Stuck between a rock and responsible owners
 

Afternoon everyone!!! i just wanted to ask the oppinions of the people on this forum, and get a little insight. A few months back i started a pitbull based club which quickly spread to include a myriad of other breeds(we love em all). I set up a training facility for dogs, and people alike in my own yard. We developed personal relationships with local vets, feed stores, and the ASPCA officers that patrol our neighborhoods. We educated tons of people on their pitbull type dogs, and stressed the fact that byb's and random breedings of unworthy specimens were ruining the APBT. However even after all the books, panthlets, and volunteering at local shelters. The members of my club STILL want to breed their animals. So now instead of stopping people from random breeding, ive unfortunetly given them the perfect avenue(because of all the dogs in the club) to find what they think are perfect matches to breed with their dogs. Now it seems that at every show, function, bbq, get together, anything!!! All people seem to want to do is talk about breeding, and finding the right match, and blah blah blah. When this trend first started we took the stand, and provided no help to anyone looking to do this, but people just did it behind our back. As it got larger, and more people wanted to breed, we started to offer basic knowledge to our members about prenatal care, testing your animals for diformities, and finding the right match (both physically, and tempermental) for their dogs. Also we wanted to make sure that however many puppies came from a litter that they would all have good, and permanent homes to go to. I dont want to make my club members seem like something their not. They are not puppy mill people or byb's. The people in my club that breed all have the money and facilities to take care of these animals. They constantly have their pets seen by our vets, and have had all testing done. They are all good people, who take great care of their pets. Through the club we have found every single puppy that our members have bred a home within our club. They are healthy and great pet quality dogs, but they do not improve the breed. The dogs bred so far are not champion show winners, pullers, or anything. Most dont have papers, so distinguishing their pedigree is impossible. It's hard telling someone their pet isnt worthy of breeding, and even when i do, they dont care. Should i just stop bitching as long as the pups are taken care of, and are put into great homes with good families. Or should i continue my very lonely one man crusade.

Sorry about my horrible spelling, I forgot to spell check, and proof read

Unfortunately, they are still bybs. A backyard breeder is not someone who just breeds dogs for money, it's also someone who breeds irresponsibly and this counts as marvelously irresponsible. Please continue to attempt to educate and let them know that if it's money they are after, they'll soon find that it really isn't worth the trouble and that a lot of times loving the breed means being smart and responsible enough to understand when you shouldn't be breeding

By the sounds of it you have created a monster so to speak, and regardless of how nice these members are or how well they take care of their dogs they are still going against what your club stands for....which is responsible ownership. The biggest mistake made was offering information on breeding, when the club probably should have put their foot down that this was not a dating club for dogs, but one that promoted spay/neuters and dog rescue.

Personally I have no problem with legitimate breeders who are working hard to produce exceptional dogs to standard, and to work, but seeing that most of your club members don't have that inclination I would have a come to Jesus moment with the members unless you are okay with your club going in the direction it is. You also have the support of the ASPCA, and local shelters, so I think it would be a conflict of interest to be a club which has so much focus on breeding....and dare I say, hypocritical.

The fact is, you can paint as nice a picture of these members as you like....but they are all backyard breeders, with no real investment in bettering the breed and breeding irresponsibly. You have some work to do if you want to change that...

I completely agree, it is hypocritical of me, but who am I to force my thoughts and beliefs on others and their property (so to speak). I love the club, and all the good its done, but this really is screwed up

The dogs are your property, but the land is yours. If they want to be irresponsible, boot em

It's your club. If you don't want to support irresponsible BYBs, kick them out. Tell them to find another club to support their cause because yours doesn't.

Pretty simple, IMO.

BTW, you ARE supporting them by allowing them to push you around and choose their own agenda and drag YOUR CLUB through the mud. Time to get back to your roots.

Wow, this sentence was all kinds of off.

What I was trying to say is that while it's their dogs, it's your club and your property. If part of the club is breed responsibility, they're failing at it. Boot em

Stand up for what you believe in. Let them know that if they really want to breed then they need to be 100% in it. Only breeding worthy dogs, neuter/spay all non-worthy dogs to avoid "oops" litters. If any of them want to breed then they need to commit to being a real breeder who can better the breed, not a byb. If they can't commit to that then they need to know you will not encourage it and you will not help them.

I'm not some punk kid, and no one pushes me around, I'm an adult. But these people have become more than just club members to me. They're my friends, confidants, family. You have no idea the fights I've been through, dramatics. Anyways being a person who once worked euthanizing lab animals for mskcc I have a higher understanding about how these animals are affected and what they go through

Do what the AKC does. Require unpapered dogs be spayed/neutered to participate.

I never said you were a "punk kid" but if you're not letting them push you around then why are they doing things behind your back? Why are they doing things that you don't agree with associating with YOUR club?

Nah you don't need to go that far.. Just if you don't want club members breeding dogs, that kick them out if they do. Simple as that.

I didn't mean to sound offensive, I just wanted to reiterate the fact that I do push the issue constantly, its to the point that sometimes I go to far. No one has ever mated any dogs on my property. Owners will meat during training, and outings and breed on their own. There's little I can do about that

Then what are you trying to get out of this thread? You've already said that you don't agree with what other owners are doing with their dogs. Then you go on to defend them after we only tell you what we think (you asked) based solely on your posts.

If you want to support them and have them be part of your club while breeding their unproven dogs, then continue helping them breed.

If you don't want to support them but want to allow them to stay as part of your club, then quit bitching.

If you don't want to support them and don't want your club's name being drug through the mud by supporting BYBs, then boot them.

It's really not complicated.

Does your club have a mission statement? Do the members pay any kind of membership fee? Do they have to sign any kind of code of conduct pertaining to that mission statement?

There have been a lot of good posts on this site about why not to breed. Maybe if you find them and print them people can read and hopefully gain a little knowledge. I know theyre your friends but personally, I wouldnt want to be friends with somebody who went behind my back and did things that they knew I didnt allow my club to do. Theyre not real friends, boot them.

Theres no mission statements, club fees, or any of that were just people who love dogs, get together and have fun. Everybody benefits, especially the pets. I've spent more money putting events and outings together that even if we did charge some sort of fee it wouldn't even come close to paying us back. So its not about money. Thanks for the advice, I'll make the right choice regardless of the outcome

I'd totally make it a Bob Barker facility. Spayed or neutered or no admittance, period. Papers, purebred or whatever. There are enough people out there with quality breeding programs. Not every great dog needs to be bred.

But that's just me. :-D. Lol!!

@KateNLeo - What if they are pure bred and show?