I Had a Revelation .!
I don’t know why it took me so long, but I do know it was meant to be .
I met the cutest, sweetest puppy you ever want to meet. He is a very special puppy and his owner has big plans for him. You see his new owner is handicapped, and this little guy is going to be a service dog for her. He will help her move around the house and he will help her pick up things. I am sure this little guy will be a true asset to his new owner and he will be loved by quite an extended family of both two legged friends and four legged ones. So what is my new perception ? Well this little guy is a Golden Doodle, and if you have read my “adopting a puppy” post you would have seen how I blasted the Golden Doodle along with a couple other “designer” dogs for not being breeds. Now, this little puppy could possibly not be a better breed to accomplish his owners hopes and dreams for him, for with the Poodles intense intellect and the Golden Retrievers gentle, loving, friendly demeanor, I can not find a reason why this puppy should not fulfill his owners every wish.
What is a Breed?
For generations humans have messed around with selective breeding of all sorts of animals. Mostly we have bred animals together that served a purpose for us, or in some way carried a genetic advantage that we could exploit. We bred all sorts of chickens.. some for meat and some for eggs. We changed the genetics of many types of cattle and live stock, for their meat, their hair and their rate of growth, and we altered many types of horses that we used for labor, transportation and sport. We have done no less to dogs. We bred the best to the best, and we got a really fast, biddable collie to help us keep our sheep in order, and we bred a large guardian dog to live with the sheep and protect them.. The list is endless.. Every breed of dog that we have and know of, was developed through selective breeding to acquire the traits that would benefit our needs.. Who am I to say that the Golden Doodle is not the perfect service animal? Certainly, in this day and age, with what we know about how dogs can benefit our health, service dogs are a big necessity.
So, I Apologize.
The American Kennel Club recognizes breeds that conform to a “Breed standard”, which means that all the dogs in that breed should look alike, except possibly color, and although the AKC promotes conscience breeding , they do accept new breeds every year into their ranks of Pure Bred dogs. How do these new breeds just appear? Well people with a need create dogs that fill their void, often these are special dogs, bred for a unique purpose in some remote part of the world . The point here is that even the AKC should not be dictating what breeds this 21st century world will need, some old breeds may well disappear and be replaced by breeds that better suit our needs. Point should also be noted that often times dog breeds that are bred to conform to a certain standard often lose their effectiveness for the purpose for which they were originally bred for and, become just pretty show pets. So, I Apologize. I do not mean to pass judgement against any dog used for any purpose that benefits humankind, or anyone’s decision to have what ever kind of dog they would like. Please, just remember to check out the homeless now and again. Almost every breed can be found in homeless shelters, pounds and rescues across the US.
Lets not forget the homeless..
I know that there are reputable breeders and, there are those breeders that keep their dogs in horrid conditions (the puppy mills), and all sorts of breeders in between. There are just as many reasons for them to choose to breed their dogs, and it certainly is a shame that reputable breeders suffer for the overpopulation of homeless dogs bred by those breeders who exploit their dogs to the point of abuse, just to make a buck. So until this quandary can be sorted out, it is a problem that all of us must deal with, and it is important for us to save these lost and homeless dogs to the best of our ability. It is also important that we educate dog owners and encourage breeders to breed responsibly, encouraging spaying and neutering, and remembering, not to punish any dog, for humans mistakes and ignorance.
Thank you Grace..!
Shelley