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Pien
Ji Shih Tzu-
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Why do you only sell on Spay/Neuter contracts? Why do you only sell on Spay/Neuter contracts? Overpopulation: If you listen to the news, you hear about the thousands of unwanted animals that are euthanized every year. One part of it is to not contribute to that problem while still producing show quality animals. Intent : Every breeding is done with the intention of producing the best show dog I can. If a bitch has a litter that produces nothing of sufficient quality to go to the ring, at MOST, she will be tried with one other stud before being spayed and put in a pet home. The intent here is not to just produce puppies, but to produce puppies that are good representatives of the breed, both in conformation and temperament. Reputation: Each puppy carries my kennel name, and that of the people that have entrusted me and my predecessors in the pedigree. We are all proud of our contribution to that pedigree, and don't want it on dogs that are the result of breeding one we wouldn't breed to something else we wouldn't breed to. Then people look at those dogs, look at the pedigree, and come to the conclusion that the kennels involved aren't very good. Ideal: In an ideal world, there would be no puppy mills. Puppies would only come from loving homes. Backyard breeders would do the same research in terms of health and characteristics that the show breeders do. Backyard breeders would spend the same amount on health screening that the show breeders do. Any breeding of purebred dogs would be done with the intention of producing a good representative of that breed. But the reality is that there are puppy mills. When you get a puppy from a pet store, you are likely supporting them. And the reality is that people will say, "I have a purebred, and Johnny has a purebred so we'll have puppies!" They don't research either the health history of the parents, or what a Shih Tzu should be, and these breedings take the breed overall farther and farther away from what it should be. After all, if you are not going to breed to produce Shih Tzu that are representative of the breed, why breed for purebred? Why should I not breed my pet? "Well, my dog has (insert just about any genetic defect), that's why she couldn't be a show dog. I'm going to breed her..........." That dog should be neutered, and NEVER bred. "I want my children to go through birth....." First of all- the outcome of going through birth is puppies that you are responsible for bringing into the world. You are responsible for them for their whole life. Second of all- you may have your children go through the agony of defeat. I had my favorite girl loose an entire litter and almost lost her. A friend of mine just had three out of four die of canine herpes (and the fourth will likely not live past a couple of months)- which you can bring into your home as easy as going through an area where an infected dog has sneezed. And make no mistake canine herpes is VERY widespread- you just don't notice it much in adults. It does kill entire litters. You may end up devastating your children instead of sharing the wonder of birth. And a few honest ones will tell you, "I want to make my money back." Well, in both of the litters mentioned above, the vet bills were astronomical. C-Sections are fairly common in the breed- those range from $800 up in this area. Then there are vet visits for the puppies, shots, worming, dew claws at a minimum- assuming none get sick. They quite often get diarrhea (puppies often eat poop), and if you don't get them medical care quickly, they die. Puppies don't have much reserve- more vet bills. And then there is providing for the new pup- they should have food and basic supplies with them when they go to their new homes. And if these pups have a genetic disease, you can't repeat the breeding for replacement puppies (at least I hope you won't), so the sale price of the pups should be refunded. Then you are really in the hole. Plus, ESPECIALLY since you know nothing of the dog's health history, the dog should be tested for the RD marker and the eyes should be CERF'd, and a BUN should be run at a MINIMUM. Those tests aren't cheap. |
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Copyright © Pien Ji Shih Tzu, 2001-2008 Pien Ji Puppies are only sold on Spay/Neuter contracts.
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