THE MONDAY AFTERNOON POST as many of you know i once was a breeder, worked in puppy stores, and was a store owner myself. my past however while it helped shape me is not what defines me as a person today. With that being said, I would like to talk about a few things that have come up over the weekend. And this is not me defending us, this is a real heart and soul conversation I am having with you all. It’s a huge conflict I am having with myself and one I believe our supports should be involved with. because of my past i knew and still know several breeders, good and bad ones. from time to time they call upon me to help ...knowing that if I can I will help the “misfits” find homes. i did it with the idea that i was helping save the life of a puppy. that that pups life was spared the heart ache of the mill. and in my heart i still believe that. however, after talking to a seasoned rescuer i am in conflict with myself. Here’s what she said: on the one hand saving the life of the puppy is important, but on the other hand the bigger picture is that the mom is still at the mill producing litter after litter. Now, as you know we do take moms, but not nearly enough. i dont think anyone could to make a difference. that is unless the mill got closed; and that does not happen nearly enough. The other night I took a litter, the truck stopped here with the “misfits” and I saw the pups – I asked where they were going, and the reply was back to the “breeder”…I immediately asked if I could have them. And with a little back and forth on the phone they became residents of the center. Now the conflict – if these pups were at a shelter, and I heard that a rescue left the mom behind, I would have flipped. But, I did the same thing….i left a mom behind. By taking the pups without the mom I am guilty; but am I really…I saved four lives from returning to the mill. And the mom was not offered to me. Four lives did not have to travel 3 days back to the breeder, wait another 8 days, and then be put back on the truck for another round of can I be sold. So, did I help the mill or the pups. I guess the answer to that question is I helped both; and so the conflict I have. while I am thrilled that I helped save their lives, I am not ok with helping a mill. its very hard to say no. hard to know that you are sending them back to the that place no one wants to speak about. ..but saving them i am told in reality puts more at risk the feeling is. the one thing i do need to say is that i do not pay for the pups, but i do pay transportation for them, as i do with all the dogs from out of state. she explained that paying trasnportation for a mill dog is like paying the mill. never thought of it like that...but, i believe maybe she is right. i want this rescue to be good rescue, one that people look up too, one that does the right thing. the rescue world is saying no to puppy mills, and I am with them on that. Closing bad breeders down is the right thing to do. I do not want people to think this rescue supports puppy mills or what they are about. i know that this is a very hard subject - it is a conflict. i am trying to think what would my father say, what would he do...after all Freddie was the product of a puppy mill. I dont know if he would have an answer to this one. this is one of those subjects you need the wisdom of Solomon to figure out. I can only hope that my decision will be the right one, and in the end more lives are saved because of it.
Posted on: Mon, 10 Nov 2014 18:24:47 +0000
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