[aabbaDE]

I wanted to share with you an experience that I had a few years back. Drew wanted a Boxer so I got the local paper out called this guy who lived in BFE and drove for two hours to see this pup.

When we arrived the smell would have knocked you down, in his back yard was I bet 200 dogs most boxers all living in tiny little runs, my heart sank as he told me of the different breeds he had, then he hands me this cute little puppy. My heart broke for him and I paid this back yard breeder 250.00 for the little guy thinking I was doing this puppy a huge favor and saving him from such horrid conditions.

I did ask questions like age and was told he was 9 weeks and the guy even gave him his shots before I left. Two days after I got the little guy home we took him to the Vet and the vet said there was no way that he was 9 weeks. 4 weeks was more like it and they wanted to see him back in a few weeks to re-start his shots because they were not sure what the breeder had given and they did not want to do it again so soon, but three nights later the pup woke me vomiting and god awful diarrhea.

I sat in the floor holding him until morning then rushed him back to the Vets, he had Parvo (spelling) He spent a little over a week there and pulled through at the cost of over 2,000. Now I have this healthy little puppy only to learn that he has heart problems due to over breeding at least that is what the Vet said.

We named the little guy Brodee and for the first 5 months or so he was great. I at the time was raising my grandchildren ages 2, 3 and 5 and Brodee had always been really good with them. UNTIL one Friday morning I took the kids out to play and my two year old grandson was sitting in the grass pushing his little car and Brodee walks over and just kind of pushed him and I tell Brodee no.

Brodee walks away as though he is going to play with the other children and then suddenly turns and is looking my grandson in the face growling and showing teeth. Thank goodness I was right there. I put Brodee in his run and the next day when I let him out he pinned me growling. So back to the Vet we went, I thought he was going to rip the Vet apart, she suggested that I allow one of her friends to look at him who was a behavioral therapist. Turns out the poor fellow was not wired right and guess where that all started? In the back yard of the breeders house when he thought he would throw two dogs together to make a fast buck.

I had to have Brodee put down. I could have tried to find him a home but even if I had found one where whoever took him was aware of his issues I could still have not slept at night not knowing if that person could not handle it and gave him away or a thousand other possibilities that could have taken place.

My point is if you think you are saving a pup by buying it from a BYB you could be more part of the problem then the solution. I gave this jerk 250.00 and that allowed him to feed his over bred dogs only to reproduce more unstable dogs. I did call the breeder and I more or less was told "You bought him, he is your problem."

As long as there are uneducated people like I was at the time wanting a pup so bad that they will buy from anyone or just buy the pup because we think we are saving it, then there will always be BYB. But if we say we are only going to get pups from reputable breeds then the money flow stops for the BYB thus so does their supply.

The sad part is this, I have seen too many times people who claim they are saving a pup by BUYING it from an uneducated breeder, then a few weeks later they have them posted for re-homing going to god knows who and will be used for god knows what if they live long enough. If you paid for a pup you are not doing a rescue you are buying a pup. When you re-home not knowing the temperament of the dog you could be responsible for the next news headlines that only makes it harder on our breed and those that love and care for our breed. So please stop and think before feeling sorry for that cute little puppy.....

Thanks for reading I just felt I needed to share....Merry Christmas all