Pound Dog Rescue

It’s understandable that after paying 5, 6, or even 8 hundred dollars for a puppy someone might be tempted to breed it thinking they can get a nice return on their canine investment. It’s true that pure bred puppies can sometimes sell for outrageous amounts of money, but the truth is the vast majority of people who decide to breed their dogs at home (commonly known as backyard breeding) don’t realize the ultimate costs involved. Allow me to dispel some of the myths surrounding backyard breeding, and to encourage you to think twice before bringing more dogs into the world.

Myth #1 I can make a lot of money through backyard breeding

It might seem logical to assume that if you purchase a French bulldog puppy for $700 dollars that breeding her just once will result in a typical litter of 4 puppies. If you sell each puppy for $700, you’ll regain the purchase price of the dog plus $2100. Sounds great, right? Sure it does, the only problem is that it isn’t true.

Backyard breeding, when done correctly, is expensive. First, all states require a breeding or kennel license. While the procedures vary from one place to another, generally acquiring a kennel license involves multiple inspections and fees from your local animal control and health departments, assuming your home is zoned for dog breeding in the first place. Add to this a stud fee (usually several hundred dollars or one of the puppies), vet bills for regular checkups, and a special maternity diet for mom, and the expenses begin to climb. Once the puppies are born, and with most toy breeds like the French bulldog the birth should be supervised by a vet, you still have the cost of AKC papers, shots, dew claws, and advertizing. In the end, you may end up losing money.

Myth #2 Backyard breeding is more humane than a puppy mill

Puppy mills, essentially factories designed to churn out expensive pure breed puppies, are one of the most shameful institutions of the civilized world. In comparison, backyard breeding where a loved family pet raises a littler under the watchful eye of a caring owner seems saintly. But the surplus population of companion animals is not fueled by puppy mills. Recent studies indicate that as much as 65% of available puppies come from backyard breeders who wanted to have puppies “just one time.” That means that potentially half of the hundreds of thousands of dogs who are euthanized every year are a result of backyard breeding. If your dog has a litter of 6 puppies, it’s likely that 3 of them will have their lives cut short because there is no one that wants them.

As seen above, backyard breeding is too expensive for most people to do right, so many backyard breeders, even well-meaning ones, cut corners by using any stud available, even if it isn’t pure bred. Even worse, most backyard breeders never visit a vet, ignoring the risk this negligence poses to their dog. Irresponsible breeding practices are more likely to result in unhealthy, unpredictable puppies that are harder to place. I have a friend who decided to breed his Lab because he wanted her to “experience motherhood,” and he expected to make some money. Rather than using a professional stud service, he bred his dog to another Lab owned by a friend. Supposedly the stud was also a pure bred Lab, despite being rather shaggy for the breed. When the puppies were finally born they were obviously mixed breed and looked more like Newfoundland dogs than Labradors. The stud’s papers, promised as proof of his lineage, never surfaced, and my friend was forced to cut his asking price by more than half for his mixed breed dogs.

As much as I hate to say anything positive about puppy mills, at least they are creating a product based on supply and demand. It doesn’t make sense for puppy mills to flood the market with dogs because it will cut into their profits. Backyard breeders, on the other hand, are less informed about the market for dogs in their area. My backyard breeding friend was only able to sell two of his eight puppies at his original asking price. There simply wasn’t a demand for Labs, let alone Lab mixes. In the end, my friend was begging people to take the last three puppies for free.

Myth #3 Backyard breeding is a good way to teach my kids responsibility

Caring for a pet has long been a standard tactic when it comes to teaching kids responsibility, but, as any parent can tell you, too often the ploy backfires and mom and dad are left with the pet chores. Imagine this happening with something as monumental as a litter of destructive, messy puppies. Even older children are not mentally ready to deal with the amount of responsibility backyard breeding entails. Is your child really prepared for the potential pitfalls of backyard breeding? It’s possible that one or more of the puppies will be stillborn or die within the first few days. The mother dog’s life is also potentially at risk, especially if a vet isn’t at hand. Even if the delivery is normal, will your child be able to stomach watching her beloved pet experience the natural pain of giving birth?

Once those adorable puppies are born, will your child understand how fragile they are? As the puppies age, who will clean up after them? Puppies poop far more frequently than adult dogs, and the mess can be overwhelming even for adults. How will your child handle the separation as the puppies are adopted out to their new homes?

Most importantly, backyard breeding simply isn’t a responsible act in the first place. How can you expect your child to learn responsibility from something that is only destined to worsen the plight of dogs everywhere? A far better and less emotionally draining way to teach your kids responsibility is to encourage them to volunteer at a local animal shelter or rescue. If you want a more personal experience, arrange to foster a dog until it finds a home or raise a puppy that will later be trained as a service dog for the blind.

The sad truth

As hard as it is to hear, the truth is that the vast majority of backyard breeders are committing an act of animal cruelty. Whether you want to make money selling puppies or just experience the miracle of birth, backyard breeding usually happens because of selfish motives. Your dog doesn’t care if she has puppies or not. Contrary to what my Lab breeding friend thought, a dog has no need to “experience motherhood.” I’m not even sure the desire to “experience motherhood” is a justifiable reason for a human being to have a child. In the end, bringing new life into the world should always be for the benefit of that life, not the people who are already here.

Dog breeding should always be conducted with the very specific purpose of improving a breed. True dog breeders are professionals that spend years carefully crafting dogs that adhere to standards set forth by organizations like the American Kennel Club. Dog breeding is not a hobby; it’s a lifestyle. If your motives are anything less than the perfection of a dog breed, no matter the expense or inconvenience, then you would do much better to adopt a puppy or simply cherish the special dog you already have.

Copyright © 2007 Pound Dog Rescue.
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