Mark Bekoff wrote posted an article on the Psychology Today blog that got me a little annoyed. Titled “How Many Dog Breeders Do We Really Need?” brought up some good points about purebred dog health, the article ultimately boiled down to the usual message that if you buy a dog, you are a uncompassionate piece of shit dealing a shelter dog a death sentence buy not going the adoption route. Then he brings up that 25% of shelter dogs are purebred shtick that I’ve heard a million times before.
Good Dog Breeders Are Not The Problem
In my article, I Hate Dog Breeders, I took a good look at a study published in The Journal Of Applied Animal Welfare Sciences. The study was published in 2000, but I think that the information is still relevant.
Where did the dogs come from? 3.9% of surrendered animals came from a pet shop. 10.6% of surrendered animals came from a breeder. 2.9% of surrendered animals were received as a gift. 9.3% of surrendered animals were found by the owner as a stray. 6.0% of surrendered animals were offspring of another pet in possession of the owner. 22.5% of surrendered animals were originally acquired from another shelter. 30.8% of surrendered animals were acquired from a friend.
How did the dogs get there? 6% of dogs were surrendered were from offspring of another pet in possession of the relinquisher, 30.8% of dogs surrendered were obtained from a friend, 22.5% of dogs were obtained from another shelter.
Dogs most at risk for relinquishment were of mixed breed heritage, intact, young, owned for less than a year, purchased for less than $100, and surrendered because of behavioral problems. i.e. destroying possessions, soiling the carpet, being overly active, etc…
Nobody wants to talk about this. People obtaining dogs on a whim and then ditching them when the animal proves to be too much work and responsibility. However EVERYONE wants to talk about the magic 25% of surrendered dogs being purebred that also comes from this study.
Are 25% of Shelter Dogs Purebred?
If a dog has a tattoo number that is traceable to some sort of recognized dog breed registry, then yes. However, registered dogs are rarely surrendered to animal shelters. Registered dogs are expensive and a person that drops $1000+ on a dog usually plans out the purchase and makes sure that a dog will permanently fit into their lives.
So what are we left with? Some dogs that were obtained from friends are probably purebred, a lot of the dogs bought from breeders and pet stores are most likely purebred, but with the designer dog craze you can’t be too sure of that, either.
If a dog does not have a registration tattoo or really, really look like an example of its breed, the purebred designation is left up to the shelter staff. Is that black dog a poorly bred Labrador Retriever or just your average everyday black dog? It is a Poodle because it small and has curly fur and kind of looks like a Poodle? Probably not.
Let’s Take A Look
Instead of looking at the dogs Ontario shelters have to offer, let’s look at what the Ontario/Canadian breed rescues have on the shelf. If anyone would be an expert at determining if a dog was purebred or not, it would be them.
The Ontario Vizsla Society has zero dogs available.
Under My Wing Pug Rescue has 2 dogs available and claims to have re-homed 258 dogs since 2006
Pug A Lug Rescue has 2 dogs available and claims to have re-homed 262 dogs in the past 10 years.
Canadian Golden Rescue has 8 dogs available and says that not all available dogs are listed on their website.
Ontario Poodle Rescue has 1 available dog.
Boxer Rescue Ontario has 3 dogs available. One is stated to be a Boxer cross.
Boxer Rescue Canada has 12 available dogs. 3 are stated as Boxer crosses. 2 of the full bred dogs are from California.
Canadian Dachshund Rescue has 14 available dogs
Canadian Newfoundland Dog Rescue has zero available dogs.
Ontario Lab Rescue has 11 dogs available. 2 dogs are stated as Lab crosses.
Big On Beagles has 7 dogs available.
Canadian Beagle Rescue has 10 available dogs. 5 dogs are stated as Beagle crosses.
Setter Sanctuary has 1 dog available.
The Canadian Yorkshire Terrier Association Rescue says they have 7 available dogs. Pictures of only 2.
Adopt-a-Rott Ontario has zero dogs available.
Angels Under Our Wings Cocker Spaniel Rescue has 14 dogs available. 1 dog came from California & 1 dog from Nevada.
Jack Russell Terrier Rescue Ontario has 7 available dogs.
Eastern Canada French Bulldog Rescue has 4 available dogs and re-homed 4 dogs in the past 2 years.
The Numbers Don’t Add Up
Since I can’t find any reliable information on how many dogs are surrendered to Canadian shelters, I’m going to work off the US stats. 6 to 8 million dogs and cats enter the shelter system yearly, so let’s make that number 7 million. Lets say that makes 3 million dogs and 4 million cats, since there are more cats than dogs in shelters. Now let’s say that 30% of those dogs are returned to their owners, that now makes 2.1 million dogs up for adoption. Since Canada has 10% of the population of the US, I’m going to assume that we have 10% of the homeless dog problem. So that means that 210,000 dogs enter the shelter system in Canada.
If 25% of all surrendered dogs are purebred that would mean that 52, 500 purebred dogs only are surrendered yearly in Canada. I’m betting that the Canadian Kennel Club probably registers between 60,000 to 70,000 purebred puppies per year. Does it seem plausible that almost as many dogs registered by the CKC are surrendered to shelters yearly? Considering that the 2 most prominent Pug rescues in Canada re-home about 30 dogs per year, the answer is no. And don’t get me started on rescues that import dogs from other countries. We have enough problems with our own dogs.
Why Use A Statistic That Isn’t True?
I’m not sure. Maybe it’s to encourage people seeking a purebred to try that adoption route first. Maybe it’s to point the finger at people who breed dogs for so-called profit by implying that so much their “product” ends up discarded. Whatever the reason, the statistic is not a reliable fact, it’s not even a reliable estimate. I do not subscribe to the notion that dogs should not be bred while shelter dogs are being euthanized. If a person wants to buy their dog, fine. If people want to adopt a dog from a shelter, fine. Where a person acquires a dog from is a personal decision and it has to be right for them.
Breeders are not the problem, John Q. Public is, and it’s pretty hard to point a finger at him. Maybe Bekoffs article should have been Titled “Hey Asshole, Spay Or Neuter That Dog!” or maybe “Think a Whole 5 Seconds Before You Get That Dog.” That copy isn’t nearly as compelling.
The only place I found the “25% of dogs in shelters being purebred” when i did a post on this was a study of a few shelters in a limited part of the country. i get so tired of having the same “facts” repeated over and over with nothing to prove that they are indeed facts.
Excellent research, Karen, as always.
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12 shelters were involved in the study. While I believe that the reasons for surrendering the dogs was credible, I DO NOT believe that the purebred ID is dogs is reliable unless the dog has a tattoo number.
In all my years of being associated with a shelter, I can say I’ve never thought it was “bad” to get a dog from a breeder. There is nothing wrong with good breeders and the work they do is important.
While it takes money, buying from a breeder is so much more than a financial transaction that I never consider this a “buy”. When you buy a pet from a shop you don’t get the safety net good breeders give you to return the dog, plus good breeders don’t give you a dog in the first place if they think you are a flighty impulse shopper.
I will say, though, that shelters used to *always* blame the public for the problems of shelter over-population until Maddie’s Fund and others came along and said “stop it” you’re alienating the public who no longer wanted to be ripped a new one when they come to the interview to adopt. Now it seems, breeders are the new “bad guys.”
I think it’s the wishful thinking syndrome…”if only breeding would stop for a few years…” I think it would be a good idea to stop this focus on blaming. Just do the work, think of new programs, get creative and leave breed dogs and good breeders alone.
Mary E Haight (@dancingdogblog) recently posted..Puppy Bowl IX on Animal Planet!
Now animal welfare orgs. try to make people that buy dogs feel like sacks of shit. I’m sick of the “don’t shop, adopt” slogan.
Have to agree. I have nothing against good breeders. In fact, I wish them continued success in raising good dogs with great temperaments and healthy bodies.
I don’t lump them in with the “others”. I think they do that on their own by placing their lot in with puppy mill breeders.
I also don’t think guilting people into adopting a dog is the way to go. I feel good adopting a dog because I know I have saved a life. But, just the other day I was thinking that if I ever got a GSD I would go to a breeder. I would want to know that my dog came from a responsible breeder who knows their dogs.
melf recently posted..Black & White Sunday #23 – You will now do as I say
Having attended demonstrations at pet stores that sell from unscrupulous breeders and brokers, I can tell you firsthand – in our area at least – that John Q Public is mainly in the dark. He has no idea what constitutes a good vs questionable breeder. He doesn’t even know what a good breed would be for his lifestyle.
The average consumer is just looking for a dog, and thinks they’ll get a “better” one if they pay a breeder’s price – at a pet shop. These are the folks that 25% figure/phrase/saying might benefit. I’ve never heard anyone actually give that figure, though, just say that there are purebreds to found in shelters. They just don’t have “papers”.
You know what kind of “papers” come with the pups from pet stores. The whole argument about what kind of dogs are available in shelters is really just to point out that there are good dogs there, too. (And knowing what we know – could they be any worse than the poorly bred, ill-cared-for dogs that are offered in the stores?)
I volunteer for a rescue, encourage people to adopt – but that’s because the average person hasn’t a clue about breeds, and wouldn’t know what to do with a purebred. What we really need are some solid guidelines for how to determine a great breeder, and not just the standard lines that could easily be fudged by the unscrupulous ones.
There are people who wish to obtain a purebred, and one that has been bred and raised in the best possible manner. Those are your customers. The rest – we just need to steer them away from the pet stores selling the products of those who give breeders a bad name.
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That 25% stat gets used A LOT and by the biggest names in animal welfare ie. the HSUS and the ASPCA. When I do a Google search for “25% of dogs in shelters are purebreds” I get a return of 300,000 results.
This article wasn’t about the ethics or problems about buying puppies from pet stores. I’ve know since I’ve been 10 years old that you shouldn’t buy a puppy from a pet store, and if someone is going to drop a few thousand dollars on a puppy, it would only be common sense to do a little research. Most people are more concerned about the features of their new phone than where their dog came from. It’s actually quite sad that it has to come down to a parent/child situation with regards to stopping pet shop sales. With city councils having to be the “parent” and banning pet stores from selling dogs instead of the public making informed decisions and not buying the dogs. There is no excuse for ignorance but for some reason I see it everywhere I turn.
Great post. I just stumbled upon a verdict in the Netherlands where the first time ever a breeder had to pay punitive damages. The breeder was not ok though, but while everybody jumps on top of the “pedigree dog” story, I sit back with a very bad taste in my mouth about that familiy, that did no research what so-ever, they didn’t even know, researched, or asked for that matter, what diseases the breed was prone to, let alone anything else.
Hilarious. Wish I could agree with your statement on the $1000 dog buyer planning out their purchase, but that has not been the case in my experience, not at my animal shelter or rescue. I have seen many a dog purchased for $1000 or more who has ended up at a shelter (with their papers).
While I don’t think the purebreed numbers are at 25%, and I agree that many dogs we received were from an “oops” situation, you’d be surprised how many purebreed dogs we got. The most popular by far was the Labrador Retriever, followed by hunting dogs (popular here in MN and often bought from a breeder) and huskies (also another popular breed here.
I am one of those who doubts numbers on all sides, but my experience tells me more than anything else. 8 1/2 years working in a shelter and 2 years in rescue tells me more.
melf recently posted..Black & White Sunday #23 – You will now do as I say
I would be curious to know who bred these purebreds though. I feel like the bigger issue is the breeder itself. The breeders who care for the ongoing health of their particular breed and are striving to preserve it (and typically show them) are not the people whose puppies end up in shelters. They would never allow it. I imagine the purebreds you’re referring to don’t come from such breeders. Let’s also keep in ming the “commercial breeding” that goes on in the U.S. which factors into this hugely. I’m more than willing to bet a lot of those dogs end up in shelters, but is purebred the issue or the lax laws we have here that allow anyone to breed an animal. I tend to think that is the main issue, purebred or not.
You are my hero, truly. Your posts consistently say what I’ve been trying to tell people all along without the data to back it up. Thank you, thank you, thank you for continuing to show so much great insight into this issue!
WEll thank-you for the compliment. It’s nice to know that people are reading my posts