Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site rabbit.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!alice!rabbit!hania From: hania@rabbit.UUCP (Hania Gajewska) Newsgroups: net.pets Subject: Re: Pet shoppe clarification - (nf) Message-ID: <3070@rabbit.UUCP> Date: Sat, 18-Aug-84 11:29:28 EDT Article-I.D.: rabbit.3070 Posted: Sat Aug 18 11:29:28 1984 Date-Received: Sun, 19-Aug-84 03:43:27 EDT References: <47500002@convex.UUCP> Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill Lines: 40 Thank you for posting the article about why not to get a puppy from a pet shop on the net. I sent a long reply, in the same vain, to the author of the afghan request. I also offered assistance with locating a breeder in his area, as well as suggesting ways he might go about finding one himself. The main thing to remeber about pet shop pups is the reason they are there: someone is making money on them. Most of the time, no attention is paid to the temperament (or looks) of the parents, and very closely related dogs (such as brother and sister) are often bred together, with predictable results. (I personally know of such cases). The only people I know who bought a puppy from a pet shop (on impulse -- their 15 year old cocker spaniel had just died) have had to put it to sleep, because no trainer or dog shrink could get it to stop biting everyone in sight. Of course, when you buy a puppy from a breeder, you're not guaranteed that it will turn out well, but your chances are far better. If the breeder exhibits dogs at dog shows, then he/she probably bred the litter to produce show quality pups -- beautiful specimens with temperaments to fir their breed. Perhaps the breeder is looking to keep one of the pups him/herself. You can be sure that a lot of thought was given to which dogs to breed, and which lines, looks, and temperaments would go together. The puppies were most likely raised with care, played with and socialized, to produce stable adults. This, of course, is not true for all breeders, but since most of them end up keeping a puppy from a litter (if there is one to their liking), you can be sure that they are breeding dogs they could live with. The pet public profits by having the opportunity to buy those puppies from a litter which didn't quite make the show grade, most often for reasons of no significance to the pet owner. These puppies have the same fine blood lines as the show dogs. I am curious whether the person who posted the afghan article ever got my reply to him, or whether it got lost in net-mail-land. But let me reiterate the offer that I made to him to all you other folks in netland: I would be glad to locate a breeder, any breed, in your area. I may not always succeed, but I am always willing to try. Hania Gajewska P.S. I breed Airedale Terriers. Any other breedres out there?