was the creme de la creme for dogs. I'm finding out to my heartbreak that's not so any more. So they would not do or even say anything. That's not right but if they won't they won't. Anyway, I'm still looking. Man this is harder then I thought and I thought I asked all the right questions and had studied up. quess not enough.
Angel
I guess we see this issue quite differently. AKC is saying something.
They are saying that they promote animal welfare, overall health and the means to identify heritable problems in dogs, but they are not going to "play nanny" for every person that thinks it is their right to cuddle a new puppy without accepting the responsibility to look out for their own interests as consumers and those of the dog.
It's a door that swings in both directions. Just as there are irresponsible and substandard breeders of pet animals, there are dangerous kooks and people with twisted views of what is "proper" to expect when acquiring a companion animal.
Just recently, breeders of English Cockers became aware of a man in the Kansas City area, who asked "all the right questions" of a breeder on the west coast. Within 24 hours of receiving the young dog, he reported that it "ran away".
Our network of breeders and owners made a MUCH bigger effort of trying to locate the "runaway"; calling KC vets, animal control, placing ads in the newspaper, etc, while the new owner quickly made an effort to acquire another dog from another breeder.
What was discovered was that relatives of the man, who was described as suffering from PTSD, "liberated' the animals he acquired shortly after they made an appearance in his home.
Although he was mentally disturbed, he could present a very convincing facade of normalcy.
There are many ways to gauge whether a particular breeder is indeed responsible. There is virtually no way to really be certain that the prospective new owner is trustworthy and committed to the animals welfare for a lifetime.
Twice in over 25 years, I have reclaimed animals mistakenly put into the wrong hands. One of those times I drove over 600 miles round-trip in 14 hours and letters were exchanged between lawyers.
Someone becomes a victim when they allow themselves to be victimized. It's a sad state that this country has slid into thinking otherwise.
If only the H$U$, with income totaling more than $100 million a year (and without a single facility devoted to animal care), would invest some portion of that pot-o-gold in educating members of the public in proper animal care, low-cost spay/neuter clinics, promotion and support of no-kill rescue organizations, instead of funneling their fortune into the pockets of legislators to push (actually anti-) animal rights agendas.
Check out my blog to see the guys I've rescued since January last year.