Aspen Kennels - Should be called "Mixes R Us"

[BSan]

thanks Muggie's Mum and Delisay, as well as Aurora
Bullied Breeds, thanks for asking. I had two cats, sisters from the same litter, 9 years old which I considered young compared to another cat I had before. We really loved our cats. They developed kidney problems, one became very sick very fast in August 2006. She was on IV, etc. at the vet where she could be monitored.....she became too sick to recover, and sadly had to be put to sleep. December 2006 her sister became ill, same thing..... kidney issues. They both had been on special food for their problems months before when problems were beginning to show up. The vet wondered if the vulnerability was inherited, showing up in both sister cats She went to the vet, was there on IV's until "somewhat" stabilized, and I brought her home giving her much care, but she didn't make it, and she as well had to be put to sleep. A few days after having to put my second cat to sleep, My dear old lab (almost 15 yrs old) finally could not get up to go to the bathroom anymore, and stopped eating. He lived a good old life, and we loved him dearly. If you read the book Marley & Me, his decline was similar in the end, having to hoist him up sometimes when he couldn't get up too well, followed by an amazing good period of time, and then rough times again. So.........from the end of august 2006 to mid december 2006, we had three dear pets put to sleep. After that my husband didn't know if he wanted to go through that again at all. My choice was just one pet. We did not want to adopt from a shelter, not knowing the health backrounds , not wanting to go through again heartbreaking problems very soon again (though there are no guarantees), and having a little tiny grandaughter. We have no regrets getting "Herbie". He is perfect for us, comical, sweet, and brings much joy to our family. He is absolutely wonderful with our grandaughter, who was only 9 mths old when we got him. They are growing up together. He is so affectionate, and easy to train. We love him to pieces. He is 63lbs so far, and likes to try to sit on our lap. Never had a fluffy dog, (had three yellow labs over the years.....loved them!) never had a dog that hardly sheds at all. We love him!

 

[Amalthea]

It's a hard situation for me to comment on because I've got 2 dogs now that came from breeders whom you guys would have a field day with... We reported the breeder that Midas came from because of his being covered in parasites (i.e. hundreds upon hundreds of ticks, which are thankfully gone now and his skin is healing well) and having many open sores and infection the vet said was pretty serious. The other breeder we got Moro from is a friend of ours' father, and his pups were healthy and weren't neglected or bug-infested, but he breeds wolf hybrids and I know that alone is enough to bother a lot of you guys. Midas was our most expensive dog at $75 Moro was $50.

While I understand that 'designer breeding' and cross breeding in order to get a fad breed is only contributing to the problems of too many unwanted dogs, and while I also find it really idiotic to charge/pay hundreds or even thousands for what is essentially a mutt... and I understand that the fad is all about making money and once the rage over these "doodle" crosses is past, the breeders will have made a killing and the dogs will suffer from being unwanted 'mutts'.... there are just so, so many problems in the world of breeding dogs, owning dogs, and buying and selling dogs. I really see a place like the website linked in the first post of this thread as kind of the lesser of two evils... by that I mean...if their claims on the front page are true (that they only breed one litter and raise the pups as part of their family, and do all the health testing etc.), then I'd much rather see that happening than people breeding neglected, abused 'purebreds' (like Midas) who spend all their time outside in a concrete pen being eaten alive by bugs and whatnot... or even worse... purebreds who come from puppy mills and spend their entire lives in cages barely big enough for them. I know these two examples are part of a much larger problem, and that the money which can be made off purebreds and designer cross-breeds is what drives the demand for these type of pups... the Aspen kennels breeder is contributing to this problem by charging huge prices for mutts who happen to be 'in fashion', but honestly if their pups are healthy and happy, it bothers me much less than to see a sick, abused dog being sold for a huge price simply because it's 'purebred' and the owner doesn't care for it beyond its status as a pure breed and the money it can make for him.

This is kind of off topic, but really, I'd never pay a large sum for a dog. There are too many GREAT dogs out there from free to under $100 who badly need homes. It just makes no sense to me to pay $1,000 + for a dog, especially if it comes from a BYB or puppymill type place.

 

[savethebulliedbreeds]

BSan, I am very sorry that you had to go through such hard times with your pets. The only problem is, is when you breed crossbreeds, so many different things can pop up, same as when people breed purebreds without doing the necessary testing. There are really no guarantees that a pet will never get sick or never have problems, but the best way to cut down the chances of that happening is to buy a purebred dog from a reputable breeder. And if something does happen, that breeder will be there to back you. I am not saying that there is a 100% chance that because your dog came from (what we call) a bad breeder that he will get sick or have health problems later on, but the chances are greater than if you went and bought from a reputable breeder.

My household, for example. I own purebred, registered dogs, (4 Pomeranians & 2 Chihuahuas), I also own an American Staffordshire Terrier.
I honestly don't have a clue where he came from. All I know is that I got him from trainer and that trainer got him from the humane society. Where he had been bred and what he lived like before that, I have no idea. I understand, that the chances of him having health problems in years to come is greater than my other dogs because my little ones came from good breeders and Magnus could have come from one of the worst.

I am glad you love your dog, but maybe this thread will give you something to think about for years in the future when it comes time to get another pet. Best of luck with your baby.

 

[BSan]

Thanks BulliedBreed

Before we got our present dog, I already had thoughts about what I would want to do in the future. When you get older, you think about alot of things, like how old will I be when this dog reaches the end of his life (of course hoping for a good long life for both. We are in our early 50's, and in ten years, our 60's. Some large dogs are a handful. If my husband is willing to get another in the future, I had already thought about adopting a smaller dog from a shelter in the future.
By the way, I really like American Staffordshire Terriers. You have your hands full with four Poms (who need regular grooming), and two chihuahuas. I can't imagine 7 dogs in my house!

 

[BSan]

Amalthea, what an awful experience with Midas. I am glad you were able to help the poor doggy. Quite an eye opening learning experience I am sure. I don't know much about wolf hybrids. I couldn't venture there.
I found a place 45 min. from my home where there is a large wolf sanctuary, with lots of room for them to roam . They have a few wolf hybrids there as well, that were rescued. That was a fascinating place to visit.

 

[Chul3l3ies1126]

Lol

Aurora, I agree...

Chul I think that how you did what you did was unwise and unnecessarily unkind. (I expect that you will agree as you get older, but may not believe me right now!)

D.

LOL As i get older ?!! I'm 21, I'm old enough to know when someone is doing something stupid, and unproductive. My response might have been the same, but I speak my mind and i know many ppl that agree with me. The over population of pets does not need to progress.

 

[Chul3l3ies1126]

And thank you Jessie and savethebulliedbreeds
and btw my cousin has 3 pit bulls, they are the angels of our family, they saved my baby cousin from their house fire 2 years back.

 

[Muggie'sMum]

Anyone ever hear of being sued for slander? This is getting ridiculous.

 

[Chul3l3ies1126]

Sigh...

 

[Chul3l3ies1126]

What is sad is that everyone posts their own threads about things they like and dislike and ask for peoples opinions. Everyone's response is not going to be pretty. I have emailed 27 different so called "Breeders" of these new dog breeds, I have them all saved, and I participate in protests against this and against petstore and puppy mill cruelty. I have never been sued or threatened, I know the rules we go over them every time with our groups, what I stated was an opinion. They have not replied, I have sent one more asking for a response and their productive goal for breeding these dogs.

 

[Delisay]

As i get older ?!! I'm 21, I'm old enough to know...

:lol-sign: This made me giggle!!! I mean it in the nicest way, believe it or not. Drop in again when you are 35+ and see what you think!! Trust me...!!! Or not (I expect....)

But certainly I suggest that you contemplate the reasons that these 27 people have not replied to you - why the approach you are taking is clearly not working, because something else might. Think about it, because people have given you good feedback here.

For example, see how you responded to me in a private message, triggered only by a gentle critique that your strategy was "unwise and unnecessarily unkind". That's among the mildest expressions of feeling on the issue that you could hope for. Others also explained it to you quite gently. But you reacted very badly even to this mild approach, because it feels bad to be criticised even a little (I understand that). You have probably mentally pushed me away a little now - I am not your favourite person at the moment (I understand that too). Therefore, imagine how other people will feel and how they will respond, to the far more lengthy, direct, emotive and insulting criticisms in your emails. Most people will just dismiss you, feel a little sadder about human nature for a while because a stranger has attacked them, then continue on their merry way.

As Dr Phil says when someone gets bad results but keeps doing the same thing... "How's that workin' for ya'?!" Life comes down to 'what works'. With your strength of feeling on this issue you have the potential to make a difference. Think about strategies and pitches which will be more effective and not just get people on the defense from the get go.

Del.

 

[~Jessie~]

I do agree that you get more flies with honey...

I've sent emails to breeders before, but they were worded in a nice way. I've gotten some good responses back too... and I feel like I educated some. And for the ones that didn't care, at least I tried. People are more likely listen if you if you are nicely and calmly trying to educate/explain why you do not care for their breeding practices.
A while back I was looking at ads for puppies, and I came across a stud ad for an older, out of breed standard chihuahua. I sent the poster an email, and they wrote back that they had no idea that he wasn't breed standard. They said that they just received him as a gift and that he was their first purebreed. They didn't even realize that purebred dogs have faults. Anyway, the point is, they just didn't know any better. Guess what? The ad was removed a couple of days later. I'm sure that if I sent them a mean email that stud listing would still be on hoobly.

 

[Herschel]

:lol-sign: This made me giggle!!! I mean it in the nicest way, believe it or not. Drop in again when you are 35+ and see what you think!! Trust me...!!! Or not (I expect....)

But certainly I suggest that you contemplate the reasons that these 27 people have not replied to you - why the approach you are taking is clearly not working, because something else might. Think about it, because people have given you good feedback here.

For example, see how you responded to me in a private message, triggered only by a gentle critique that your strategy was "unwise and unnecessarily unkind". That's among the mildest expressions of feeling on the issue that you could hope for. Others also explained it to you quite gently. But you reacted very badly even to this mild approach, because it feels bad to be criticised even a little (I understand that). You have probably mentally pushed me away a little now - I am not your favourite person at the moment (I understand that too). Therefore, imagine how other people will feel and how they will respond, to the far more lengthy, direct, emotive and insulting criticisms in your emails. Most people will just dismiss you, feel a little sadder about human nature for a while because a stranger has attacked them, then continue on their merry way.

As Dr Phil says when someone gets bad results but keeps doing the same thing... "How's that workin' for ya'?!" Life comes down to 'what works'. With your strength of feeling on this issue you have the potential to make a difference. Think about strategies and pitches which will be more effective and not just get people on the defense from the get go.

Del.

Such a good post until you quoted Dr. Phil...

 

[Delisay]

:lol-sign: Sorry Herschel!!! :hail:

 

[~Jessie~]

:lol-sign: opcorn: :lol-sign:

 

[savethebulliedbreeds]

I can completely understand where Chul is coming from. When you are very passionate about a certain thing you can't help but get very mad and extremely frusterated. There are nicer ways to say things but her email was definately not one of the worst I have seen people on here post. I have sent many many "appropriate" emails and still had my a$$ chewed out. Sometimes people don't listen to nice and sometimes the people that send the emails don't want to put it to them so nicely. Sometimes things have to be said the way they are. I for one, have difficulty sugar coating the truth, it does not work for me and never has. Just my opinion though.

 

[BSan]

I too understand passion leading to anger and frustration..........I Have three kids, now grown into their twenties! LOL Can't tell you how many times, over the years I felt passionate/angry/frustrated. They are great kids! But growin' um' up wasn't always fun. They hardly ever responded to the passionately angry, verbally hostile approach. Who does!!!!! Firmness, love, with established boundaries (meaning what is right is right), with thought to teach, not condemn, always won out. (I did not get that from Dr. Phil!........he wasn't around then when I needed him!) They may not have agreed, but I did the right thing to teach, whether they agreed or not. Real truth does not have to be sugar coated, but it does Not need to be condemning. Condemnation never gets anybody anywhere, unless of course the reason to spew on them is to tick (p*##) them off, which is not the best of reasons. I admire people who stand up for what they believe, are passionate without hostility, regardless of whether others agree or not. Maybe when someone is really mad, it would be good to wait and "simmer down", take a break, put some good thought into it, and respond instead of react. With many failings myself over the years, I humbly add this suggestion.

 

[~Jessie~]

I would never sugar coat anything... but there is a way to word things without coming off too strong/condemning/angry/rude.
It is hard to not let your anger/frustration to show through on things you feel passionately about... I cannot stand unresponsible breeding/puppy mills/ low quality dog food (all three of these are my weaknesses, lol). But, more people listen if you are calm and uncondemning.

 

[Chul3l3ies1126]

Yea, sorry but thats the thing with me, I'll never sugar coat anything. I speak exactly the way I think sorry. But like I had stated before, people on here and on any forum state their cases and different problems and ask for feedback, not every reply or opinion is going to be pretty. That's the real world for you... I'm at least old enough to know that. You all saying I need to be older to understand... hehe... should know this as well. The real world is a sad sad place.

 

[Muggie'sMum]

I posted this on another thread but thought it might be beneficial here:

I agree that Chazhound seems like a great group of folks that really care about the canines who can't speak for themselves. "Passionate" is a word that definitely comes to mind....

With that said, for the most part, Chazzers are great about the way they put forth the things they are passionate about. You can make a great deal of difference in the way that you approach things though. I understand where dogs are something very near and dear to the heart of everyone on Chazhound, it can sometimes be difficult to be eloquent, but respect goes a long way, especially when you are chastising something someone is doing.

Ie -

"You're so stupid for breeding your dog. There is no excuse for it to get pregnant! You ignorant slob, you're bringing mutts into the world! You are the spawn of satan!"

vs.

"I really feel that you should educate yourself a little bit on the statistics surrounding dogs in shelters, etc" -- you get the point?

I have met a couple of Chazzers that are less than respectful in the way they respond to things but for the most part, they're a top notch group of folks. I have belonged to many a forum where people are not so eloquent with their wording, but have found that for the most part, there are plenty of people who are adults (or can act like one!) here that can express themselves without grossly offending.

You catch more flies with sugar than honey, as they say.

Apologize to those who read it already.

When I was 18, I thought I was about as mature as I was going to get - when I was 21, I thought differently and looked back on the decisions I made as infantile and immature -- and so it goes.

You're not doing anything by sending emails like that except infuriating people and making them THAT MUCH MORE insistent on doing exactly what you don't want them to do - you may, in fact, be harming your cause, instead of doing any good for it. Does this mean you need to sugarcoat?? No, it just means you need to be respectful.