This always happens when the media uses a dog to either promote something or star in a TV show.
Responsible Collie breeders have been fighting for years to reclaim the health and stability of the breed following "Lassie." The same can be said of German Shepherd breeders following "Rin Tin Tin." Jack Russell Terrier breeders and Chihuahua breeders are battling the same thing now, due to "Frazier" and the Taco Bell dog (which wasn't a standard Chihuahua, anyway!)
I get so annoyed with two different types of people: a) people who decide they have to have a particular breed because they see it on TV and, b) idiots who decide to breed those dogs because they've suddenly become popular and see dollar signs.
Here's what I see happen, and I'd like you to stop and think about whether or not you agree. I'm just voicing my observations in my area.
When "Frazier" was a popular show, there was a cute Jack Russell on the show. People watched the show and decided they wanted that type of dog. I'm guessing they didn't do much research on the breed because, within a couple of years, there was a huge influx of Jack Russells into rescue. I'm assuming people bought these dogs through backyard breeders or a pet store, because a responsible breeder would have made sure the buyer knew what they were in for. After living with the highly-energetic handful of a dog, the less-than-educated owners decided they couldn't handle the dog anymore. The dog went into rescue or shelters because they didn't know what else to do. Some of those people bought JRs and bred them themselves, deciding to make money the same way the others were.
A few years after that, the dogs used for irresponsible breeding began showing up in rescue. When the litter-producers could no longer turn a crazy profit, they dumped their dogs as well. That ended up being the second wave of rescue JRs.
Very few of these rescue dogs were healthy, met the breed standard, were eligible to be registered with the AKC, or maintained the integrity of the breed. That's what happens when people breed dogs for profit, as opposed to breeding for the love of the dog and to preserve the breed's initial purpose.
The exact same thing happened with Chihuahuas. The "Taco Bell Dog" wasn't even a true Chihuahua; it was a mix. But the Chihuahua Craze had already started, and even now, several years after that advertising campaign ended, rescues and shelters are being inundated with these dogs. Most are mixes, and my theory on that is that people bought the dog on a whim, never altered the pet because they were either too ignorant to realize that, unless you're a breeder, you probably shouldn't keep an intact dog as a pet, or they just didn't give a shit about it at all.
The problem with the Chihuahua thing is that there are congenital defects and problems these dogs have that responsible breeders try to eliminate from their litters. They have a tendency to have knee problems (luxating patellas), seizures, heart problems, eye problems, dental issues, and fontanelles that never harden. Poor commitment to responsible breeding most often results in temperament issues, regardless of breed. Backyard breeders aren't concerned with that; they just want the money, and there have been plenty of customers. As a result, all of the rescues and shelters are trying to adopt out or eternally-foster special-needs dogs which, I'm sure you can imagine, is next to impossible.
Don't even get me started on the "pocket dogs" and Peek-a-Poos and Cock-a-Poos netting stupidly high prices, or any ridiculous version of a "designer pet" that us old-schoolers call mutts. Or the fighting dog thing. PLEASE don't get me started on the ghetto trash that want fighting dogs...
Understand my view on this, though: Mutts are perfectly wonderful pets. And many special-needs dogs are very easily manageable, although some require lifetime medication or other financially-draining treatment, although that doesn't keep them from being great pets. And my issue here isn't with the dogs themselves, and I'm not trying to come across as purely pro-breeder, either. Shit happens. People die, people become too old to care for a dog, people get divorced or have to move and can't give the dog appropriate accommodations, dogs get loose and are never reclaimed, or whatever. I get that.
I guess what I'm really mad about are people who see animals as a cash cow when the opportunity comes up. Irresponsible breeders don't worry about spay/neuter contracts, genetics testing, education, consulting with families to ensure proper placement, or anything else. They're in it for the money. As a result, hundreds of thousands of dogs are euthanized in my area every year because, while they may BE adoptable, there are simply too many dogs to place. It breaks my heart.
I think about my girl, Holly. She's a 14-year old rescue Australian Shepherd who I adopted at a year and a half of age. She was put into a shelter in Louisiana because she killed another dog on the dairy farm where she lived. The owner never fed her dog food; she had nothing to eat but milk from the cows. She was abused by use of a cattle prod. When she got pregnant from the "family dog," a black lab, she was given no shelter or whelping box in which to have her puppies. She had to defend her puppies from predators and the other dogs through aggression. She went into rescue because she's a highly sought-after blue merle female with blue eyes. Three of her puppies were euthanized because they "didn't look right." Even the rescue had a date for euthanasia because she was so dog-aggressive.
Then I came along; a single, dogless woman who wanted a pet who would just jump up into the cab of mytruck and go...anywhere and everywhere. And Holly's nature fit that bill perfectly.
It took me 8 years to get her accustomed to other dogs. On a leash, she was fine. She graduated at the top of her obedience class at the age of two, beating out a Golden Retriever from a reputable breeder. Let her loose around other dogs, though, and it was full-on war. Like I said, it took me 8 years of working with her before I could take her to the dog park and get another dog as a pet. Even before that breakthrough, she was the best dog ever.
When I got her, she was damaged. Almost unadoptable to anyone except someone like me. Lots of people wanted her because they liked the way she looked, but her situation was not optimal for anyone. Not to mention that there were so many other dogs in rescue that were "more adoptable" than she was.
Holly has slowed down quite a bit, being almost 14 and suffering from laryngeal paralysis - most likely due to the abuse she suffered as a young dog - but she's perfect for me. That's the catalyst for my rant.
Holly's the best thing that's ever happened to me. When I felt I had no reason to live, I realized that Holly would, most likely, be euthanized because nobody else could handle her. I could never let that happen, because she had so much love to give, is so willing to please, and has been so easy to train. But she suffered for far too long and we went through so many hard years - even with me - as I tried to undo all the damage she'd incurred before I came along. It was difficult. I refused to give up, because I saw her love and intellect and, without meaning to be too cheesy, we are like soulmates.
My deaf boy came to me in a different way, and he is a HUGE responsibility in a few ways, but what I get out of our relationship outweighs the complications. It could also be argued that some of the undesirable issues could easily be solved if I put some work into it. Just to give you an idea about that special-needs stuff...he was in rescue for two years before I adopted him. The others at the rescue - the deaf ones with eye problems as well - had been there for as long as six years.
It's a tragedy that so many people view animals as a way to make money, rather than recognize their true purposes: either to do what their breed was meant to do, or to be fantastic companions. I'm tired of seeing pit bull, terrier, and chihuahua mixes stuck in shelters where they're living on borrowed time.
I feel as if I lost my focus. I'm sorry for that. There are just so many points I wanted to make and so many facets to the problem...Maybe I should have done some pre-writing! LOL.
Please...leave a comment and let me know what YOU think about anything I touched on here. Am I off-base? Too critical? Do you agree? Have any information or thoughts you'd like to add?
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I think you are 100% right!!
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