Micah: Oh, I don't know. We seem to be partial to every day of the week, for one reason or another.
Cameron: True. But today is Funny Farmer Feline Friday and we post another Mousebreath interview.
Cyndi: This week we interview Savannah and Sage from Savannah's Paw Tracks.
Percy: Many of you are already familiar with their blog, but we're sure you'll learn more about them when you read Princess Savannah and The Kid Sage.
Buddy: Now that the cats have finished their post, we'd like to be upfront on where we stand with Rescue vs Breeder. This was thrown in Jan's face this week when a friend asked Jan to help "them" with something. (We'll use they or them instead of he or she because the person wishes to remain anonymous.)
Sam: Jan posted this on Facebook Wednesday and had some polite suggestions on adopting from a shelter or rescue instead.
A friend is looking for a reputable breeder of AKC Yorkie or Westie or Toy Poodle pups. In Middle Georgia area. This pup would have a great home! But I'm not sure how to find a reputable breeder who has reasonable prices, so I thought I'd ask - ***** - and anyone else who would might be able to help. Thanks.
Merci: Suddenly, Thursday a rescue we'd never heard of started leaving angry messages. We have stripped off any identifying info and are only printing the exchange between Jan and the rescue, no one else. Please bear with us.
Rescue: Why in the world would you be looking for a reputable breeder with so many Yorkies and Poodles being put down in shelters? We are cleaning up their messes.
Jan: Anyone who knows me understands I have a great respect for rescues and no kill shelters. Rescue is expensive, time-consuming and often thankless. So, in case no one has done so lately, I'd like to thank you for helping to save canine lives. I also wanted to say, that although I understand your position, I also understand that there are those who want a specific pedigree type for whatever reason and there is no reason to try to make them feel guilty for this.
Rescue: I am a Stae licensed Animal Rescuer for 28 years. I want them to feel guilty for this when there are dogs that they would love -if someone would point them and educate them into the right direction You are not helping rescue
Jan: And you are not helping your cause. You do not have the right to decide what others can or can't do.
Rescue: I have every right . I am the one as many other rescuers are that are taking care of the dogs Poodles/Yorkees that are being dumped . I am not trying to help my cause. I am trying to help the animals. You are looking for a BREEDER for friend??Help her to adopt one from a shelter.
Jan: You are being rude and trying to start an argument. You aren't helping the animals either. Kindly back off and think about what you are posting. This is not your business!
Rescue: Save the dogs in the shelters and I will!! When someone is trying to help a FRIEND BUY an expensive dog when they can go to a shelter or rescue and find any breed they want for $40.00 . And other wise would be put down. I don't have to know them.. No one can defend this type of thinking and say they shouldn't feel guilty. It doesn't matter whether a Breeder is Reputable or not. Their dogs are winding up in shelters also. And being put down. You are not getting the meaning here. You would be saving a Life!!! Who cares about anyone being right?If you have helped with Rescue- you should know better!!!! You just don't get it!!!!!
Jan: No, sadly YOU don't get it. You aren't the Gestapo but you are trying to act like you are. Please vent your anger elsewhere. Your brand of rescue isn't welcome here.
Rescue: Where is here? Upson County where all the animals are dying Miss Scarlett?????? If trying to save as many animals from dying makes me a JERK- I want to be one!!!!
Buddy: We know many of you are involved, some heavily involved in rescue. We understand it is an up and down emotional roller coaster ride between tears for those that die and happiness for those that take the freedom ride.
Merci: We all stand solidly behind Jan and disagree with the rude, extreme and uninvited opinions expressed by this rescuer. We are all for supporting a reputable rescue, but no one has the right or authority to demand, command, require (whatever word you want to use) others to adopt only from shelters or rescues. Nor to try to shame or guilt another human being because their decision isn't the one you want them to make.
Buddy:: Jan said this mindset / attitude turns potential adopters off to all rescues. A local person agreed with the rescue, saying, "It's hard for any rescue to be a fan of breeders." Rescues don't have to be a fan of breeders. There are both good and bad breeders, just as there are good and bad rescues. And it is not their choice to make. It is the adopter's choice.
Sam: If rescues want respect, they need to stop bad mouthing all breeders (as this rescue did) and adopters. She was disrespectful toward adopters too.
Merci: Rescue is about the animals. We will continue to support animal rescue in ways as we are able. We will also support potential adopters who want to adopt a healthy puppy from a reputable breeder. Whether anyone in rescue agrees with us or not!
Buddy: Now you know our view on rescue. We would be interested to hear your view, whether or not you are involved in it.
Marcus: Garth Riley was our hero. He stepped in and defended Jan. Thank you, Garth.
PS - Buddy: We want to add a couple of links to good posts appropriate to this subject. Garth Riley's mom wrote anarticle on Want a Purebreed Puppy? 4 Things You Need To Know. Last month Bailey posted I Love My Purebreed Dogs and I'm Not Afraid to Show It. Yes,adopting rescue and shelter dogs is great but we advocate that humans need to offer and accept a balanced approach to rescue vs breeder adoptions.
Today is Rascal & Rocco's Pet Parade blog hop. We can't wait to see which blogger is featured favorite this week.
There are no rules. Any pet blogger can enter. And you can promote your social media too.
Their co-hosts are Bionic Basil, Barking from the Bayou, Love is being owned by a husky and yours truly (Jan's Funny Farm).
get the InLinkz code
get the InLinkz code
That's very sweet of you to say. It upset me when the rescue lady was criticizing Jan because we know Jan does a lot to help rescue animals. And we agree with you 100% that people have to make their own choices. While we can educate people about avoiding pet stores and puppy mills, and about the amazing rescue animals available for adoption, it's wrong to try to make them feel guilty if they decide to get a dog from a reputable breeder instead. And it's unfortunate that this rescue lady thinks she's helping save animals by being mean on facebook. We think the best way to promote rescue is to focus on the positive aspects of rescue, not try to make people feel guilty.
ReplyDeleteI think you know my opinion about this. People have the right to adopt their fur children from anyone they feel is best for them. People who try to intimidate you into one way or another only hurt their cause. I greatly admire those who work with rescues and who choose to get their pets from such groups. It's not the fault of the breeders that animals are left in shelters, it the fault of incapable owners who desert their pets or allow them to overbreed. I'm sorry you had such a problematic commenter when you were trying to help a friend. There's nothing wrong with wanting a puppy or kitten from a reputable breeder!
ReplyDeleteI wrote an article a while back in response to someone else's post about I Love My Purebred Dogs and I'm Not Afraid to Show It.
ReplyDeleteMy dogs are both rescues. I financially support rescues and I do what I can to be a part of the rescue community. However, what disturbs me is there is a radical element developing in rescue that is harming and defining all rescues and this will bite everyone involved at some point if we don't speak out to change the attitude.
First there are good breeders. I'm sick of hearing there aren't. One person says they are all evil, they dump there dogs, and it is all over the Internet spread like Gospel truth.
Sorry, but I've met some and they have contracts to take back the dogs they breed.
I've met some through rescue and no they don't use rescue dogs to breed. They want only top quality dogs to continue the breed lines and that requires having the paperwork on the dogs. They foster because they feel it is a way of giving back to the community, not as a means of making money. It costs to foster. Are there evil breeders out there, sure. There are also really lousy shelters, too. You can't define all by one. You have to be honest or your message loses any credibility.
What really concerns me is they aren't just going after people who choose breeders, as I wrote in my article, now they are targeting people who use breed rescues because we don't choose mutts. We must be snobs. Wasn't a mutt good enough for us?
These negative attitudes are not helping the rescue cause. Those involved need to work to curb the excesses before it does damage to the cause.
The best interest of the dogs should be first. However, being rude to potential adopters, mocking people for the types of dogs they choose, making them feel inadequate, only makes more people turn away from rescue and look for alternative ways to acquire a dog.
Promote rescue, not an agenda.
Well Jan you nose all free of us puggies came right from the puppy mill so my mom's heart lies in rescue but that being said, hers still believes there are good responsible breeders out there who love what they are doing. It is at the best times...a gray world, things are not always black or white.
ReplyDeleteAngus McConnell Long
You handled that person very well and with a lot of grace; I commend you!
ReplyDeleteSusan from The Rosie Bee
Wow. That rescuer is not the kind of person I would want working in a shelter I adopt from. He/She isn't helping his/her cause at all. He or She is going to end up scaring people away from adopting instead of encouraging them to!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, Jan, I love it when people decide to rescue a shelter friend. But I know of cases where someone wants a specific purebred dog or cat for whatever reason, and I don't see any reason that person shouldn't get one from a *reputable* breeder.
::hugs:: I hope this person didn't upset you too much. I think you did a great job of expressing your thoughts and feelings to him/her.
My mom-person think's that it's up to everyone to decide if you wan't to adopt or get a pure breed cat or woffie. No one have the right to judge you and tell you that breeding shouldn't be legal as long as there are cat's and woffies at shelters.
ReplyDeleteWe support our local Cat shelter both with money and other stuff they need , because they DON'T judge my mom-person who bought me instead of adopting a cat.
XOXO
Some people are so judgmental, not the way to encourage people at all. Can't wait to read the interview! Happy Pet Parading! ~Rascal and Rocco
ReplyDeleteSadly there are so many people who want to control what other people do. We are with Jan. We understand the passion this rescuer feels, but they are not helping their cause at all with this kind of superior and arrogant attitude. I have many friends who are responsible breeders.
ReplyDeletewow - and that is the reason that people hate rescues and will go to pet stores and breeders. Don't get us wrong - we love pure bred dogs and cats and so long as it is done resposibly and without doing it over and over and over (read puppy mills) then fine. However, we also think that there is a place for education. And once you inform people about responsibility and rescue, then it is up to them to make their own decisions. But that woman (and we will refuse to call her a rescuer) was WAY out of line.
ReplyDeleteWell said! We totally agree with you and that person had NO right to speak as she/he did. And of course they aren't helping their own cause. Or other rescuers' causes for that matter. Grrr!
ReplyDeleteWe're so sorry you had to deal with this!
Purrz!
Selina & MomKatt
OMD!!!! How horrible!! First let me say, I am terribly sorry that Jan had to deal with such a person! Of course rescues are great, and do amazing work to save the lives of thousands of animals, BUT that doesn't mean the rest of the world is not allowed to buy from responsible breeders now! That person had no right to treat Jan this way!
ReplyDeleteღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!
I don't know much about dog breeding, but in my world, there is a place for both rescue and breed cats. As you know, I am a Somali cat with a pretty awesome pedigree, and I live with two rescue cats. A really good breeder will work with their vet to breed out inherited diseases - and often this leads to discoveries that help cats in general. So not all breeders are evil (although I really hate the kitten mill ones). Some of them even have or help rescue cats too. And maybe it is different with dogs, but in the feline world, breed cats are such a small percentage of owned cats that it's really not so awful if a handful of humans want a cat that they know looks and behaves a certain way.
ReplyDeleteWell, folks like that give rescue a bad name and maybe she needs to find another calling. Gotta go read the interview cause we love that bunch!
ReplyDeleteHoly smokes. That rescue person sure is judgemental. Maybe they need to take a step back and examine where there heart is. Believe me, it breaks our hearts that so many animals die in shelters, but we know that just lumping everybody into one category, and making everything about "us versus them" does not lead to understanding and enlightenment.
ReplyDeleteWe know where you're coming from, Jan. And we KNOW you value the lives of all animals. And we have your back always, okay?
Hugs!
Team Jan! Anyone who reads my blog knows that I am all for animal rescue...but people like these are the ones that give rescue a bad name. An animal is an animal, no matter where it comes from. All animals need homes, whether they are from a shelter or a breeder. And I can certainly understand why a person would want to go through a breeder - I love rescue, but quite honestly, you never know what you're going to get when you adopt a pet. You can never be entirely sure of that dog's (or cat's) past. Going through a reputable breeder is a perfectly acceptable (and logical!) choice. Shame on that woman for trying to guilt-trip you.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't it have been wonderful if the person from the rescue had pointed you and your friend to a breed rescue or maybe to one of the dogs in the shelter which was of the breeds your friend was keen on?
ReplyDeleteI think that there is space in this world for truly ethical breeders and truly ethical rescues. There are some of each in the world already, but there are an awful lot of unethical ones and not nearly enough of the ethical.
Maybe the person from the rescue had just had to deal with the nth dumped, starving pregnant dog of the day, or maybe had to euth' a litter of puppies or there was parvo in the shelter, maybe an elderly dog dumped by uncaring relatives just looked them in the eye and broke their heart? Maybe your post just caught that person's eye on the wrong day?
Jan, you have worked with your local shelter, you know how emotionally destructive exposure to the harsh realities of rescue are. Rescue can wreck people. It can also attract people who turn out to be tyrants because their rescue work gave them a role and a stage to voice their anger.
Anyone who works in rescue has days where the smallest thing can start a storm. It goes with the territory. Then there's the culture at individual rescues and within rescue groups. Infighting, unethical practice, jealousies, politics, queen bee syndrome - they all figure in how groups survive or don't. If a person is giving a rescue a bad name by slagging off those who choose to buy an animal from a breeder, or disrespecting adopters, then that rescue needs some feedback.
I agree that the rescue person was very rude, but I also think that person needs cutting a bit of slack.
I hope your friend finds a wonderful little dog soon!
You managed to handle this person very well ! Purrs
ReplyDeleteWow, a very thought-provoking post and comments. Of course we are Team Jan here and are very proud of the way you stood up for a person's right to choose their animal companion for what is right for them. At our home we have both a rescue and a cat from a breeder.
ReplyDeleteHi guys, Mom Linda here...we had purebred Siberian Huskies. The first was from a very kind, caring and careful back yard breeder...their last litter, they spayed their lovely female right after we bought the last pup...our Mischa. A year later, I became very interested in Siberian showing and breeding...eventually researched and found a breeder in Canada who had pedigrees I wanted. I bought two championship Sibes from her, a male and eventually a female...and yes, we bred them once then spayed and neutered them as we had done the first one long ago. We wanted to show and needed a particular pedigree. That's it. And we only bred in hopes of making the breed better and saw that we did not and ended it. Cats or dogs...serious breeders are breeding to better that breed. So very sorry a rescue fanatic attacked you; you were by far more gracious than I would have been. Thank you so very much for interviewing Savannah and The Kid Sage. We will be reposting the interview with the appropriate link back.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear of the exchange. Unfortunately the rescue representative did not represent her organization well. Hopefully she had merely had an awful day and it was mere chance she took it out on you Jan.
ReplyDeleteMy cats are all rescues, and I've never considered a breeder. My brother's dogs both came from a breeder, as they specially wanted black German shepherds.
It's up to the person adopting/purchasing the animal. Frankly however the dog or cat becomes part of a family, as they are loved and well taken care of it shouldn't matter where they came from.
I'm sorry to hear of the exchange. Unfortunately the rescue representative did not represent her organization well. Hopefully she had merely had an awful day and it was mere chance she took it out on you Jan.
ReplyDeleteMy cats are all rescues, and I've never considered a breeder. My brother's dogs both came from a breeder, as they specially wanted black German shepherds.
It's up to the person adopting/purchasing the animal. Frankly however the dog or cat becomes part of a family, as they are loved and well taken care of it shouldn't matter where they came from.
I responded to the "nut" on Facebook. The comment went to her "other"file as I am not her "friend". Never heard of an "other" file. Is that like the "round" file, i.e. trash file? Anyway, I feel better now, having defended everyone who loves animals--rescue or not! Including you, sweet Jan!
ReplyDeleteWell done, Jan. That poor hateful person to treat you that way! I have cats but I also love dogs. When we lived downtown, I saw so many beautiful loved dogs and usually stopped for pets and conversation. It never once even occurred to me to ask if the dog was a rescue or purchased from a breeder.
ReplyDeleteWhile I was reading this post, I wondered if people who rescue a dog of a certain breed are confronted for having that sort of dog. That would be awful. I also cannot fathom anyone who loves animals has room for prejudice - between cats and dogs, or breeder and rescue. They all need love.
Bowsers, great job telling the hostile thought police off in a nice manner. I know if Dad met someone like that he would never donate a dime to that animal shelter. He doesn't mind helping out, but he does love collies.
ReplyDeleteDad was lucky that he found my breeder. He did sign a contract that he would bring me back if he didn't intend to keep me.
Dog Dad believes each to his own. We have far to many thought police out there.
Sherman