Our Dogs are Beloved Companions 98% Of The Time

By Shayne Gurry

You know, you’d think that people would see what we do; the immeasurable amount of passion, time, blood, sweat, and tears that we put into our dogs and into the welfare of purebred dogs proves our true devotion. We have a deeper kind of love and appreciation for dogs.

Yes, pet owners love their companions as much as we do. But why are we, purebred dog breeders and exhibitors, judged negatively for having “perfect show dogs” or “purebreds” when the reality is our dogs are beloved companions 98% of the time, just like every pet, every shelter rescue, every other dog that does normal dog things and is loved beyond measure? Yes, we have dogs that have been carefully bred to be outstanding in every aspect, and we have made a choice to dedicate our lives to purebred dogs rather than rescue animals, but there is more to this story. The truth is, we are the ones who have dedicated our LIVES to our dogs. Not just a portion of our time and paycheck – our lives.

We are in debt; we don’t spend our extra dollars on ourselves, and we are often exhausted. We give every ounce of ourselves to these dogs, and to the sport that furthers the existence of dogs for all to enjoy. Most of us have, at one time or another, rescued dogs. We have re-homed dogs from bad situations. We took in dogs that nobody else would want. And yes, we still have our “perfect show dogs” in addition to our rescues and re-homes.

So don’t anyone DARE say that those of us who show or compete in working events with our purebreds don’t love our dogs, or dogs as a whole, as much. We’ve given our entire lives to them, and that’s a hell of a lot more than most dog owners can vouch for! Seriously, I’ve had it up to here with people taking my passion for dogs as well as my showing and competing with dogs as a NEGATIVE thing. It must mean I’m a snob, or I don’t love my dogs as much because I “want them to be perfect” or some other manner of untrue bull@!**.

I’m sick of people are up on a high horse because they rescued a few dogs to be their pets and suddenly that makes them morally superior and a better pet owner. I’d venture to guess they haven’t gone into debt, don’t feed top quality food that ranges from $60-$100 a bag because they care about the long-term health of the dog, and don’t have a mountain of bills, etc. We are not worse dog owners – we are better ones!

I’m not calling the casual pet owner a bad owner, but don’t you DARE try to call me anything but someone who has devoted my life to dogs. It is BECAUSE of us, and our constant fight for the overall welfare of dogs and to squash legislation that limits pet ownership, that you can own your bully-breed rescues, your German Shepherds and your Chows, your huskies and husky mixes.

The American Kennel Club and the various other organizations that work to fight bad legislation are not your enemy because they support breeders. They are your friend because they do a hell of a lot more than register dogs. They make sure that dog ownership is a possibility for ALL. If you are pointing fingers, you probably are not aware that the American Kennel Club accepts MIXED BREED dogs in COMPANION EVENTS. They also accept purebred rescues with unknown parentage. You can COMPETE in obedience, agility, or rally with your dog from the shelter. Your mutt can be a “show dog”.

Show dog should NOT be like a four letter word. It should be something that conveys how much time and effort you have put into your dog to make it ready to work and achieve a goal. The relationship you’ve developed with them should be celebrated. The fact that you’ve done more than just feed your dogs, play a game of fetch, or take a walk, and then leave them in the back yard for the other 23 hours of the day should be appreciated.

It is a blessing and a luxury to be able to compete with our dogs – but very few of us are wealthy. We work so we can scrape together the funds to fuel this passion for dogs and for their existence. We are normal people with normal jobs and normal obligations who have made our dogs a priority rather than an option. We sacrifice keeping our hair cut, our nails done, and our clothing current, so that we can provide for our dogs. And it is because of this that we provide you, the public, with healthy, stable, beautiful companions. If we all stopped breeding, stopped showing, and adopted a dog from a shelter, eventually there wouldn’t be any quality pets for anyone. That childhood Collie that you loved so much; your American Pit Bull Terriers that fought for our country in the military… Gone! We are providing loving and healthy pets for people who want a well-adjusted purebred dog. We are providing society with a service. We are preserving the existence of and the right to own dogs. If you think we are just out to win ribbons with pretty dogs, you are sadly mistaken.

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Posted by admin on Feb 25 2013. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.