Please allow me a few minutes on the soap box...I have mixed feelings about rescue. I was involved for years as a foster parent, adopter, and volunteer trainer and assistant for animal shelters and rescue organizations. In my teenage years I witnessed more animal euthanasia than I care to recall, and what was and will always be striking to me is the number of perfectly beautiful, healthy, and well-tempered puppies, kittens, and adults that were killed in the name of human irresponsibility.
When I say I have mixed feelings about rescue this is what I mean - I do not feel it is the responsibility of "responsible" individuals to pick up the slack of pet millers, puppy farms, etc, when they feel they must dump their abundances of ill-bred animals. It is because of these people that I breed correctly and responsibly - not because of them that I rescue their poor and pitiful products of years of bad breeding for profits only. I have always been a bit of an entrepreneur, but let me say that I do not breed for money. I will be frank: my last litter cost over $5000 (not including food) to produce, and this was a natural whelping where my girl did not need help having her puppies and we had no complications. Anyone with business head will see that even with a litter of 6 (where I kept 1 for further evaluation), there was no profit to be had, for now comes the care of the pup that stayed, as well as her show career and future testing, all geared towards producing a better poodle in the end.
Back to rescue: here is the catch - I feel that I can accurately say that all animal lovers get sick at the pit of their stomach when they witness animal abuse and neglect, regardless of where the pet came from. I feel that rescuing animals without stopping the source of neglect and abuse actually perpetuates the problem.
You may see a precious puppy at a pet store or on the side of the road in an ex pen with a litter for sale - I beg you to move on. Don't think that by buying this animal you are helping the problem - you are perpetuating it. That puppy breeder or dealer just made a profit. Think about where the parents of your new puppy are. Think about what their purpose is and how they may be being treated. Personally, I cannot even watch the "auctions" when pet mills are shut down, but I feel relief that one less mill will be in existence.
Now all that said, there are people as I write this looking to save a life. This little long-winded blog was spurred into creation by an article I read in my latest issue of Poodle Variety, titled "Health Issues in Rescue Poodles." It was written by Dr. Christine Scruggs of Tivin Poodles. In the body of this article, Dr. Scruggs implores anyone willing to rescue a poodle or surrender a poodle to go through the Poodle Club of America Rescue Foundation (PCARF), also mentioning that there are rescue organizations for poodles in almost every state, many who coordinate with PCARF. If you want to save a life and you want a poodle, poodle rescue is the way to go.
When I say I have mixed feelings about rescue this is what I mean - I do not feel it is the responsibility of "responsible" individuals to pick up the slack of pet millers, puppy farms, etc, when they feel they must dump their abundances of ill-bred animals. It is because of these people that I breed correctly and responsibly - not because of them that I rescue their poor and pitiful products of years of bad breeding for profits only. I have always been a bit of an entrepreneur, but let me say that I do not breed for money. I will be frank: my last litter cost over $5000 (not including food) to produce, and this was a natural whelping where my girl did not need help having her puppies and we had no complications. Anyone with business head will see that even with a litter of 6 (where I kept 1 for further evaluation), there was no profit to be had, for now comes the care of the pup that stayed, as well as her show career and future testing, all geared towards producing a better poodle in the end.
Back to rescue: here is the catch - I feel that I can accurately say that all animal lovers get sick at the pit of their stomach when they witness animal abuse and neglect, regardless of where the pet came from. I feel that rescuing animals without stopping the source of neglect and abuse actually perpetuates the problem.
You may see a precious puppy at a pet store or on the side of the road in an ex pen with a litter for sale - I beg you to move on. Don't think that by buying this animal you are helping the problem - you are perpetuating it. That puppy breeder or dealer just made a profit. Think about where the parents of your new puppy are. Think about what their purpose is and how they may be being treated. Personally, I cannot even watch the "auctions" when pet mills are shut down, but I feel relief that one less mill will be in existence.
Now all that said, there are people as I write this looking to save a life. This little long-winded blog was spurred into creation by an article I read in my latest issue of Poodle Variety, titled "Health Issues in Rescue Poodles." It was written by Dr. Christine Scruggs of Tivin Poodles. In the body of this article, Dr. Scruggs implores anyone willing to rescue a poodle or surrender a poodle to go through the Poodle Club of America Rescue Foundation (PCARF), also mentioning that there are rescue organizations for poodles in almost every state, many who coordinate with PCARF. If you want to save a life and you want a poodle, poodle rescue is the way to go.