think there are good and bad breeders/showing owners as there are good and bad examples of most things. I know a couple of us on the forum breed or show cats, and I've met some LOVELY people through it, and some rotters too. I'm waiting to see if my newest cat has show potential - we bought Nero with the idea of showing as well as breeding, but he's grown up very tarnished (brown shading on a silver mau is undesirable) so we won't show him, but it's no big deal to us. If Saffy turns out to have faults or not to have the right personality to handly going to shows, we won't show her either and won't really mind. Although I think Saffy's breeder would like it as she is from the last ever litter from the Mau Supreme champion three years in a row (Anok Fero), and she'd like to see some good offspring go on to win. Madam is a bit nervy though, so unless she settles down a bit, I won't be putting her through shows. Me too. My lovely silver tortie tabby girl looks gorgeous but she hates being groomed so I am having one last go in May and if she kicks up a fuss again I won't show her anymore. Alfie on the other hand is super friendly, nothing phases him and is going to his first show on Saturday - will let you know how he gets on. I have shown various cats in my time, but only if they are enjoying it and don't get stressed - it really isnt worth a piece of paper and a rosette to put an animal that isn't happy through that amount of stress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aunty e Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Alfie is a gorge boy - bet he does well! Saffy has been very clingy ever since she was hospitalised, and right now I think she would hate being shown (which is a shame, because her spots are a million trillion times better than the cat who won best kitten in the south west show last month). We'll see how she goes, maus tend to mellow a bit and become more laid back at around a year old. Nero is so laid back, he sleeps on his back with his legs in the air. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
