Boonie Tails

By Aria Keilbach

As everyone is digesting their Thanksgiving feasts, we encourage you to find a comfy seat and enjoy this week’s Boonie Tails (maybe bring some leftovers too because this is a long one). We are so thankful to all who follow along and hope you continue to take something away from each newsletter. Thank you for reading, enjoy!

Adopt don’t shop, right? Maybe not…

You may have been surprised to read in the last newsletter words of encouragement to support ethical, reputable breeders and I’ll admit, this does sound counterproductive and strange coming from a passionate dog rescue. However despite apparently reciprocal focus, reputable breeders and responsible rescues are often working towards the same goals.

We all know many different breeds of dogs exist, all created for a specific purpose whether that be hunting, guarding, herding, protection, or simply companionship. What most people don’t know is the breeds today are meant to still embody those original breed standards. Reputable breeders are responsible for preserving and bettering the breeds they dedicate themselves to.

When looking at it that way, there should be a pretty obvious difference between those working to uphold perfected genetics for future generations and those simply breeding for profit. So although intentions may be clear, how can you spot the difference in real life scenarios?

I personally will never buy a dog because I am more than happy to help rescue dogs in need. I have the ability to accommodate for their needs in my lifestyle. Not everyone shares this belief or ability, and since dogs will continue to be bred and bought I would at least like to share how to go about it responsibly.

There are so many telltale signs of ethical and unethical breeding, far too many to condense into this newsletter so I encourage all those interested in purchasing a dog to do MUCH more research. So, let’s go over the pretty basic red and green flags that can signify whether you are looking at a good breeder or not.

Health testing

Health testing is exactly what it sounds like, specific medical exams done by licensed veterinarians through OFA to ensure a dog is not only in good health but meets breed specific health (and temperament) standards that would deem the dog worthy to be bred. Some responsible breeders will test nearly all body parts to confirm a completely sound dog, others will stick to AKC recommended testing per breed but no responsible breeder will have done no health or temperament testing.

For example, reputable German Shepherd breeders would at the very least, per AKC recommendations, be testing with OFA evaluations for hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia and require a passing temperament test (The German Shepard Club of America temperament test specifically).

If these tests come back disappointing, meaning a dog does not meet the ideal criteria, reputable breeders will choose to remove that dog the breeding pool. This is because, remember, their goal is to uphold standards and better the breed.

However, here’s where health testing can get confusing…

Backyard breeders often try to trick the general public into believing they have done appropriate testing. This is usually done by claiming complete health tests,yet providing no actual documentation to prove so. They throw out confusing titles like “champion blood lines”, simply show check-up veterinary assessments, or do a basic DNA test like embark to show genetic markers. All of these are misleading and not enough to prove structural and temperament soundness.

Any reputable breeder will happily provide documentation of recent tests and often will even have health testing information completely accessible to the public on The Canine Health Information (OFA) website. If a breeder is unwilling to share results or has not completed the necessary OFA tests for their breed, do not support them.

Stop littering

Another thing to look out for is the amount of litters being produced. Responsible breeders will have occasional litters, sometimes as few as one litter in an entire dog’s lifespan and at the most usually not more than one litter a year. This shows that a breeder is only breeding dependent on good health testing results, when they feel their dogs have something to contribute to improving lines, and providing adequate time in between litters to allow mothers to rest and recover ethically.

Avoid breeders who always seem to have litters, as this indicates they’re attempting to produce as many puppies as possible to sell and profit as much as they can, sacrificing the dogs’ health and comfortability in the process.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Just because a dog is well taken care of throughout breeding, whelping, and after does not mean that the breeders are reputable.

Trust the experts

Our next sign of a reputable breeding is never allowing buyers to pick out their own puppy. I know this sounds completely irrelevant to ethical standards, but hear me out.

Not only are good breeders having occasional litters, they are also putting in the effort to socialize those puppies from the time they are born to when they go to their new homes. In doing so, responsible breeders know their puppies extremely well and are aware of all different temperaments. They will know better than anyone which puppy will match the buyers needs, lifestyle, and wants. It’s best discount those breeders who let you pick your own puppy, as fun and cute as that may be. It is not setting your family nor the new puppy up for success.

Keeping in touch

Possibly the most important part of reputable breeding surprisingly is what occurs after a puppy is bought. Reputable breeders will always have contracts completed with buyers.

These contracts usually include a key point of breeding rights, meaning the puppy sold cannot be bred without original breeder input/management. This ensures no dog they produce will ever contribute to unnecessary or backyard breeding.

The contracts also require that if for any reason the buyers cannot own the dog any longer, original breeder is notified immediately and will always accept that dog back into their care.

I know I know, there is a small problem with this, what if the breeder is not notified of rehoming or shelter dumping?

Don’t worry, the responsible breeders have prepared for that too. Every dog they put out is microchipped with original breeder info. Meaning that if any of their dogs ever wind up in a vets office or shelter they are sent right back to the breeder’s home. Reputable breeders do not negatively impact shelter populations, they actually diminish them.

The Doodle Epidemic

So let’s put this all together to evaluate the current popular fad in breeding: doodles.

Immediately, based on nothing more than doodles’ existence we can conclude they were not responsibly bred. This is due solely to the fact they are a mixed breed (doodle means a poodle bred to a different breed, often times labradors, Australian shepherds, Bernese mountain dogs, etc.)

Remember how I said responsible breeders hold breeding rights or stipulations and will only breed to improve their breed? It therefore follows that no reputable breeder would agree to allowing their dogs to reproduce with an entirely different dog breed. Meaning that right off the bat, any doodle is coming from very poor foundation of parent dogs.

Not only are these parents not proven in their breed standards and more often than not receive no health or temperament testing at all, they are also genetically incompatible.

For example, one of the most common doodle mixes, Bernese mountain dogs x standard poodles. This union forces an extremely large breed with a sturdy structure made to support heavy weight, bred to be a heavy-duty farm dog to be combined with the agile, sleek, and more dainty structure of the poodle, bred for hunting. Not only are these extreme structural differences being unnecessarily combined, but also entirely different coat type, drive, and temperament. This results in unpredictable genetics for all. The most likely outcome is a dog with extreme confusion in its purpose and behavior, hard to manage fur type, and major structural flaws that will cause underlying muscular or skeletal issues.

We promise you’re almost at the end, stay strong

One more important notice before I’m done info-dumping. Quite frequently we hear from people who own purebreds or designer breeds who are so excited to share that they rescued their dog! Unfortunately, through talking a bit more to them it quickly surfaces they bought the dog from backyard breeders to “save them” from those conditions. Although these intentions are honorary, buying any dog from irresponsible breeders is only supporting, funding, and encouraging them to continue breeding. The best way to “save” these dogs is to actually not contribute at all to their reproduction. Irresponsible breeders breed to make profit and fulfill a demand. If we eliminate the demand (buying B.Y.B dogs) they will eventually choose to stop supplying (quit breeding).

So, long lecture short, if you are unwilling or unable to adopt a rescue and are set on buying a dog, please do your research and seek out a responsible reputable breeder. Search the OFA site and have conversations with knowledgeable breeders to point you in the right direction. And most importantly, be on the lookout for and avoid backyard/irresponsible breeders who are doing their best to mimic vernacular and advertise themselves as ethical.

Now that you have learned the difference between responsible and irresponsible breeders, I’ll give you one week to soak in this info and recover before next week’s newsletter learning how to identify responsible and irresponsible rescues.

(Hint: we try our best to be a responsible rescue. We have learned a lot along the way and still continue to learn more everyday )

Click the link in this ad to passively donate to Boonie Babies! We receive money for every person that opens the link. Every click counts!

Worried about vet bills?

If you’re worried about expensive, unexpected vet bills for your furry family member, consider pet insurance!

Spot Pet Insurance plans can reimburse up to 90% of eligible vet costs.

Spot’s customizable plan options can help put money back in your pocket. Receive an additional 10% multi-pet discount for all pets enrolled after the first.

Get my free quote

Independent and paid ad from Spot. Waiting periods, annual deductible, co-insurance, benefit limits and exclusions may apply. For all terms visit spotpetins.com/sample-policy. Products, schedules, discounts, and rates may vary and are subject to change. More information available at checkout.
Insurance plans are underwritten by either Independence American Insurance Company (NAIC 1126581. A Delaware insurance company located at 11333 N. Scottsdale Rd, Ste. 160, Scottsdale, AZ 85254) or United States Fire Insurance Company (NAIC #21113. Morristown, NJ), and are produced by Spot Pel Insurance Services, LLC. (NPN If 192463il5. 990 Biscayne Blvd Suite 603, Miami, FL 33132. CA License 116000188).

Boonie of the Week

Boonie Tails is free to read. But if you liked this post, support Boonie Babies and this newsletter by pledging a monthly or annual donation. Thank you for reading and we’ll see you next week!