by Judi Curkendall

Created on: April 01, 2009

The excess of abandoned or shelter animals is a complex issue which makes difficult to put full blame on either. If a person goes to an animal shelter they discover many purebreds as well as many crossbreeds. Taking a closer look at each side offer some insights.

When a pet is adopted from a shelter they will either be spay or neutered. Numerous people do not go to shelters because of the cost and an application can make them look elsewhere. A friend or acquaintance may have a litter of "free" pups or kittens or there will be an ad in the newspaper for free dogs or cats. When someone gets "free" a dog or cat like this they don't realize how much it will cost to spay or neuter and vaccinate their animal. Having a cat or dog spay/neutered and vaccinated is expensive. Needless to say a lot of people put off having spay or neutered done until later, in the mean time something else will come up that seems more important. Six months have elapsed, the dog is in season and impregnated before the person realizes it. Is the dog allowed to have the pups and give them away or is she taken to a shelter or turned loose? This scenario is played over many times, either way this adds to pet over-population.

There are different categories of breeders, back-yard breeder, puppy mill breeders, and reputable breeders.

Back-yard breeders are people who have a purebred dog who have bought the dog specifically for breeding to make money. Little do they know that breeding and selling pups is not a money maker because of vet bills for shots and other medical expenses. They are the ones who sell pups for a certain price just for the money.

Puppy mills are breeders in a sense that they do breed purebreds and sell them to anyone who will buy them. They can make money because they sell in bulk to pet stores around the country. They usually don't invest very much in veterinary expenses, normally they will treat illness or injury themselves and give shots. If they loose a few animals it really doesn't make or break them.

Reputable breeders, the ones who are in it for the love and improvement of a certain breed aren't responsible for over population. These are the people who have dogs who come from championship bloodlines, and therefore are sound in temperament and physically. Their bitches are only bred once a year and most of the pups have homes before they are even born. The pups will have their first shots plus the breeders will have a spay/neuter contract with the new owners. This kind of breeder is very careful about who gets the pups and will keep in touch them. Breeding quality pups is not an inexpensive hobby but usually these pups are in great demand.

Over population is a three tiered problem: Owners who don't understand what takes to own and take care of a pet, back-yard breeders who don't understand the ramifications of breeding, and puppy mills who are just in it for pure profit. Education, larger license fees for unaltered pets, and low cost spay/neuter clinics could be partial solutions for owners and back yard breeders. Puppy mills need to be regulated more closely, size of housing, number of animals per housing unit, and veterinary care could be a starting point. If they don't adhere to these standards their doors should be closed permanently. It will take a considerable amount of work, time and cooperation on the part of owners and breeders alike.

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