Stop breeding dogs!!

I was heading into the grocery store yesterday when I saw sitting outside the store a woman with a sign and a wire crate. On the sign it said "Chihuahua puppies $250, purebred". I just had to take a look at what she had. In the crate was a female Chihuahua (ugly too) with 2 very young looking puppies that were obviously not weaned. There was also a large male Chihuahua (ugly and didn't look purebred but a mix) just hanging out, off leash with the woman. I asked her how old the puppies were and she said 7 weeks. I point blank told her right then that they were too young to be separated from their mother. The AKC recommends 12 weeks as the best age for separating a puppy from it's litter mates. She then added they were purebred but not papered. I just shook my head and left muttering loud enough for her to hear "too young".

Years ago I use to think that most of the dog over population problem came from unspayed female dogs getting out and getting accidentally bred. I now know differently. The problem is that everyone that has a "purebred" or registered dog thinks that they can make a few bucks by breeding it. Here is where I get upset with the "purebred but not papered" crowd. "Purebred but no papers" is another way to say "MUTT". I don't care how you put it but unregistered means there is no way to prove what the bloodlines are and thus your claim that the dog is purebred is invalid.

Not only should people not be breeding unregistered dogs for money but also just because they are registered doesn't mean they should be bred either. I once owned the world's ugliest female Chow Chow, she looked more like a gray husky with a very long snout and narrow head. She had international champion bloodlines and she was registered but she should have not been bred simply because she also had weak back legs and eye problems. She also did not look anything like the breed standard. She had at least 4 litters of puppies before I became her owner when she was 3 years old. She was promptly spayed and lived as my pet until she died at the age of 16.

Please don't even think about breeding a dog just because she is a female. People won't be lining up to buy your puppies and you will have to deal with a litter of unsold puppies.

If you do happen to own a dog that people have expressed a desire to have a puppy from then yes breed your dog with the following provisions:

• All the puppies must be sold before they are born
  
• All puppy buyers must submit a deposit for the puppy that is not refundable (making it non-refundable makes people think twice before buying)
• All puppy buyers should sign a written contract outlining payments, price and what happens should a puppy die before delivery to the new owner.

Those simple provisions will have homes for the puppies lined up even before they are born. It is the same procedure that many breeders of show quality dogs use.